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R&A chief defends Open prices: staging costs up 25 per cent
Mark Darbon says the Open now costs £10 million to £12 million more to stage than five or six years ago. Final-day tickets at St Andrews next July are £190, twice the £95 a day charged there in 2022.
Mark Darbon, chief executive of the R&A, told BBC Sport that the Open now costs £10 million to £12 million more to stage than it did five or six years ago, and that ticket prices have to reflect that.
Darbon’s comments came in a BBC Sport report, published on 8 October, about rising prices across British sport. He said ticketing brings in less than 20 per cent of the R&A’s revenue from the Open, and that the organisation sets prices by looking at other major sporting events.
“We exist in an experience economy,” he said.
From £95 to £190 at St Andrews
A day at the Open cost £95 at St Andrews in 2022, according to the BBC. At Royal Birkdale this July it was £150.
For the 155th Open at St Andrews next July, the R&A has set adult prices at:
| Day | Price |
|---|---|
| Practice days | £40–£70 |
| Thursday and Friday | £150 |
| Saturday | £170 |
| Sunday | £190 |
Under-16s go free with an adult, and tickets for 16- to 24-year-olds are half price. The ballot closed in July and championship days are sold out, so fans hoping to attend must now rely on the waiting list or hospitality packages.
Silverstone and the Ryder Cup cost more
The BBC set the Open alongside other major events. General admission for Grand Prix Sunday at Silverstone now costs up to £289, against £189 in 2021. Golf’s other headline event in 2027 is dearer still: general admission at the Ryder Cup at Adare Manor is €499, against up to €260 in Italy in 2023.
Ballots ten times oversubscribed
We think Darbon has a case, because costs have risen and demand is high. The concessions for young people help more than the headline prices suggest, since a family with two children under 16 pays for the adults only.
The rise at the same venue is harder to defend. A day has gone from £95 to £150 in four years, and £190 on the Sunday is double the 2022 figure. According to Golf Monthly, championship days have been about ten times oversubscribed in past ballots, so the R&A has little commercial reason to hold prices down. For fans on a budget, practice days at £40 to £70 remain the best value of the week.
Sources
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