Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Fans who were heading to the Ryder Cup on Friday could already expect a hectic scene before Donald Trump announced he’ll be making the trek to Bethpage Black. That led to an increase in security that involved a number of items being banned, including one that only a true golf sicko would want to bring in the first place.
The Masters may boast the hottest ticket in golf, but the Ryder Cup definitely takes home the silver medal despite pricing out plenty of the fans who were forced to shell out a minimum of $750 for a one-day ticket to the event that will officially get underway at Bethpage Black on September 26th.
This is far from the first time the infamously difficult public course on Long Island has hosted a notable tournament, as it’s previously been home to a couple of U.S. Opens in addition to the PGA Championship that was held there in 2019.
However, it is the first time it will be welcoming golf’s biggest international affair, and there were already plenty of logistical headaches surrounding an event that will welcome 50,000 fans each day before Donald Trump made the decision to head there for the matches that will unfold on Friday.
That development has led to the venue banning a number of items, although there’s one that really sticks out from the pack.
Fans won’t be allowed to bring rangefinders to the Ryder Cup due to security concerns surrounding Donald Trump’s visit to the tournament
Plenty of amateur golfers deploy rangefinders during their round so they can get an accurate read on how far away they are from the pin before lining up for a shot they’ll end up topping or sending 25 yards to either side of the flag much more frequently than they’d prefer.
Those devices are banned at the vast majority of PGA Tour events (although that could change in the near future based on an experiment that was conducted last season), and you also won’t see caddies deploying them at the Ryder Cup (the 2025 tournament is overseen by the PGA of America, which has permitted the use of devices that only account for distance at the PGA Championship since 2021).
There are some spectators who opt to arrive at the course with a rangefinder in tow when they head to a tournament in person, but anyone who was hoping to do so at the Ryder Cup on Friday got some bad news when they landed on the list of items being banned due to Trump’s attendance.
It would appear that the decision is linked to the use of a rangefinder in the assassination attempt in Pennsylvania last year, and items including non-retractable umbrellas, folding chairs, and “large vaping devices” are also banned due to security concerns.
Bringing a rangefinder to a golf tournament is an idea that never would have crossed my mind in the first place until I discovered they won’t be allowed at Bethpage, and while I guess I can understand why some people would harness them, doing so exudes some serious “Grown Adult With A Glove At A Baseball Game” energy.
Thankfully, anyone who wants to be That Guy will seemingly still have the chance to do so over the weekend.