According to website, the Pro Tour Player Pass does provide entry to the Vibram Open at Maple Hill without qualifying. It appears there are no limitations on who can purchase the pass (other than being a current PDGA member).
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Disc Golf Pro Tour
- Thread starter DGPT
- Start date
According to website, the Pro Tour Player Pass does provide entry to the Vibram Open at Maple Hill without qualifying. It appears there are no limitations on who can purchase the pass (other than being a current PDGA member).
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2009
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It is not a discounted price. I personally think this is a great opportunity to make sure you get in to all of the events. Ledgestone filled in seconds last year for MPO while the Vibram Open is an event you must qualify for. Registering for all events at once allows you to avoid those potential issues.
There is no discount. It is an assured spot in all of the events and that is all.
Steve Dodge confirmed it on Facebook as well.
I don't think it's a huge concern vis a vis the qualification process for the MHO. Seems likely that the people who are going to take advantage of this limited opportunity will already be qualified or would otherwise have no difficulty getting qualified for the MHO. I can't picture a 910 rated am buying the pass just to get into the MHO because he'd otherwise not qualify.
I don't think it's a huge concern vis a vis the qualification process for the MHO. Seems likely that the people who are going to take advantage of this limited opportunity will already be qualified or would otherwise have no difficulty getting qualified for the MHO. I can't picture a 910 rated am buying the pass just to get into the MHO because he'd otherwise not qualify.
I understand this sentiment and there were a lot of options on the table during the discussion. The end goal is to allow players (that may not be able to easily get into all of the events) that want to play on the Pro Tour to be able to secure their spots and therefore earn points at all of the events. This will give them an advantage toward securing a spot in the Tour Championship.
http://www.discgolfprotour.com/tour-championship.html
If we allowed teams/sponsors to mix and match the players, then we are circumventing our end goal of getting spots for players committed to play the tour. I would highly encourage teams/sponsors to buy a spot for their players that are going to be playing on the Pro Tour and know that it is easy and done, but it has to be for one specified player.
I already know of at least one who did. But anyway I still dont fully understand why this was done. Yes it is going to make peoples lives a lot easier if they are going to play all the events and I get that but it also now allows for it to be less of a "Pro" tour. This is just an easy bypass for 910 rated Joe Pro who might not be able to get into the event because of his or her rating. Realistically there will probably not be too many ams that are going to take advatge of this but it could happen.
Cgkdisc
.:Hall of Fame Member:.
Perfectly reasonable for organizers to find ways to get cash significantly in advance to help with early expenses necessary to run the events like say course reservations. Plus, all pro events need more donors than contenders. Does it really matter if some are 910 Ams willing to help front money for the events versus 960 pros waiting until they can enter?
Was thinking that they might need the operating capital sooner rather than later. But the lower rated players all have the same opportunity to get into the event anyway. To me it just diminishes the name and purpose of the Pro Tour a bit by letting anybody with money into it.
Huckfreely
Newbie
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Let em all in.
To me the great thing about Disc Golf is that any Joe can pay the money and play in the same division as the World Champ.
To grow the sport and the pay outs we should raise entry fees and let the folks who want to pay play.
To me the great thing about Disc Golf is that any Joe can pay the money and play in the same division as the World Champ.
To grow the sport and the pay outs we should raise entry fees and let the folks who want to pay play.
biscoe
* Ace Member *
That seems sustainable...
The Disc Golf Guy
Bogey Member
It is called the OPEN division right now and we are a few years away from having Q-School and such so if there are 910 rated people that want to sign up to get a shot at this then I think, "good for them". The day will come where they won't have that opportunity but again, I think that's a few years out so welcome aboard.
I am never a big fan of using golf as our model, but I would disagree that this is the best path anyway. Was the popularity and success of golf built upon the back of the touring PGA pros? Seems, as the popularity of televised golf was peaking, the sport itself, at it roots, began struggling.
I have always seen disc golf much more like bowling or softball. Recreational activities built on the support of the rec and amateur player. A true 980+ rated pro tour is actually a sliver of the base that has moved this sport to where it is at now. Not that I begrudge the top athletes in our game, an opportunity to showcase their skills and make a living, because that would be great to watch....to me...depending on how it is done. I hope that proportionate efforts are made to support and maintain the "rank and file" that is the foundation of disc golf.
