Organisers of the 2014 Ryder Cup are "exploiting goodwill" by charging volunteers who will work at the event, a trade union body has claimed.
The process to find 1,800 people to fill roles such as scoreboard carriers, safety marshals and buggy drivers at the Gleneagles event has now opened.
But successful applicants will be charged a £75 fee for the food, drink and clothing they will be given at the event. They will be able to spend at least half of each day watching the tournament and can buy a ticket for the event for a friend or family member, organisers say.
The STUC said it would prefer to see young people being given an opportunity to work at the tournament. Spokesman Stephen Boyd said: "I think it was an opportunity to do something much more creative in the country.
"It would have been possible to employ 1,800 young people who are currently looking for work to give them a bit of experience and pay them a decent wage, and that could probably have cost less than £500,000. You need to consider that as a tiny percentage of the profits that are going to be derived from this event."
About 250,000 spectators are expected to descend on the area for the event and the Scottish Government has said the Ryder Cup will generate an estimated £100 million for the local economy in the week of the tournament.
Mr Boyd said: "The way things look, a registration fee massively limits the pool of people who are able to apply for this opportunity. It's pretty disappointing. If you're charging for volunteers I think it's unlikely to attract a massive pool. It's likely to be middle-class golf fans."
A Ryder Cup spokesman said: "Registration fees are common to Ryder Cup volunteering programmes both in Europe and the US. They make a contribution to volunteers' food and beverages as well as clothing for the event."
The tournament, which involves the best players from Europe and the US, will be held at Gleneagles, Perthshire, in September next year
The application process is online and closes on April 13. It includes a search for 60 volunteers to help out at next year's Junior Ryder Cup at Blairgowrie Golf Club, also in Perthshire.
