Jumping in the deep end

[ray1970]

Bumping this up....

After a couple years of keeping this my fun/casual hobby, I joined the PDGA and signed up for my first tournament yesterday. It is a at a course that I've never played, but the tourney isn't until April 23rd. So I have plenty of time to get a couple of rounds in and figure out which bag I want to carry and things like that. The bad news is that I'm really excited and have to wait 2.5 months. My only real concern is that I generally don't play 2 rounds in a day.

Wishing you luck. Or at least a good time.

I have four tournaments under my belt now and really enjoy it. Mostly smaller C-tiers but if I can set aside the time I'm going to try and play the 2022 High Plains Challenge which is one of the largest A-tiers in Colorado every year.

My wife has started playing tournaments now (took 2nd in her first one) so I think with her onboard I'll be playing quite a few in 2022.

 

[ru4por]

Bumping this up....

After a couple years of keeping this my fun/casual hobby, I joined the PDGA and signed up for my first tournament yesterday. It is a at a course that I've never played, but the tourney isn't until April 23rd. So I have plenty of time to get a couple of rounds in and figure out which bag I want to carry and things like that. The bad news is that I'm really excited and have to wait 2.5 months. My only real concern is that I generally don't play 2 rounds in a day.

Playing two rounds can present new challenges. It becomes a very long day.

Managing your energy is important. The pace of tournaments can be very slow. A stool or cart can really conserve strength.

Sunscreen, bug dope, towels, plenty of water and a lawn chair and a couple post round reward beers.

A fresh shirt, socks and maybe shoes between rounds can make a big difference.

Bring your own food. A smart lunch and personal snacks will save the stress of worrying about it. And ensuring your don't have to leave, another source of stress, at times.

Try to get out an practice a couple rounds in a day. Take a lunch, take an hour break in between.

I am old, some of those things may carry less importance to young uns.

Two motrin = three strokes.

 

[nothinbuttree]

Playing two rounds can present new challenges. It becomes a very long day.

Managing your energy is important. The pace of tournaments can be very slow. A stool or cart can really conserve strength.

Sunscreen, bug dope, towels, plenty of water and a lawn chair and a couple post round reward beers.

A fresh shirt, socks and maybe shoes between rounds can make a big difference.

Bring your own food. A smart lunch and personal snacks will save the stress of worrying about it. And ensuring your don't have to leave, another source of stress, at times.

Try to get out an practice a couple rounds in a day. Take a lunch, take an hour break in between.

I am old, some of those things may carry less importance to young uns.

Two motrin = three strokes.

^^This^^

Mid 50s here and all these things work--I don't do tourneys, but a couple days a month of 2 courses in a day. The only thing I will add is to stay flexible--stretch during a round, and especially after the 1st round, and again before the 2nd. And stay very well hydrated. That seems like it is lubricant for the joints. If I don't do this, I literally feel my body tightening up early on during the 2nd course. I feel like tin man when that happens.

 

[autocrosscrx]

It isn't super rare to be on site for autocross for 12-15 hours a day, so I'm pretty cognizant about preparing for the conditions. Plus I plan stuff for a living. With that said, a stool is something to think about. And if it is worth carrying around.

Also, it is a pretty wooded course and I'm signed up for MA4, so I shouldn't be ripping discs as far as I can over and over, so that should help too.

 

[Central Scrutinizer]

Lots of good advice here. You'll be fine, especially in Am-4 where you're nowhere near expected to go out and take over the world. We didn't have Am-4 when I first started out but I was in a lower Am division (I think it might've been called Am-3 by that point, circa 1996) and it was just a blast. Have fun!

 

[autocrosscrx]

I do have a question about that.

Tourney is late April. Something like 3 of 12 people have ratings, so I was clicking on the profiles of the unrated folks. Just to see the chances of being on a card full of 1st timers. Several of these guys have played 1 or 2 tourneys since the last ratings update, so that seems unlikely.

Will the folks that get a rating above their division get bumped to MA3/MA2? Or is it pretty standard for TD's to leave things as is as of the time or registration?

 

[txmxer]

Bumping this up....

After a couple years of keeping this my fun/casual hobby, I joined the PDGA and signed up for my first tournament yesterday. It is a at a course that I've never played, but the tourney isn't until April 23rd. So I have plenty of time to get a couple of rounds in and figure out which bag I want to carry and things like that. The bad news is that I'm really excited and have to wait 2.5 months. My only real concern is that I generally don't play 2 rounds in a day.

It will be slow and based on your previous comments, I think that could be really frustrating for you. So be mentally prepared for that and enjoy yourself.

 

[Central Scrutinizer]

I do have a question about that.

Tourney is late April. Something like 3 of 12 people have ratings, so I was clicking on the profiles of the unrated folks. Just to see the chances of being on a card full of 1st timers. Several of these guys have played 1 or 2 tourneys since the last ratings update, so that seems unlikely.

Will the folks that get a rating above their division get bumped to MA3/MA2? Or is it pretty standard for TD's to leave things as is as of the time or registration?

