Wow, who knew golf could solve rent problems overnight? As the Ryder Cup storms into Bethpage Black, some Long Island residents are suddenly living their landlord fantasies—Airbnb and Vrbo listings for the Ryder Cup weekend are going for a mind-boggling $30,000. Yes, thirty thousand dollars. For four nights. Because nothing says “I love golf” quite like using its hype to inflate short-term rental prices.
Turns out that Farmingdale, Babylon, Bayshore, Brookhaven, Huntington, Islip, Patchogue, and Smithtown have collectively netted over $2.12 million just from rentals this week, a number that makes one wonder how often folks with vacation homes wake up and shout, “Ryder Cup is coming, let’s see what I can charge!” Apparently, demand is up nearly 87 percent vs. the same week last year. Nightly rates around Bethpage have shot up as much as 145 percent. Locals who once competed for parking now compete for valuations.
And yes, when you think about it, golf has been doing this for ages—making folks from outside swoon over the greens. As avid golfers may say, “Prices like this don’t make the shot any easier, but they sure make the landlord grin.”
The piece makes it clear this isn’t an isolated phenomenon. Rental analytics show every nearby town is riding the wave. Farmingdale, with its tiny population around 8,500 and a golf course beloved by large crowds, has become a gold mine.
The interesting part — and maybe a wink from fate — is how events like this turn ordinary neighborhoods into high-stakes gig economies. It’s less about zip code and more about postal code with bragging rights. The numbers are flashy, the rents are absurd, and the economic ripple effects are real—restaurants, shops, hosts all benefit, even if just for a few days.
Reading between the lines, one has to wonder: if golf events keep growing, will every local citizen become an overnight real-estate mogul? It’s a stretch, but one with a lot more possibility than getting your handicap down.
So yes, the Ryder Cup has done more than showcase talent—it’s showcased the ability to charge $455 a night without blinking. Reality check: while some folks gear up to watch drivers and irons fly, others are counting dollar signs in their inboxes. Golf event or cash cow? Maybe a little bit of both.
