2023 DGPT Schedule Predictions

[@CD-]

https://www.dgpt.com/announcements/2023-schedule

2022-2023 Wrap-Around Season Schedule

(2022 calendar events that earn points for 2023 Tour Championship)

KEY: (S) – Silver | (E) – Elite | (E+) – Elite+ | (P) – Playoffs | (M) – PDGA Pro Major

(S) Lake Marshall Open – October 28th-30, 2022
(S) New World Championships – November 11th-13th, 2022
2023 Schedule

KEY: (S) – Silver | (E) – Elite | (E+) – Elite+ | (P) – Playoffs | (M) – PDGA Pro Major

All-Star Weekend – February 17th-19th
(E) Las Vegas Challenge – February 23rd-26th
(E) Waco Annual Charity Open – March 10th-12th
(E) The Open at Austin – March 17th-19th
(S) Texas State Championships – March 24th-26th
(E) Music City Open – April 7th-9th
(S) Blue Ridge Championship at North Cove – April 14th-16th
(M) Champions Cup – April 20th-23rd
(E) Jonesboro Open – April 28th-30th
(E) OTB Open – May 12th-14th
(S) Beaver State Fling – May 19th-21st
(E+) Portland Open – May 25th-28th
(E) Dynamic Discs Open – June 16th-18th
(E) Des Moines Challenge – June 23rd-25th
(E) The Preserve Championship – June 30-July 2nd
(S) Discmania Open – July 7th-9th
(E) PCS Open – July 13th-15th
(M) European Open – July 20th-23rd
(E+) Ledgestone Open – August 3rd-6th
(E) Idlewild Open – August 11th-13th
(P) Discraft's Great Lakes Open – August 17th-20th
(S) Rochester Flying Disc Open – August 25th-27th
(M) PDGA Professional World Championships – August 30th-September 3rd
(P) MVP Open at Maple Hill – September 14th-17th
(M) United States Women's Disc Golf Championships – September 21st-24th
(M) United States Disc Golf Championship – October 5th-8th
(P) Disc Golf Pro Tour Championship – October 12th-15th

The most significant portion of the 2023 schedule is dedicated to thirteen Elite Events. In addition to eleven returning events, the Pro Tour heads to Austin, TX, to add The Open at Austin (formerly the Silver Series event, The Open at Belton) and promotes the Music City Open to Elite Status.

Two of the thirteen returning Elite events from the 2022 schedule will carry a new designation of Elite+. While not a new PDGA-sanctioning tier, Elite+ events will feature bigger purses, additional media focus, and elevated spectator experiences. Similar to the playoffs, Elite+ events will be four-round tournaments, with a cut after round three, and will deliver more DGPT Points. The first-ever Elite+ events are the Portland Open and the Ledgestone Open. "We look to continue to grow our slate of Elite+ events in the future," said Spring. "We're excited to use these events as an opportunity put more external eyes on our players, the Tour, and most importantly, the sport as a whole."

Open at Tallahassee, Santa Cruz Masters Cup, Mid America Open, Butler County DGC all currently unlisted but the announcement says more events could be added as Silver Series and they will count for more tour points. Belton/Austin promoted to Elite & Texas States demoted to Silver. DDO moved from late April to June (maybe less windy??). PCS now a ES so maybe more players will venture to Europe.

DGLO will replace GMC as the first DGPT playoff ES with a month in between the two playoff events. Potential for someone who didn't make the cut for DGLO Playoff event plays well enough at Worlds (could be their second Major result if not playing European Open) that they would qualify for MVP. DGPT Tour Championship remains in Charlotte.

 

[Shallows]

Gasp.......Peoria with another Worlds and elevation of Ledgestone to DGPT Elite+ status. Elevation of a third Heinold venture to playoff status. Hard to believe the luck.

The links in the article don't seem to work for me.

It's not luck, Heinold is one of the few (the only?) TD who, year after year, brings in a profit with his tournaments.

 

[dehaas]

I understand the larger purse and better fan experience to justify Elite+ status, but it seems like the obvious thing would be to use those as reasons to make the majors "Major"?

It just seems like there's not a need for an Elite+ classification when you have a handful of majors. With silver, elite, and elite+ you're pretty much getting back to A, B, and C tier type classifications.

I thought DGPT was supposed to streamline things, not create a million more fragments?

 

[Shallows]

I understand the larger purse and better fan experience to justify Elite+ status, but it seems like the obvious thing would be to use those as reasons to make the majors "Major"?

It just seems like there's not a need for an Elite+ classification when you have a handful of majors. With silver, elite, and elite+ you're pretty much getting back to A, B, and C tier type classifications.

I thought DGPT was supposed to streamline things, not create a million more fragments?

rumor is they've turned over the tournament classification process to the Prodigy naming team.

 

[rscd20]

USWDGC will absolutely be the major and it will be in Burlington, NC.

