The PGA of America also raised Ryder Cup entry fees for volunteers.
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As it turns out, the PGA of America isn’t just awarding fans from next year’s Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black.
They are also priced out volunteers.
In September 2025, the PGA of America will charge its free labor a $350 “volunteer package” fee to participate in proceedings from Bethpage, according to multiple volunteers who spoke to GOLF.com on condition of anonymity. The $350 package is believed to be the highest ever charged for a volunteer at any of golf’s major events, an increase of more than double the cost of the last PGA of America event held at Bethpage Black, the 2019 PGA Championship .
The news marks the latest development in a controversial week for the Ryder Cup – and the governing body behind its US-based iterations – after the decision to dramatically increase prices for Ryder Cup fan tickets drew outrage from golf fans . IN $750 per ticketThe 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black will have the most expensive entry price for a golf tournament in recorded history, a price increase of 581 percent over the 2019 PGA Championship.
In recent years, the practice of tournament organizers charging volunteers for tournament equipment and facility costs during race weeks has become commonplace, reversing a long-standing trend of working without equipment for free. But it is generally understood that so-called “voluntary tariffs” are not subject to the same price sensitivities.
However, the optional Ryder Cup package prices the Cup at $80 more than Next April’s PGA Championship at Quail Hollowand $100 more than the volunteer fees at golf’s next most expensive event, the US Open. According to a letter sent to volunteers and obtained by GOLF.com, the $350 package will not provide volunteers with any additional goods or services: only a volunteer uniform, a drawstring bag, a commemorative pin, food (during tournaments only) and a tournament. credentials. After tax and credit card processing fee, the total for the volunteer package is $392, more than double the price of the volunteer fee at that ’19 PGA Championship ($175).
“It’s basically the same package that the volunteers got at the 2019 PGA,” said one volunteer.
“It’s absolutely deafening,” said another.
The PGA defended its pricing decisions to GOLF.com earlier this week as the product of several converging market forces, including the cost of hosting an event in the New York metro area, expected interest in Ryder Cup tickets and increase in tickets. costs across the professional sports landscape for marquee events.
“The overall price is indicative of A) this market, B) where we position ourselves, where we feel like we are (in the larger sports landscape) and then C) demand,” Ryder Cup director. Bryan Karns told GOLF.com. “I think when you get into a situation where the demand is that high, you want to do your best to price it so you don’t create this massively inflated secondary market.”
Karns did not indicate whether the voluntary program was subject to the same calculation.
Volunteers are an unusual – and vital – part of the golf business, helping to keep security and set-up costs low during the men’s major golf traveling circus. Ask someone to pay you working for free can be a slippery slope, especially when so many events on the golf calendar rely on a workforce of local club members, golf enthusiasts and retirees to keep the trains running on time to events that would otherwise they were too expensive to operate.
Some volunteers told GOLF.com they considered rejecting the PGA of America’s voluntary bid for the 2025 Ryder Cup, saying they only paid the fee because the increased price offered access to the full week’s course. Another said he spent the money as a show of good faith during a particularly turbulent time in pro golf.
Most were surprised by the news that the PGA of America would pay $750 one day for regular fans attending this event. Some even scoffed at the relief.
“I’ve never felt so good about paying nearly $400 to volunteer.”
