First tournament tips

[JC17393]

Not really on the list but I heard the advice once to know what you are going to throw off each tee before you arrive at the course. Making those decisions on the fly is a recipe for disaster, especially if you have just had a bad hole.

This is a great piece of advice not just for your first tournament, but any tournament, particularly that last part. Have a short memory when it comes to a bad throw/hole. The biggest mistake you can make after a bad throw/hole is to compound it by making more bad throws in an attempt to make up for the first one.

Everyone's going to make bad throws. The winner is usually the player who makes the fewest bad throws, not the one who makes the most great throws.

 

[cblanch4]

Practice putting in a range you are confident in. Make your practice putts so you have confidence. If possible practice putting on your first hole from all different spots inside the circle, hopefully you land in one of those spots on your first drive and you will be able to hit your putt cuz you just practiced it. Nothing like starting off with a birdie

 

[Stardoggy]

Don't over-practice. Rest the day before.

I'm the exact opposite. I do much better if I can get out really early and play the course one full spin before the tournament.

 

[DougCrawford]

I'm the exact opposite. I do much better if I can get out really early and play the course one full spin before the tournament.

Same here. My second round of the day is always better than my first.

 

[fasteddie]

these have all been good suggestions.

for the first tourney I would suggest working on only two things.

HAVE FUN! lots of people have a really hard time translating their game from casual to tourney play. One of the biggest reasons is too much thought and not enough FUN!

TAKE YOUR TIME! you are allowed to take YOUR time and play YOUR game. Always be courteous and consider rate of play but don't rush yourself into playing below your potential because of antsy/unfamiliar card mates.

 

[LmidgitD]

What tournaments are you looking to play in? I'll be playing a few in SE Wisconsin this year, and I'd be happy to shoot you some local information.

I'm thinking Janesville at lustig park. That, or if there's a club around. My buddies have pretty much stopped playing so I'm just looking for people to play with.

 

[sidewinder22]

Here's a bunch more info:
http://www.dgcoursereview.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27788

 

[Stardoggy]

I'm thinking Janesville at lustig park. That, or if there's a club around. My buddies have pretty much stopped playing so I'm just looking for people to play with.

I play a bit more north than you. I'll be playing West Bend on the 29th, and I like to play the Milwaukee/Saukville tournaments. Let me know if you get up that way!

 

[Nemmers]

To be the third or fourth echo here, there's a LOT of good advice here. That said, let me offer a little bit of what I've learned along the way that hasn't been brought up:

1. Don't think about your score. Once a hole is over, it's over. You can't go back and do it over....until the next round, anyway. If it was a great hole for you, don't get cocky and start throwing up dubious, miracle shots if you get in trouble thinking it's your lucky day. Play smart. Conversely, if you had a bad hole, don't let it shake your confidence and allow you to get desperate, throwing up dubious, miracle shots in order to make up for that bad hole. Again, play smart. Every hole is a complete reset: You can either come back strong or fall apart completely if you get too caught up in your score.

2. If you're the score-keeper, always ask your cardmates after every hole what they got, repeat it, and then write it down. It keeps people honest.

3. NEVER announce the scores out loud or tell someone how far up, how far back, or where they stand in relation to others. If someone wants to know where they stand, show them the scorecard and let them see for themselves. They'll know how they fared after the round is over. This will keep you from getting a lot of grief. Trust me....I learned this the hard way.

4. Don't "nice" people. It's a hard habit to break, especially if you play a lot. We all know that there's nothing you could say to anyone that would alter the trajectory of the disc once it's left the hand, but some players are SUPERstitious about this and it pisses them off. Avoid it altogether if possible. Or wait until the disc has come to a complete stop in a good spot to say something if you absolutely must acknowledge their shot.

5. Play YOUR game and have FUN!

 

[Ender175]

To be the third or fourth echo here, there's a LOT of good advice here. That said, let me offer a little bit of what I've learned along the way that hasn't been brought up:

4. Don't "nice" people. It's a hard habit to break, especially if you play a lot. We all know that there's nothing you could say to anyone that would alter the trajectory of the disc once it's left the hand, but some players are SUPERstitious about this and it pisses them off. Avoid it altogether if possible. Or wait until the disc has come to a complete stop in a good spot to say something if you absolutely must acknowledge their shot.

I think this is going to be my biggest adjustment going from league to tournament play this summer. I have a bit of a rep already in league as a Mr. Nice Guy, but it's no big deal because we all do it to some degree, and everyone has been hit with a nicefecta (the whole card) at least a few times. Hopefully playing with strangers will help but it's definitely going to take a conscious effort the whole time.

 

[brian j]

this may sound silly but just have fun and don't fret about your score.

 

[LmidgitD]

Wow, again, thanks for all the help guys. There's some great advice in this thread. Hopefully it will help others who are in my position as well.

 

[Mr. Butlertron]

Give the PDGA Rules a quick read. Definitely bring a mini, you cannot flip the thrown disc.

In general, just don't be a douche to the other players and you'll be fine.

Technically, you CAN play sans-mini. My best advise is watch your footfaults and be courtious when others are throwing. Those are the only things that bug me when I play with others.

 

[JC17393]

Technically, you CAN play sans-mini. My best advise is watch your footfaults and be courtious when others are throwing. Those are the only things that bug me when I play with others.

While you are right that most of the time you can go sans mini, there are times where a mini is required. Marking a lie after an OB shot, for example, requires a mini. Taking any sort of relief (from OB, casual relief, optional relief) requires a mini. And of course, if the disc you want to throw is the one on the ground representing your position/lie, you have to use a mini to mark the lie to "free up" the disc to be thrown again.

So while you might not plan to ever use it, having one handy is probably a good idea.

 

[Timeetyo]

One bit of advice I would give is hit up a league night or 3 if possible beforehand. Chances are you really don't need to - but doing so will help confirm the fact that you know what you are doing (rules wise) so you can not be worried about that and just play and enjoy yourself on your tourney day. It will also help give you an idea of the pace of play which really throws off a lot of people at tournaments.

For me its like this in terms of pace of play:

Me solo >>>>> casual foursome >>> league dubs > league singles >>>>>>>tourney round.

 

[KenanFlagler01]

This is a great thread. I'm planning on playing my first "competitive" rounds in a few weeks at a match-play tournament. My only two questions/concerns are:

1. Should I buy a mini or can I use the one provided in the players' pack? (Yes, I'm that big of a cheapskate that I don't want to spend $1-$2 on a mini if I don't have to.)

2. Foot faults. I've only played casual rounds, so I guess I need to read up on this. I feel confident about putting. I'm not off balance and I don't step in front of my marker. But I'm shaky on approach shots. Do I have to throw from a set position or can I take a two-step run up to my marker, so long as I don't step past it?

 

[DavidSauls]

1. Yes, assuming there is one in the players pack.

2. You can run up to your marker. Inside 10 meters, you have "demonstrate balance" before passing the marker. Outside 10 meters, you have to release the disc before passing marker---so as long as you've thrown, you can follow through past it as far as you want.

 

[KenanFlagler01]

Awesome. Thanks.

 

[AtomicDom]

Don't throw you disc to your bag, even if it's two feet away. That can be a stroke. Bring it to your bag and set it in there.

I've seen this mentioned a couple times in this thread and wanted to point out that this is NOT a stroke. It's being covered in another thread, but as long as wherever you toss your disc (to the ground, your bag, etc.) as long as it's within 2m and not in THE intended direction of play.

I should also say that it's sloppy to do so and you're better off avoiding it rather than getting in a rules controversy.