TD Signing up big names without permission

[bradharris]

And you wonder why some don't want to get involved in the tourney scene.

What in this thread would make you not want to play tournaments??

 

[holly7845]

Yes, I have encountered this situation as well. Big names on the sign up sheet who aren't actually signed up and don't plan on playing the event.

I suppose it's a good way to "encourage" other people to sign up?

 

[DavidSauls]

In deciding how outraged to be, it would be helpful to know if the TDs are listing players without their consent, or listing players who have told the TDs they're coming.

And, whether the intent is to hold spots for certain players in an event that's likely to fill; or to draw more players by making an event look more prestigious; or just to give the event the appearance of filling so fence-sitters will hurry up and pre-register.

 

[sprintermatt]

I've seen TDs set a deadline for division changes. The main motivation for that was to have the cards arranged ahead of time to keep things smoother in the morning. But it also seems like a good solution for this problem.

I came up with a suggestion for division jumping... switching after X date means 1/2 your player value stays in the division you registered for. You basically donate half entry plus half added cash to your original division if you jump late.

 

[chrishysell]

next year I will sign up as open in 90% of the events I play. That will trick the GMs to come out in large numbers, then I will jump to GM the day of and reap the rewards. Now when I pre-reg as a GM they typically stay at home.

 

[AndyJB]

Can't say I've ever seen this problem before.

The closest I've seen is back in Montana, for the Zoo Town Open (Montana ' s biggest tournament) they hold a few spots for "Touring Pros until a couple weeks out. But that isn't shady at all. In fact, it's a dang good idea.

 

[Steve West]

.. I don't think the comparison of saying Katy Perry at kids party = ProDGer on tournament sign ups is even remotely the same thing.

Well, the total budget is probably about the same for both events.

 

[Aim For The Chains]

...sounds like one lame Bday party Does that budget include a cake?

 

[joshmo65]

I know it has come up in the past.

http://www.dgcoursereview.com/forums/showthread.php?t=70987

Generally, I care about how many people will be at a tourney. I would much rather prefer to go to a tourney with 20 people in my division instead of 4. If they are putting fake names up, there is terrible and I will never go to another tourney by that TD.

 

[Rob Martin]

I've seen it, but it has been awhile.

I actually saw one tournament this year where they pre-registered #1 Steady Ed himself. No disrespect to the deceased, but I thought it was hilarious. He did want to stay involved after he passed.

 

[DavidSauls]

my peeve is signing up for an A-Tier in the Masters Division, sometimes 4-5 hours away, getting there and finding out the locals want to jump into the open pool day of, taking with them the added cash, and making the division kind of pathetic. has happened a lot this year. Don't jump the day of an A-Tier when people travel FAR to play in it. I have left home on Friday with 12 in a division only to have 5 when the horn blows to start the round.

A couple of years ago at the Upstate Classic---a full tournament---the entire Advanced division jumped ship on the morning of the event, dispersing to either Open or Advanced Masters. The last remaining Advanced player was not happy about it.

 

[Dana]

next year I will sign up as open in 90% of the events I play. That will trick the GMs to come out in large numbers, then I will jump to GM the day of and reap the rewards. Now when I pre-reg as a GM they typically stay at home.

Smart move. Sometimes, like in your case, players see a top rated player in their division and decide not to go. I know this happens in the Open division.

 

[BogeyNoMore]

Changing divisions at the last minute and TD's pre reg'ing big name touring players whom they haven't contacted about the event and/or have no real intention of attending are different things.

Switching divisions at the last minute can be a legit attempt to "right-fit" your self into the appropriate level of competition (especially if you pre-reg well in advance and you're on the cusp betweeen divisions), or it can be a smarmy bit of gamesmanship to stack the odds in your favor. To others, the result may be the same, but it's really more a matter of intent. I guess the only way to tell is see if a pattern develops.

But false pre reg of big name players is just plain slimey. I get that sometimes players really do have to back out for reasons beyond the TD's control, but to pre reg big name touring pros who you haven't reached out to or haven't contacted you about attending is false advertising.

If you're a local pro looking to compete against touring pros, and you reg for an event based on the existing names only to find these folks were never really going to attend, I can see how you'd feel screwed. Maybe you'd have elected to play a different event, but now your stuck.

Maybe Ams registered and fans attended just to see the big names. It's completely misleading and underhanded. Let the quality of your event speak for iteself and let people make informed decisions about which tourneys to go to, not misinformed choices based on smoke and mirrors.

Any TD who does this loses credibility in my book.

 

[chrishysell]

Smart move. Sometimes, like in your case, players see a top rated player in their division and decide not to go. I know this happens in the Open division.

I just bought a cadillac with all 4 heated leather seats to entice the old guys to go to more events. I will be bringing the added cash.

 

[Tfire25]

Last year a lot of pros played the crush in San Angelo. They told everyone they would be back next year because they had so much fun. Is that enough for the td to put their names up to hold a spot? I'm playing devils advocate but it does make you wonder how many different scenarios could make the td put a big name up instead of it being an outright lie.

I'm exhausted, I hope the above paragraph doesn't reflect that.

 

[DavidSauls]

I wouldn't think this would happen more than once or twice before the TD and/or event get a bad reputation for it.

It strikes me as funny because I won't put someone on the list until I've got their money---not even my brothers. I've been burned a few times, holding spots for people who didn't show, or holding a spot for 1 person, then a dozen others want me to do it.

Now, if someone has told me they're coming but not registered, I might mention them on the Facebook event page, or to others to whom it might be of interest. But that's unofficial.

 

[DikkaD]

I heard from the top of this thread that Katy Perry is going to be at the USDGC next year.....topless!

 

[Photoguy]

Holding spots available for pros/sponsors/etc is legit and a smart move and done in many types of competition (particularly ball golf, but also auto racing, skateboarding, tennis etc). Falsely advertising that pros are going to show up without actually having a conformed registration (or even a verbal commitment) is shady and weak.

I don't care about pros or sponsors or tournaments myself. But many people do. And if DG is going to support a contest scene and full time pros, then the whole thing has to be treated with a little more care and thought.

 

[JC17393]

Last year a lot of pros played the crush in San Angelo. They told everyone they would be back next year because they had so much fun. Is that enough for the td to put their names up to hold a spot? I'm playing devils advocate but it does make you wonder how many different scenarios could make the td put a big name up instead of it being an outright lie.

I don't think it should be enough to justify the TD putting the names on the list without either money or a renewed verbal commitment. It seems to me that a common refrain from all players at the end of a tournament is "yeah, I'll be back next year", particularly if they won anything. Tough to hold people to that, especially if they travel around and probably say it at a lot of events during the course of the year.

Different story though if they've been in contact with the TD more recently than the previous year's tournament. Like say, they contact the TD after the event is scheduled and sanctioned saying they plan to be there. Even then, I'd probably be hesitant to list the player until I had their entry fee in hand. I might instead just reserve a spot for a "TD pick" or something of that nature, so the spot is held but there's no drama about the name one way or the other.

Now that each player has an "upcoming events" list on their PDGA player profile, I would think TDs wouldn't be so quick to list a player from whom they have zero commitment. A habit that might have started out as what they viewed as a harmless way to spark interest is actually going to draw the attention of the players they list (whereas in the past, the player may never have found out). I bet it wouldn't take but one of those players to contact the TD and tell them to remove their name and the practice might stop.

 

[scarpfish]

I came up with a suggestion for division jumping... switching after X date means 1/2 your player value stays in the division you registered for. You basically donate half entry plus half added cash to your original division if you jump late.

Do you have to make up the half (possibly more) of your entry fee in your new division? Because that seems fair.