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Ticket Terms & Conditions
The 155th Open Ticket Terms and Conditions
IMPORTANT SUMMARY INFORMATION
It is important that you read and understand these Ticket Terms and Conditions (these "Terms"), which relate to your tickets for The 155th Open at the Old Course, St Andrews ("The Open"). By attending The Open you will be deemed to have accepted these Terms.
In particular, we want to draw your attention to the following:
Availability
All ticket types, including "Kids Go Free" Junior Tickets are subject to availability, and cannot be issued once a day has sold out (see Section A for further details on buying your tickets).
Refunds
You may be entitled to a refund or partial refund if: (i) The Open is cancelled or postponed prior to its commencement; (ii) play is cancelled or suspended during your visit to The Open; (iii) The Open is staged behind closed doors; (iv) The Open is staged with reduced spectator numbers; or (v) you change your mind within 48 hours of your purchase (provided this is before 10 July 2027 and your ticket has not been purchased from the Resale Platform). Tickets are non-refundable in all other circumstances (see Section B for further details on refunds).
No Resale of Tickets
It is important to us that as many tickets as possible for The Open are sold at a price that is affordable to a greater number of consumers and we are concerned about the inflated prices that tickets can be sold for on the secondary ticket market. The resale of tickets is therefore prohibited except in limited circumstances. This means that if you sell your ticket to someone else for commercial gain or at a higher price than face value, or advertise it for sale, other than as permitted under these Terms or otherwise with our permission, we may cancel or void that ticket and other tickets purchased by you (see Section F for further details on using your tickets). This includes tickets being bundled with other goods or services (e.g. accommodation, travel, hospitality, golf tee times) and selling on without the permission of The R&A.
Where you are no longer able to use your tickets, you may be able to advertise for sale and resell your tickets via the official Ticket Resale Platform, details of which will be provided by The R&A in advance of The Open (the "Resale Platform").
Re-Admission
Our re-admission policy will be communicated to ticket holders prior to The Open. We reserve the right to update our re-admission policy at any time.
Health and Safety
We reserve the right to impose health and safety related protocols which spectators must comply with while attending The Open that we consider appropriate or that we might be required to implement Any spectators who refuse or fail to comply with such conditions may have their tickets cancelled, be refused entry or removed from The Open.
Ancillary Events
The R&A may arrange additional activities, exhibitions, appearances or entertainment during The Open, such as the Heroes Classic scheduled to take place on 14 July 2026 ("Ancillary Events"). We reserve the right to cancel, reschedule, or alter the format, timing and/or duration of any Ancillary Event at our sole discretion, and we do not make any guarantee that any Ancillary Event will take place or that any particular individual will attend or participate. Accordingly, no refund shall be due in the event of the cancellation, rescheduling or alteration of any Ancillary Event.
Spectator Code of Conduct
All spectators are required to comply with any Spectator Code of Conduct set by The R&A from time to time while attending The Open. The Spectator Code of Conduct will be made available on our Website and within the App to all ticket holders in advance of The Open.
DETAILED TERMS AND CONDITIONS
These Terms set out the terms and conditions that apply between (i) you as a purchaser of tickets for The Open and, where you are not the purchaser of tickets for The Open, to you as a holder of a ticket for The Open (referred to as "you" or "your") and (ii) us, R&A Championships Limited, a company registered in Scotland under company number SC247047 and having its registered office at Beach House, Golf Place, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9JA ("The R&A", "we", "our" or "us").
SECTION 1: TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF PURCHASE
A. Buying Tickets
1. In the first instance, tickets will be available for purchase by entering the official Ticket Ballot for The Open (the "Ticket Ballot"). Please note that tickets are subject to availability and entry into the Ticket Ballot does not guarantee that you will be allocated tickets.
2. A limited number of tickets may be available for purchase from an authorised provider who we have authorised to sell tickets for The Open outwith the Ticket Ballot. Please note that The R&A has no control over other package elements which may be offered by authorised providers, including, for example, travel, accommodation and golf tee times.
