non-tournament player playing during tournament

[Jay Dub]

Yeah- that is a fairly common scenario... because us old TD guys must look untrustworthy as hell.

I had violence threatened on me once but he recanted when I encouraged it.

That made me laugh loud.

 

[zenbot]

If you have time, talk to the TD and offer to spot for a round or the day. Maybe they can work something or maybe you'll come home with some schwag. The schedule states that the last round finishes around 4:30. It seems like there's still enough light to play then.

 

[aclay]

IMHO, it's pretty rude and it astonishes me that it happens in our sport.

Would you play 21 during a basketball game thrown by the parks?
Would you play catch in the outfield during a softball game?
Would you kick field goals during a football game?
Would you putt on a green during a golf tournament?

I completely disagree. This smacks of wanting to have it both ways. A tournament COULD reserve the park and have it closed to other users, but that costs money, so the tournament DOESN'T spend the money but expects to have the park all to itself anyway. Why can't I do the same thing? Show up early with some friends and just say, "We've got the park today. No one else can enter." If you want to reserve the park, do so. If you don't reserve the park, you've got NO right to complain when people show up to a public park to use it for one of its intended purposes. I also have no right to complain if the park/course is crowded because of a tournament. Neither one of us reserved the park, so it's open to EVERYONE.

 

[zenbot]

IMHO, it's pretty rude and it astonishes me that it happens in our sport.

Would you play 21 during a basketball game thrown by the parks?
Would you play catch in the outfield during a softball game?
Would you kick field goals during a football game?
Would you putt on a green during a golf tournament?

I don't think those are quite synonymous. In some cases during a tournament, it's no problem. That's why they should ask.

Diamond X is a 36 hole course. The tournament is capped at 60 players. Even if they do a minimum of 3 players per card, there's 16 holes with nobody on them at any given time.

 

[DavidSauls]

I completely disagree. This smacks of wanting to have it both ways. A tournament COULD reserve the park and have it closed to other users, but that costs money, so the tournament DOESN'T spend the money but expects to have the park all to itself anyway. Why can't I do the same thing? Show up early with some friends and just say, "We've got the park today. No one else can enter." If you want to reserve the park, do so. If you don't reserve the park, you've got NO right to complain when people show up to a public park to use it for one of its intended purposes. I also have no right to complain if the park/course is crowded because of a tournament. Neither one of us reserved the park, so it's open to EVERYONE.

Most of the tournaments I've been part of running in public parks, DID reserve them (sometimes for free, sometimes not, depending on the park).

After that, it's courtesy....and why push the point, when the pace of place is going to be miserable, anyway? If a group is playing a softball on one of the fields -- not league, not reserved, just gathered and playing -- I'm not insisting on my right to bat.

Yeah, if it's a public park and not reserved, you can play, making yourself and everyone else miserable.

 

[BillFleming]

Number 1 unwritten rule of playing while a tournament is going on and you aren't in the tournament. Don't take extra throws - two or more tee shots, etc. Just don't do it. It will make you look bad even if you do it once. The players will assume you are doing it every shot and press for you to leave the course.

 

[ballgolfconvert]

I completely disagree. This smacks of wanting to have it both ways. A tournament COULD reserve the park and have it closed to other users, but that costs money, so the tournament DOESN'T spend the money but expects to have the park all to itself anyway. Why can't I do the same thing? Show up early with some friends and just say, "We've got the park today. No one else can enter." If you want to reserve the park, do so. If you don't reserve the park, you've got NO right to complain when people show up to a public park to use it for one of its intended purposes. I also have no right to complain if the park/course is crowded because of a tournament. Neither one of us reserved the park, so it's open to EVERYONE.

Good luck with that attitude. Respect goes both ways. Try your gig on an inner city basketball court and let me know how it goes. I really can't believe that anyone who cares enough about disc golf to come to this website would believe what you believe. It is the antithesis of the good sportsmanship that comes along with playing sports.

