Dear Rec Players....Whaddaya want?

[billnchristy]

I know that you are the one to start the thread and are the one asking the questions......but why does Rec need to pay so much to play? Why not a $15-20 entry fee that comes with a nice tournament disc and some small trophies for 1st - 3rd? If they are already paying less, why not go all the way with the concept?

Then, suddenly the question about whether to wager or to get a bunch of stuff you don't really want gets pushed up into the more competitive divisions.

$15

$4.40 pp
$2 pdga
$2 trophy
---------
$8.40 entry to pp and fees

$6.60 to payout

10 guys 70 to payout (rounding the 66.00) pay 50% of the field:


1st-$25
2nd-$16
3rd-$12
4th-$9
5th-$7

Up that to $30 with the same costs and you get:

10 guys $220 to payout (rounding the 216) pay 50%:

1st-$80
2nd-$54
3rd-$37
4th-$27
5th-$22

Sorry, I would rather pay the 30. If I "won" 5th place and coun't afford a dx disc I would be pissed.

 

[Dave242]

Bill, I understand the math, but what I was implying here is that if you want to compete for other people's money play in a division other than the entry division. "Recreational" means you are playing for recreation, not for competition. In my mind there is no reason why a player should not be competitive in Intermediate within a couple of years of playing.

BUT....I have been out of running PDGA tournaments for about 3 years now and totally spaced out on the relatively recent tweaking of ratings boundaries.....so my thought process was actually aimed at what is now the "Novice" division. Woops.

 

[billnchristy]

Here we go again with the meaning of the meaning of the word recreational.

If you are playing in a tournament you are a tournament player, it is no longer for recreation. That term is just a dumbass word for the 3rd lowest AM division.

Personally I think the prize in novice should be PDGA membership but since you can't make money on those nobody will do it.

 

[Sadjo]

If most of the AM players in this area played their ratings, the Rec division would by far be the largest division. If I have a tournament with 50 am players, 30 will have a rating between 850 and 900. A lot of those players have been playing for 5+ years. BUT most of those players play in intermediate because they feel its beneath them to play anything below Intermediate.

 

[hipster]

I agree with joesouthfl. I like getting a tourney stamped disc.

I recall paying $25 or $30 for a tournament the player pack was a choice of non stamped DX. Finished 5th or 6th of 24 in the Rec and got 1 non stamped DX. Seems like the Pros were heavily subsidized by the lower divisions. What a bummer. A tournament stamped disc would've taken the sting out of it. Was I expecting too much? I do not know what's involved in running a tournament of any tier. Seems some TDs are better than others in general. I do not mind a small portion of my Rec fee going to support the Pro tier, its nice to see some of those guys throw.

 

[DavidSauls]

I've been playing various Am divisions for 15 years, and I've never actually seen a TD divert Am entries to pay Pros.

What I do see (and do) is TDs using the margin between wholesale & retail costs of merchandise to cover tournament expenses, including adding cash to pro divisions. As a lifetime Am, I have no problem with this.

Just to demonstrate the diversity of opinion, as I'm sure I'm in the minority, but I'm one amateur who would be just as happy with no players pack at all.

 

[Sadjo]

Just to demonstrate the diversity of opinion, as I'm sure I'm in the minority, but I'm one amateur who would be just as happy with no players pack at all.

David...you're in luck. The Triple Team Tourney @ Chattooga Belle Farm in Long Creek in July is not offering a players pack. Minus the $5 course fee per player, everything else goes to payout.

It's non sanctioned and there will be someone cooking food and selling beer. The farm store will be selling fruits and veggies along with slushies. Should be fun.

 

[TheStray]

$10 coupon for players pack and bigger payout. It's nice to play for something to make it worth your while. Otherwise you can save money by not playing in tournaments.

 

[thrembo]

I'd rather have the players pack. That way everyone feels like they got something for participating. Not just the few people who cash!

 

[DavidSauls]

David...you're in luck. The Triple Team Tourney @ Chattooga Belle Farm in Long Creek in July is not offering a players pack. Minus the $5 course fee per player, everything else goes to payout.

It's non sanctioned and there will be someone cooking food and selling beer. The farm store will be selling fruits and veggies along with slushies. Should be fun.

I heard you had a fantastic light show last year. Or was that a lightning show?

It's an enticing event, and an excuse to visit Chattooga Belle, which I've been wanting to do. Ultimately, what I'm looking for in a tournament is a good course, a reasonably well-run event---and a weekend on the calendar I can get away. That last quality is the rarest.

 

[billnchristy]

I've been playing various Am divisions for 15 years, and I've never actually seen a TD divert Am entries to pay Pros.

What I do see (and do) is TDs using the margin between wholesale & retail costs of merchandise to cover tournament expenses, including adding cash to pro divisions. As a lifetime Am, I have no problem with this.

Just to demonstrate the diversity of opinion, as I'm sure I'm in the minority, but I'm one amateur who would be just as happy with no players pack at all.

That is exactly what I do.

I never "take" from anyone. Everyone gets 100% or whatever the minimum is, usually well over.

I am sorry if it offends you but the winning rec player should not get $300, even if there are 50 people in the division.

There is a point where in division added cash gets stupid and that is when I move things, but nobody ever gets under whatever the minimum that I determine is and I would never take from entry fees to pay out other divs, anything "taken" is from sponsor money or retail conversion.

 

[DavidSauls]

$10 coupon for players pack and bigger payout. It's nice to play for something to make it worth your while. Otherwise you can save money by not playing in tournaments.

You might rephrase that in the first person. I play tournaments to compete in tournaments. To compete against someone other than the usual handful of locals, in a structured format. I can spend money and get discs any day, tournament or not.

I enjoy the payouts---the fact that something's riding on every shot, even if it's just 8th place and canning that long putt on the last hole wins me $4 more in plastic---but the real value in tournaments is competing in a tournament.

But that's just me.

 

[billnchristy]

Christy and I are to the point where winning is tedious because we really don't want more discs. We like it when Strange and guys like that do payout because they carry a ton of clothing and such.

Usually I get a disc I haven't tried (getting a little harder to do), a backup for something, and a disc for my secret santa.