DGPT: 2019 Great Lakes Open presented by DISCRAFT July 5-7

[Alobar]

Really? I see the PDGA as anything but supporting the pro side of the sport. hmm...

....My dude....

Don't know if you're trolling me or what, but it's called the Professional Disc Golf Association. Not DGA or ADGA. It literally was formed to support Professional disc golf.

I suggest a deep dive into the financials the PDGA buries on its webpage. The number one expense, besides supporting its own existence, is the National Tour. The EDGE program gets like $2 per week; The TDs work for free or whatever they can skim off of disc sales; their major Pro events outnumber major Am events 3-1, and Am events have title sponsors footing the bill etc




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[Alobar]

From Steve Dodge's Facebook...

"On Tuesday I asked the event if the funds for the payout are in a checking account or PayPal. I informed the event that if it is the former, we need to transfer the funds on Wednesday. If it is the latter, we can wait until the weekend. I was told the funds were in PayPal.
Today I learned that they are in the bank account and it will take 3 to 5 business days to transfer the funds to PayPal. I should have insisted that the funds be transferred, no matter where they were, on Wednesday. This is very aggravating because you all are relying on me to do my job and pay you for doing yours.
We will pay as many players as possible asap. We will pay everyone as soon as the funds clear to our PayPal account from the event. If you need funds to register for an event or to put gas in the car, please PM me and I will try to get some payout funds to you quickly."

The ****show continues...

 

[Hampstead]

I'll be there for lead cars tomorrow with my two boys. My 8yr old is quite the Macbeth fan!

Cool that little dude likes Shakespeare.

 

[ru4por]

I love how JC always takes the TDs side...

Why run an A-tier under the DGPT banner if you're not going to have the courses ready (especially with a redesign you didn't bother finishing?).

A dude on reddit posted he was turned away from spotter duties after using a vacation day as the volunteers were full. (Apparently they were to be paid a misprint disc per hour of volunteering?)

You all can argue the "entitled pros don't do the work", but that's literally all the PDGA has ever been: a means to support Pro Disc Golf, built on Am registrations and memberships, and hard work by volunteers.

And what if everyone from the PDGA and Steve Dodge himself are so far away on their own little planets, that posting to social media is the only appropriate action? Aren't the PDGA purists always going on about how the PDGA is a player run organization...? The PDGA can't hold TDs who rip off vendor partners accountable. So who would one turn to?

If I paid $225 to play a tournament and showed up to an unfinished course and had to help set OBs and hang tee signs, I'd make sure everyone knew it...best player in the game or not.

Poor disc golf. Always ends up a joke.



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i'm not buying this. Pros cannot put in meaningful practice without tee signs, that give a rudimentary pictogram of the hole and the distance? Granted these are some of the best players on the planet, but they are not capable of determining strategy on the fly? I mean, all that heat and rain must be unreasonable snafu's to their game. Seriously, Toboggan was far better maintained, marked and prepared than any other A Tier I have played. I played the AM side today and it was terrific.

This is a bunch of overblown, social media drama. If any pros are serious, in their complaints, it is a sad indictment against the entitled expectations of the traveling player. Oh, the hardships endured to travel and play our game. Maybe they should try to put in the 50 hours week at my job.

The disc, for spotting deal was all on Discraft, not the TD.

 

[ru4por]

From Steve Dodge's Facebook...

"On Tuesday I asked the event if the funds for the payout are in a checking account or PayPal. I informed the event that if it is the former, we need to transfer the funds on Wednesday. If it is the latter, we can wait until the weekend. I was told the funds were in PayPal.
Today I learned that they are in the bank account and it will take 3 to 5 business days to transfer the funds to PayPal. I should have insisted that the funds be transferred, no matter where they were, on Wednesday. This is very aggravating because you all are relying on me to do my job and pay you for doing yours.
We will pay as many players as possible asap. We will pay everyone as soon as the funds clear to our PayPal account from the event. If you need funds to register for an event or to put gas in the car, please PM me and I will try to get some payout funds to you quickly."

The ****show continues...

Why in the heck would ANY business entity post this? More social media drama. I guess there must be a bunch of folks that eat this stuff up.

 

[teemkey]

Why in the heck would ANY business entity post this? More social media drama. I guess there must be a bunch of folks that eat this stuff up.

Yes. Yes, there are.

 

[Flick Maniac]

All publicity is good publicity? :/

 

[biscoe]

Why is DGPT handling the payout? I assume they must for all their events. Seems like an unnecessary added step in the process.

 

[Jolt]

Hmm just turned on the FPO and they are on hole 4 ?? . . thought they would start at the same time as R1/R2

 

[perklc]

Why is DGPT handling the payout? I assume they must for all their events. Seems like an unnecessary added step in the process.

According to Nate, they do (bold mine):

The DGPT adds immense value to my event. I have been a NT event and a DGPT event, and obviously I am a very pro-PDGA, but the DGPT has figured out how to run and market quality, professional events. They essentially created several top tier events out of nothing and immediately turned them in to some of the best events in the country (Idlewild, San Francisco, Jonesboro, and to a lesser extent the Utah Open, because as far as I am aware they were already a well known non sanctioned event). That's not to discount the local TD's for their work, but without the DGPT those events wouldn't have been elevated. The DGPT also brings other things that people don't think about: they do the Pro Payout now, which saves me a lot of time and its consistent for the players; they bring a lot of awesome course assets; they help coordinate all of the water stations on the courses; they help promote the event; they have staff working at the event; they add value through the Festival to the local players and spectators; they help coordinate UDisc; they bring legitimacy as I am meeting with local convention bureaus; etc etc.

