Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black becomes golf’s biggest spectacle, with VIP access and unprecedented security

The Ryder Cup opened Friday at Bethpage Black with a transformation of a public park into golf’s largest temporary venue. The Long Island course, long renowned for its difficulty, this week hosts tens of thousands of fans and a sprawling hospitality and security operation. Officials estimate that Bethpage will see as many as 50,000 spectators on peak days, supported by more than 4,000 staff and volunteers who have helped turn a course that normally accommodates about 3,000 people per day into a week-long spectacle.

The tournament’s footprint spans 1,477 acres, with a logistics and spectator layout designed to handle a crowd and a level of attention befitting a major championship. PGA of America organizers describe the setup as a high-water mark for the sport’s fan experience, featuring a dense network of structures and amenities intended to keep fans safe and engaged while the Ryder Cup unfolds on one of golf’s most storied stages.

Behind the scenes, Bethpage’s transformation is as much a construction project as a competition venue. The grounds now feature 362 structures scattered across the park, including hospitality chalets, pop-up tents for fan engagement, and a massive merchandise megastore. Since May 19, organizers have laid down 1,200,000 square feet of carpet and 1,610,000 square feet of decking—the most ever used for a Ryder Cup—to protect fairways and provide stable surfaces for the week’s crowds. Ten grandstands rise over the greens, with the largest capable of hosting about 5,000 spectators for key vantage points at the first tee and 18th green. Those unable to get seats can still be part of the action thanks to 15 miles of rope that corral fans and 7.2 miles of chain-link fencing that shield European players from the home crowd.

In all, the infrastructure is designed to move and absorb about 250,000 spectators over the course of the week, a figure that dwarfs the event’s commonplace, day-by-day attendance. The scale mirrors other major sporting spectacles in how spectators are funneled into the venue—long before the opening tee shots—to ensure smooth ingress and a steady rhythm to rounds that span morning to late afternoon.

To deliver the experience, the Ryder Cup’s host organization built a deep, support-heavy ecosystem. The site relies on roughly 4,200 volunteers and more than 200 PGA staff members who perform everything from crowd management to player services. The logistical footprint extends to transportation and access as well: the Long Island Rail Road has added extra trains to shuttle fans from Manhattan and other points to Farmingdale, while hundreds of buses pull up to parking lots and gates in a continuous loop to move people toward the heart of the action.

For those who can afford it or require extra convenience, air travel is part of the equation. The nearby Bethpage Red Golf Course hosts 20 helipads for the tournament week, with scheduled flights from Manhattan operated by BLADE at a price of about $1,250 per trip. The helicopter service underscores how the Ryder Cup has become an all-encompassing event that blends sport with a broader spectator experience, as fans seek to maximize their time at what organizers have described as golf’s own “Disneyland.”

Security, too, has been elevated to match the event’s profile. The run-up to Friday featured enhanced security measures that included drones, bomb-disposal dogs, and teams capable of handling chemical, biological, and radiological threats. A glass enclosure was constructed on the first-tier of the first-tee grandstand to house the president during Friday afternoon’s fourball matches, reflecting the combination of high-profile attendance and robust protection that have defined the week’s preparations. Items such as range finders, certain large bags, and other equipment were banned from the first-tee grandstand and clubhouse area during opening sessions, with the possibility of further restrictions as conditions dictate. Gate security resembled an airport-style screening process, with state troopers and Secret Service agents patrolling the perimeter and monitoring for potential threats.

The presence of President Donald Trump at Bethpage added an additional layer of complexity to an already vast undertaking. Trump, a longtime golf enthusiast and a participant in the broader political-ceremonial landscape of sports, attended the event days after a widely reported incident involving a political ally at another venue. Coach and captain’s decisions regarding media access remained under careful management, and Team USA captain Keegan Bradley indicated that the team did not expect to invite the president into the locker room to deliver a message to players—emphasizing that Trump’s appearance would be managed within a broader security framework rather than as a focal point of the competition itself.

Gates opened early on Friday—at 5 a.m. ET—to help mitigate the inevitable traffic and security checks associated with a Ryder Cup of this magnitude. PGA organizers have explained that, despite the Trump presence and the scale of the operation, their aim is to proceed with a smooth, spectator-friendly tournament that keeps the focus on golf. They acknowledge the event’s complexity and the need for constant coordination among course staff, security personnel, transportation providers, volunteers, and media.

Friday’s opening events are set against a broader context: Bethpage Black is hosting a Ryder Cup that, by several measures, exceeds previous iterations in scope and spectacle. The careful balance between welcoming fans and ensuring safety reflects a sport that remains deeply rooted in tradition while continuing to expand its appeal through new infrastructure and logistical ingenuity. As the week unfolds, organizers, players, and fans will gauge how well the operation holds together—whether the course’s famous challenging lines translate into the same dramatic moments that have defined the Ryder Cup’s storied history, now played out on a course engineered for a new era of golf entertainment.