I saw a tournament near me "Lenoir Golf Club (Disc Golf Championship) 4th stop of The Foothills Points series" but the lowest ratting is still above me (recreation). My main fear is i would slow others down and mess up their fun. One of the hosts said i should try but i wonder if they are just needing people to sign up and pay the 65 bucks. Should i try or keep working on it and look for tournaments for next year. Having to do left hand tee offs cause of a bad right shoulder are keeping my long shots to less than a hundred feet usually.
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Too New for a Tournament?
- Thread starter Docxen
- Start date
You can't be too new playing in rec. That division is there to introduce you to tournament play. If I was you, I'd probably wait until I was healed to enter a tournament. If you do sign up, just brush up on the rule book and be courteous of your card mates, you'll be fine.
Improbably
Eagle Member
Tournament play is often far slower than casual play regardless of skill level. Assuming your time is spent proceeding with play and not the many common delays players often commit I wouldn't worry about your effect on the pace of others.
Based on your stated drive distance it is unlikely you would be competitive in REC. It's up to you to decide if the tournament experience and players pack is worth $65.
Based on your stated drive distance it is unlikely you would be competitive in REC. It's up to you to decide if the tournament experience and players pack is worth $65.
As the others have said, there's no such thing as "too new" to play a tournament. The first time I ever played the game was in a tournament. Can't get any newer than that, and I never felt unwelcome or that I was a nuisance or annoyance to my cardmates. Ultimately, it's up to you to decide if you are ready or not.
That said, $65 for Rec seems steep to me, newb or not. It's your money and all, but as much as I endorse the idea of "no such thing as not good enough to play a tournament", some tournaments aren't really the right fit for newer players either.
That said, $65 for Rec seems steep to me, newb or not. It's your money and all, but as much as I endorse the idea of "no such thing as not good enough to play a tournament", some tournaments aren't really the right fit for newer players either.
Rec is for new players. Learning and teaching should be part of the process in this division. Let your TD know you are new, hopefully he can get you on a card with some experienced players willing to teach. Great experience. That said, league play might be a better introduction to the tournament experience.
Can we make something clear? Rec is not "for new players". It is the division that is often, but not always (MA4/Novice), the lowest skill division offered at a tournament. It is the division in which most new players fit best, skill-wise, but there are just as often very experienced players playing in Rec. Those experienced players are generally willing to help out a new player, of course.
Sorry to be nit-picky, but the notion that Rec is for new players only leads to resentment toward those experienced players who are allowed to and absolutely should be playing Rec from a skill standpoint. Just a pet peeve of mine.
Sorry to be nit-picky, but the notion that Rec is for new players only leads to resentment toward those experienced players who are allowed to and absolutely should be playing Rec from a skill standpoint. Just a pet peeve of mine.
Dcinmd
Double Eagle Member
$65 for a tournament is not a bad value given that is it on a ball golf course with $28 going towards green fees and cart rental. It typical of what I have seen in the past.
If the cost isn't too much for you I say go for it. Just enjoy your time on the course. I was only playing for about a month before my first tournament. The great thing about disc golf is the players will be sure to point you in the right direction.
If the cost isn't too much for you I say go for it. Just enjoy your time on the course. I was only playing for about a month before my first tournament. The great thing about disc golf is the players will be sure to point you in the right direction.
You are right, JC. What I should have said is that Rec is the correct place for new players to start. There are plenty of experience players in Rec and I meant no disparagement to the division or players in it.
I'm gonna disagree with a lot of you guys.
Brand new players shouldn't play in tournaments yet. It's not fun to get your ass kicked, it's not fun to pay a lot of money to get your ass kicked, it's not fun for other players to have to explain the rules during the middle of a round.
Rec is not intended for newbies. Rec is intended for players around 850-900. There are guys who have been playing for years and years who are still under 900. The proper division for newbies is Novice. When I run tournaments, I specifically don't include novice because, quite frankly, I don't think PDGA tournaments are the proper place for novice players.
Newbies should be directed toward weekly leagues and cheap, non-PDGA events before being thrown into a $65 PDGA event. Play doubles every week, play an Ice Bowl, play a couple of local charity events before jumping into PDGA events (especially at $65).
And on a ball golf course, there's gonna be a lot of really long bomber holes. If you're throwing with your wrong arm and not making it past 100', you're gonna have a long, frustrating day.
Brand new players shouldn't play in tournaments yet. It's not fun to get your ass kicked, it's not fun to pay a lot of money to get your ass kicked, it's not fun for other players to have to explain the rules during the middle of a round.
Rec is not intended for newbies. Rec is intended for players around 850-900. There are guys who have been playing for years and years who are still under 900. The proper division for newbies is Novice. When I run tournaments, I specifically don't include novice because, quite frankly, I don't think PDGA tournaments are the proper place for novice players.
Newbies should be directed toward weekly leagues and cheap, non-PDGA events before being thrown into a $65 PDGA event. Play doubles every week, play an Ice Bowl, play a couple of local charity events before jumping into PDGA events (especially at $65).
And on a ball golf course, there's gonna be a lot of really long bomber holes. If you're throwing with your wrong arm and not making it past 100', you're gonna have a long, frustrating day.
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My first ever round of disc golf, the first time I'd ever been on a course was in a tournament, as the result of encouragement from a friend to give it a go. Having only really had a few short sessions of throwing on a field and no experience of ultimate/disc related sport, needless to say, I did not fare too well with my score compared to others. My score improved in each of the three rounds and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I don't regret it at all, it actually made me more determined to play more and improve. I too had similar concerns about disrupting other people's rounds, but nobody mentioned anything and the cards I played on were welcoming.
Just all about managing your expectations, I guess.
I don't regret it at all, it actually made me more determined to play more and improve. I too had similar concerns about disrupting other people's rounds, but nobody mentioned anything and the cards I played on were welcoming.
Just all about managing your expectations, I guess.
Second. If you're not even throwing with the correct hand, why would you? You want to learn? Go as a spectator. Watch how others throw. Watch their footwork and putting motions.
Throwing wrong or injured isn't helping. Learning proper techniques will.
Thank you for running events.
I am not sure that qualifies you to determine why people play, what is fun to them or that tournaments should be set up to discourage newbie play. (other than your own, you do the work, you make the rules) Players play tournaments for a wide variety of reason......winning is not always one of them.
I think the ratings populating Rec is very regional.
I think your right thanks i wasn't sure
Casey 1988
Shun the frumious Bandersnatch!
They just need the people, sounds like the course does not have enough people to have a tournament.
Zanguini
Birdie Member
If you are thinking about it, find a local club and play some minis
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