It is going to be an interesting year, in regards to the professional end of our game, for sure.
esdubya
Double Eagle Member
PDGA for the everyday player
Pro Tour and World Tour for the top end of the sport
IMO the sport needed a separate organization to promote the best players. It was always too much for the PDGA to handle both.
Pro Tour and World Tour for the top end of the sport
IMO the sport needed a separate organization to promote the best players. It was always too much for the PDGA to handle both.
jjpitt29
Birdie Member
Sorry, but this is some of the worst thinking ever.
Raising entry fees is not the answer. You'll be pricing out a majority of players. Look at the decline of ball golf. One of the major reasons is the cost to play. If you raise prices you essentially will be shrinking the sport to the ones that can afford it.
If you want to grow the sport you should/need to do the following:
1. Raise sponsorship money
2. Reduce entry fee's
3. Increase qualifications to play in a particular tournament
4. Reduce the number of spots that get paid
BionicRib
* Ace Member *
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- 2,617
Not saying I disagree with you, but I think the million dollar question is how do you raise sponsorship money? Its not like companies are knocking on TDs doors for the opportunity to sponsor a disc golf tournament. These guys spend countless hours actively searching for sponsorship money and get next to nothing from it.
I say raising participation at all levels is the best thing the pdga and these tours can do. How they do that is up to them. I'm definitely skeptic of some of the new ideas involved with these tours, but atleast they are trying. I'm excited to see what happens this year.
mattw
Double Eagle Member
That was my thought its an easy answer to say get more sponsorship dollars but how do you get them. Most companies want a return on the investment. So if an event has no TV exposure they want large galleries of people to show up at events and notice them as a sponsor. The only time disc golf events have bigger galleries is for the final round and its comprised mostly of players who didn't make the cut. When you watch live events online the viewing numbers aren't that impressive. So what's the incentive for a company to sponsor an event.
DiscLoser1
Birdie Member
In reality, as the popularity of televised golf was peaking, the sport was blowing up at the casual level, and it exceeded it's market, once casual players realized they couldn't play like Tiger Woods, and those with the disposable income moved away from muni courses and 9 holers to higher end clubs. It's complicated, just like the growing sport of Disc Golf.
Limiting these tours to 980+ players is not economically viable for the organizers. We'll still only see the best of the best on coverage, but whose to say a local pro who was in the past unable to play nationally due to scheduling won't be able to tour these events and make a strong showing?
mattw
Double Eagle Member
I worked in the golf industry when Tiger mania took off. Every one from golf course architects, club pros, and golf course superintendents all said the same thing. The growth of golf was not sustainable. So ride the money train for as long as possible but be prepared for the bottom to fall out. For the pros the money is still great. On the local level people got tired of the expense and the fact that the typical three to four hour round of golf had turned into an all day commitment just to play 18 holes.
jjpitt29
Birdie Member
Sponsorships are hard to get that's for sure. But raising entry fee's isn't the answer IMO. Especially for some of the smaller events. What would you rather do? Play an event with 4 people that all paid 100$, or play an event with 20 people who all paid 20$?
4 people = 2 get paid out, say 250$ and 150$ for simplicity. So the winner got a 2.5 x return on investment and 2 people left losing 100$.
20 people paying out only the top 20%. The reason pay outs are so deep is because entry fee's are so high. so...
20 = 5 people get paid. 1st gets 160, 2nd gets 100, 3rd gets 65, 4th gets 45, 5 gets 30
Winner gets 8x for his return on investment. You have 15 people going home only losing 20$.
Which model is going to do more for keeping people involved in the tournament scene.
Related question to ask yourself. Why do we see so much turnover at the pro level? Besides your top guys and especially at your local level, you see lots of people come in and out of the scene.
mattw
Double Eagle Member
If you are a fringe pro and that is how deep the payout is aren't you going to think to yourself this tourney only pays out top five but ten of the best players are there so what are my realistic chances of taking home some cash? Or at best am I just donating to keep the same traveling pros on the road. Lack of funds will always be the issue for a sport that is not mainstream. In ball golf you make the weekend you go home with a little cash and if you are outside the top ten you hope for more next week but you at least got some cash to cover expenses. If you only pay out the top five or six it leaves little incentive to becoming a touring pro.
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