3. Following the closure of the Ticket Ballot, if surplus tickets are available, tickets may be purchased:
a) on our website (www.theopen.com) ("Website");
b) by telephone (see paragraph I.6 for contact details);
c) on the Resale Platform; or
d) through any other sale or transfer mechanism authorised in writing by The R&A.
4. We offer three categories of ticket based on age. These categories and the eligibility requirements for these tickets are as follows:
Ticket Category Eligibility
Adult 25 years of age or over on 10 July 2027
Youth (16-24 years) The ticket holder must be aged between 16 and 24 years of age on 10 July 2027
"Kids Go Free" Junior (under 16 years). The ticket holder must be under 16 years of age on 10 July 2027
Adult and Youth Tickets
5. The maximum number of Daily Adult and/or Youth tickets that can be purchased by you (regardless of the method of purchase) is 4 per day of The Open. For example, you may order 4 tickets for Saturday and 4 tickets for Sunday in a single transaction, but once you hold 4 tickets for any given day of The Open, your maximum limit has been reached.
6. Weekly tickets are not available for purchase by members of the public except in limited circumstances. Where Weekly tickets are made available by The R&A, the maximum number of Weekly tickets that can be purchased by you (regardless of the method of purchase) will be decided by The R&A in its sole and absolute discretion.
7. Requests for more than the maximum number of tickets stated above or otherwise specified by The R&A (for example, for a school trip or golf development group visit) can be made by contacting The Open Ticket Office on +44 (0)1334 460010 or tickets@theopen.com.
"Kids Go Free" Junior Tickets
8. Children under 16 years of age on 10 July 2027 cannot attend The Open unless accompanied by a responsible adult over the age of 18 who holds a valid course admission ticket (Adult or Youth (16-24 years)). All children under 16 years of age on the above date must hold a "Kids Go Free" Junior Ticket to attend The Open. Please note that "Kids Go Free" Junior Tickets may not be listed for sale on the Resale Platform.
9. Requests for "Kids Go Free" Junior Tickets can be made: (i) via the Ticket Ballot application process; or (ii) in any sales period following closure of the Ticket Ballot (in the event that "Kids Go Free" Junior tickets are still available). Please be aware that "Kids Go Free" Junior tickets will count towards your maximum allocation of 4 tickets per day of The Open and will be subject to a maximum of 3 per accompanying adult, being a person who holds a valid course admission ticket (Adult or Youth (16-24 years)) or who is applying for or purchasing such a Ticket at the same time as requesting the "Kids Go Free" Junior Ticket. That adult must accompany the Junior while in attendance at The Open.
Mobile Tickets
10. All tickets will be issued digitally through a mobile app, details of which will be confirmed by The R&A to ticket holders prior to The Open (the "App").
11. All ticket holders are encouraged to have their own mobile ticket on their own device for security purposes and to speed up entry on arrival. Where you purchase and/or are allocated any ticket(s) which are for use by other people, you will be able to transfer the ticket to each person who will be attending The Open using the App following your receipt of the ticket(s). Depending on your ticket type, your ability to transfer tickets may be restricted or limited to a maximum number of transfers.
12. If you do not have a mobile device that is compatible with the App or if you have any questions in relation to mobile tickets, please visit our Website for more information or contact The Open Ticket Office on +44 (0)1334 460010 or tickets@theopen.com.
General
13. Where you are the purchaser of tickets, your purchase of tickets will be completed when we deliver the tickets to you.
14. In most cases this will be via the App (to your mobile phone). In limited circumstances this may be in person (for example, by handing out tickets at the entry gate to ticket holders who do not own a mobile device that is compatible with the App).
15. The R&A reserves the right to choose to accept or reject your order whether for all or any number of the tickets requested. In the case of an order being rejected in whole or in part, you will be notified as soon as reasonably practicable. Such notification may not be received until we have had an opportunity to complete all pre-despatch ticket checks. Our failure to notify you of the rejection of your order in whole or in part does not mean that your order has been accepted.
16. The R&A will accept no responsibility for, or offer any refunds for, loss arising as a result of any incorrect information provided by you at the time of purchase, unless this is due to our error.
