Is there room for a new organization?

[Dave242]

I was talking to Cam Todd at Worlds, and he reminded me of several conversations we've had in the past. I do not want to put words in his mouth, nor do I want to make these interesting ideas seem like my own. So, I'll post these ideas simply as intriguing thoughts influenced by Cam Todd:
------------
A Tour with limited dates with very high standards
A Professional division/tour that you have to qualify for
Players would see it as a privilege to play in it and would compete to participate
Hosts would see it as a privilege to host it and would compete (and comply) to participate
High entry fee ($1000 or so....and growing it catches on) would force participants to "earn their keep"

This Tour could enforce/demand lots of things:
Membership
Payout - prestige motivate hosts/sponsor
Course quality - prestige of hosting would force courses to live up to requirements of Pros
-------------

Like tbird888 says, the PDGA is the organization for Ams. This would be the real Pro Org.

 

[scarpfish]

What exactly would this other organization do exactly that the PDGA doesn't? Provide an alternate ruleset? Make alternate standards for our equipment? Do you really think an organization with fewer than 20,000 active members should be considering splitsville? Bowling had over 2 million active members (for you mathematically challenged that's over 100 times what we have) in about 3 or 4 sanctioning organizations some years back and decided to merge them all.

Maybe if people who started these threads would get farther than talking in abstract, getting into semantic debacles over what the 'P' in PDGA means, and talking about this fluffy promised land of high standards, $1000 entry fees for Pros and absolutely no plan of how we're going to get there from our present situation, perhaps I'd give a damn. Until then, threads like these are just another DGCR solution in search of a real world problem.

 

[John Rock]

Maybe the serious, long time bowlers were not disgusted by the petty, childish actions of the leaders of the org.

 

[bradharris]

disgusted by the petty, childish actions of the leaders of the org.

Please elaborate...opcorn:

 

[John Rock]

Surely you don't believe every pDGA member has had rosey relations with the top brass.

 

[tbird888]

Surely you don't believe every pDGA member has had rosey relations with the top brass.

Some of us have even stopped renewing regardless of whether or not we compete...

 

[Scoot_er]

Some of us have even stopped renewing regardless of whether or not we compete...

And some of us only renew so we can play A-tiers.......


<----realizes he hasn't played any this year.:doh:

 

[scarpfish]

Some of us have even stopped renewing regardless of whether or not we compete...

Some of us have stopped renewing because life got in the way. I'd suspect other membership run organizations for amateur sports have had similar attrition.

 

[coupe]

Probably little since the main reason for a governing body is to organize competitions.

Really? How many competitions does the PGA (PGA, not PGA Tour) organize?

 

[turbosteve]

Really? How many competitions does the PGA (PGA, not PGA Tour) organize?

The USGA not the PGA is the governing body of golf in the United States. The PGA is basically a trade association of clubhouse golf pros.

 

[tbird888]

Some of us have stopped renewing because life got in the way. I'd suspect other membership run organizations for amateur sports have had similar attrition.

If I felt like the PDGA was effectively governing and was proactively looking to evolve, I would renew just to support their efforts. If you're looking at renewal as just a way to avoid fees for tourneys, you're doing it wrong.

 

[coupe]

The USGA not the PGA is the governing body of golf in the United States. The PGA is basically a trade association of clubhouse golf pros.

Uh ... that makes it the governing body for club pros ...

 

[Mulligan McGee]

I could see a college based organization being formed in the next ten years.

 

[disc qualified]

How about an Indycar/NASCAR kind of thing where there is an Open Throwers Federation and a Wooded Throwers Federation. Naturally, Avery would be the first President of the WTF

 

[scarpfish]

If I felt like the PDGA was effectively governing and was proactively looking to evolve, I would renew just to support their efforts.

I would too if I felt it would accomplish something meaningful in the long run. In all honesty, I don't know what people think the PDGA has to "evolve" into. The few things that they do, they do pretty well. The things that they don't do are much better done by local clubs.

If you're looking at renewal as just a way to avoid fees for tourneys, you're doing it wrong.

No, I'd say they're doing it honest (and therefore right). I'd say if someone went out and earned $50 or $75, its there's to do with what they please. If they don't feel that PDGA membership is a good investment for that money, well then, that's that. Its the PDGA's job to meet the needs of their members, not the other way around.

 

[MurderMike41370]

Already have been talking to Stevie about a state wide Legacy series but also involving DD, Prodigy and Latitude. Non PDGA involvement and FAT payouts. Starting in Norcal and rolling down the coast and finishing in SoCal. Then moving to other states. I will bring it up again this weekend when I roll down to Factory de Legacy.