Are You a Current PDGA Member?

[JC17393]

No one has mentioned the sandbagging aspect of tournament play? I used to play tournaments and was a PDGA member. Over time, family had to come first. But the other side was the racket tournaments seemed to be. I was playing advanced. I honestly couldn't compete in open to the level of cashing. Sometimes I did, but generally I couldn't sustain four rounds or so to be competitive. However, there were players that dropped from open down to advanced and essentially for the same reason I just mentioned. This allowed them to overwhelmingly in most cases win advanced outright. This is no good for me. Then there is the whole merch bucks aspect. Most players accumulate swag, discs, etc.. over time. To offset costs of tournaments, travel, food, etc.. you'd need to unload this merchandise and selling online, mailing discs, communicating back n forth with people through various sites is just a pain. So with that said, no I'm not current

Not sure what the bolded has to do with the PDGA at all. Choosing to sell merch accumulated at events (which don't have to be sanctioned to pay out that merch) is a personal choice. You don't have to be a member to do that, nor do you have to do it if you are a member.

As for sandbagging, PDGA events are basically the only place where you have rules and protections against that. That's the whole purpose of the ratings system. If an "Open" player is dropping down to Advanced, he's doing it because he's allowed to by the PDGA and because he's arguably not really an "Open" player by skill/ratings standards. If such a player is trouncing and "overwhelmingly" winning Advanced tournaments, perhaps many in the field aren't truly Advanced level in the first place.

Seems to me, avoiding sandbagging and sandbaggers would be a reason to join the PDGA and play PDGA events, not the opposite.

 

[grodney]

PDGA #10567....not current since 2001.

 

[Keller]

Not a member and doubt I ever will be. Not much for the tourney scene and I'm of the age/experience where I no longer care to join anything.

May change down the road, but for right now I don't see myself as ever joining.

 

[Tripper]

Nah, don't play tourneys as they seem like it would take forever to play a round and I'm into the game for fitness/way of life. I don't even really keep score other then on what hole I'm on in my head. Even when I'm playing with people there is no point as I'd just usually win so I just spend time helping them with their game when needed. I play with noobs lol.

I feel the exact same way except I would only beat about half my buddies.

 

[Halcón]

I haven't renewed this year, yet.

 

[Improbably]

Admitted and vocal PDGA hater.

Although I wouldn't be entirely opposed to a membership if they paid me $50 a year to be one.

 

[IVER]

I am a member because I like to enter tournaments. BUT I am very unhappy about the distinct lack of support for the upper protected age groups. One has to go to a national event to compete in a Legend age group. Promote the event and they will come.

 

[ru4por]

No one has mentioned the sandbagging aspect of tournament play? I used to play tournaments and was a PDGA member. Over time, family had to come first. But the other side was the racket tournaments seemed to be. I was playing advanced. I honestly couldn't compete in open to the level of cashing. Sometimes I did, but generally I couldn't sustain four rounds or so to be competitive. However, there were players that dropped from open down to advanced and essentially for the same reason I just mentioned. This allowed them to overwhelmingly in most cases win advanced outright. This is no good for me. Then there is the whole merch bucks aspect. Most players accumulate swag, discs, etc.. over time. To offset costs of tournaments, travel, food, etc.. you'd need to unload this merchandise and selling online, mailing discs, communicating back n forth with people through various sites is just a pain. So with that said, no I'm not current

Certainly entitled to your take.........but, I think you have sandbagging confused with losing. You cannot sandbag in advanced. And you admit you do the same thing the "sandbaggers" do, except for winning. Not sure how that is the PDGA's fault.

 

[Blobfish]

No...t yet I only started playing on July 4 of this year, and still too green to consider joining anything with "professional" in its name.


Sent from my trap phone using Tapatalk for dummies

 

[Stardoggy]

Certainly entitled to your take.........but, I think you have sandbagging confused with losing. You cannot sandbag in advanced. And you admit you do the same thing the "sandbaggers" do, except for winning. Not sure how that is the PDGA's fault.

Most people don't understand what sandbagging is. They think that anybody that beats them is a sandbagger.