 

[foxdawg10]

any thoughts about playing a round when a tournament is happening?

i have made plans to be in billings this saturday, but found there is a tournament at diamond x. not sure when i'll be through there again, so i really want to play the course. going to try to get in during their lunch, but 1hr unlikely enough.
no rule against it
"hey, can i play through real quick?"
"we're playing a tournament here. go somewhere else."

Out of principle, sure you could play during a casual round during a tournament if the course isn't reserved for the day, out of practicality it probably wouldn't be fun for you or the tournament players.

 

[notapro]

any thoughts about playing a round when a tournament is happening?

i have made plans to be in billings this saturday, but found there is a tournament at diamond x. not sure when i'll be through there again, so i really want to play the course. going to try to get in during their lunch, but 1hr unlikely enough.
no rule against it
"hey, can i play through real quick?"
"we're playing a tournament here. go somewhere else."

I wonder if the players would empathize with your situation because of the reputation/remoteness of the course. If you've driven two states over to visit the legendary Diamond X, maybe they wouldn't be too salty?? Probably not I guess.

Playing through at Diamond X could also be tricky, if you hyzer out in the wrong spot, it can take a loooong time to retrieve your disc and really jam things up.

 

[Noseph]

I wonder if the players would empathize with your situation because of the reputation/remoteness of the course. If you've driven two states over to visit the legendary Diamond X, maybe they wouldn't be too salty?? Probably not I guess.

Playing through at Diamond X could also be tricky, if you hyzer out in the wrong spot, it can take a loooong time to retrieve your disc and really jam things up.

The problem would be with trying to get every group to agree to let them play through. In all likelihood this probably wouldn't happen since it would be expecting a courtesy when one isn't being given to the players who are playing their tournament.
I do like the idea of seeing if volunteers are needed and then playing once the round is over. You would have way more appreciative players around and you'll probably end up meeting done cool people.

 

[robdeforge]

I wonder if the players would empathize with your situation because of the reputation/remoteness of the course. If you've driven two states over to visit the legendary Diamond X, maybe they wouldn't be too salty?? Probably not I guess.

why wouldn't you check to see if the course is open for play before driving two states over to visit

 

[Jay Dub]

why wouldn't you check to see if the course is open for play before driving two states over to visit

With all the info we have at our finger tips this should be very easy to do.

 

[aclay]

Good luck with that attitude. Respect goes both ways. Try your gig on an inner city basketball court and let me know how it goes. I really can't believe that anyone who cares enough about disc golf to come to this website would believe what you believe. It is the antithesis of the good sportsmanship that comes along with playing sports.

I am not saying you should or that I would try to play a casual round during a tournament; I am making the point that IF the course is not closed (which in my mind means the tournament officially reserved it with the course/park governing body whether that requires payment or not), then it is open to everyone. Your basketball analogy isn't a good one. If a group is playing half court, are you telling me I shouldn't shoot on the other basket? Of course, I'm not walking onto the court during the middle of a fullcourt game; and I'm not walking up to a basket (tournament or otherwise) while someone is playing that hole. However, trying to find an open hole to play a casual round during a tournament doesn't seem like an etiquette breach; not allowing a smaller/faster group to play through is an etiquette breach. I and the group(s) I play with ALWAYS let smaller/faster groups play through. When we had a group of 8, we split into two groups of 4 so as to not clog the course anymore than necessary. We cheer good shots by opponents. That seems to be the definition of good sportsmanship.

 

[notapro]

why wouldn't you check to see if the course is open for play before driving two states over to visit

On a typical roadtrip I'll play 4-6 courses a day, sometimes I don't know which courses I'm playing or when until the day of. It's only burned me once, at Sioux Passage in St. Louis where I snuck a round in before the tourney got going. If I get burned multiple times I might start paying more attention.

