How Will the Crowds Be for the Ryder Cup and Raiders Together in Vegas?

We are looking to come out to Las Vegas in September 2020 to a) see the Raiders at home in their new stadium and/or b) to be in the US during Ryder Cup Weekend. Hopefully we can dovetail the two (Ryder Cup is Fri-Sat 27-29 Sept 2020). What effect do you think Ryder Cup weekend will have on hotel availability/prices (if any) especially if that weekend also features a Raiders home match?

The Ryder Cup is huge to American golf fans, right up there with the four majors. Europeans are even more passionate about it. As you mention, the problem stateside is that it falls on a football weekend, so it tends to grab the interest of only the true golf fans -- unlike the Masters in April that attracts a lot more casual sports fans, because there's nothing else going on.

The impact on Vegas crowds, and the sports-betting handle, is minimal. In general, the handle isn't as much as the Masters in April.

Another indicator is the TV ratings. This year, the Ryder Cup, held in a suburb of Paris the last weekend of September, attracted less than three million viewers on Sunday, while for early Sunday-afternoon football, there were 13 million and the later prime-time games got about 20 million. For a golf comparison, last year, 13 million viewers tuned into the Masters.

The long and short of it is the Ryder Cup is a huge event on the golfing calendar, but football is king. So you only have to worry about a Raiders home game and the jury's out on that so far. We'd say that though prices might be a little higher and occupancy might be a little tighter than a normal weekend, if you plan well enough in advance, you'll find availability and decent prices, especially if you don't mind staying downtown or at a locals casino.

We'd like to thank Steve Sharp, author of our upcoming Win at Sports Betting, for help with this answer. Steve's an inveterate golf bettor, who knows the game and the betting opportunities inside out -- as his book amply demonstrates.

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Arnold Lueders Oct-28-2018

Ryder Cup site.

The Ryder Cup in 2020 will be played at Whistling Straits in Sheboygan Wisconsin.

VegasVic Oct-28-2018

GO TO IT

It sounds as if the OP is from outside the US.  If that's the case I assume you will be in the US for a week or more?  If that's the case you should consider going to the Ryder Cup and then flying to Vegas for a few days.  I guess if your intent is solely to bet on the Ryder Cup then yes, just go to Vegas.  One thing to consider, Whistling Straits is not an easy course for the spectator to watch the event.  I was there for the 2015 PGA Championship.  It's a links course, many holes are on the shoreline of Lake Michigan.  It's a beautiful course.  But because it's a links course it's rocky and uneven and there aren't many spots along the fairway to observe.  Even around the tee boxes and greens it's a challenge.  If you plan to follow a particular group it's tough.  Best to find one good spot and stay there.

Kevin Lewis Oct-28-2018

Weekends are always exorbitant

It costs 5-10 times as much to stay in a Vegas casino hotel on the weekend as it does on a weekday. The 10X is when there's a "special event" in town. The Raiders??? We'll see a gigantic markup in ALL hotel room prices every weekend they're in town. Vegas casinos LOOOOVE any excuse to jack up rates. We'll see gouging on a scale unprecedented even for Vegas. The Ryder Cup won't matter, though.

Diamonddog2801 Oct-29-2018

Thank you

For the info/thoughts.  I'm the original poster and, yes, I live in the UK. I've been to Las Vegas on 14 previous occasions, including the last two (in 11 & 13) when we were there for Superbowl weekend.... that's really the idea of our proposed trip in 2020... we're NFL fans and really fancy marrying up a big football event (the Raiders in Las Vegas), Las Vegas itself and Ryder Cup weekend. Hence the question. It would seem the golf won't have so much of an effect on room rates as a Raiders home match, pretty much confirming what we thought. Of course, if Gruden keeps the present win/loss record running into Las Vegas, the effect on the prices may not be quite as dramatic!  ;) Thanks guys.

Question of the Day - 28 October 2018

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