Playing up a division

[slowRoll]

Here in TN there seems to be some sort of unwritten code that you always play above your ranking. Example here:

http://www.pdga.com/tournament-results?TournID=10256&year=2010&include_ratings=1#Advanced

There was only 1 player rated 935+ in advanced and the keener eyes among you will notice that most of the Intermediates are actually rated Rec too. I don't know if that is because here in the south we think we know better than the PDGA, or if it's just a pride thing. Does this go on where you live?

 

[billnchristy]

Do you know any of those women? Get them out to my tournament!!



Sorry I didn't answer your question...it doesn't happen much here, in fact a lot of guys will stay in a division until forced to move.

 

[MrFixIt]

Yeah, I've noticed guys that have played below their "rankings" in tourneys.
Sandbaggers!!!

 

[homebrew]

I'm rated ~860 and I always play intermediate.

 

[Myers]

This is very common in Ohio, but I lived in Cali last year and everyone played exactly where they were rated.

Must be some kind of regional thing. I recently started play advanced again because playing open at 950ish wasn't really working out for me. :thmbdown:

 

[solomon.trenton]

here it is mixed, some sand bag like a mother (a recent tourney the guy that won rec would have won intermediate and placed in advance), others that play am2 would finish last in rec

 

[Terry C]

I played a tournament a couple weeks ago and the AM3 winner could have placed 2nd place in the open bracket. He shot -2 and the next guy after him was like +10 in his bracket. He just knew he couldnt beat the open winner so he sandbagged AM3 knowing it would be an easy win. It happens all the time.

 

[X06X]

Sandbag? (excuse the noob)

 

[Tacoma_Tom]

In games and various kinds of adversarial settings, the term sandbagging refers to the practice of purposely placing oneself in a weaker position so as to give the deceptive impression that one is less skilled than one truly is.

 

[CaptainAnhyzer]

Sandbag? (excuse the noob)

http://golf.about.com/od/golfterms/g/bldef_sandbag.htm

 

[mzuleger]

I play advanced and could/should play int but I feel like I play to the level of my competition so I figured I should move up to push myself a little... mixed results so far.

I am tempted to drop back to int just because I'll always "cash" since every tourney around here seems to have 20+ playing int and only about 10 in advanced.

 

[DavidSauls]

In South Carolina, playing up a division is also common. I've seen tournaments where all but one or two players played above their division.

So it's odd when I read complaints about sandbagging elsewhere---here, we have the opposite. Though the occasional player who does play where his rating says he should, will inevitably be accused of 'bagging.

 

[slowRoll]

So it's odd when I read complaints about sandbagging elsewhere---here, we have the opposite. Though the occasional player who does play where his rating says he should, will inevitably be accused of 'bagging.

Exact same thing here. Baggers are what they are, but around here they suffer from inflated egos or lack of understanding when it comes to the rating system. The funny thing is that every year there are 2 or 3 guys I know of that tank an event or two before BG Ams so they can play Int and cash. I don't get that. I was happy as heck to move up to Adv, and that was me (the lone rated Adv player) that won the Adv division, my first win since moving up last summer. I just posted this question because I feel like I won some sort of INT+ or Adv- division because of all the guys playing up, and wondered if it was commonplace elsewhere.

 

[DavidSauls]

Ego & peer pressure.

When the PDGA changed the caps, a lot of people were instantly reclassified from Advanced to Intermediate. I don't think they were willing to take the downgrade that the name implied.

Since then, it's been self-perpetuating. The 909s play Advanced, and shame the 902s into to so as well, and so on.

I've recently seen a few events around here in which about half the players played "down" in their rightful division.

 

[CoachQ]

I live in AZ where most players play up a division. We usually don't even offer a novice or rec division. I play all tournaments in the intermediate division when I am home. When I visit Illinois (where I am now), I tend to play rec since that is where my rating allows me to play. I have found that mose players play within their rating ranges in IL. FWIW I played the same tournemy in both intermediate and rec (on different days) out here in IL and I was close to DFL in intermediate and I was last cash in rec.

 

[stsren]

Seems like folks in FL are playing right about where they belong (though I maybe should have started in Rec since I had no rating and suspect it may come out below 900 to start)...
The guys typically finishing in the top 10 for Intermediate are rated in the 900-910 range...

 

[podunk pete]

I have played in some sanctioned PDGA tourny's and some non sanctioned (Non PDGA), and it seems to happen at both. There are always scores in the AMIII's that would definately compete with the higher divisions, .....I think that if an AMIII shoots better score than the open/pro (more skilled divisions) division they should make them pay the difference in registration fees to collect their prizes....this may eliminate some of the D'baggery in this area. I love to play the tourny's but lets face it Im not there to donate my money, Im there to pay to play against people of similar caliber, and its just not what we see happening in our area (IN, OH, MI)

 

[atl scott]

...it doesn't happen much here, in fact a lot of guys will stay in a division until forced to move.

I disagree. Last year when I played some intermediate there was pressure to move up because 80+% of the players in Int were Rec rated and 80+% of the players in Adv were Int rated. I never felt like competing with the few 950-970 rated players that were in Adv. I got tired of rec players calling me a bagger while playing in MY division...

For players who have several (honest) rated tournaments under their belt there really isn't the possibility of bagging. If a player is truly better their rating will reflect it and they wil be forced to move up. Just because a rec player happens to have a great tourney and would have competed well in Int for that tourney doesn't mean he belongs in that division. The fact that his rating is low explains the fact that most of the time he plays on a lower level.

Wow, I didn't intend to rant on and on...

 

[DavidSauls]

Yes, don't make judgements based on the top scores in a division. Look at those players' histories to see if they're really that good; they probably aren't.

Around here this extends all the way up---we see a lot of 940s or 950s playing Pro. Paying extra for the privilege, too.

 

[LeewayeDiscGolf]

I just entered my 1st ever tourney at my local course, which we play almost daily. I entered in Adv. Am. I have no rating and just payed the temp. fee. A lot of us 'locals' signed up in this division. We hold our own well and have won leagues numerous times. We didn't wanna seem like baggers and play any lower at our home course. Was this the right move?