 

[dmoore1998]

Good luck with that attitude. Respect goes both ways. Try your gig on an inner city basketball court and let me know how it goes. I really can't believe that anyone who cares enough about disc golf to come to this website would believe what you believe. It is the antithesis of the good sportsmanship that comes along with playing sports.

Playing basketball on the same court while someone else is trying to play basketball actually STOPS the other group from playing basketball in a normal way. Playing disc golf on the same course that someone else is playing disc golf does not stop them from playing disc golf in a normal way.

Most disc golf is happening in an environment where there are other people on the course playing holes that are not part of your group you're playing with/against. There's nothing magical about saying "I'm playing with 100 people today, that means nobody else is allowed to use the facility".

 

[autocrosscrx]

I am not saying you should or that I would try to play a casual round during a tournament; I am making the point that IF the course is not closed (which in my mind means the tournament officially reserved it with the course/park governing body whether that requires payment or not), then it is open to everyone. Your basketball analogy isn't a good one. If a group is playing half court, are you telling me I shouldn't shoot on the other basket? Of course, I'm not walking onto the court during the middle of a fullcourt game; and I'm not walking up to a basket (tournament or otherwise) while someone is playing that hole. However, trying to find an open hole to play a casual round during a tournament doesn't seem like an etiquette breach; not allowing a smaller/faster group to play through is an etiquette breach. I and the group(s) I play with ALWAYS let smaller/faster groups play through. When we had a group of 8, we split into two groups of 4 so as to not clog the course anymore than necessary. We cheer good shots by opponents. That seems to be the definition of good sportsmanship.

I agree with your premise, though people are always trying to shoot on the opposite basket during full court basketball games. I guess where I struggle is that the parks are so crowded around here that I couldn't imagine trying to hold a tournament without reserving the course.

What do you do when you show up at daylight and there are already 50 people at the park doing their thing? And there are several hundred by the planned start of your tournament?

 

[stevefolfer]

If you start on the lower 9 by 7:30 you will be done and out of the way of the tournament by the time they start. Noone will start on the upper holes because it is too far to walk. Find out from the TD which upper 9 will be played the first round and play that one when you get up top. Skip hole 18 and walk back to the other upper 9 and play that last. Its pretty hard to navigate Diamond X without a guide the first time you go there. Maybe try the Billings disc golf FB page and try to find someone to show you around.

 

[BogeyNoMore]

why wouldn't you check to see if the course is open for play before driving two states over to visit

This is what I usually do, and I'm very glad I do. Sometimes, it means re-reouting, but usually, it just means hitting courses in a certain area on different days. It all depends on your situation.

I recall my trip to KC in 2017, I'd originally planned to play Water Works on Sunday, but pushed it to Monday morning, because there was a tournament that Sun.

There are exceptions, but for the most part, as others have said: being the casual player during a tourney just ain't that much fun. :\

If you can hit it after the tournament, or work it out with the TD to get a few open holes given 36 holes and dependent on the size of the field, if it's a shotgun start, everyone wins.

I'd definitely reach out to the TD to see what they say. Or consider moving trip to a different weekend, if at all feasible.

 

[chevis]

why wouldn't you check to see if the course is open for play before driving two states over to visit

this is what spurred this thread. my plans were made with a different destination & a small detour puts me in billings on saturday; first i'm exited to play the x, but then preparing to play, i find out the tourney is happening all weekend. they are playing 2 rounds of 21, which does leave ~9 holes open on each round. unfortunately the 9's not being played are far from the parking lot.

 

[BogeyNoMore]

Playing basketball on the same court while someone else is trying to play basketball actually STOPS the other group from playing basketball in a normal way. Playing disc golf on the same course that someone else is playing disc golf does not stop them from playing disc golf in a normal way.

Most disc golf is happening in an environment where there are other people on the course playing holes that are not part of your group you're playing with/against. There's nothing magical about saying "I'm playing with 100 people today, that means nobody else is allowed to use the facility".

May I ask how many tournaments you've played in?