I realize people won't like half a refund, but if they were there on Thursday they did get to see golf. Of course, this is assuming that golf tickets are sold in a way that lets me walk around the course and doesn't limit me to specific spots.

For a normal sporting event I would say this sucks. But in golf they play a course on the tour once a year. So they can't exactly give them tickets to next week's game.

They could give these fans tickets to next year's US Open or, if the entire tour is connected somehow, another tournament on the tour.

This is why I'm a proponent of playing golf in a domed stadium.

Seriously, though. It's golf, it's outside, and it's June on the East Coast. Those are the breaks.

And I'm sure New Yorkers are happy know a US Rep, the governor, and the state AG are on the case.

@waffles: Sounds like the best solution to satiate a few of the spectators would be to offer them a couple of free drinks from a nearby, off-course watering hole, and then to deny them readmittance.

This was a problem with the US Open tennis, too. For years, a "completed session" was one completed match on the stadium court or an hour of play. The USTA would shove out the top ranked woman and whoever she was playing. The result was a straight-set thrashing that often took about 40 minutes. And then you were screwed.

In the past few years, they've relaxed it quite a bit. They let the early round people trade in their tickets for later rounds, or for the same round for next year.

It always amazed me how often pro sports associations have no quarrels about screwing over royally the very people who's attendance they rely on.

Its a lot why a lot of friends of mine wont even watch NFL anymore and would rather watch college ball.

It's rain.

It's nobody's fault.

If the customer was made plainly and clearly aware that there we no rain checks at the point-of-purchase, then it's tough noogies on the customer.

If they were not made aware, then they deserve a refund or readmission and it's tough noogies on the USGA.

Simple, no?

I'm not sure I'd be willing to watch golf if THEY paid ME $100.

@TinaBringMeTheAx: Rain checks should be standard. The seller's advantage over the buyer is too great when there is "no refund" policy, and no one would buy anything under those conditions.

Eh, they did a much better job with the refunds at the PGA at Oakland Hills last year. They allowed all ticket-bearers to return the next day. Pretty nice since I was able to go to both days. I would've been pretty disappointed with a half-refund.

@rpm773: Frankly, I am happy, actually. Not posted here but in the same vein, the Yankees held a rain delay of over five hours on Thursday. In Baseball, if you have a ticket and they play the game, no matter the weather and no matter the wait, you don't get a refund. If you are a fan who can't afford to eat tickets to the new Yankee Stadium on any given pouring day, that means you need to travel into the city, sit in the seats for a few hours hoping the rain stops, and maybe see a game. For a team to make fans wait 5 hours is exactly like an airline with a 5 hour delay on the tarmac saying that people can leave at any time, but they forfeit their non-refundable ticket by walking through the door. But hey, food is available for an additional charge to keep you busy! They did end up giving refunds for that game, but that is the exception and the fans had expected to be screwed on the deal.

Now for golf, are those the breaks? Yep, sure are. But the USGA is still getting the advertising revenue and ticket sales from the spillover into Monday or Tuesday, they made plenty on concession and merchandise sales on any day (especially in the rain), and they make alot on yearly memberships from golfers who think that the USGA is good for the sport. In the end, they owed it to those fans in the interest of fairness to make some concessions. Legally required, of course not, but as I understand it The Consumerist is as concerned with what is right as with what is legal.

Honestly, sports teams and organizations have become downright abusive of fans, and fans deal get crap they wouldn't think of accepting in other industries. While it isn't really the place of politicians to regulate the market in that way, I am glad a little pressure is being put on them to say that someone is watching to make sure they don't go even further. I only wish people would start voting with their wallets and would buy fewer tickets, but what can you do.

@Riddar: I don't know. I think with both golf and baseball, you know the usual costs and risks when entering into the transaction. It's up the consumer to assess the risks and costs and to determine if the benefits outweigh them. If there's a breach of contract of some sort, then that's another matter. But I don't think that's what we're talking about here.

As for the sports industry being abusive toward its fans, I agree. Fans should be more proactive about voting with their wallets. Don't pay to go to the event. Turn off the TV. Quit buying the products advertised by the expensive endorsement deals. In short, quit being a captive audience - we'll only increase our leverage. Which perhaps will mean one day rainchecks will be offered to fans.

I have to side with the USGA's original decision on this one. If you're going to buy tickets to go see golf I have to believe that you know that golf is an outdoor sport that gets canceled if it starts raining. While I couldn't find a specific policy about weather cancellations I did see that part of the ticketing agreement was that if a session is canceled for any reason any refund or exchange was the sole discretion of the USGA.

I tried to go watch shuttle launches a couple of times and both times the launch was canceled because of weather concerns. They only thing NASA does is tell you that you are more than welcome to come back the following day and buy another launch ticket.

It sucks, but its something you need to accept when you buy tickets for an event that requires nature's good graces to proceed.

@Jim Topoleski:
You're assuming tickets is where they make their money. It's not, most sports make their money on ads, TV licensing, concessions, etc.

@waffles:

Next year's US Open it at Pebble Beach (CA). It probably won't be back at Bethpage for at least another 7 - 10 years.

That might work with a Best Buy gift certificate...but not for $100+ golf tickets...

