By Mark Harris

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Given its unique format, the fact that it involves many different countries, and that it only takes place every two years, the Ryder Cup is one of the biggest events not only in golf but in sports as a whole. All those factors make everything associated with the Ryder Cup expensive, but when you host the event on Long Island, only about 30 miles from Manhattan, those expenses reach levels that are hard to comprehend. READ: Ryder Cup Tickets Sell Out Despite Fans Who Forgot About Supply And Demand Complain About Prices While ticket prices, ridiculous party kits, and the cost of a beer typically dominate the conversation about Ryder Cup costs, this year’s event is a bit unique when it comes to lodging. Farmingdale, the New York town home to the host course, Bethpage Black, isn’t exactly bustling with high-rise hotels to host the 50,000-plus fans expected to attend the three-day event. Sure, fans can grab a hotel in New York City and jump on a train for a relatively easy commute, but believe it or not, hotels aren’t exactly cheap in and around Manhattan, Brooklyn, or the other three boroughs. Options are limited, which means options are also expensive, mind-numbingly expensive, in fact. About 6 miles from the course, there is a three-bedroom listed on Airbnb that could be yours for $34,000 for the week. Nobody is walking six miles to the golf course, so this leaves you having to jump in an overpriced ride-share car or jump in your own car, likely having to pay to park in someone’s yard. The New York Post reported that one specific Bethpage property about a mile from the golf course is listed for nearly $30,000 for just four nights. Front Office Sports reports that the demand for short-term rentals across Long Island is 87% higher than Sept. 23–28, 2024. In Farmingdale, specifically, the average nightly rate for the week is up 145%, about $455, compared to last year. These are just the prices some people will opt to pay to simply lie their head down at the end of the night. At the time of this writing, the cheapest ticket for Friday’s action on the secondary market is $1,076. Saturday’s cheapest ticket is about $100 cheaper, while Sunday’s tickets are surprisingly the cheapest on the market at the moment, with a get-in price of $849 per ticket. The Masters carries a similar trend to what we’re seeing with this year’s Ryder Cup when it comes to incredibly expensive lodging, but nothing like we’re seeing ahead of Bethpage. Folks attending the Masters can score nightly rates of under $1,000 during tournament week in most instances, but for the Ryder Cup, many are looking at rates three, four, and five times that number.