Tournament Question

[nygfaninva]

I see all the postings for upcoming Tournaments and have never attended one, but want to. Do you have to be a member of the PDGA to play or can you walk on as an Amatuer and just pay a fee and play?

[Huff]

most have AM divisions

[adlacro]

You will have to pay extra, usually 10-15 dollars, depending on what tier it is. It's also suggested that you pre-register for these events, as the books might fill quickly, especially on a course you throw your best game on. I usually don't play PDGA tournaments. They are a little more strict when it comes to rules and regulations as opposed to causual tournaments that may be run by a local club. If a local club (non-PDGA tiered tournaments) runs one, you don't have to pay extra, but there will be cash prizes. Some even offer "playing for plastic" where if you place high, you don't win cash, but you get to pick a frisbee. Some give you a frisbee for entering (my local club does) and tournaments are usually 2 rounds with unpaid lunch in between. Pace of play is much slower than casual, so allow a whole day for a tourney. That's my $.02. Good luck.

[ERicJ]

PDGA sanctioned tourneys (http://pdga.com/schedule/index.php) require a $10 non-member add-on to the regular entry fee. You do have to be a member for A-Tier and above.

If you search the DGCR forum there are at least a couple threads already on people considering their first tournament.

[nygfaninva]

A-Tier and above? HUH? Sorry Tournament rookie, what does that mean?

[ERicJ]

PDGA classifies their events into "tiers". You can read the high level descriptions here:
http://pdga.com/documents/2008/08EventsGuide.pdf

I guess some of that is regional too. The C-tier tourneys in Houston typically draw 60+ Amateurs.

ERic