The PGA of America has been accused of charging volunteers almost $400 (£308) to work at next year’s Ryder Cup – days after it emerged tickets at Bethpage Black would cost $750 (£577) per day.
According to Golf.com: A letter sent outlining the tournament’s so-called “volunteer package” states those who sign up will be provided with nothing beyond a uniform, a drawstring bag, a commemorative pin and food (during shifts only).
The total for the package was said to cost $392 (£301) after taxes and a credit card processing fee, double that from when the same course staged the 2019 PGA Championship.
The PGA of America has been approached for comment a week after it faced accusations of pricing out genuine golf fans by hiking up the cost of Ryder Cup tickets to £577 per day.
The ‘RyderCup+’ ticket, which had been the cheapest listed ahead of a ballot sale, admittedly includes “unlimited food and non-alcoholic beverages at all market concessions throughout the grounds at no extra cost” – but that is still a lot of money to pay for food.
It is more than five times as expensive as the cheapest daily ticket for this year’s Masters and the US Open, both of which started at $140 (£107). Tickets to the Open started at £110 on tournament days, with the USPGA $148 (£113), rising slightly for Sunday.
Price hike may be attempt to preserve order
The RyderCup+ ticket costs $255 (£195) on the Tuesday and the Wednesday of Ryder Cup week, $423 (£323) on the Thursday, and then $750 on the three days of competition.
The huge price hike also risks creating a schism with PGA Tour players, many of whom already feel aggrieved they do not get paid to play. Last year’s 16½-11½ victory for Europe was overshadowed by an ugly spat between PGA management and some players, notably Patrick Cantlay, who felt they should be paid to show up.
Cantlay famously declined to wear a cap, which was said to be in protest. Europe’s fans taunted him by singing songs and waving their caps at him all weekend, although the American responded by playing brilliantly.
Bethpage Black is expected to create an even more raucous and hostile atmosphere than the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club, given what occurred in Rome.
It is thought the massive price hike may be an attempt to dissuade non-genuine golf fans from attending, in order to try to preserve a bit of order. But it also risks pricing out genuine golf fans, particularly those from Europe, who will already have had to pay large sums to travel over.
Trying to avoid ‘massively inflated secondary market’
The Ryder Cup is by far the biggest cash cow for the PGA of America. The DP World Tour only profits from home matches. Ticket prices for Marco Simone in Rome in 2023 ranged from $53 (£40) to $277 (£212).
Fans will be informed in a few weeks whether they have been successful in the ballot for the 2025 contest which will take place on Long Island from September 26 to 28.
Defending next year’s ticket prices, Ryder Cup director Bryan Karns told Golf.com: “The general price is indicative of A) this market, B) where we position ourselves, where we feel like we are [in the greater sports landscape], and then C) the demand.
“I think when you get into a situation where the demand is so high, you want to do your best to price it so you don’t create this massively inflated secondary market.”