The short turn around time to throw pink isn't a huge deal - its only about 2 hours from Burlington to Rock Hill.

I want saying it wouldn't be a Major at all. Just not a Major for FPO.
USWDGC would still exist as a Major like USADGC does, just with more divisions.

 

[rscd20]

USWDGC is the only time I'm aware of all year where the women's divisions are more than just the undercard for the men's event. It's the event where the attention is focused solely on Women's disc golf. It's been that way since it split off from USDGC in 2002-ish when Old Man Wallis took the event from Rock Hill to Peoria. It would seem to me like a step backward to get rid of it after 20 years as a stand alone event focused on women's disc golf and replace it with another event where the women are the undercard to MPO (coincidentally returning it right back where it started in '99).

BTW for all you PDGA-types, looking up the history of USWDGC is a nightmare with name changes and some years listed as "womens" and others as "women's". Some naming consistency in the results so you can easily look up that event would be nice. I just happened to remember that there was a women's event tagged along with the early USDGC events so I kept digging until I found them. For a good bit there I thought my memory was faulty.

I did not know USWDGC was originally created as a spin off of USDGC, in 2002 no less. Thanks for the history tidbit!
I do appreciate how that event is a focus for women and not being the under card for the men. You have convinced me! With the size of the FPO field at the recent USWDGC, do you ever see the FPO division spinning off to have their own independent Major? Or have them stay with the other women's divisions, but have more separation in course design (difficulty) that better fits their higher skill set. Maybe not next year, but soon?

 

[Three Putt]

I did not know USWDGC was originally created as a spin off of USDGC, in 2002 no less. Thanks for the history tidbit!
I do appreciate how that event is a focus for women and not being the under card for the men. You have convinced me! With the size of the FPO field at the recent USWDGC, do you ever see the FPO division spinning off to have their own independent Major? Or have them stay with the other women's divisions, but have more separation in course design (difficulty) that better fits their higher skill set. Maybe not next year, but soon?

I really don't know. I think the PDGA probably wants that (FPO and probably FPO 40 on different courses than the AM side) but it comes down to bids.

It really is an old-school event with FA 2-4 and Junior divisions there. They might have to spin that Am side off just based on demand, but an event without the big-name women's players there might not have enough demand. I really don't know what I'd want to do with it.

 

[biscoe]

I did not know USWDGC was originally created as a spin off of USDGC, in 2002 no less. Thanks for the history tidbit!
I do appreciate how that event is a focus for women and not being the under card for the men. You have convinced me! With the size of the FPO field at the recent USWDGC, do you ever see the FPO division spinning off to have their own independent Major? Or have them stay with the other women's divisions, but have more separation in course design (difficulty) that better fits their higher skill set. Maybe not next year, but soon?

First one was in 1999. Juliana won by 35 strokes.
results

Juliana competed in the MPO event instead the following couple years including cashing in 2001 (tied with Todd Branch of the Winnicrew and Nate Doss) which remains imo one of the greatest accomplishments ever by a female disc golfer.

IMO the majority of the touring FPO players would prefer their own separate event but I think USWDGC as is serves a tremendous purpose in growing the tournament game on the female side. It is a tough nut to crack. We hosted USWDGC in 2019 and there are a lot of challenges to providing the best possible experience to players ranging from Paige and Kristen all the way down to the youngest Junior players. We had 166 players in '19 and it was the largest all female event ever to that point. In 2022 there were almost twice that- the challenges just grow with the event for the hosts.

 

[Three Putt]

IMO the majority of the touring FPO players would prefer their own separate event but I think USWDGC as is serves a tremendous purpose in growing the tournament game on the female side.

Good point. To me I think USWDGC is a tremendous opportunity to showcase women's disc golf in general and should continue to be what it is despite the challenges. That's me sitting here with my disc golf promoter cap on. The touring FPO players probably get that big picture, but when it comes down to it they would rather have a showcase of professional women's disc golf.

To me that's more of the different goals of the PDGA and DGPT; the PDGA has to consider the larger picture of disc golf where the DGPT can focus just on keeping the open pro players happy. USWDGC to me has to be considered with the larger picture to make sense.

 

[biscoe]

Good point. To me I think USWDGC is a tremendous opportunity to showcase women's disc golf in general and should continue to be what it is despite the challenges. That's me sitting here with my disc golf promoter cap on. The touring FPO players probably get that big picture, but when it comes down to it they would rather have a showcase of professional women's disc golf.

To me that's more of the different goals of the PDGA and DGPT; the PDGA has to consider the larger picture of disc golf where the DGPT can focus just on keeping the open pro players happy. USWDGC to me has to be considered with the larger picture to make sense.

Some of the touring players get the big picture, some do not. Perspective is not always the strength of our players. I agree with you re PDGA/DGPT, etc.

 

[_MTL_]

The women's committee is VERY clear that they do not want to remove FPO from USWDGC. The interaction of all the women at that event is crucial for it.