17. If tickets ordered by you become unavailable for any reason then you will be informed of this by The R&A. The R&A reserves the right to complete the transaction by issuing part of the total order, or to cancel it completely. In either event, you will be refunded for any ticket(s) ordered but not received and this will be the only liability that we have to you.
B. Refunds
Cancellation of your order
1. If, after you have placed your order, you wish to withdraw or cancel your order then you may do so by informing us no later than 48 hours after your purchase. The right to cancel tickets set out in this paragraph B.1 must be exercised no later than 10 July 2027 and does not apply to any tickets purchased on the Resale Platform. You will not be entitled to cancel your order or be entitled to a refund after 10 July 2027. If you withdraw or cancel your order within these timeframes, we shall reimburse the payment made by you within 30 days of receiving: (i) your notification that you wish to cancel your order, and (ii) where ticket(s) have been despatched to you, the unused ticket(s). Return of the ticket(s) to us is at your own cost and you will be responsible for the returned ticket(s) during transit.
Suspended Play or Cancellation during The Open
2. Daily tickets: If The Open is cancelled after its commencement or play on the day(s) to which your ticket relates is suspended, you shall be entitled to a refund of the cost of the ticket(s) based on the following criteria:
Total Hours Course Available for Play Refund Due
Zero = 100% refund in respect of that day's ticket cost
Less than 5 hours = 50% refund in respect of that day's ticket cost
3. If the course is open and available for play for 5 hours or more on a day, no refund shall be due in respect of that day. In calculating the number of hours the course is open and available for play on a particular day, each day will be considered to have commenced when play begins that day, and will end when play finishes for the day.
4. Refunds due to cancellation or suspension of play do not apply to Weekly tickets or car parking.
5. For the purpose of calculating refunds under paragraph B.2 above, the number of hours the course is open and available for play will be timed by The R&A Rules Department and its decision shall be final. Information on this decision will be published on our Website.
6. The right to a refund set out in paragraph B.2 must be exercised no later than four months after the last day of The Open. You will not be entitled to a refund after that date.
Postponement prior to The Open
7. In the event The Open is postponed prior to its commencement and such postponement results in The 155th Open being held at St Andrews at a later date than scheduled, The R&A will honour tickets for the re-scheduled dates of The Open. If you do not wish to attend The Open on such re-scheduled dates you must notify The R&A in writing of that fact as soon as possible. Upon receipt of such notification, The R&A may elect at its sole discretion to refund you for the cost of your ticket(s). Refunds will be available in accordance with the refund process communicated by The R&A following the date of postponement.
Cancellation prior to The Open and Staging Behind Closed Doors
8. In the event The Open is cancelled prior to its commencement and such cancellation results in The 155th Open being held at a venue other than St Andrews, or in the event that The Open is staged at St Andrews behind closed doors with no public attendance, you will be entitled to a full refund for the cost of your ticket(s).
Refunds will be available in accordance with the refund process communicated by The R&A following the date of cancellation or our decision to stage The Open behind closed doors, as appropriate.
Reduced Spectator Numbers
9. In the event that, due to health and safety reasons, we can only admit a limited number of spectators to The Open, The R&A may cancel your ticket(s). If we cancel your ticket(s) in such circumstances, you will be entitled to a full refund for the cost of your ticket(s) in accordance with the refund process communicated by The R&A following the date of our decision. The R&A has absolute and sole discretion as to which tickets to cancel in a reduced capacity scenario.
General
10. You have no rights in the event of cancellation or postponement of The Open, or suspension of play, or in the event that The Open is staged behind closed doors or with reduced spectator numbers other than a refund for the ticket(s) calculated in accordance with paragraph B.2 or payable pursuant to paragraphs B.7, B.8 or B.9. If you purchase a Daily ticket for play on a Sunday, this does not guarantee that Sunday's play will be the final round of The Open. For the avoidance of doubt, no refund shall be due in respect of any Ancillary Event, except where you are otherwise entitled to a refund in respect of The Open as set out in this paragraph B.10.
