CHARLOTTE — The PGA Championship began Thursday with a major feel both on and off the course.
General admission tickets that were $250 at face value include unlimited food and non-alcoholic beverages at market tents throughout Quail Hollow Club, where fans can grab and go as much as they please. This is the fourth year the tournament has used a version of its Championship+ grounds ticket strategy.
“I think we offer maybe the best value proposition in professional sports right now,” PGA Championship tournament director Jason Soucy told Front Office Sports.
While there won’t be record attendance this week, as fans weren’t allowed on the course for Monday’s practice round, sellout crowds on peak days over the weekend are still expected to total 40,000.
Premium Pickings
The luxury hospitality buildout at Quail Hollow is larger than any other PGA Championship, with double-decker structures around holes 16, 17, and 18.
So, it’s no surprise the tournament broke its record for premium hospitality sales set last year Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville. Soucy wouldn’t give away the final number, but said it surpassed the $23 million figure from the 2024 U.S. Open that was also played in North Carolina, at Pinehurst No. 2.
Renovations at Quail Hollow in 2023 included a new tee box at No. 13 that helped make way for a 500-person Club PGA premium offering that sold daily tickets for $1,250.
While those VIP options will surely make a dent in your wallet, a more affordable option is Club Magenta by the 10th green, which also churns through thousands of fans (T-Mobile customers and friends) each day. The 6,350-square-foot structure debuted at last year’s PGA Championship, and will be an even bigger buildout at the Ryder Cup in September.
Resale Prices Rising
The PGA Championship is seeing its most expensive secondary ticketing market this decade.
As of Wednesday evening, the average resale ticket price across the four tournament rounds at Quail Hollow Club was $345, according to data from SeatGeek, which runs the tournament’s ticketing, provided to FOS.
That’s up 43% from the average resale price of $241 at the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville.
