2016 Vibram Birdie Bash

[ericb45696]

I play these because they are often some of the most fun tournaments I can play in. maybe I am not as competitive as some, but for the amount of fun I have had at the last few Birdie bashes, you can not beat it.Good times. Pick a few discs and just do it!!

 

[Nova P]

I've got a question for other Birdie Bash organizers or TDs. How long did it take Vibram to get back to you after you'd submitted the event information with the online form? I ask because the form says "within two business days," and I've not heard back about mine since I submitted it Monday afternoon.

 

[Nova P]

Double-post because I can't find the EDIT feature:

Never mind. Disregard the previous post.

 

[Shaner316]

You think you guys have it tough? Try selling this event in Canada like Im trying to do!!

I played in a VBB last year, and had a lot of fun playing it. So I thought why not run one at our new local course here this year?

Last year, I believe cost me $35 US or about 45 CDN. (Being in Canada, we have to pay an addition $5 US to cover extra shipping costs. Fair enough I guess??)

This year, we have to pay $45 US, and with the horrible exchange right now, we are looking at around $68-70 CDN per player (that includes the DiscGolfScene fee as well) Not really a great value for the money.

BUT, seeing as how I have already set the ball in motion, I have to go through with it I guess. Im just having a hard time trying to convince players what a fun day this will be, when all they can see is the high cost vs. what you get. (There is only two weeks before our sign up deadline, and so far its just me and 2 other guys signed up

Selling points?

"hey you will get a cool polo" (ok that might not be too bad)

"you get a water bottle and some stickers" (umm no)

"you get your choice of 2 Vibram discs that are made from quality rubber instead of plastic" (confusing for those not familiar with the discs, so probably not)

"there may or may not be a VBB Championship this year that the winners get invited to, but no one seems to know for sure if this will happen" (Definately not)

"you have a chance to win a pair of socks!! or perhaps a bottle opener" (Laughable)

And the only one that even comes close "You get to spend the day playing disc golf with your buds!"



As much as I enjoyed playing in this event last year, I cant see this event being as successful (At least not up here) due to the 33% increase in cost, and not much extra value for the price.

 

[dontBLAMEtheDISC]

You think you guys have it tough? Try selling this event in Canada like Im trying to do!!

I played in a VBB last year, and had a lot of fun playing it. So I thought why not run one at our new local course here this year?

Last year, I believe cost me $35 US or about 45 CDN. (Being in Canada, we have to pay an addition $5 US to cover extra shipping costs. Fair enough I guess??)

This year, we have to pay $45 US, and with the horrible exchange right now, we are looking at around $68-70 CDN per player (that includes the DiscGolfScene fee as well) Not really a great value for the money.

BUT, seeing as how I have already set the ball in motion, I have to go through with it I guess. Im just having a hard time trying to convince players what a fun day this will be, when all they can see is the high cost vs. what you get. (There is only two weeks before our sign up deadline, and so far its just me and 2 other guys signed up

Selling points?

"hey you will get a cool polo" (ok that might not be too bad)

"you get a water bottle and some stickers" (umm no)

"you get your choice of 2 Vibram discs that are made from quality rubber instead of plastic" (confusing for those not familiar with the discs, so probably not)

"there may or may not be a VBB Championship this year that the winners get invited to, but no one seems to know for sure if this will happen" (Definately not)

"you have a chance to win a pair of socks!! or perhaps a bottle opener" (Laughable)

And the only one that even comes close "You get to spend the day playing disc golf with your buds!"



As much as I enjoyed playing in this event last year, I cant see this event being as successful (At least not up here) due to the 33% increase in cost, and not much extra value for the price.

Is your goal with the VBB to make money?

 

[DiscBaltimore]

I was leaning toward not doing this, but now I am thinking that I might sign up for my local event. The polo looks nice enough. I'm worried about turnout though with ace race/trilogy challenge looking much more enticing for many.


I wish:

-The discs were a mid and a putter, or like with ace race just 2 of the same discs. I'd putt with a mid or fairway, its a goofy event. Any time i'm not playing with my discs, i'm not gonna care at all about how I shoot.
-It was $30 because all the other manufacturer have fun events that are cheaper.
-No PDGA points or scores my TD has to deal with. Getting PDGA XC for insurance is fine but i don't care about the points and wish my TD had less -work.
-More than 5 of my 40 went to my local course, which is always in need more more cash for baskets or payout for our yearly big event. If its gonna be 40 TD should get..7 bucks maybe. maybe even 10. If its 30 I can feel the 5 bucks to TD. That amount should scale.
-Polo looks nice, but you can skip it.