11. Refund requests must be received by the deadline date specified by The R&A in communications issued to ticket holders during the refund process. Please note that any tickets bought through an authorised provider must be returned to relevant authorised provider, rather than to The R&A.
12. The R&A shall retain ownership of all tickets issued to you under these Terms, and your tickets may be recalled by The R&A at any time. Where such a recall takes place, The R&A will issue a full refund to you or provide replacement tickets.
C. Payment
1. Prices quoted are in Pounds Sterling and are inclusive of applicable VAT (VAT Registration Number: 827 8424 04).
2. Payment in full must be made prior to despatch of the ticket(s) in accordance with paragraph C.3 below.
3. We will process an order where payment is made using Mastercard® or Visa®. We will also accept BACS Transfers for telephone sales where the value of your total order exceeds £2,500. If your payment is rejected, then we will notify you and your order will not be fulfilled and we have the discretion not to fulfil or process any other order received from you.
4. If you use a Mastercard® to purchase your Weekly or Daily tickets, you will receive a £5 reduction on the total value of the transaction. This offer is subject to the following conditions:-
a) This offer is limited to a single transaction per card holder and does not apply to orders for more than the maximum number of tickets specified in paragraphs A.3 and A.4;
b) You must be 18 years of age or over to qualify;
c) No cash or credit is available as an alternative;
d) You must enter the relevant promotional code in order to redeem the offer;
e) This offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer; and
f) This offer is subject to availability and we can withdraw it at any time.
5. The R&A shall not be responsible for any exchange rates, fees or charges levied by your bank or payment card provider.
6. When placing your ticket order online or over the phone, you must take the following positive action in order to benefit from this discount:
a) For online sales: follow the online instructions (i.e. enter the correct offer code as part of the payment process).
b) For telephone sales: state that you would like to pay with a Mastercard® before the card details are provided.
SECTION 2: GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS
D. Our Liability to You
1. If we are in breach of these Terms, we will not be responsible for any losses that you suffer as a result, unless the losses are a foreseeable consequence of the breach. Loss or damage is foreseeable if either it is obvious that it will happen or where it could be contemplated by you and us at the time you purchased your tickets.
2. The R&A will not be responsible for paying any compensation to you for any loss or damage to property incurred at The Open, unless the loss or damage was suffered as a result of our negligence or other breach of duty.
3. Nothing in these Terms shall limit any rights you may have which are not capable of being lawfully excluded or limited, nor shall these Terms exclude or restrict our liability to you for any death or personal injury resulting from our negligence or breach of duty.
E. Your Safety
1. Whilst The R&A is committed to ensuring that proper safety measures are in place to try to prevent injury to spectators, you acknowledge the risk of injury whilst attending The Open, despite such precautions being taken, including the risk of being struck by a golf ball, and you agree that you are assuming all risk and danger arising from your attendance at The Open. The R&A will not be responsible for paying any compensation to you for any injury, illness, loss or damage suffered by you at The Open unless this injury, illness, loss or damage was suffered as a result of our negligence or other breach of duty.
2. You should be alert at all times to the golf being played in your vicinity including the direction of play, any instructions from marshals (e.g. flags advising of the direction in which a player's shot has been struck) and any warnings issued on the course (e.g. a warning shout of "Fore") to try to prevent injury to you.
3. You acknowledge that you are subject to and you agree to comply with the health and safety protocols applicable at The Open, as issued and updated by The R&A and/or its safety advisers prior to and during The Open by email, via the App and/or displayed on our Website.
4. You must at all times follow the instructions of The Open officials, marshals and/or security personnel.
F. Use of Tickets
1. The R&A reserves the right to void your ticket(s) if, in the reasonable opinion of The R&A, any ticket purchased by you:-
a) is to be or has been sold, donated, transferred or in any way disposed of to any person/entity for the purpose of commercial gain or is to be or has been sold at a higher price than its face value, other than as permitted under paragraph A.11 above or via the Resale Platform;
b) has been purchased for resale along with any other goods or services, e.g. hospitality, travel, accommodation, golf tee times, from a person/entity who is not an authorised provider;
c) is advertised for sale or transfer; or
d) is to be or has been used in an unauthorised manner as a prize or in any other manner in a lottery or competition or for any other promotional, advertising or commercial purpose not specifically authorised by The R&A in writing.
