This years OPEN - £80 for a day ticket!

[HomerJSimpson]

I think I'll stick to the BMW and seniors Open locally and maybe venture to the European tour event at Woburn. Definitely going to be cheaper and the first two are on my doorstep so transport next to nothing. Not sure I'd go to an Open during competition days any more with the size of crowds and reasonable poor infrastructure some venues have. Practice days possibly

 

[Bobirdie]

I can see both sides of the argument.

I feel you miss alot when going to spectate,where as in a stadium you see everything. I cant understand why the price of food and drinks have to be so expensive aswell though after forking out for the ticket. Obviously the stalls set there own prices however these are mainly reflected on the price of the pitch.

 

[Deleted member 18588]

£80 will get me to London and back for the FA cup inc pie and pint at inflated prices, and ticket. I can get there and back in the same day and I live in the middle of the country.
it won't get me to scotland for the same amount, in fact no where near so a comparison to a premier league game is way off the mark. If you want the week ticket, then your staying somewhere up north ( unless your sleeping in the car) then your paying a grand plus for the week, and that for the average golfer is excessive. Having read this topic, other tournaments offer far better value for money.

PS season ticket for my club (man city)for an adult starts at £299.

Cheapest ticket for last year's final was £45 so that leaves £35 to cover return travel from Mansfield and your "pie and a pint".

Sounds like a tight budget to me.

Also, at the Open you are seeing the best in the world; that is not the case at the Cup Final.

 

[virtuocity]

Way too expensive so I won't be going.

Hoping to make it to the Women's Open at Turnberry though, prices should be much more reasonable and smaller crowds!

Looking forward to this as well.

 

[Tashyboy]

Cheapest ticket for last year's final was £45 so that leaves £35 to cover return travel from Mansfield and your "pie and a pint".

Sounds like a tight budget to me.

Also, at the Open you are seeing the best in the world; that is not the case at the Cup Final.

Oh I don't know we have Dzecko😳

 

[richart]

I will be getting tickets for the Wednesday and Thursday. Also got grandstand tickets for the Thursday beside the 17 green, so should get a decent view.:thup: £70 for the Thursday is good value as far as I am concerned.

 

[Sweep]

It's too much money. I decided not to attend last year because of the ticket price. Attendance was 26,000 down on when it was last played at Hoylake in 2006. It was the same story in 2013, when the R&A blamed the weather for being too hot.
They need to wake up and smell the coffee on this issue.

 

[Biggleswade Blue]

It is expensive as a day out, but compares to other events. 6 Nations tickets in Cardiff - £70 for an 80 minute match. Test Match tickets - £80 for a day. Seat at the Opera - up to an eye watering £146 for a 2-3 hour show, Matilda the Musical - up to £95 for a 2-3 hour show.

If they sell all the tickets, it was priced too low. If they don't sell all the tickets it was priced too high. These organisations are about making money. The game is maximising that.

 

[guest100718]

That is steep, last time i went it was at sandwich and cost £55, when you consider travel food etc it really adds up.

 

[PhilTheFragger]

If I were to go, it would be a 3 day trip minimum, factor in accommodation, travel expenses, hyped up food prices , then the cost of the ticket itself is small.

Im sure that lowering the ticket price would encourage more people to go who are an easy drive away, but it will make no difference to those who have hundreds of miles to travel

 

[matt71]

£80 is expensive considering when you add on the food/drinks and also transport. However for a sporting event its not that bad in my opinion.

Football though is on another planet, lost count how much I have spent watching united around Europe and the cost of champions league finals tickets (well lets not go there)

 

[Blue in Munich]

Cheapest ticket for last year's final was £45 so that leaves £35 to cover return travel from Mansfield and your "pie and a pint".

Sounds like a tight budget to me.

Also, at the Open you are seeing the best in the world; that is not the case at the Cup Final.

Whilst that is true & I take your general point, it is also true that the FA Cup final will guarantee you a seat whilst The Open doesn't, and from that seat you will be able to see every twist & turn of the event whilst your ticket to The Open will only get you a view of a small part of the whole event. Whilst you know that when you buy the ticket, it will have some bearing on people's opinion as to whether it represents value for money.

Personally I think that is now too much, especially if there is a reduced tented village & manufacturer presence at St. Andrews as that is all part of the event for me.

 

[Imurg]

Cheapest ticket for last year's final was £45 so that leaves £35 to cover return travel from Mansfield and your "pie and a pint".

Sounds like a tight budget to me.

Also, at the Open you are seeing the best in the world; that is not the case at the Cup Final.

I think the real problem is geography.
If you're going to get your money's worth at The Open you need to spend the whole day there.
With the majority of Opens either in Scotland or the North West, I would need to make it a 3 day trip for my £80 entrance.
Now obviously many people will have no problem with that and pay the cash - no issues with that.
But it means I'm very unlikely to attend an Open.
2 nights B&B + food and drink + £80 or some very early starts/late finishes.
As well as that, there's also the possibility of little or no play due to the weather - OK not a huge chance but imagine forking out for travel, hotels and your £80 to find the course blanketed in fog for the majority of the day....

 

[Hobbit]

What do you get for £80?

A full days entertainment as much as 12 or more hours

Up close to the worlds greatest golfers all day.

£80? How much is it ringside at MGM Las Vegas to see Mayweather? How much is it court side for the Wimbledon men's final? How much is a pitch side ticket to the World Cup final?

