A former newspaper-chain colleague of mine at the Savannah Morning News once went all Rachael Ray on behalf of his readership and decided to eat and drink for a full day at the Masters for $40. He left the course late, bloated and feeling a little Augusta-green around the gills.
If he spent $40 on à la carte concessions at the 2022 PGA Championship, he wouldn’t even get much of a buzz, much less close to full.
While the May temperatures in Tulsa, Oklahoma, beat the mid-summer scorchers of past majors played at Southern Hills, the PGA of America has taken some heat for its concession prices – most notably the sticker shock of its beer. A Michelob Ultra set you back $18. A Stella Artois, organic seltzer or a signature cocktail ran you $19. A bottle of Aquafina water was $6.
Cue the outrage.
A hot dog at Southern Hills set you back $8, a beer brat $9.50, a pulled pork sandwich $12.50, a fried bread taco or cheeseburger $14 and a Beyond Burger $15.
In fairness, the portion size (25 ounces) beats the 12-ounce domestic, imported or Crow’s Nest beer you get for $5 at Augusta. But you didn’t get a cool green plastic cup, and your investment invariably got warm because you weren’t going to guzzle anything at those prices.
Last week there were no $1.50 egg salad or pimento cheese sandwiches or $3 barbecue, classic chicken or Masters clubs either – those latter being the most expensive sandwiches on the menu at Augusta National. A hot dog at Southern Hills set you back $8, a beer brat $9.50, a pulled pork sandwich $12.50, a fried bread taco or cheeseburger $14 and a Beyond Burger $15.
The PGA this year did actually offer an all-you-can eat option for ticket holders who paid a premium price of $195 per round – about 40 percent more than what a regular ticket cost at Kiawah’s Ocean Course last year. While you could have had all the burgers and snacks and sodas you wanted for that price, you still had to fork over more cash for anything alcoholic.
These prices are more akin to a Super Bowl or major-league stadium concessions, and they aren’t likely to get much better at other golf tournaments going forward – especially in these inflationary times.
It makes anyone long for the simple and affordable fare at Augusta National. Or how about Wimbledon, where a portion of 10 fresh strawberries (minimum) and a lashing of cream cost tennis patrons only £2.50 (about $3.12) last summer.
Tennis, anyone?
E-MAIL SCOTT
Scott Michaux