MOST IMPORTANTLY-I think I could have sold my casual buddies for 25-30 but for 40 no way.. it would be ~close or cheaper to play rec in a C tier.

 

[cheese dog]

I would love to see the birdie bash participants from 2015 vs 2016. the vibram birdie bash has always been the easiest 2-3 disc challenge to run, now its the most unappealing to a TD. Involving the pdga in a two disc challenge is a joke and a mistake.

 

[tlatoani]

Our local club is running one. My gf and I have 2 boys each. For 6 of us to play this is pretty steep, as we are casual players. The MVP circuit was fun last year, and cheaper now.

 

[jevon]

Is your goal with the VBB to make money?

Sounds to me like their goal is to get people to show up...

 

[uncle pennybags]

I just got my Birdie Bash stuff in yesterday! Looking through it I have a couple of comments.

- The 'Best Disc Golf Shirt EVER' isn't bad. The best ever, maybe not, but decent. My one initial observation is that the material is quite thin. Even thinner than A4 shirts. Makes me worry about durability.
- The TD shirt is just the same as the others. No TD on it, or a different color scheme on it.
- The water bottle is just ok. I'm not sure it's really worth the money it sells for on amazon. I know I'd rather have a double wall bottle. But it's not as junky as the bottle from the Ace Race a few years back.
-What's with all the bottle openers? There are those big ones that look like bottle lids for card prizes and the flat ones for CTP's. What are you trying to say about disc golfers Mr. Dodge? :doh:
- Winners get a little laser engraved trophy this year, and not a trophy disc.
- No Banner again this year. Makes me sad, but I them from other years!
- Very little change to the logo this year.

Overall still the easiest event of this type to run. But the increased costs, decreased disc choices, and general 'I forgot about the Birdie Bash because I was too busy doing other stuff, so I better get something tossed together quick' feel makes me less impressed than I had been with this event. It had always been a no-brainer for me to run this event since the beginning, but next year it'll be a much harder decision for me as to weather or not I run it again.

Oh yeah - my attendance is at an all time low. The biggest reason I got - COST. More specifically, cost vs. value. It was often a comparison with MVP Circuit, Trilogy Challenge, and Battle of the Aces. All of which the players get 3 discs for $10 less.

 

[Nova P]

I just got my Birdie Bash stuff in yesterday! Looking through it I have a couple of comments.

- The TD shirt is just the same as the others. No TD on it, or a different color scheme on it.

Sad face. How do the sizes run on those? I'm TD-ing a VBB a little south of you in two weeks, and men's shirts are a bit dodgy on me.

-What's with all the bottle openers? There are those big ones that look like bottle lids for card prizes and the flat ones for CTP's. What are you trying to say about disc golfers Mr. Dodge? :doh:

I've got an Innova bottle opener hanging on my fridge, I traded my 2015 Discraft Ace Race bottle opener for a mini, and the CTP at a local tourney last year was some wrought-iron bottle openers from a local blacksmith. I don't think it's just Vibram.

- Winners get a little laser engraved trophy this year, and not a trophy disc.

I think they'd like a disc more. What's the trophy look like? A cup, a little figure of someone throwing, something else?

- No Banner again this year. Makes me sad, but I them from other years!

Bummer.

Oh yeah - my attendance is at an all time low. The biggest reason I got - COST. More specifically, cost vs. value. It was often a comparison with MVP Circuit, Trilogy Challenge, and Battle of the Aces. All of which the players get 3 discs for $10 less.

I'm two weeks out, and I'm struggling to break twenty. I hope to get to thirty with the last-minute sign-ups. I'm not even going head-to-head against any PDGA tourneys, although the KC Corporate Challenge is siphoning off some of the potential male players (and a few women who would be in hot water if they did not caddy their guy. . . :\ ) I agree that the cost might be a factor. There's two Trilogy Challenges and an Ace Race nearby, later this summer.

 

[mentos]

low participation should send a clear message to Vibram about what they are doing and how they are doing it. I get the whole grow the sport thing... but when you have other exposure events run for cheaper with "better" stuff (i say "better," but really how much better is it?) how does having $100usd worth of "stuff" make yours any different (with just two discs??), when your entry fee is much more significant?

