Chains Bailey
Birdie Member
You can have Doss and Simon - I will take Lloyd Weema over either. The prestige an event would gain from that name is priceless.
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Is it ethical for pros to play in their local tournaments?
- Thread starter Whiskey_Jim
- Start date
You can have Doss and Simon - I will take Lloyd Weema over either. The prestige an event would gain from that name is priceless.
mojorooks
Birdie Member
I don't compartmentalize my money like that but if I did, it would make a little more sense.
I come at it from the point of view of someone that has no chance of cashing regardless of who I'm playing against so playing for the fun it is my only option.
I always thought the point of running a tournament was to attract the best players regardless of the tier of the event.
When I was 970+, I cherished the chance to play against the top pros around the country, and I've been lucky to play with just about every top-player that was around those years. Why would you not want the top pros coming to your event??
When I was 970+, I cherished the chance to play against the top pros around the country, and I've been lucky to play with just about every top-player that was around those years. Why would you not want the top pros coming to your event??
I think what eventually will happen is that there will no longer be anyone playing pro who is under 970 in the next 10 years. There will be more and more 1000+ rated players across the country that these low-level pros will probably quit or the advanced field will start being 950-975 rated players as the norm.
It's an interesting thought---that the growing pool of players will mean more properly-rated players in all divisions, chasing off those who "play up" and then complain.
But with a limited number of slots in any given event, they may still be filled with a range of players, including pros < 970 and Advanced < 935.
It seems to me, around here, that there has been slow movement towards divisions with properly-rated players over the years, and that trend will probably continue.
mojorooks
Birdie Member
This is exactly it. The tournament with the better players is a better tournament.
I have to retract my earlier understanding of Josh. The coffee wasn't working yet. There still seems to be a sense of entitlement and some butthurt over not winning. If said player with the $500 budget doesn't win the $200 to go play in more tournaments, the better player gets that $200 and goes and spends it more tournaments. And that is what it is all about.
Maybe you should host a 'local only' tournament and see how well it goes. After loosing that one, maybe reduce it to 'my block only'
cheesethin
Birdie Member
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Here in the UK, a lot of our tournaments don't even offer MA1. Our best players are around the 980 mark, so that means all the MA1 standard,940+, players want to play open.
By not having an MA1 division it means we don't create a vacuum, sucking all the INT players up into ADV, and REC up into INT, etc etc. It seems to work quite well.
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Whiskey_Jim
Newbie
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- Oct 6, 2019
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- 18
I love this thread
I swore I remember seeing "advanced," so I went back and looked for myself. My bad, it was from a different person:
>>lol.. here in the DFW area we have a group of 940+ rated ma50 players that refuse to play in the advanced division.<<
Putt for D'oh
Double Eagle Member
All other opinions aside, I'm still curious about your personal opinion on the ethical part.
I would like to here you elaborate on the ethics. Especially since some years ago before when the idea of full time touring disc golfer was taking off those guys were often the local pros... some of them still are in some areas.
Emoney
* Ace Member *
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- Jan 31, 2010
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I remeber Feldberg running a tourney in arizona. So he was the TD. He did not have his name listed as a open player participant leading up to it but...u guessed it...played in the tourney and won.
Also he paid out Ams in his sponsored plastic/swag.
Idk. That experience just felt dirty.
Im not saying he did anything wrong. I just had a gross feeling about the whole thing.
Also he paid out Ams in his sponsored plastic/swag.
Idk. That experience just felt dirty.
Im not saying he did anything wrong. I just had a gross feeling about the whole thing.
Keller
* Ace Member *
Yea, we have a TD in WI who has done something similar to this a few times. He will run an event with added cash and if no one signs up for pro masters then he will just play pro masters and take a cut of the added cash.
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I think this may be what the OP may have been talking about in the original post.
Some situations just don't seem on the up and up...
Personally played in tourneys where the TD was a Pro and he played and nobody thought it strange. The whole busy TD thing must've gotten to him because he usually tanked in the last round.
I have played in tourneys where I was the TD (I'm not a Pro, BTW) but I tanked, so I quit playing and TD'ing in the same tourney.
Elsewhere, people are complaining about pros who only play, and never run tournaments or do anything to give back.
Emoney
* Ace Member *
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I have never seen a "pro" doing course maintenance or picking up trash.
Thats what i want to see...
Its an illusion to think the "pro" running a tourney in your small town is a way to give back. Its just a way to make money off you.
Running a tournament, even a local one, is still a lot of work. If a pro does that and then wins I see no problem with that.
I disagree, it is giving back. The locals know all the pros, they don't have to participate if they think it's unfair.
Emoney
* Ace Member *
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Idk. I dont usually put financial incentive and "giving back" in the same sentence.
TDs are not going to be running tournaments for free for very much longer. If you TD a tournament you should get some $$ for it. Running a tournament is definitely "giving back" even if they get paid for it.
Casey 1988
Shun the frumious Bandersnatch!
Only thing I see w to be a flaw is if the Pro/National Tour touring pro has set up the tournament is the Tournament director and then plays it, even worse if they had designed/modified the actual the course to their unique playing style not just the tournament to have OB and mandatory's to what the Touring Pro does play best. This is unfair bending of rules in the way they were probably not really designed to be used in most circumstance.
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