Does the PDGA still give PDGA numbers to new playes who pay the $10 temp fee?

[chris deitzel]

Someone got me thinking about the fact that we are at 80,000 PDGA members now.

I know in 2010 the PDGA started giving PDGA numbers to every player that did not have a PDGA number that paid the $10 fee to play in PDGA events. I imagine quite a few of those people who paid the TEMP fee, received more than 1 number for their name by paying the temp fee at multiple events throughout the year.

So with that being said, if every player who played in events from 1980-2010 were given a PDGA number what number would the membership be up to now? Maybe 250,000-500,000?

I think the PDGA did this as a way to artificially inflate the numbers for the sponsorship world to look at. And it's kind of a shady tactic to boost the numbers of how many PDGA members there are. Of those 80,000 signed up now, how many of those are duplicates of the same person, and how many of those people only played in 1 or 2 events and then never played in the PDGA again?

Even though they never planned on becoming a PDGA member, the PDGA made them a number anyway.

hmmmm..


FROM THE 2011 PDGA Documents.

A summary of changes from previous years that continue this year include:
•
Addition of PDGA Supporting Level Membership. Non-members who have never been a member of the PDGA and pay the
$10 temp fee at a PDGA event will receive a PDGA number, PDGA mini and a rulebook. This level of membership does not
include the calculation of points or assignment of a player rating.
These players are still requir
ed to pay the non-member fee
at all PDGA sanctioned events until becoming an active member.
•
Creation of a PDGA Online Sanctioning Agreement.

 

[ru4por]

Interesting post.
I would also suggest that the idea that they are doing it to inflate membership numbers for any agenda is supposition. Not saying you are wrong, but I am not sure what other means could be used to track these dues.

 

[Central Scrutinizer]

"Sorry, Mr. Russell, #9999 was already given to someone who finished fifth from last in Am-2 once and never played again."

 

[PWaggoner]

Ive never heard of this...

I wonder how many people have done this?

 

[DanJon]

You know competitive disc golf is ready to blow up when we have 80,000 PDGA members.

 

[turbosteve]

The PDGA got rid of the supporting membership about 2 years ago

 

[chris deitzel]

The PDGA got rid of the supporting membership about 2 years ago

I thought they stopped doing it. So, I'm curious, between 2010 and 2013-14, when they did do this, how many players received a number this way? Of those how many received multiple numbers? And how many of those then signed up for the PDGA and got another number all together as well.

It would be interesting to see how much this affected the growth between 2010-14, and what the level of growth is compared to those years.

 

[Moose33]

I actually got a number this way back in the day, but played mostly unsantioned until last year.

I currently do not have that number. Mine is in the 60ks and that one was the 20s.

Maybe they got recycled if left unused?

 

[chris deitzel]

Do you recall your old number Moose? Could you search your name and find both? I doubt that they got reused.

Precisely why I think the numbers for the last 5 years are all fudged up.

 

[ru4por]

I don't follow this PDGA numbering much. How are they fudged up in the last five years?

 

[DavidSauls]

Everywhere I've seen the PDGA promoting its growth, they tout the growth in active memberships, tournament participation, etc. Not how many membership numbers they've issued.

This is much ado about nothing.

 

[chris deitzel]

They just touted today that they reached 80,000 members.

It is nothing....but I'm just curious and would love to see the actual numbers. 80,000 might really only be 60,000 or less...

And it's a discussion board, and a topic I am interested in learning more about.

 

[chris deitzel]

I just want to know how many ACTUAL members there are. Whether they are current or not doesn't matter to me.

How many actually took the time to send in their yearly membership dues to the PDGA. I don't want the number 80,000 with a bunch of numbers that got skipped, a bunch of players that got multiple numbers for paying the $10 temp member fee multiple times, or even those who just got one.

What is the actual number of REAL PDGA members. Real to me is those who paid their yearly membership dues at least once.

Do those numbers exist?

It's not 80,000, that I am 100% sure of.

95% of the posts on here are much ado about nothing. This actually intrigues me.

 

[Cgkdisc]

80,000 actual numbers have been assigned at some point. The 8000-8999 block was originally reserved in the 80s for international members, primarily Japan at that time. Those numbers were finally taken and I don't believe there are any blocks being reserved any more. Close to 30,000 members now current ending 2015. Another nugget, our ratings database has 58,000 unique member numbers who have played at least one rated round since ratings started in 1998.

 

[chris deitzel]

58,000 players with one rated round since 98, but over 65,000 signed up since then. So did 7,000 players never play a PDGA event after signing up?

And I understand that those ACTUAL numbers were given out. How many are actual people and not duplicates? And how many of those actually sent in a yearly membership fee and not the TEMP $10 fee?

Do those numbers exist?

 

[GMcAtee]

This reminds me I need to renew!

 

[Cgkdisc]

Far as I know, the IT guys have filled in any number gaps, merged any dupes and 80,000 different humans now have those numbers. Yes, anywhere from 10-15% of current members in years after 2003 (first year almost every event got rated) did not play a rated round. That temp fee member number thing was short lived and I don't know if those numbers were re-assigned if the person didn't pay for that year or if they still retain them. If those players who never paid the full fee still have those numbers, they would have gotten their ratings tracked if they used that number in sanctioned events even if they never became current.

 

[DavidSauls]

Everywhere I've seen the PDGA promoting its growth, they tout the growth in active memberships, tournament participation, etc. Not how many membership numbers they've issued.

This is much ado about nothing.

Sorry, I meant this in regards to the implication that the PDGA has fudged numbers to boost growth figures, for sponsorship or whatever. It's true they're touting giving out #80,000. I guess that implies that there have been 80,000 members, at one time or another. But it's a milestone, of sorts, not a growth number.

But the figures I always see cited, when they talk about growth and their success, are figures such as these:

http://www.pdga.com/files/2014_year_end_pdga_demographics.pdf

The growth, year-over-year, in paying members and other aspects of the competitive structure.

 

[Moose33]

I'll look it up and see.

 

[Star Shark]

Keep in mind, people often buy memberships for infants so it could be years or never that they play disc golf. Also, I've heard of a few memberships that have been puchased for pets.