I had to go and sell stuff i was using just to make room for the two new discs and to be able to pay for the entry fee. But i still signed up for one, and probably all the stuff that is included will be donated for prizes at some of the other events at our local courses. Socks, bottle openers? really?? this is my incentive to do well? whatever.


Look also consider the 30bucks for the two discs... and 10 bucks for a bunch of other "stuff" i look at this as a "whatever, i dont do tourneys and i am out for ****s and giggles" type of deal.

 

[AndyJB]

well I am playing my first BB of the year tomorrow...and its at my favorite course: Phantom Falls!

I know I'll have a good time because of the course and the TD, but I normally play 2 to 4 BBs a year...this year Im just playing this one (and didnt even consider running one myself like I usually do) and a big part of that is cost vs. Percieved value for me. I dont really care about the points, so the sanctioning thing means nothing to me. Im sure the polos are cool but when am I going to realistically wear it?

I dont want to sound ungrateful...I love the Birdie Bash. I loved all the tweaks they made the 2nd and 3rd years. It just seems like this year they got bit by the Good Idea Fairy and went a bit too much. These events are still hella fun. Hopefully next year they scale back a tad.

 

[GoldeyeGolf]

It may have been a mistake for them to cross over into the $40 range. Seems like that is going to make the event appeal more to people who are already Vibram fans, and would be buying more discs anyway.

I'd find this more appealing if it was $20, one fairway driver, and cut the other stuff down to a minimum.

 

[AndyJB]

Had a lot of fun at the Birdie Bash I played today. Of course, I had an AWESOME card and it was at my all-time favorite course....

Players Pack is on point. Water bottles are great and the polos fit well, wick away sweat and ae comfortable. The logo also isnt crazy big and is only on the front so it can be worn in non disc golf environments.

I got the Notch and VP...Notch was a bad choice for a short course that is at high elevation.

Coolest moment was watching my buddy Steve splash out of an ace on a 240 foot steep uphill double mando hole with a thumber.

 

[TurnBurn]

I'd like to screen shot and poster-sized print for posterity the scoring from the PDGA site for the Birdie Bash I attended -- I only got 6 points (3 birdies) the first round, but the PDGA gives it a 1226 round rating (points got mistaken for strokes).

If you've played one recently, it might be interesting to check out your own ratings.

 

[uncle pennybags]

So after my Birdie Bash on Saturday, here are a few more comments.

- Everybody was annoyed with the selection of discs. No one understood why it was only fairway drivers. Also when registering most of my players had very little choices with the putters. I know I saw the putter inventory shrink to under 20 discs, with the drivers having 1,200 choices.
- The water bottle and polo were well liked. (Except for that green color on the polo :gross
- Nobody cared about the charity donations being made on their behalf.
- Nobody cared about being PDGA sanctioned.
- Everybody was annoyed by the cost increase.

Most had fun, unless they chose their discs poorly. :doh:


As to the scoring, I had to re-do mine. The first time I put the points in, and got an inverted results. SO the second time I just made up scores to force the results into the correct order. My understanding is that no one will get round ratings for these, being XC events, but will get points which may be of some use.

Anyway...Year 4 in the books.

 

[Shaner316]

Came up with even more bad news for an already frustrating event.

My package was apparently shipped out on Monday. I still have not received our $5 per player through Paypal yet. (How the heck am I supposed to purchase add-ons to the dismal prize packs?)

But even worse, I received an email from UPS yesterday saying that my package was being delayed due to the fact that it was "missing a commercial invoice". (granted, my BB is not until next Saturday the 20th, but I am in Canada, and cant really afford too much of an unnecessary delay.)

How do you forget to put an invoice on the package? Its not like this is their first time running these events.

What am I supposed to do if this is not cleared up soon and I do not get my players packs in time??

Then today I get an email, apologising for their lack of putter selection (I don't think it affected any of my players directly that I am aware of)

It just shows to me their lack of organization and planning. Going into their 5th year, you would think they would have it all figured out by now.

I will definitely not be running another VBB in the future. Very disappointed in the way this company does business.

 

[Shaner316]

I'd like to screen shot and poster-sized print for posterity the scoring from the PDGA site for the Birdie Bash I attended -- I only got 6 points (3 birdies) the first round, but the PDGA gives it a 1226 round rating (points got mistaken for strokes).

If you've played one recently, it might be interesting to check out your own ratings.

thanks for the heads up

 

[Shaner316]

Is your goal with the VBB to make money?

No, any money that is kicked back ($5 per player) was going to be used to purchase additional prizes (because the ones Vibram offers are pretty crappy)