Biggest reason people don't play tournaments

[jbrian24]

All tournaments seem to be Saturday's (or sat/sun). I'm off on Sun/Mon. Otherwise I would.

You would like it around here then. There are an ever increasing number of Sunday only tournaments. Many Sunday morning leagues as well.

 

[Kodachrome]

I am ADHD to the max. Nothing aggravates me more than stagnation. I hate waiting two minutes for some clown to line up a 30 foot putt only to miss. I also hate waiting ten minutes to take my next tee shot. I get "iced" when I have to wait to throw, and it negatively affects the quality of my game, and before I know it, I am not having any fun anymore. And fun is the main reason why I play this game. Fun and friends.

Yup. Here to play.

Gimme a league any day. At least then I can have a beer and enjoy myself.

 

[MrGlass01]

i work weekends so no tourneys for me and i am not a fan of leagues. too many d bags. i prefer to play with friends and mostly am rounds so we have the course to ourselves.

 

[Mulligan]

I'm not a big fan of tourneys, but I will say I've enjoyed every out of town one I've ever played.
A big part of that is just getting outside of your box and playing a new course with new people, maybe.
I still think they take too damn long, though, lol.

 

[KenanFlagler01]

My biggest gripe on tournaments is time commitment. Two-day events are totally out (married with kids). One-day events are no picnic either. Plus, I'm not in to spending $35+ to get a sweet players pack. I just want to play!

Leagues are more my style, but they're hard for me too because they're all on weekdays.
I would give anything for a regular singles league on the *weekend.* One round, easy, fast, relaxed, cheap, then go on with your weekend.

 

[scarpfish]

Time commitments are the top reason. Whoduh thunk it.

Something to perhaps add for us tourney vets is the "been there done that" factor. Once you have 400 discs, 50 minis, and 25 dry fit shirts, getting pumped about a tournament largely loses its appeal unless you have some other reason for wanting to play.

 

[thatdirtykid]

My business and family are the main reasons I don't play tourneys. That and (other) they are hard to get into around here, the desirable ones especially fill within hours of opening. Sometimes I do not know whether I will be available until way to late.

 

[corin_brown]

Love tournaments. Love the competition, the action and the release.

 

[onemilemore]

Like many others, my reasons for not playing tournaments comes down to time.

I have a tough time being in a tournament setting for 8 hours in one day to play two rounds, when I can play the same number of rounds in half that time in a casual setting. With a family and plenty of other things going on besides disc golf, it doesn't make sense to be gone that long unless I'm traveling to an epic course or something.

Plus, tournament pace is sooooooooooooooooooooooo slow. I like to keep moving, so a lot of the downtime really drags me down.

 

[Cgkdisc]

I'm thinking course(s) being used should be a factor in the poll. I know the course and/or its distance from me affects my interest in playing.

For those who voted about slow play being an issue, the problem is that sometimes the trade-off to speeding up a course might be eliminating or modifying signature hole(s) which wouldn't be popular.

 

[Mr. Butlertron]

I like the competition, even if it's just bag tags. I'd do more tournaments if they weren't so expensive for me to travel to here in Japan. Road tolls and fuel are a bitch

 

[wolfmandragon]

I play with small groups or alone. If I am not moving, I am irritated. If I wanted to play at a snails pace, I would go back to playing ball golf.
On top of that, I have too many injuries to play multi round tourneys.

 

[DamtheMan]

For singles competition, not sure how it is for you guys over there, but the time tables around here are the biggest reason I've not been participating. First round starts off WAY too early for my liking, but even worse, there is a long-ass delay between rounds. When I go to the course, I'll play 2-3 rounds in a row, that takes less than four hours in total. Yet playing in a tourney, I'd be playing one round (stupid) early in the morning, have to take couple/few hours off and then come back for round two, turning four-five hours (two rounds with rather slow play) into far more overall time commitment. Looking at the time table for one of the more recent events, first round started around 9:40am, second round 2:45pm, with a lunch break in between.

I just want to chuck discs.

 

[drscholl14]

I really enjoy playing tournaments. For all the reasons everyone has listed is what makes tournament rounds so much more difficult than rec rounds. When you can concentrate and block everything out and pure a shot and or put together a great round during a tournament it's way more fulfilling that a rec round. Don't get me wrong, I love playing with my friends. But I have found that tournament rounds are what really improves my focus and my overall game.

 

[THUGNIFICENT763]

I just want to chuck discs.

 

[Star Shark]

My other is that because of my eyesight issues, I'm no longer allowed to drive a car. Getting to courses, whether there's a tourney or not, is difficult. I'm also not huge on getting up before noon.

 

[RobA]

I chose other commitments, but there are a few reasons.

I stopped playing years ago in part to competitive burn out. Back then every round was competitive, even if only for $1. Add in the weekly local events, traveling up to 3 hours each way for a 2 day weekend, leaving the dog with someone, it got to be too much. And the local club had a way of pitting all the up and coming newbies against each other, it felt more like a second job.

I picked it up again after 13 years. Now I play mostly casual rounds, mostly alone, at my pace and style. I played a handful of select tourneys this year and had a lot of fun. The guys in the masters division are a bit more laid back then the guys in the advanced division and it makes it much more enjoyable.

 

[bnbanbury]

Tournaments are the reason i play and really competition is the reason i get involved in any athletic endeavor. I want to work hard to improve and then test myself and get better. I like having that date on the calendar to motivate me to throw 50 more putts or get out of bed at 5 in the morning to hit the field before work. When i miss tournaments its because being a dad still comes first.

 

[The Last DJ]

Travel and cost are the big ones for me. If I'm going to drive over an hour to the course, it's gotta be a killer layout. I don't mind paying entry fees if I feel like I can perform well or there is a nice player's pack. I finally joined PDGA so that will be less of a concern now. While sanctioned play is fun, I much prefer league nights, casual rounds, or charity events.

 

[Dr.Smooth]

So many reasons not to play tournaments.

I think a lot of anger comes from footing the bill. If I play great I get a little bit of everyone's money. If I don't its a donation to the field.. Ugh...

Sponsers should be footing the bill not the guys in the middle of the pack who play respectable enough to at least be in the middle.

If you play poorly and end up towards the bottom, yeah you deserve to foot some of the other players winnings.

In general, if you can't find enough sponsers to have serious cash added, then lower the entry fee.

Also,

On the other end what's good about tourneys. Alot of things as well. I like the fact that a temporary course otherwise something I would only be able to play during a tourney is sometimes worth the "green fees."