My rating means...?

[JFibeZZZ]

I shot a 875 in my first tourney of the year (and first time playing since August 2013). How exactly does that stack up against most casual players? I feel like everytime I play a tourney I get better, and most the time my score reflects that. But I'm not sure I understand ratings.

 

[Aim For The Chains]

just started a thread too actually on this which I think you will find some really good info on the topic--

http://www.dgcoursereview.com/forums/showthread.php?t=104868

Clearly I wasn't off my rocker starting it...
#DGCRKnowItAllz :|

 

[JFibeZZZ]

Man, I only made it through the first page, and I still understand ZILCH. I'll check er out again when I can take it all in. I did notice you're a 1000 rated player, which is impressive! Noice work.

 

[Aim For The Chains]

That was kind of a joke-- I don't even have time to play tournaments really and commit like that but my DGCR rating is close

Honestly I am not sure it REALLY matters or has a ton of merit being even lots different of top level disc golfers have been the #1 rated in the world.

 

[brutalbrutus]

IMO you cant really judge your ability by one rated tournament. Everyone has good and bad rounds, so I would wait till you have at least a couple more tourneys on your official rating. 875 is a good rec division round, not great but not bad either.

 

[JFibeZZZ]

That is after three tourneys and yes, recreational describes me perfectly. Doesn't mean I don't enjoy getting better tho, thanks for the input

 

[brutalbrutus]

Hopefully WE will graduate from the wRECk division soon. lol

 

[JFibeZZZ]

I'm with you aim for chains, this thing called work and bills get in the way of playing A LOT MORE. Would mention the wife, but don't wanna sleep outside tonight.

 

[JFibeZZZ]

Brutalbrutus, what does your average round look like?

 

[AndyJB]

JFIbe it means you are rated 15 points higher than me. I've been playing for so long though that I try not to play in the Rec division. Peer pressure, maybe. I bet you're better than me though, so I'm sure your rating will keep going up!

 

[brutalbrutus]

you can look at my rounds if you click my name hit dgcr profile then click my pdga number. At bowling green AMs, which isn't on there yet, I shot 912 834 884 905. I just got my pdga number in December, and I did a calculation right around that time of all the pdga tourneys I had played before being rated. I think my unofficial rating then was 860something.

 

[jenb]

The PDGA set the ratings for intermediate division at 900-934 because that is where the average tournament player places. At 875, you are darn close to be competitive with the average tournament player, which is a whole lot better than than the average casual player imho.

 

[JFibeZZZ]

Well this year I've played one tourney and two rounds at my local course. However, I do have my own basket in my backyard I practice when I can, which doesn't say much

 

[sisyphus]

I've only been playing 2 & 1/2 years, but have gotten in a bunch of events. Folks with the competitive spirit do want to know how they stack up, and this is just anecdotal, not scientific:...
There are a TON of casual players who get out and enjoy our sport. Probably the majority of folks who play, never enter a tourney, even though their skills can cover most of the full range. Most of those will be impressed with the skills of an 875 rated player.
I see Novice (pdga <850) as being anyone new to the tournament scene, and Recreational (pdga <900) as being the guys who can play, but haven't developed a great deal of consistency.
Intermediates (900-935) tend to 'blow up' on fewer holes each round, and manage to hit a fairly even mix of birdies and bogies. I also think the 'true' range of 'intermediate' (those who populate the middle of the bell curve of competition players) might really be 875-925.
Advanced players tend not to card too many bogies. They are much more consistent, and rarely shoot more than one of two bad holes per round. Now Open players who cash have all the skills, and just don't bogie often. National tour pros are from the planet Krypton.
...well, my 2 cents, anyway.

 

[Tfire25]

^^^ nailed it.

 

[Casual Squishy]

I shot a 875 in my first tourney of the year (and first time playing since August 2013). How exactly does that stack up against most casual players? I feel like everytime I play a tourney I get better, and most the time my score reflects that. But I'm not sure I understand ratings.

Against most "Casual" players is a tough comparison. You see people on the course that have never played a PDGA or league round that run the gamut from zig zagging back and forth all over the course to guys who jog the course with 2-3 discs and seem to park every shot without even pausing for breath or taking the bag off their shoulder. And no way to tell how any of them would play in a tournament setting.
For the sake of clarity lets say you mean most casual league players or people who play a local tournament or few a year, but in general people who take the game seriously. In that case players within a few strokes a round plus or minus what you shoot probably make up the largest demographic of Disc Golf, at least from tournament sign up numbers.
Another simple way to look at it is look up the tournament you played, find someone who shot a 1000 rated round on the same tees/layout and conditions and compare scores. However many strokes they beat you by is the average number of strokes a 1000 rated player would beat you by each round over a large number of rounds if you were both playing the same course/tees/conditions at the same time.
If you wanted to see how you would do on your home course against a 1000 rated player, all you'd need to do is find a previously recorded tournament, see what the 1000 rated round score was, and compare with an 875 round in the same tournament and the difference is how much you'd need to improve to shoot 1000 yourself. The general rule of 10 ratings points per stroke only applies to a moderate share of disc golf courses, so it's better to compare the course directly from pdga results if possible. Hope that helps.

 

[aPfaff]

It means nothing in my opinion. The formula is so inaccurate and has too many variables to really be an efficient way of calculating how you rank up to others.

 

[grodney]

It means nothing in my opinion. The formula is so inaccurate and has too many variables to really be an efficient way of calculating how you rank up to others.

Fascinating.

To the contrary, I'll wager there is a strong positive correlation between player rating and finishing position at any tournament of reasonable size.

 

[grodney]

I shot a 875 in my first tourney of the year (and first time playing since August 2013). How exactly does that stack up against most casual players? I feel like everytime I play a tourney I get better, and most the time my score reflects that. But I'm not sure I understand ratings.

http://www.pdga.com/pdga-player-classifications-divisions

"
Advanced - the top amateur division, available to all amateur players. Required division for male amateur players under 40 years of age with ratings >= 935. Tournament experienced players who have played disc golf for several years, and developed consistency. Throw 300-450 feet, make 5-7/10 putts from 25-30 feet, have different shots in their arsenal. Score range: < 58

Intermediate - available to amateur players of all ages with player ratings < 935. Developing players who have played 2-3 years with improved consistency and accuracy. Throw 250-350 feet, make 5-7/10 putts from 20 feet. Score range: <63

Recreational - available to amateur players of all ages with player ratings < 900. For players who have played 1-2 years and are gaining consistency and experience. Throw 200-300 feet, make 4-6/10 putts from 20 feet, learning different shots. Score range: 63+

Novice – available to amateur players of all ages with player ratings < 850. For beginning and casual players who are learning basic Frisbee® and disc golf skills. Throw 175-250 feet, make 3-5/10 putts from 20 feet, can throw backhand with some accuracy. Score range: 68+
"

 

[JC17393]

It means nothing in my opinion. The formula is so inaccurate and has too many variables to really be an efficient way of calculating how you rank up to others.

The formula is only "inaccurate" when you want it to do things it's not really intended to do.