R&A Blame The Weather for Poor Attendance

Riverdale said:
As the title says, the R&A have issued a statement blaming the weather for the attendances being well down on the 2002 Open at Muirfield!!

So it seems hot sunny days are detrimental to people going to watch golf. Nothing to do with the £75 admission cost then :D

http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport...lame-heatwave-for-open-crowds-fall.1374493013
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F.A.O. The R&A

I was very excited about finally going to see a golf tournament in the flesh for the first time, and the Open Championship no less!!

Looked in to public transport vs driving, picked the day (Saturday), got permission from she who must be obeyed and was all set to buy a ticket. And then I found out how much it was to get in.

I watched it on the TV instead...
 
£75 isn't bad for a whole day's entertainment when you compare it to Football matches

But

You have to add in getting there and, unless you take your own picnic - which still costs - the price rockets.
Add in Hotel accomodation unless you live close by and it becomes a damn expensive day out....
 
So, their logic suggests that a lot more people would have been willing to fork out the £75 if it had been lashing down and blowing a hoolie?

I think not.
 
Its also very different from watching a football match where you see the whole game unfold before you, win, lose or draw. Live at the Open you only get to see the few shots of whoever you get to follow and you could easily be missing the better stuff two fairways away.

I usually do the practice days when I go to golf and then watch the rest on tv. £75 plus expenses is pretty damn dear though!
 
Surprised it was only 10%, it appeared to be much more to me.

I would imagine many bought tickets but decided to escape the heat and stay at home.
[A bit like Rangers counting the non spectating season ticket holders as part of the match attendance figures]
 
So £75 wasn't the issue to the R&A then and they think more people would trudge around a links in howling wind and rain! Someone best send the men in white coats to them!

Price pure and simple to high! £75 just for golf, plus travel and food your talking at least £150 for a day out and thats way to much.

Bring the price down somewhere sensible or even offer cheaper tickets for the weekdays and more may attend.
 
I dont think £75 is too bad if you make the most of it. I went three days. Went tuesday practice got there at 7.30 left at 5. 9.5 hours worth for £30. Friday got there at 10 left at 7. 9 hours worth for £75. works out at £8.33 per hour. Sunday got there at 8 left at 6.30. 10.5 hours worth for £65 works out at 6.19 per hour.

if you go early it makes it better value. The prices wont come down untill no one goes to the open. And the chances of that happening are slim.

i think it also depends what you do on the day do you sit in a stand or do you follow groups. I did a bit of both follow groups for most of the round then sat in the 18th stand to watch groups come through. So i seen plenty golf.

I'll say i was happy to pay the prices i did. Its also the experience of being there and seeing the best play their best. Muirfield is the closet on the open rota for me so id rather spend that amount of wedge once every 10 years than every week going to football for less action.
 
Theatre tickets now cost £75... To park your car was £60 at the F1 GP...

Think, in general, interest in golf has plummeted in the last decade... Just a quick look at your average muni will tell you as much... Think the next generation play out their lives on-line rather than in 'reality'...
 
I think I'd pay £75.00 to follow some players and then sit in the 18th gallery watching players coming in but, I'd also want to meet and speak to some manufacturers before & after and see some demo's and be their for the launch of some new shineys or accessories so the day had a more complete package built around The Open as a golfing spectacle.

Hearing that there wasn't much of the latter, I'm not sure I'd fork out £75.00 for a posh ramble ;)
 
Garush34 said:
I'll say i was happy to pay the prices i did. Its also the experience of being there and seeing the best play their best. Muirfield is the closet on the open rota for me so id rather spend that amount of wedge once every 10 years than every week going to football for less action.
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Thats the point right there, its a one off. i watched F1 live at silverstone once, the experience was amazing, would i go again? no chance, (unless its VIP with pitlane bar etc) but to have "been there" heard it, smelt it, felt the atmosphere etc well worth it,

Would i have paid £75 for the open? no, its too far away so would be a £500 trip no doubt, but if it was more local, yes i would be happy to pay £75 notes to have been and watched one of the 4 biggest golf tournaments in the world.
 
How much were the tickets for the final day at Lytham last year? I went but had the full weeks pass for all the practice days and the 4 tournament days so do not know about individual prices only remember that it worked out a lot cheaper. Only ask as there looked at lot less people there on the final day than there was at Lytham
 
I suspect I may be in the minority here but as much as I love playing I have no interest at all in watching someone else play let alone paying £75 for the priviledge.
 
In_The_Rough said:
How much were the tickets for the final day at Lytham last year? I went but had the full weeks pass for all the practice days and the 4 tournament days so do not know about individual prices only remember that it worked out a lot cheaper. Only ask as there looked at lot less people there on the final day than there was at Lytham
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£60 I think.

£15 to park your car is an utter joke....£5 yes but £15??!!
 
I think the tickets should be graded and retrospectively discounted.

£40 Practice Day
£50.00 Day 1
£60.00 Day 2
£70.00 Day 3
£80.00 Day 4

Buy Days 1 & 2 for £100.00
Buy Days 3 & 4 for £140.00
Buy all 4 Days for £225.00 and get the Practice day for half price :thup:
 
£75 gets you access to the whole week at the BMW PGA. Obviously it's not a major but it's top level golf and I know where I'd spend my £75.
 
I to was put off by the £75 for the tickets. If I was going I would have taken the train. Cost for that was £22 and that would have only got me to Drem.

Couple that with a programme, a few drinks and a snack I was easily at £140 plus. Other option. Stay at home watch on the TV, have a BBQ in the garden and buy myself a new wedge.

A few of my mates went and bought grandstand tickets and they said they forked out a small fortune.

Its the exact same with the Ryder Cup tickets. To expensive for the locals
 
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