Why is the attorney generals office wasting taxpayer money investigating this?

In auto racing they will reschedule the race for the next day (if it wasn't more than 50% completed).

Rescheduling a Texas Motor Speedway nascar race for Monday messed up traffic in the area so badly they had to cancel the schools, but attendence was 80%. The 20% whom didn't make it were SOL.

It costs a log of money to put on an event like this. The profit margins are not that high. They may take in 4.2 million, but it probably costs them 2-3 to run everything, whether it rains or not.

@rpm773: I'm with you rpm773. That's why I do not get involved with baseball anymore (since the '94 strike). That's why if a company wastes money with naming rights, they don't get my money (or if they do, it's very little of it and it's because I might not have an easy way out of it).

I was telling a friend on Friday after reading about the no refunds, that maybe Tiger should say he'll somehow reimburse the money to the fans. I don't know the legal aspect of it nor the logistical way he'd do it, but it was more of a "he'll do a good deed kind of thing." I guess now he won't have to get involved.

@madanthony: +1. Not even from the comfort of my couch.

@zombie_batch: Maybe because there's an election next year and he might be running and this gets him some more points with us taxpayers?

/me just being cynical.

OTOH, maybe he truly felt it was worth looking into due to the fact that a lot of people felt there was a problem with the USGA's policy?

@morlo: Yes, because the USGA had more control over the rain than the buyer did. Give me a break. You can not botch about an airline being late during a snowstorm and the USGA has had tragedies associated with bad weather when people have been struck by lightening at the event. If you have 42k available spots, and you sold them for each session, you do not get a refund. Deal with it and move on

@nybiker: What you have to realize is that in NY the elected officials like to get involved in things that aren't really their purview. Spitzer liked to hustle the Wall Street firms when he was AG and used it as a stepping stone to the Governor's mansion. They usually paid up before going to court because they knew it would cost more to fight and win than to pay into Spitzer's protection racket.

@Matthew Berkhan: Shuttle launches are completely under the purview of NASA. They ought to know ahead of time if weather is going to threaten the launch.

@nybiker: Who would you prefer look into it?

@zombie_batch: Maybe he was there and didn't get a refund. If I were the attorney general I might be kinda pissed and stick it to the USGA.

@AustinTXProgrammer: One might say that this is the cost of doing business and they have probably calculated the costs into the price of the ticket.

I wonder how this functions in contract law. Since the customer received no consideration then would the USGA be in breach?

I don't honestly know if this falls under that. Does admittance count as consideration or does it half to be the "spectacle" of golf?

Maybe if the golfers weren't pampered with limousines, hotels, meals, gifts, rental cars, appearance fees, etc., the golf courses and event organizers wouldn't feel the need to gouge the fans.

@madanthony: LOL

Think about who watches golf, and then you'll see why people of power care...

@Matthew Berkhan: I disagree. If I paid for something and I didn't get the product then I need to be made whole again. Either allow people in again or issue a refund because. The only thing I will concede is that if they allow people to come back on Monday and people decide not to or can't, they aren't entitled to a refund.

For the NASA launch, are you telling me that they can scrap the launch 5 days in a row, selling tickets each time, and still get to keep all the profit and revenue from that? that just screams lawsuit to me.

@Shivved: Not counting the hooker, name one thing Spitzer did that was outside his purview as AG.

@bravo369: I think NASA does do this, under the pretense that you understand in buying the ticket the weather may preclude the launch.

The same way if you buy a ticket to an NBA game, you might get a basketball in the face. It goes with the territory. You wouldn't get a refund for that either.

@Jim Topoleski: Why shouldn't they? They have nothing to lose. People still buy the ridiculously expensive tickets, people still buy the ridiculously expensive merchandise, people still watch the events on tv.

For everyone whining about how unfair things like this are, there are 10,000 people still paying $100 a ticket (or more) to stand there and watch people golf.... or football, or baseball or whatever. It's all the same.

The organizations show no respect, because people don't demand any respect (and that's their right I suppose).

@AustinTXProgrammer:

If it costs them 3 million to run everything and they receive 4.2 million, thats a 40% return for a days race.
Considering that Madoff "only" promised about 12% a year, they could write their own salary if they ran a hedge/mutual fund with the same returns.

@bravo369: Well you would lose that lawsuit

@sonneillon: You were given admission to the event. It does not say you get to watch golf. This would also allow them to sell tickets where you might think a super star like Tiger Woods might be there, but alas, he doesnt show up from an injury or something else.

@gaywolverine: True, but you were given admission to the event and the event never occurred.

@dragonfire81: i can think of a million analogies to this. while supplies last at a fastfood place...i pay at the first window, get to the 2nd window and am told they are out of burgers and won't issue a refund. tough luck, see you later. does that make sense?

i pay for a movie at the theater and the film cuts out. i would think the theater will refund the ticket or let me see something else.

i go see a broadway show. the actor collapses and there's no understudy. am i out my money?

My point in all these situations is that they should do something...anything. whether it's a refund or let them use the tickets on another date. The yankees recently had a 5 hour rain delay. the game was still played but the yanks are allowing people to exchange the ticket for games later this year or next year.