Let's Increase PDGA Membership Fees...

[DavidSauls]

Scrap the mag, produce a better website, would be a huge improvement.

Not to the members who like the magazine, and are satisfied with the website.

 

[ToddL]

I would LOVE to see the PDGA represented at more courses. To be honest, it kind of upset me when I found out that she had to be a member to play tourneys. I had no idea, because I didn't know the entity existed.

Not disagreeing with your post, but I have one minor quibble: Juniors divisions are not supposed to be charged the $10 non-PDGA fee at B and C-tier tournaments. However, if your daughter is stuck playing in FA1/2/3/4 instead of FJ12, the fee will apply. For A-tiers and Majors, full membership is required.

 

[da Crippler]

What more would you like to see the PDGA do for you?

Nothing. I'm a rec player, I have no interest in any professional organizations. They don't care about me and I don't care about them.

 

[SD86]

A lot of people who disc do so partially because the sport really doesn't place a large financial burden on their families/life, etcetera that some other pastimes do. Time burdens are one thing, financial burdens for pastime are quite another. When the belt has to tighten, they're the first to go.
I do not maintain a PDGA membership for myself, but I do for my daughter so that she can enjoy the multiple tournaments she plays every year. We are new to the sport. I love discing too, but need to accompany my 12 year old during her tourney playtime, so I "play" tourneys but never throw a disc.
From my perspective, the PDGA is spending their marketing dollars incorrectly. If you guys want to raise prices to me, fine. I'll only pay them if I can see what's in it for my daughter or I. If you have any spend at all on your magazine or its distribution, STOP IT. All it's doing is building the individual reputations of your aging professional members. I've tried to read it and get something from it other than a syrupy schmoo feeling that pressing popular members somehow will encourage me to belong and keep the fee coming. There's not enough meat and potato there for me. The manufacturing companies who support the players have much more to gain from it's publishing. Charge them more, make it a wash to your books and move on. It's not increasing your membership.
There was another poster here who suggested increasing the membership was the right way to increase revenues. Have you considered DECREASING membership PRICES and INCREASING OPTIONS to pay (installments, etc.)? You have enough data to crunch the economics of how many more members would sign new payment deals if the price dropped 1%-2%-3%-etc. There generally is a point where the increase in members payments will increase revenues after the cut in rate.
If I were running the show at PDGA, there are 3 things that would be on my growth plan. 1- what do members receive for their fee and how can the return touch each member's personal lives more often than it does? More contacts= more perceived value. More perceived value= more word of mouth positivity and ultimately new members. 2- what is the average income of the current membership base? At what point does an increase in fee drive out the largest number of members? At what point does a decrease in fees increase membership substantially? GeoFred can help with this, but understanding who you're selling is extremely important. Disc golf is not a big money sport to get into or play on the regular. 3- What are the impacts by category contribution of current media efforts? How does the PDGA reach the eyes and ears of new prospective members? What's the hook? Why do I REALLY want to give you 4 discs from my discin budget every year? What's in it for me?
I would LOVE to see the PDGA represented at more courses. To be honest, it kind of upset me when I found out that she had to be a member to play tourneys. I had no idea, because I didn't know the entity existed. Add $50 to the tab at your next meal out to support the national beef advisory board and you understand MY first touch point with the PDGA. Change THAT.

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

Ma-an, just stoppit. You making wayyyy too much sense, there. :thmbup: opcorn:

 

[scarpfish]

I let my PDGA membership lapse eight years ago. There were a multitude of reasons behind that decision, and the decision to not renew since.

- Life and job changes made playing enough tournaments to justify the expense too difficult.
- We have always had a regional points series of mostly unsanctioned tournaments that I can go play without a membership or an add on fee. (Over the last couple years, I don't do that much anymore either).
- Access to cheaper competitive disc golf like leagues got way better.
- Just burnout with the whole racket that comes with tournament play. Getting yet another disc or shirt that I already have too many of (in fact, I'm wearing one of those shirts as I type this) in a players pack, largely donating the rest of my entry to some else's disc stash, and even if I do win, oh yeah, more discs and accessories that I already have too many of.

So yeah, there's absolutely no itch for me to invest in this game more than the occasional $5-6 league night entry, and maybe a bag tag. Contrast that to my first PDGA year in 2008, where I bought a new bag with quads (which I still use!), and played tournaments in five different states.

So is the PDGA membership just a bad investment for most players? Is it not for me right now? Ever? I can't honestly tell you. What I can tell you if that the above reasoning for not renewing, particularly the 'life happens' and the 'been there, done that' ones are pretty freaking common, and there's not much the PDGA can do about those, no matter what their fees are.