 

[Alobar]

i'm not buying this. Pros cannot put in meaningful practice without tee signs, that give a rudimentary pictogram of the hole and the distance? Granted these are some of the best players on the planet, but they are not capable of determining strategy on the fly? I mean, all that heat and rain must be unreasonable snafu's to their game. Seriously, Toboggan was far better maintained, marked and prepared than any other A Tier I have played. I played the AM side today and it was terrific.

This is a bunch of overblown, social media drama. If any pros are serious, in their complaints, it is a sad indictment against the entitled expectations of the traveling player. Oh, the hardships endured to travel and play our game. Maybe they should try to put in the 50 hours week at my job.

The disc, for spotting deal was all on Discraft, not the TD.

Why in the heck would ANY business entity post this? More social media drama. I guess there must be a bunch of folks that eat this stuff up.

Thanks for your perspective.

Imagine taking the risk of going on tour and scraping by, counting pennies and checking balances, regardless of sponsor dollars and placing for cash. Not every player is Paul McBeth.

Imagine showing up to practice for a tournament, and an incomplete layout impacts your chance to cash.

Imagine your livelihood is in the hands of someone like Steve Dodge, or whomever the PDGA is supposed to be, since it is a faceless and toothless organization.

I wonder how many hours of week a traveling disc golfer puts in with travel, practice, and playing?

I'm sure there are whiny, entitled pros, but this is also the system that has been wrought. Blame the PDGA for this. There are also even more whiny, entitled Ams who can't believe they got another towel and scoff at the brand of disc in their player pack.

Your 50 hour a week comment is exactly like saying "get a job, hippie."

I follow all this nonsense because I genuinely love disc golf and want to see it be a common-place activity, in our schools and on our TVs. I have always disagreed with the PDGAs Pro first, top-down model, and again, feel like disc golf will always be a joke.



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[Getty]

Spent the last two days working the red tape for the lead card, so I've been able to see the best action up close and personal. I wouldn't say I had a favorite player before, but I might now. As great as Kevin Jones is playing, I think I like the person more than I like the player. Got nothing but nice things to say about him.

He's a super-nice dude who has a lot of respect for our game and those who play it. I really hope he's at the top of the podium at Worlds for many years to come.

 

[mball1684]

Cool that little dude likes Shakespeare.

ha....ha. That's auto correct for ya.

 

[JC17393]

Absolutely dominant performance by Paige Pierce. After a somewhat slow start to her year, she's won five starts in a row and 8 of her last 11 (finishing second in the others). Seems she's right back where she was in the first half of last year...every tournament is hers to win.

 

[tbird888]

Thanks for your perspective.

Imagine taking the risk of going on tour and scraping by, counting pennies and checking balances, regardless of sponsor dollars and placing for cash. Not every player is Paul McBeth.

Imagine showing up to practice for a tournament, and an incomplete layout impacts your chance to cash.

Imagine your livelihood is in the hands of someone like Steve Dodge, or whomever the PDGA is supposed to be, since it is a faceless and toothless organization.

I wonder how many hours of week a traveling disc golfer puts in with travel, practice, and playing?

I'm sure there are whiny, entitled pros, but this is also the system that has been wrought. Blame the PDGA for this. There are also even more whiny, entitled Ams who can't believe they got another towel and scoff at the brand of disc in their player pack.

Your 50 hour a week comment is exactly like saying "get a job, hippie."

You make some solid points. Now imagine this is how every one of those poor neglected pros has chosen to earn their living.

 

[davetherocketguy]

Imagine making the choice to take the risk of going on tour and scraping by, counting pennies and checking balances, regardless of sponsor dollars and placing for cash.

FTFY

 

[Flick Maniac]

50 hours?? Man, I work 30 hours, in a place of my other big hobby other than DG, get paid a pitiful amount, and am as happy as a pig in mud.

Life choices.

 

[mostlynorwegian]

i'm not buying this. Pros cannot put in meaningful practice without tee signs, that give a rudimentary pictogram of the hole and the distance? Granted these are some of the best players on the planet, but they are not capable of determining strategy on the fly? I mean, all that heat and rain must be unreasonable snafu's to their game. Seriously, Toboggan was far better maintained, marked and prepared than any other A Tier I have played. I played the AM side today and it was terrific.

This is a bunch of overblown, social media drama. If any pros are serious, in their complaints, it is a sad indictment against the entitled expectations of the traveling player. Oh, the hardships endured to travel and play our game. Maybe they should try to put in the 50 hours week at my job.

The disc, for spotting deal was all on Discraft, not the TD.

It is an even more amusing indictment of disc golf that you say what you are saying in this, and then daring a touring professional who is on the road for several months of the year to work your 50 hour a week job.
Huh.

 

[SD86]

Absolutely dominant performance by Paige Pierce. After a somewhat slow start to her year, she's won five starts in a row and 8 of her last 11 (finishing second in the others). Seems she's right back where she was in the first half of last year...every tournament is hers to win.

Agreed. And it's an odd-numbered year, like the years which PP has won World titles. Could this be another such year for her? Time will tell.

I get the feeling (no proof, just a feeling) the slow start was due to her not working too hard in the off season, and it took some time for her to get back into peak form. And she's peaking just in time for Words and USWDGC. Look out, rest of field!

 

[Halcón]

How old is JohnE McCray. 45? 47?

Say what you want about his grumpiness, but the guy can just play disc golf.