tbird888
Salient Disc Test Team
Yeah. It seems to be shouted at every winner in Rec around here. Well, at least it used to.
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Is "Recreational" misleading?
- Thread starter jjtwinnova
- Start date
Yeah. It seems to be shouted at every winner in Rec around here. Well, at least it used to.
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I'd imagine that's because out of all divisions, people are more suspicious of sandbaggers in recreational?
PBokor
Eagle Member
New Novice Chiming In (747 player)
I play dubs purely for socialization and relaxation. I know going in that I'm donating, but $10 for 2 hours of pure fun, great companionship, and maybe a tip or two, is more than worth the cost of admission.
If our local tournaments offered a 'pure' Rec division, I would play as often as possible. My definition of Rec is minimal buy in ($20-30 max), no cash, no merch, just little "I did good" trophies. We could start at the back or even on another nearby course, as logistics allow, knowing that we're the 'fun' group.
I play dubs purely for socialization and relaxation. I know going in that I'm donating, but $10 for 2 hours of pure fun, great companionship, and maybe a tip or two, is more than worth the cost of admission.
If our local tournaments offered a 'pure' Rec division, I would play as often as possible. My definition of Rec is minimal buy in ($20-30 max), no cash, no merch, just little "I did good" trophies. We could start at the back or even on another nearby course, as logistics allow, knowing that we're the 'fun' group.
You're right. I forgot about c-tiers. But are we really that concerned about people playing in wrong division in a one-round flex start C-tier? Now I'm curious. Who are some of these people?
Because the PDGA already has a defined model called "Trophy Only." However misunderstood it is, "Trophy Only" is intended for low entry fee division with no merch payout only a trophy of some sort. The player pack equal to or greater than entry fee or all entrants, plus trophies for certain finishers is what PDGA defines as "True Amateur."
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Future_Primitive
Double Eagle Member
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That would definitely change my perspective a bit if events around didn't sell out. Generally in these parts it is the opposite, well known tournaments sell out all the time and often a week or weeks in advance. Very common to have a wait list for events and a wide variety of skill sets. Almost all the tournaments here offer every single division possible and some will create a division if not listed and 3 or more players want to play in it.
Not uncommon to have a two day event where certain skill levels play one day and the others play the next day. Sometimes you even get players who will play one division on Saturday and sign up for a higher division the next day and play both. Or a single day event on two courses and split skill levels up on different courses. :thmbup:
PMantle
* Ace Member *
The purpose of ratings-based divisions is to sort amateurs into groups of roughly equal skill, for the sake of competition. It doesn't make a distinction between whether they're on the way up, in decline, or for whatever reasons have plateaued at a certain level. Nor does it address how serious they are about their competition (or not).
The prizes amateurs are playing for are, generally speaking, an organized gambling system. Their entry fees fund the prizes which they play for.
It always strikes me as arrogant to say that players of a certain skill are entitled to gamble with each other for prizes, but players of a lesser skill are not.
For those who think the recreational division, with its name, should be required to be trophy-only, would you say the same if the divisions were simply called MA1, MA2, MA3, MA4? Or A935+, A935-, A900-, A800-?
I like low entry, trophy-only. I hope it becomes more popular. But as an option I wish more TDs would offer---not a requirement for anyone.
The prizes amateurs are playing for are, generally speaking, an organized gambling system. Their entry fees fund the prizes which they play for.
It always strikes me as arrogant to say that players of a certain skill are entitled to gamble with each other for prizes, but players of a lesser skill are not.
For those who think the recreational division, with its name, should be required to be trophy-only, would you say the same if the divisions were simply called MA1, MA2, MA3, MA4? Or A935+, A935-, A900-, A800-?
I like low entry, trophy-only. I hope it becomes more popular. But as an option I wish more TDs would offer---not a requirement for anyone.
There's also a place for people that basically just want to play a tourney casually and have fun. They're called Discraft Ace Race/Trilogy Challenge/Vibram Birdie Bash/MVP Circuit Event etc.
That's fine and I honestly have no pony in this race... I do think the term is misleading though...
it misled me when I first started going... it sounded like not very serious but still at a competition so I was all in... that was the mindset I had... then was kind of shocked that it was actually some very serious guys and some very casual guys... kinda all over the place...
it misled me when I first started going... it sounded like not very serious but still at a competition so I was all in... that was the mindset I had... then was kind of shocked that it was actually some very serious guys and some very casual guys... kinda all over the place...
PBokor
Eagle Member
Too brand specific to generate mass appeal. I only throw MVP, which means 2-3 times/yr (if I want to drive 8-10 hours round trip). No bang for my DG buck.
DiscGolfMaster
Par Member
Change it to:
"Guys who carry giant bags of discs they have no idea how to throw but want to look pro UNTIL they throw" - Division
"Guys who carry giant bags of discs they have no idea how to throw but want to look pro UNTIL they throw" - Division
Too brand specific to generate mass appeal. I only throw MVP, which means 2-3 times/yr (if I want to drive 8-10 hours round trip). No bang for my DG buck.
They're cheaper than cheapest entry for any PDGA event and probably fill out better than any novice division if offered would around here. :\
PBokor
Eagle Member
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I have been playing for over 8 years, and I have only played in 1 PDGA event. I won first in the event... it was the Rec division, I shot an 829 player rating..... which the division is for players <850. So the amount of time a player has been playing is not relevent to the division. That is based on skill. Even to this day my average is 841 player rating, leaving me in that division. Not every player sandbags, however that's easier to believe for some weaker players I guess! "It's not me, it the sandbaggers!"
BlazedOrangeHat
Par Member
actually... according to the PDGA guidelines, "novice" is for <850 rated and "recreational" is for 850-899 rated players.
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The tournament I referred to didn't offer a Novice division due to shortage of players. So I was put in the higher division in which I shot much lower than the required rating.
Yeah, that's Rec. If you keep playing, get better than the serious Rec guys who are still in Rec.
Goal #1: Get better than the Rec guys
Streets
* Ace Member *
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:hfive:
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