Thing is, nothing in the PDGA rules and regulations disallows charging $20 and taking $3 out for ace and club. In fact, that might be one of the most misunderstood things about PDGA events (and frankly, a lot of disc golf tournaments in general). When the PDGA says that each division has to get 100%+ in return, it is not 100% of the gross entry fees, it is 100% of the net.
So that means that if every MA1 player at B-tier X pays $30, the PDGA does not require the TD to pay back a minimum of $30 per player in value. At most, the TD is required to pay back a minimum of $27 per player in value ($30 - $3 player fee). If the TD also wants to take another $2 per player as a club fee, or a course fee, or an insurance fee, or whatever, he's allowed. And in that case, he is only required to pay back $25 per player in value to achieve 100% return.
Same applies to the pro divisions at the same B-tier X. If 20 MPO pay $50 each and the total purse is $1400, that's exactly $500 added for a 155% payout. And the TD has all the player fees (20 X $3) covered and $40 towards miscellaneous expenses.
More events run this way than I think people realize.
It turns 100% into 100%*, but I don't know how many care. At our events we post a payout sheet that shows what fees were deducted before paying "100%".
At any rate, in the Am example of $30 entry, $25 net to prizes, it still strikes me as an awful good deal. The Ams get to play in a tournament for a net cost of $5, on average. Very few day-long or weekend-long activities going for that price nowadays.