Spotter's Role In a Tournament

[jcrab66]

i spotted on the first day of the BSF this year for all pro divisions and never had any of them act in a rude manner towards me however at least 1 person on every card except for a couple, thanked me for being there...

[jtreadwell]

Spotting sounds like a fun time. Being able to watch awesome players make shots from just off the fairway sounds like ringside seats at a boxing match!

[agapedad]

Originally Posted by jtreadwell

Spotting sounds like a fun time. Being able to watch awesome players make shots from just off the fairway sounds like ringside seats at a boxing match!

I was able to watch Wiggins Jr out-throw EVERYONE on the hole I spotted during AmWorlds, and that included the guys that threw rollers! It was pretty awesome!

Like I said, there are times you have to have thick skin, but for the most part everyone was thankful I was there to help keep them from losing a disc.

[CaliZac89]

Originally Posted by jtreadwell

Spotting sounds like a fun time. Being able to watch awesome players make shots from just off the fairway sounds like ringside seats at a boxing match!

I'm going to bring my popcorn

[gregorvn]

Originally Posted by jcrab66

i spotted on the first day of the BSF this year for all pro divisions and never had any of them act in a rude manner towards me however at least 1 person on every card except for a couple, thanked me for being there...

I spotted a couple years ago at Vibram. There were a handful of players who seemed to take their frustration about their bad shot out on me, but many more who were appreciative of me being there. On most every card someone went out of his/her way to come over, shake my hand, and thank me.

I sure overheard many top players gripe about how many trees there were, though.

[kenjiac]

[steve a]

I asked a spotter a question regarding ob at a tournament. The spotter told me the short grass walkway through the middle of the tall grass ob was not ob. I chose to land my upshot on the path and when I got to my shot I found out the path was actually ob. I was pretty upset that the spotter was providing bad info and it cost me a couple strokes.

[JC17393]

Originally Posted by steve a

I asked a spotter a question regarding ob at a tournament. The spotter told me the short grass walkway through the middle of the tall grass ob was not ob. I chose to land my upshot on the path and when I got to my shot I found out the path was actually ob. I was pretty upset that the spotter was providing bad info and it cost me a couple strokes.

Was the correct info available elsewhere (players meeting, scorecard, tournament program, caddy notes, tee sign, etc), or was the spotter the sole source of info for that hole?

I'm assuming the info was available elsewhere if you found out immediately that you were OB rather than well after the fact. It's unfortunate that the spotter gave you bad info, but it's still on you to know the correct info. It's generally not the spotter's job to know the course rules, just to aid players in finding discs and move play along through the hole.

801.04 Playing the Stipulated Course
A. It is the responsibility of the player to play the course correctly. Before play begins, players shall attend the players' meeting and ask about any special conditions that may exist on the course, including extra holes, alternate teeing areas, alternate hole placements, out-of-bounds areas, and mandatories.

[The Hammer]

Originally Posted by kenjiac

Hey, that was me at the :58 mark. That was a little unexpected.

[tom12003]

Spotting can be a great way to see wonderful disc golf. I've been waving red and green flags at the USDGC (hole #9 at Winthrop Gold) for the past few years. With USDGC tee time starts I don't need to be there before about 9:30 and then get to follow the lead group for their final 9 holes. Waved an OB red flag on Will during the Saturday round and apologized to him but he said it was his fault for a bad throw. Almost everyone was appreciative and went out of their way to offer thanks and I had a lot of interesting side discussions with the best. However when a spotter needs to "help" determine a spot where a disc went OB, I've experienced some grumbling (thrower was 350' away and I was only 10-20' away); still ultimately it is the "group's" decision even though I am a certified official. Fortunately at the USDGC I only had to determine if it was OB or not (dreaded yellow rope/string).

If you spot for a major, have fun but know all the rules applicable to your hole. I recommend that, for majors, all spotters should to be certified officials.