Outrageous ticket prices announced for 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black: Golf fans are fuming

The countdown has begun for the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, and preparations are underway. With less than a year to go, the maintenance team is already diligently working to ensure the course is in prime condition for one of golf’s most prestigious events. Of the 60-person crew, 25 members are explicitly dedicated to maintaining the Black Course’s greens. The team works year-round, with recent efforts including renovating all greenside bunkers.

Bethpage Black, renowned for its challenging bunkers, has hosted major events, including two U.S. Opens and a PGA Championship.

Unlike many private courses that host similar events, Bethpage Black is a public course, and it’s the difference here—you’ll be able to play it leading up to the Ryder Cup and even afterward, which isn’t the case at most venues unless you’re a member. But why is this also important? You’ll find out.

2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black: tickets outrage

The Ryder Cup, a biennial match-play event between the top U.S. and European golfers, is expected to draw an estimated 250,000 spectators over the week-long competition at the Bethpage Black venue. The build-out for hospitality, concessions, and grandstands will begin in May 2025, with massive infrastructure to accommodate the crowd on this once again said - public course.

But the biggest surprise came during the one-year-to-go celebration when potential spectators were introduced to the 2025 international golf event ticket prices. Even the word “surprise” is an understatement; a word like “outrage” would be more appropriate to describe their feelings.

Those passionate Ryder Cup spectators and fans may have already been priced out. The more complicated process requires winning a ‘random selection process.’ The Random Selection ticket sale will only include Ryder Cup+ tickets, according to the tournament’s official website.

The public’s most notable opinion came from golf journalist Kevin Van Valkenburg. He shared a screenshot of the prices listed on the Ryder Cup website and argued that the incredibly high cost could be just as expensive for the hosts themselves.

‘I would like to go on the record now and say that if Europe wins the Ryder Cup at Bethpage because the crowds were turned into a polite snooze fest like LACC by the insane ticket prices, it’s going to go down as a massive own goal,’ he wrote.

I agree with Kevin on this, and I will just add that this international (non-commercial) competition will be held again on a public course. The organizers want to charge the public with private V.I.P. course prices, and something is wrong with that.