Even though we may agreeably disagree on some points, MTL, I respect your opinion and your being open-minded to additional information. Take care.
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I certainly will take back my comments regarding growth - my comment was obviously based on ignorance.
But that doesn't mean that SN events do anything above and beyond PDGA events. I'd be curious to see how insurance and other things are handled.
The PDGA offers the TD and players one BIG thing for all sanctioned events. without this one thing many tournaments would probably not be able to exist in this day and age in modern parks dealing with modern parks departments. Insurance. the $10.00 non members fee is to offset the PDGA's liability expense for offering this service to the TD's and players of their sanctioned events. while people may see the Non-members fee as you do (and i don't blame you) i do see the justification and agree for the need.The one thing I have never understood is, why does the PDGA charge a $10 penalty for a non PDGA member to play at their event?
To me this seems to be the opposite of growing the sport. If I show up and bring a few kids with me, how is that going to reflect in their eyes. Why not drop that penalty and encourage more people to play. The whole "be a member or pay extra" just doesn't set right with me.
Granted I have never been to a PDGA event and I don't know how they are run, I am willing to try one just to see. I would gladly love input on this subject as I am not a closed minded individual.
I feel like this bears repeating. I agree 100% with this. Also i have followed the SN's with some interest for years. They have not been without there drama as an org. as well. There will never be a perfect system and all people involved in both Org's. i feel are down for the same cause.I wish people would quit making this PDGA vs. SN nonsense like its an either or like you have to be on one side of that fence or the other. While its largely the exception, there have been events on the SN calendar that were sanctioned by the PDGA in recent years.
The SN is a multi-state organization which runs tournaments with a points series attached. Not all that different from the statewide one that I belong to. In exchange for having a TD put their event under their flag, they take $2/head for the organization. They do not really "sanction" anything in the same sense that the PDGA does. They do not provide a ruleset. They do not make and enforce technical standards for our equipment.
They are not the Apple to the PDGA's Microsoft everyone makes them out to be.
And yet, about the time that the non-member fee went from $5 to $10 is when membership and attendance in general started taking off. What do you suppose the why was about? They wanted people to become members.The one thing I have never understood is, why does the PDGA charge a $10 penalty for a non PDGA member to play at their event?
To me this seems to be the opposite of growing the sport. If I show up and bring a few kids with me, how is that going to reflect in their eyes. Why not drop that penalty and encourage more people to play. The whole "be a member or pay extra" just doesn't set right with me.
The one thing I have never understood is, why does the PDGA charge a $10 penalty for a non PDGA member to play at their event?
To me this seems to be the opposite of growing the sport. If I show up and bring a few kids with me, how is that going to reflect in their eyes. Why not drop that penalty and encourage more people to play. The whole "be a member or pay extra" just doesn't set right with me.
Granted I have never been to a PDGA event and I don't know how they are run, I am willing to try one just to see. I would gladly love input on this subject as I am not a closed minded individual.
The Southern Nationals website doesn't exactly provide much information as far as I can tell. What kind of tournament formats are permitted? Do they have to follow the PDGA model? Are there ratings capped or handicapped divisions? If so, what kind of divisions can be used? Can ams be paid in cash? It's difficult to tell what is going on from the website.
I've been looking at the Southern Nationals platform and really like what I see. I think I am going to forego renewing my PDGA membership and play in the Southern Nationals. My current reasons: No membership fee, points series to qualify for a championship, $2 from every entry is taken out and of that $2, $1.75 is returned to the division it was taken from for payouts at the championship, my membership fees (or lack there of) won't be funneled up to prop up a pro tour.
My question is, are there any Southern Nationals players here? If so what are your pros/cons?
The one thing I have never understood is, why does the PDGA charge a $10 penalty for a non PDGA member to play at their event?
To me this seems to be the opposite of growing the sport. If I show up and bring a few kids with me, how is that going to reflect in their eyes. Why not drop that penalty and encourage more people to play. The whole "be a member or pay extra" just doesn't set right with me.
Granted I have never been to a PDGA event and I don't know how they are run, I am willing to try one just to see. I would gladly love input on this subject as I am not a closed minded individual.
Tried to edit: here is what I was meaning to say:
SN is a regional series, and some of their tournaments are PDGA...so like some have said, not an alternative.
Also since PDGA ratings dont' matter bagging is rampant and annoying. Their tournaments aren't taken seriously either. The last one I played in people are yelling across holes to one another in the middle of a round (during people's throws/putts)...and I'm not talking an isolated instance, I'm talking all day. It's all very informal, rules loosely enforced at best. Don't be the guy to call infractions either, everybody knows each other well, or you'll be the outsider.
That said, they do a lot of great work with local communities, and there are some genuinely awesome people that are fun to play a round with. I just hate the way they run tournaments.
Also since PDGA ratings dont' matter bagging is rampant and annoying. Their tournaments aren't taken seriously either. The last one I played in people are yelling across holes to one another in the middle of a round (during people's throws/putts)...and I'm not talking an isolated instance, I'm talking all day. It's all very informal, rules loosely enforced at best. Don't be the guy to call infractions either, everybody knows each other well, or you'll be the outsider.
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