2. Unless The R&A has agreed otherwise in writing, any transfer or purported transfer of any ticket by you in any manner set out in paragraph F.1 above shall constitute a breach by you of these Terms. You shall have no right to attend The Open nor be entitled to a refund or any compensation in respect of any ticket(s) voided by The R&A in accordance with paragraph F.1.
3. You may sell your ticket(s) via the Resale Platform in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Resale Platform, save where the ticket(s) have been issued subject to a restriction that they may not be sold on the Resale Platform.
4. Please do not post pictures of your ticket on social networking sites. People may use the details and offer them for sale online to defraud/attempt to defraud third parties into buying them. This may result in ticket holders encountering difficulties when attending The Open.
5. Where The R&A, or its security contractors, have reasonable grounds to suspect that a ticket has been copied, resold by an unauthorised person or company, or has been altered in any way without the consent of The R&A, its security contractors may seize and retain that ticket and may refuse entry to The Open where this is deemed appropriate.
6. If we reasonably believe that you have been involved in fraudulent activity relating to your ticket(s), or that you are attending The Open without a valid ticket or other accreditation, we reserve the right to remove you from The Open and we may pass your details to the police or other relevant authority, who may take further action against you.
7. By attending The Open, you agree to being searched by our security contractors or police officers for health and safety reasons, including to prevent prohibited items being brought in to the venue. We reserve the right to refuse entry to or remove you from The Open if you refuse to be searched. A list of prohibited items will be posted on our Website and at the entry gates. In addition, any item which in the reasonable opinion of The R&A or its security contractors could potentially harm, or cause alarm to, attendees at The Open will not be allowed at The Open.
G. Attendance at The Open
1. Mobile phones and personal cameras are permitted at The Open, subject to the following conditions:
a) no audio recording, video recording or flash photography is permitted at any time;
b) still photography is permitted, provided that it does not disrupt play and images are not sold, used or published commercially in any way whatsoever unless expressly authorised by The R&A. Cameras, including mobile phones, may be confiscated if such usage is suspected or found to be taking place;
c) all mobile phones must be on "SILENT" mode at all times without the "VIBRATE" option activated; and
d) data use (e.g. texting, email and website access) is permitted, however, the device volume must be muted at all times. Mobile phones, cameras, other electronic devices, communication devices, audio-visual equipment or radios must not be used to capture, supply or transmit data or other information for any commercial purpose (including, for example, betting or gambling) or assisting for these purposes.
2. Rules governing the use of mobile phones, cameras, video, sound or image recorders, personal digital assistants and other electrical communication devices shall be posted at the entry gates. Your co-operation is greatly appreciated.
3. Use of global positioning systems, including without limitation transponder and/or receiver equipment, or similar positioning, tracking or measurement devices shall not be permitted at The Open.
4. When asking for autographs, you must always respect the players, other spectators, The Open officials, marshals and/or security personnel. Unless the player has given you permission, you must not solicit autographs from players outside of the designated autograph zones. Autographs obtained at The Open must not be used for any commercial purpose.
5. Rules governing pets will be posted on our Website.
6. It will be considered by us to be a breach of these Terms if you have at The Open any objects or clothing bearing commercial identification which The R&A have reason to believe is intended for "ambush marketing" or other unauthorised promotional purposes. We reserve the right to take appropriate action against anyone that we consider to be involved in "ambush marketing".
7. You agree to comply with any request to remove or cover any item of clothing that may reflect adversely on the image and/or reputation of The R&A or The Open, insult or offend other spectators or players or be viewed as political, hateful, abusive, obscene or illegal, as determined by The R&A in its sole discretion.
8. Where you, through your negligence or intentional or reckless act, cause damage or loss to The R&A or to any property at The Open (including, without limitation, the course or any equipment or facilities), you will be responsible for compensating the person who has suffered the loss or damage.
