Why Directional Aid Illegal?

[Steve West]

So you could go to the course before the tournament and place marks to aim at and that would be legal since they would be part of the course at the start of the tournament?

It says:

Placing an object as a directional aid is not allowed.

It does NOT specify "after the tournament starts".

So, no, that would not be legal. Two penalty throws and maybe disqualification.

 

[brutalbrutus]

IMO

Range finders should be illegal - judging distance is a skill of the game.

No additional/artificial directional aid should be allowed beyond the landscape of the course itself.

I don't think this should be the case. There are people that play the game that are either missing an eye, or in my case, have really bad vision, that have little to no just bad depth perception. It isn't their fault and isn't a skill they can really develop or learn.

 

[Chains Bailey]

I don't think this should be the case. There are people that play the game that are either missing an eye, or in my case, have really bad vision, that have little to no just bad depth perception. It isn't their fault and isn't a skill they can really develop or learn.

I am in the same boat, but still do not think they should be legal.

In casual play, sure, but in sanctioned PDGA events, no.

 

[biscoe]

I don't think this should be the case. There are people that play the game that are either missing an eye, or in my case, have really bad vision, that have little to no just bad depth perception. It isn't their fault and isn't a skill they can really develop or learn.

I have a bad back and can't throw over 300 feet. It is not my fault. it's not a skill I can develop or learn.

 

[Nale72]

My only issue is that Range finders can also provide slope adjustment as well. Which is a significant advantage on some courses which are very hilly. Some courses have 200 foot markers and such so players without a range finder can still figure out a general distance, but then they don't have the slope adjustment. Which can be a big deal. 20 foot uphill or downhill can play 60 feet longer or shorter. I think it's about 3/1 ratio or 1/3 whichever way you look at it.

Sorry for the drift. I guess you just have to pony up to keep up with the competition.

I agree with this about the slope adjustment. This is also why Slope adjusting range finders aren't allowed in "ball golf" in competition or handicap rounds, even though range finders that only measure pure distance are.

Because pure distance is a common fact and something that everyone can measure from tee signs, distance markers etc, but adjusting for height is not "public information".

 

[BogeyNoMore]

I have a bad back and can't throw over 300 feet. It is not my fault. it's not a skill I can develop or learn.

Ban all holes over 300 ft!!!

 

[rocthecourse]

Ban all holes over 300 ft!!!

I have though it would be interesting to have a "short course" tournament where every hole was short enough that every 1000+ rated player could throw far enough to reach the basket on every hole. It will never happen, but if it ever does I would watch.

 

[brutalbrutus]

I have though it would be interesting to have a "short course" tournament where every hole was short enough that every 1000+ rated player could throw far enough to reach the basket on every hole. It will never happen, but if it ever does I would watch.

Like Masters Cup at DeLa next weekend? There's really only one hole they all can't reach and that just because of the design of the hole not the distance.

 

[brutalbrutus]

^Actually, it looks like they added a new location to I-5 and it's now a par4 at 615'. So it is technically not a hole every can reach anymore but it's pretty much the only one on the course with a good drive.

 

[rocthecourse]

Like Masters Cup at DeLa next weekend? There's really only one hole they all can't reach and that just because of the design of the hole not the distance.

Maybe, DeLa has a lot of good short holes. I still don't know that course too well since it seems like they play different pin positions every year.

 

[jenb]

What if you have a blind putt and your caddy grabs the basket and shakes it like a baby? Does it make a difference if it is a card mate or a spotter or an official or a random spectator?

 

[rocthecourse]

What if you have a blind putt and your caddy grabs the basket and shakes it like a baby? Does it make a difference if it is a card mate or a spotter or an official or a random spectator?

Here is a thread discussing that - https://www.dgcoursereview.com/forums/showthread.php?t=131614

 

[dmoore1998]

IMO

Range finders should be illegal - judging distance is a skill of the game.

While I agree with this, I have to wonder if the range finder issue might not be one of the good lessons taken from ball golf which now also allows rangefinders.

There essentially was no "judging distance" and instead everyone has/had a fat book that mapped out every hole and pretty much every relevant distance and elevation change. It doesn't take any particular "skill" to get this information...just a lot of time and monotony to go out on a practice day(s) and range-find all over the course. Ultimately everyone was getting pretty much the same information, they were just doing a lot of "paperwork" to get it.

Allowing rangefinders pretty much allows everyone to have the same information they likely already had, but without doing a bunch of non-golf monotony to get it.

 

[jakebake91]

While I agree with this, I have to wonder if the range finder issue might not be one of the good lessons taken from ball golf which now also allows rangefinders.

There essentially was no "judging distance" and instead everyone has/had a fat book that mapped out every hole and pretty much every relevant distance and elevation change. It doesn't take any particular "skill" to get this information...just a lot of time and monotony to go out on a practice day(s) and range-find all over the course. Ultimately everyone was getting pretty much the same information, they were just doing a lot of "paperwork" to get it.

Allowing rangefinders pretty much allows everyone to have the same information they likely already had, but without doing a bunch of non-golf monotony to get it.

Was this really something that was happening in disc golf too?

 

[krupicka]

Everyone with Udisc has a range finder in their pocket. Not as accurate as dedicated range finders, but distance to pin is there on your phone.

 

[jakebake91]

Everyone with Udisc has a range finder in their pocket. Not as accurate as dedicated range finders, but distance to pin is there on your phone.

There's one stretch of holes I play on a local course that the best accuracy i can get with Udisc is 118'. That's less than helpful.

Also, most Udisc-ed courses around me don't accurately account for the changing pin positions either. So I can never trust that distance. Especially if it's a special tourney setup.

 

[krupicka]

There's one stretch of holes I play on a local course that the best accuracy i can get with Udisc is 118'. That's less than helpful.

Also, most Udisc-ed courses around me don't accurately account for the changing pin positions either. So I can never trust that distance. Especially if it's a special tourney setup.

My point is if range finders are disallowed, we would also have to disallow all GPS devices as they can be used as rangefinders. Every phone is a GPS device.

 

[jakebake91]

My point is if range finders are disallowed, we would also have to disallow all GPS devices as they can be used as rangefinders. Every phone is a GPS device.

Gotcha. I had interpreted that a different way. That's an excellent point. And you couldn't really ban phones with the huge push into live scoring. Good point!

 

[Cgkdisc]

Related to phones having GPS for distance measurement (note that PDGA course directory/live scoring does not have this), now that live scoring with phones has become common, the phones also have photo and video capability. One key reason photo/video evidence has been disallowed for rulings was few players carried a camera. So now?

 

[Jay Dub]

Related to phones having GPS for distance measurement (note that PDGA course directory/live scoring does not have this), now that live scoring with phones has become common, the phones also have photo and video capability. One key reason photo/video evidence has been disallowed for rulings was few players carried a camera. So now?

There would have to be someone on each card dedicated to the phone camera/video for that to work and be fair, I doubt that happens.