 

[Improbably]

I am a member because I like to enter tournaments. BUT I am very unhappy about the distinct lack of support for the upper protected age groups. One has to go to a national event to compete in a Legend age group. Promote the event and they will come.

Masters and Grandmasters ranks are swelling but I think we are a good 40 years away from Legends play becoming relevant outside of those very large events where they have it just to have it.

The harsh reality is Legends are dying almost as fast as they are being created.

 

[Improbably]

Most people don't understand what sandbagging is. They think that anybody that beats them is a sandbagger.

Yes and no. Sandbagging isn't something that happens in disc golf, bagging is something that happens in disc golf. And within disc golf the precise definition of bagging is whatever you need it to be when you toss around the term.

 

[LetsPlayGolf]

Yes. I am current. I only play in one or two tournaments a year. The PDGA is doing great things to spread the word about disc golf everywhere. I guess I am in the 'Grow the Sport' camp... I would like to see disc golf get bigger and more popular so I support the organization who is in charge of making that happen.

 

[discguy42]

I voted no because I have never even played in a tourney (yet) .

I have never been a member but I have entertained the idea to join to support the "Sport" side of DG.

Realistically most of the time I have $50 to blow, I am buying other tangible things instead of that...like new plastic !

 

[JC17393]

I am a member because I like to enter tournaments. BUT I am very unhappy about the distinct lack of support for the upper protected age groups. One has to go to a national event to compete in a Legend age group. Promote the event and they will come.

I'm not sure what can be done from a PDGA perspective to increase "support" for those elder age-protected divisions. I think you only see those divisions at national type events because those are the ones that attract enough such players to populate the division. Most tournaments offer divisions that will be populated. If there are enough interested players, they hold the division. If not, they don't.

At least locally/regionally, we don't really have more than one or two legends aged players who play tournaments at all, and even then it's a rare thing they play the same ones. But surely that's going to change within the next 5-10 years as the current Grandmaster and Senior Grandmaster players continue to age. After all, 10-15 years ago, Grandmasters was only ever offered around here if it was specially requested. Now, it's a standard at every event. No doubt Senior Grand and then Legends will get the same treatment as our current GMs age into those divisions (there's already a fair contingent of 60+ players clamoring for Senior GM).

 

[#19325]

I'm a former State Coordinator of Illinois. I've watched Illinois grow over the past 15 years. When I first started there weren't that many PDGA events. Slowly but surely more and more PDGA events were offered. Along with the PDGA growth so are the number of players, leagues, courses, etc...

When you start looking at the PDGA Demographics the states with the largest PDGA representation are the states thriving in events, courses, and players. I'm always amazed to read all the PDGA haters out there. We are the PDGA. It's volunteers that keep the organization growing and it's a movement. Over the years I've disagreed with some items but overall the org has done it's best with limited resources.

 

[DinosaurThunder]

No - I joined last year (after many years of playing casually) with the plan to play in multiple tourneys, didn't happen. I entered into two tourneys and didn't like the headcase I became and having to spend 3 hrs per round with the slowest golfers I have ever met.

I prefer to keep disc golf as my stress relief and time with my wife/close friends. I like playing an early round a few times a week and then having the rest of my day to get stuff done. Tourneys take too much free time on the weekend for me.

And while I enjoyed supporting the PDGA with my monetary payment last year - I prefer to support the EDGE program each year with the money I would use as my membership fee.

 

[Stardoggy]

Yes and no. Sandbagging isn't something that happens in disc golf, bagging is something that happens in disc golf. And within disc golf the precise definition of bagging is whatever you need it to be when you toss around the term.

Nope. Bagging is what I do when I play new courses.

 

[Aim For The Chains]

no reason to be.

Dont play events or handout cash to lame non-profits who are stuck in yesteryear...

 

[Pbmercil]

Most people don't understand what sandbagging is. They think that anybody that beats them is a sandbagger.

Basically this. Or more accurately, people think the divisions should be populated according to their own made up personal standard, and that anything outside of their imaginary personal standard is "sandbagging"