9. You may be removed from, or refused access to, The Open if, in the reasonable opinion of The R&A, your behaviour is, or could be considered to be dangerous, offensive, a nuisance or annoying to other spectators, players, The Open officials, marshals and/or security personnel. For example, if you appear to be under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs and/or are acting aggressively, or if you fail to obey any conditions of use, posted signs or instructions of The Open officials, marshals and/or security personnel. If you are refused admission to The Open under these circumstances, you will be entitled to a full refund for your ticket. If you are removed from The Open under these circumstances after gaining entry, you will not be entitled to a refund.
10. Ticket Transfers: You must not transfer your Daily ticket to any other person during the course of a day’s play. If you hold a Weekly ticket, this may be transferred to another person but only between days, not during the course of a day's play. Nothing in this paragraph G.10 affects your right to transfer tickets in accordance with paragraph A.11 above. Tickets must be retained at all times and provided for inspection by security personnel as required.
H. Junior and Youth Tickets
1. We reserve the right to request age verification for Junior and Youth ticket holders and to refuse entry if verification of their age is not provided on request. This also applies to requests for these ticket types at the public Ticket Office at The Open.
2. Where you are the responsible adult accompanying a Junior for the purposes of that child obtaining a "Kids Go Free" Junior ticket and you are the Junior's parent or guardian, you consent to these Terms applying to your child. Where you are the responsible adult accompanying a Junior for the purposes of that child obtaining a "Kids Go Free" Junior ticket and you are not their parent or guardian, you must obtain the consent of the child's parent or guardian for these Terms to apply to such child. In each circumstance, you are responsible for the supervision of that child during The Open and for ensuring that they comply with these Terms.
I. General Ticketing Conditions
1. You may not transfer any of your rights under these Terms.
2. If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid by any court having competent jurisdiction, the invalidity of that provision will not affect the validity of the remaining provisions of these Terms, which shall remain in full force and effect.
3. Any personal data provided by you will be used by us in accordance with our Privacy Policy (as amended from time to time), which is available on our Website. If you have any questions or concerns about information we hold about you, please contact us by email at privacy@randa.org or in writing at Data Privacy Manager, The R&A, Beach House, Golf Place, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9JA. For details of your rights regarding your personal data, please see our Privacy Policy. References to "us", "we" and "our" in this paragraph and paragraph I.4 below are to all of the organisations named in our Privacy Policy.
4. In agreeing to these Terms and attending The Open, you consent to being filmed, photographed and recorded for television, radio, webcast and other public broadcast in any medium and/or for any video or DVD as part of the audience and/or, for security purposes, by any CCTV cameras and recordings at The Open. You also agree that we can utilise your image or likeness or the image or likeness of a member of your party in, or incidental to, any photograph or live or recorded television or in any other type of transmission or reproduction, in whole or in part, and that you shall not be entitled to any compensation or credit. This may include use of footage and images for marketing purposes and includes footage and images broadcast or published by The R&A and by third party rights holders. Where you are the responsible adult accompanying a Junior for the purposes of that child obtaining a "Kids Go Free" Junior ticket and you are their parent or guardian, you consent to their images being taken and used in accordance with the provisions of this paragraph. Where you are the responsible adult accompanying a Junior for the purposes of that child obtaining a "Kids Go Free" Junior ticket and you are not their parent or guardian, you must obtain the consent of the child's parent or guardian for the images of such child to be taken and used in accordance with the provisions of this paragraph.
5. The contract between us shall be governed by the laws of Scotland and any disputes relating to that contract shall be decided in the Scottish Courts. If you are resident in the European Union, then as a consumer you will benefit from any mandatory provisions of the law of the country in which you are resident. Nothing in these Terms, including this paragraph I.5, affects your rights as a consumer to rely on such mandatory provisions of local law.
6. All enquiries should be addressed to: The Open Ticket Office, The R&A, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9JD, Scotland, UK; Tel: + 44 (0)1334 460010; Email: tickets@theopen.com.