£80 is expensive but it's far better value than many other top sporting events

But it doesn't get you from the start of the event to its conclusion, as a cup final/Wimbledon final ticket would get you. For a day's entertainment its pretty good but if you're doing the FULL day it costs you way more than £80. And then there's who you go with... if you go with a friend, he pays his own ticket but if you go with HID, as we go together, there's no splitting the fuel cost or only paying for your own lunch/tea/drinks.

We'll be there on the Friday, which will be circa £200.

 

[Blue in Munich]

£80 is expensive considering when you add on the food/drinks and also transport. However for a sporting event its not that bad in my opinion.

Football though is on another planet, lost count how much I have spent watching united around Europe and the cost of champions league finals tickets (well lets not go there)

Mine were 160 euros each in Munich in 2012, Europa League were £39 each in Amsterdam in 2013, not that bad at all when compared to the FA Cup final;
2007 final £80
2009 semi £34.30
2009 final £58.65
2010 semi £40
2010 final £65
2012 semi £40
2012 final £65

Only the 2007 final was lower tier so higher priced, all the other finals were upper tier so the lower end of the price scale. For comparison Munich was lower tier, six yard line (very similar to FA Cup final 2007 location) Europa was upper tier on a corner.

 

[Hacker Khan]

What do you get for £80?

A full days entertainment as much as 12 or more hours

Up close to the worlds greatest golfers all day.

£80? How much is it ringside at MGM Las Vegas to see Mayweather? How much is it court side for the Wimbledon men's final? How much is a pitch side ticket to the World Cup final?

£80 is expensive but it's far better value than many other top sporting events

Trouble is it should not be priced in comparison with other sporting events but priced to take care of the business side and also attract the maximum number of visitors and get the most exposure. Boxing fans may well happily pay £300 quid for a ringside ticket, but that is irrelevant if golf fans are not prepared to pay £80 for a day of golf for the only big tournament left in this country.

 

[Fyldewhite]

I'm firmly in the "it's a rip off" camp. I know it's more about the atmosphere than actually seeing the golf but let's face it, the product as a spectacle isn't really that good. Yes, you see most players hit a few shots over the day or maybe follow a few groups and see a lot of those players at the expense of the rest. There are few sports where you pay good money to actually miss most of the action......perhaps F1 (the biggest rip-off of all) is another. Comparisons with other sports are meaningless. Yes, it's a long day for the money and it can be argued that this makes "better" value but in reality the proper excitement only starts at about 3 o'clock on the Sunday and then you are very lucky to have a good view of any of the action never mind all of it.......I watched Adam Scott's capitulation at Lytham on the big screen in the village.....and wasn't bothered by that as I actually saw every shot.....imagine doing that at a Cup Final! I know you can't really put a price on "the atmosphere" but if I had to it wouldn't be 80 quid. All that said, I would still say everyone should go at some point. It is special, but once you've been to one you've seen them all. The practice days are by far the best value and much more fun....you can even take cameras in.

 

[Berger]

The cost comparison with other sporting events is a fair one but i think it only highlights that in general the cost of attending sporting events is far too expensive in the UK. A day ticket for this years Open isn't far off what it costs to watch a premier league game at some grounds. Still doesn't make it right though.

But even the golden goose that is the premier league is facing discontent from supporters groups regarding ticket prices. Some of the protests have had an effect in that clubs have been forced to allocate a pot of money towards helping reduce the cost of away tickets for fans. Its still nowhere near enough but its a start.

I think one of the biggest problems with ticket prices is that it is making it very difficult for young people to get involved which will only cause major problems down the line. The premier league is pricing young fans out of the game and tickets at £80 for one day at The Open won't exactly help attract young people to golf either, which is what the game is crying out for and needs to help it survive. Yes, there are concession tickets for 16-21 year olds, but most people in their early twenties (over 21) are in low salary jobs and would struggle to justify shelling out the money it would cost to attend The Open.

 

[Sweep]

Whilst that is true & I take your general point, it is also true that the FA Cup final will guarantee you a seat whilst The Open doesn't, and from that seat you will be able to see every twist & turn of the event whilst your ticket to The Open will only get you a view of a small part of the whole event.

That is a very good point.
I was in the US on business in June 2007 and took the opportunity to go to the US Open at Oakmont for all 4 days. A fantastic experience and one I will remember forever, but the last day was horrendous. They had really over sold the tickets and the crowds were ridiculous. Whilst over the first 3 days I saw lots of action and got close to the ropes, on the Sunday I never saw a single shot played. In the end I watched the final groups play the 18th on the TV in the tented village. If I had just attended on the Sunday I would have been very unhappy to say the least.
Of course I am not saying that would happen at the Open, but for £80 plus all the other expenses you don't get to see that much and the nature of the game played over a wide expanse means spectators cannot see all the important developments.
Once you have added in the cost of travel, food, drink etc you could have bought a new driver.

 

[Duckster]

Would £70 seem more reasonable? Because (as mentioned in the opening post) that's how much it is!

Save yourself a £10 and buy it before 31st May!

How many other sporting days out would offer you that?

Granted, I do think that it's a tad too much but would probably pay that if it were at Lytham or Birkdale as there's hardly any travelling for me so I could easily do a single day, but to get up to any of the Scottish tracks I'd have to do a few days. 3 days tickets, digs, food, fuel etc.. means it'd start to hit the same costs as a holiday to the canaries!