Different tiers in tournaments..

[TNDiscGolfer]

I don't know if there is already a post about this and not sure if PDGA.com answers this but what makes a tournaments a A-Tier, B-Tier, C-Tier, etc., etc.??

 

[ChrisKramer]

http://www.pdga.com/files/documents/Tour_Standards_v3.pdf

 

[DavidSauls]

When you click that link, scroll down to the charts. Chart 1 gives a pretty good summary.

 

[KniceZ]

I can see the advantage from TD perspective but from an amateur player perspective unless you can't afford the higher entrance fee it seems you should avoid C Tier events. But the value of the player pack might compensate anyway.

I was just at a C Tier this weekend and it was not worth going. Nice course but no benefit over just going and playing a round.

BTW - is Supertour the same as A Tier?

 

[jcrab66]

BTW - is Supertour the same as A Tier?

yes.

 

[ferretdance03]

I was just at a C Tier this weekend and it was not worth going. Nice course but no benefit over just going and playing a round.

No benefit to playing a competitive round to judge your skills against others? Why do you play tournaments then?

 

[Lewis]

I can see the advantage from TD perspective but from an amateur player perspective unless you can't afford the higher entrance fee it seems you should avoid C Tier events. But the value of the player pack might compensate anyway.

I was just at a C Tier this weekend and it was not worth going. Nice course but no benefit over just going and playing a round.

BTW - is Supertour the same as A Tier?

There's also the consideration that there are far more C-tier events out there than higher tier events, so unless you're flexible enough to travel to another state for a weekend tournament, a C-tier may simply be what's available.

For a graphic illustration of this, go to dgmapper.com and compare the view of C-tier events through the end of the year vs. the view of B-tier, A-tier, etc. events.

 

[VictorB]

No benefit to playing a competitive round to judge your skills against others? Why do you play tournaments then?

For mad lootz, obviously.

 

[KniceZ]

No benefit to playing a competitive round to judge your skills against others? Why do you play tournaments then?

For me, the main reason is the camaraderie and seeing how other's throw different lines.

Once you figure out the course SSA, you can get a pretty good idea of your level compared to other.

Maybe I should just stick to league play!!

 

[agibson]

I'm surprised to see the amateur payout is 100% for the B tier. Does that include the cost of the trophy?

So, the organizers can only make money off retail markup? And then only if they sell a ton?

When does the dress code kick in? A tier? Is it actually obeyed? Enforced? For Ams?

 

[DSmith]

I'm surprised to see the amateur payout is 100% for the B tier. Does that include the cost of the trophy?

If you are a TD and want to consider it part of payout then yes. We do if we have trophies as they do have value. Something else thats interesting is that after you add in player pack "value" and ctps and whatever else you are giving out its really easy to get up to 150% or even +200% payout. 100% is just the recommended minimum.I would not recommend trying to shoot for the minimum because its really obvious payout wise when this is done.

So, the organizers can only make money off retail markup? And then only if they sell a ton?

Payout should be at retail, in which then you do end up generating money. You don't have to sell additional discs unless you want to raise more cash day of. It helps just in case you have a low number of players. You at least want to pay for the disc order and any fees.

When does the dress code kick in? A tier? Is it actually obeyed? Enforced? For Ams?

Majors and as far as I know it enforced but I haven't heard of anyone purposely dressing down and getting penalized. If you make it a habit to not dress like a slob then you have nothing to ever worry about.

 

[T.Hizzle]

No benefit to playing a competitive round to judge your skills against others? Why do you play tournaments then?

To hang out with friends and heckle them when they miss putts.....

 

[DavidSauls]

I can see the advantage from TD perspective but from an amateur player perspective unless you can't afford the higher entrance fee it seems you should avoid C Tier events. But the value of the player pack might compensate anyway.

I was just at a C Tier this weekend and it was not worth going. Nice course but no benefit over just going and playing a round.

Note that these are minimum guidelines. Many C-tiers around here have players packs and 100% payouts.

 

[DavidSauls]

Regarding dress code:

It's shoes & shirts at all events. The more stringent dress code is at Majors and NTs.

 

[scarpfish]

Personally, I wish we had more C-tiers around here with no players packs and an economy entry fee. They're a great way to get a couple of rated rounds on the cheap. God knows that I've got more discs, T-shirts and Dry-Fits than I know what to do with.

 

[agibson]

Majors and as far as I know it enforced but I haven't heard of anyone purposely dressing down and getting penalized. If you make it a habit to not dress like a slob then you have nothing to ever worry about.

The bit about collared shirts is what I was thinking about. It seems like most people play in t-shirts, most of the time.

For profit - I'd forgotten about all the plastic you're giving out to amateurs! So, you're guaranteed to be "selling" a fair bit of plastic at retail, so this helps of course. Still, getting up to the $500 add-in cash for the pros in a B tier must take some plastic sales.

As for the players' packs, do those count towards the "100% payout" minimum? I'd been assuming not, but don't really have any idea.

 

[krupicka]

Yes Players packs count toward the 100%

 

[DavidSauls]

The bit about collared shirts is what I was thinking about. It seems like most people play in t-shirts, most of the time.

The collared shirts part is for Majors & NTs. Though suggested for lower tiers, it's the TD's option and I've never heard of it being required. Tees are fine, almost all the time.

 

[Sadjo]

Still, getting up to the $500 add-in cash for the pros in a B tier must take some plastic sales.

The $500 added cash can come from selling CFR tournament discs ahead of time and/or getting local businesses to sponsor the tournament. Selling $25 hole sponsorship to local businesses should be relatively easy to anyone not afraid to walk into a business and ask.

 

[T.Hizzle]

The collared shirts part is for Majors & NTs. Though suggested for lower tiers, it's the TD's option and I've never heard of it being required. Tees are fine, almost all the time.

That's one area where the pDGA fails.. All tournament play should require a collared shirt.