Good question. I took 14 years off and a lot had changed over that time. Back in the '90s when we first got ratings I don't remember people being forced to move divisions if their rating was too high. I've heard some people say today that somebody in MA-40 was too high and had to play pro masters but in the last year or two I've seen MA-40 guys rated above the number I heard (935 I think?) and still got to play am masters. Hopefully somebody here can answer your question better than me.

Sandbagging was rampant in the days before ratings for sure.

 

[txmxer]

Good question. I took 14 years off and a lot had changed over that time. Back in the '90s when we first got ratings I don't remember people being forced to move divisions if their rating was too high. I've heard some people say today that somebody in MA-40 was too high and had to play pro masters but in the last year or two I've seen MA-40 guys rated above the number I heard (935 I think?) and still got to play am masters. Hopefully somebody here can answer your question better than me.

Sandbagging was rampant in the days before ratings for sure.

age protected divisions in Ams don't have ratings recommendations. Nobody can be forced to play pro/open.

In MA4-MA1 it appears that ratings should be considered for which division someone is allowed to play in.

https://www.pdga.com/divisions

 

[biscoe]

I do have a question about that.

Tourney is late April. Something like 3 of 12 people have ratings, so I was clicking on the profiles of the unrated folks. Just to see the chances of being on a card full of 1st timers. Several of these guys have played 1 or 2 tourneys since the last ratings update, so that seems unlikely.

Will the folks that get a rating above their division get bumped to MA3/MA2? Or is it pretty standard for TD's to leave things as is as of the time or registration?

If their rating goes over the limit more than 2 weeks away from the event they will be made to move up, if within 2 weeks they will not.

 

[biscoe]

Good question. I took 14 years off and a lot had changed over that time. Back in the '90s when we first got ratings I don't remember people being forced to move divisions if their rating was too high. I've heard some people say today that somebody in MA-40 was too high and had to play pro masters but in the last year or two I've seen MA-40 guys rated above the number I heard (935 I think?) and still got to play am masters. Hopefully somebody here can answer your question better than me.

Sandbagging was rampant in the days before ratings for sure.

If they are registered with the PDGA as Amateurs there is no cap in any advanced division. If they are registered with the PDGA as Pros there are caps for all advanced divisions.

I disagree that sandbagging has ever been an ongoing issue.

 

[autocrosscrx]

If their rating goes over the limit more than 2 weeks away from the event they will be made to move up, if within 2 weeks they will not.

Gotcha. That sounds really fair way to balance between pruning the dudes that signed up for a bunch of novice events at the beginning of the year then go out and play 930 golf, but also not bone somebody that practices a certain layout and gets a rating bump 3 days before the tournament.

 

[foxdawg10]

age protected divisions in Ams don't have ratings recommendations. Nobody can be forced to play pro/open.

In MA4-MA1 it appears that ratings should be considered for which division someone is allowed to play in.

https://www.pdga.com/divisions

The only time this comes into play is if a pro (someone who has cashed) wants to play in an am division. Granted that isnt the case here.

https://www.pdga.com/files/4_-_2022_player_division_grid_-table_5_v12.pdf

40+ <935
50+ <900
55+ <900
60+ <850
65+ <850
70+ <800

 

[autocrosscrx]

It will be slow and based on your previous comments, I think that could be really frustrating for you. So be mentally prepared for that and enjoy yourself.

That's definitely my concern. Playing causally, there is nothing I hate more than backups or playing slow golf, but that is because I'm trying to balance work and life and other hobbies. I think being able to dedicate a full day to disc golf will help with that.

 

[txmxer]

My first (and only ) 3 round tournament was last year at my home course. I was confident in the short layout, but made some dumb mistakes.

What I was not ready for was the long layout.

All holes have varying pin positions and a little more than half have long tees. Rounds 2/3 were from the long tees and many of those long positions added gaps or tunnels.

I had not played most of the long positions and really sucked on the tunnels and gaps. Very frustrating.

Round 3 was raining the whole time, but I still managed to play 2 strokes better than round 2.

My expectations were lower. Lot less hero throw effort.

Suffice to say none of my rounds were up to my expectations. It was much more enjoyable on round 3 when I had no real expectation.

 

[ray1970]

What I was not ready for was the long layout.

In my casual rounds I seldom play any short layouts. Any course with long pins or tees and I'll just about always play those. Even doing that when you get to a course where they've made even longer holes (say playing hole 3's pad to hole 4's basket for a 765' hole) you can never be fully prepared.

 

[foreputt]

Hole 8 at Pessimist throw 5 putters.

Just for clarification, five different putters or the same putter five times?

Lol, I see you got a 6 and a 7! What did you throw?

 

[foreputt]

Hole 8 at Pessimist, Par 5, 693 ft.

 

[biscoe]

Hole 8 at Pessimist, Par 5, 693 ft.

Is there something to force you to stay inside the trees?

 

[ray1970]

Is there something to force you to stay inside the trees?

There's a mando about 300-350' on the left side. Also, not sure that picture does it justice. During the summer months everything is pretty thick and green and being off left or right usually has you scrambling.