First Tournament: How'd YOU feel?

[Hector Chain]

1. Tournaments are slowwwwwwww. Especially if you play alone very much.

2. You'll probably play worse than you usually play. Maybe not. But be prepared to be a couple strokes off.

3. Don't go for the shot that you sometimes can execute. Go for the shot that you can almost always execute. Unless you're playing Advanced in your first tournament for some reason, pars will serve you well. They won't win it for you, but not many people win their first tournament. Bogeys and double bogeys will kill you.

 

[scarpfish]

Rick Rothstein of Disc Golf World fame was my first TD back in 2006. Rick did something that I wish more TD's would do, but often don't have time to. Give a short primer on rules and general tournament etiquette for new players.

 

[zugthug1705]

It took a little while to play in my first singles tournament... my very first was a doubles tourney. I'm pretty competitive but I know when I need to dial back a bit. Still felt really nervous, not knowing how bad I would do or how much fun I would have. After the first round I really felt comfortable knowing it didn't really matter where we finished (since we were tied for dead last in rec) and we ended up NOT finishing 10th out of 10 teams. We got 9th. Oh yeeeeah!

I was pretty new to DG and didn't throw a putter at the time. That's the one thing I wished I did differently.

 

[Qikly]

This thread has been nice to read as I gear up to play my first tournament ever next month. I've avoided to them up to this point simply because my game is terribly inconsistent - I haven't yet felt like I could represent myself well in a competitive atmosphere, even if I don't take it too seriously. My feelings on my game haven't changed too much, but I'm starting to get more curious than anything, so I'm planning on playing at the yearly tournament at my home course at the end of December. Should be fun! I'm really looking forward to it. Not having any expectations helps to take the pressure off.

 

[JTacoma03]

I guess what it boils down to is: What did you wish you knew before you played in your first tournament?

It takes some people years to learn, and some just months...but just play the next shot. It sounds so cliché, but few people actually heed it.

Whatever your conceptions are about tournament play, they're wrong and you'll find it out very quickly, so just play the next shot. It's all you can do.

Good luck!

 

[Aim For The Chains]

I would agree but never over-think any shot be confident in the one which you CAN make not the shot which you thought you COULD. more you play = better you will become. more you play X course more comfortable your become witth X lie and X condition.

 

[Nemmers]

I played my first tourney at Castle Hayne too. I was pretty mindful of most of the rules but I did get warned about tossing a previously thrown disc at my bag while setting up for a putt. Chances are good you'll probably make a dumb rookie mistake like that too but you just have to shrug it off....

What division did you play your first tourney in, Dave? I played in Rec division and can't imagine any of the guys I played with on Saturday actually complaining/warning me about something like that. Seems inordinately stringent, considering the stakes. Ace cup and CTP be damned.

All the cats at The Castle were very welcoming and seemed really tight. I don't know why I was expecting a bunch of "uber-professionals," but these dudes ribbed each other like play cousins and talked smack like Sailors on shore leave so I felt right at home.

When you coming back to the ILM, brother?

 

[TalbotTrojan]

Oh man, the good ole days. I was terribly nervous before my first tournament. It ended up being a great experience. I had butterflies like I had never had while playing disc golf before and it took a few holes to get that out of the system. I ended up hitting my first Ace ever in the first round so that was pretty awesome. Afterwards I was itching to play in another tournament. There is just something about tournaments that are crazy fun. You meet some interesting people.

 

[witko]

Hey Nemmers,

Glad you enjoyed the monthly and hope you will be back for more! Keep an eye out as NHDGC is looking to start running monthly's at arrowhead as well. As others have said tournament rounds can be slow but also that top card you were behind was a fivesome which is not the norm for monthly's just how it broke down this time.

Take care

 

[pmorgan1214]

my first tournament was very interesting. the course was the easiest course in cincinnati. i shot -10 my first round which was tied for first in the advance. i then shot a par on the second round. all putts and concentration was gone. sadly i work on weekends so i have not been able to have any days off to go to tournaments on the weekend. My second tournament was a year later and it was one round of normal golf in the daylight followed by one round of glow golf. It was a doubles round. we shot -18 first round and second round shot a -11. ended up tied for second place and that was good for me. my partner was the pro since they mixed amatures and pros. he did carry me on a lot of shots but after a few holes i calmed down from all the hype and started shooting well. i plan on going to the winton woods new years tounament this year. hopefully i keep it together and come away with a win.

 

[KenTyburski]

I thought I was better than I was, and realized I wasn't, mostly because my brother and I had won an unsanctioned doubles tourney not long before that. Played my first PDGA tourney about 2 months after I got my PDGA number (right after that doubles win), over a year after starting to play. Felt pretty bad about how I played, but good about the overall experience. Funny thing is, I remember thinking at the time, "these guys I'm playing with are pretty good!" and now, probably 30 months later, most of those guys are still playing intermediate or rec golf. I was glad I had brushed up on the PDGA rules, though. Make sure you're familiar with both general and competition rules.

 

[knettles]

I think my first tournament was the local Ice Bowl. It was only a year ago, but my memory of it isn't very clear. Not because I was drunk but because it started at 8ish in the morning and I'm not a morning person. How stupid is that?! Eight in the morning?!

 

[dukdukgolf]

stay positive. Even if you play bad, be a good sport and stay positive. Thats the best advice i could ever give. The more i play the more i learn how important this is and it effects your play and everyone in the group. Unless everyone is wearing headphones i guess.

 

[blackcatsmith]

I just went to my first tourney as well, but as a caddie. People keep asking me how I did afterwards and I'd say: "No birdies…but I didn't have any bogies either." We played some random draw doubles the day before and that was really fun. Choked on the alternate shot tees. Caddying was a blast though. Got to see some great shots from some big guns. Hope to do it again. As far as playing in a tourney in the future goes, I would like to, if for no other reason than to meet new people, see old friends and support the game. I would highly suggest to anyone who hasn't been and wants to get better in every phase of the game to go to a tournament. Enlightening.

 

[dx_roc]

My palms were sweaty, knees weak and arms heavy. I had vomit on my sweater, mom's spaghetti. I was nervous, but on the surface I looked calm and ready.