General discussion about "Where to Host World's"

[nothinbuttree]

Finally someone who says what I always say!!! I hate the DDO now worlds being DDO 2.0. bore me to death. I guess they needed a way to put Eagle in contention.

Actually, I believe it was one of only two? proposals the PDGA actually received for this event this year. Maybe the only one? I have wondered why they can't mix up venues a little more myself, but there actual # of bids they get each year is frustratingly low. Part of the problem is the logistics and demands of the event and the guaranteed money involved. Many great areas/courses would love to host, but simply cannot commit the resources required. That is why Worlds are back at Smugglers Notch (again) in 2023. Sigh...
Same old pro tour stops every year. Same old Major stops every year too it seems--USDGC, Euro, and now Champions Cup will be the same each year (though I love that course), and Worlds cycling thru a few existing Pro Tour stops. Didn't much care for Utah last year, but at least it was different courses.

 

[BogeyNoMore]

Actually, I believe it was one of only two? proposals the PDGA actually received for this event this year. Maybe the only one? I have wondered why they can't mix up venues a little more myself, but there actual # of bids they get each year is frustratingly low. Part of the problem is the logistics and demands of the event and the guaranteed money involved. Many great areas/courses would love to host, but simply cannot commit the resources required. That is why Worlds are back at Smugglers Notch (again) in 2023. Sigh...
Same old pro tour stops every year. Same old Major stops every year too it seems--USDGC, Euro, and now Champions Cup will be the same each year (though I love that course), and Worlds cycling thru a few existing Pro Tour stops. Didn't much care for Utah last year, but at least it was different courses.

I thought The Fort was pretty good.
Didn't care for Mulligans.

 

[Flick Maniac]

Would be happy to never see a DGPT event or PDGA major at a country club again.

Hey if we result in this, it was well worth it

 

[Three Putt]

Actually, I believe it was one of only two? proposals the PDGA actually received for this event this year. Maybe the only one? I have wondered why they can't mix up venues a little more myself, but there actual # of bids they get each year is frustratingly low. Part of the problem is the logistics and demands of the event and the guaranteed money involved. Many great areas/courses would love to host, but simply cannot commit the resources required. That is why Worlds are back at Smugglers Notch (again) in 2023. Sigh...
Same old pro tour stops every year. Same old Major stops every year too it seems--USDGC, Euro, and now Champions Cup will be the same each year (though I love that course), and Worlds cycling thru a few existing Pro Tour stops. Didn't much care for Utah last year, but at least it was different courses.

Over and above the dedication of resources, I think incidents like happened last year and on Monday help illustrate that even if you are running an A Tier and think you have the experience necessary to run a Worlds, you really don't. There is going to be a driving range or practice days or something that is going to cause a kerfuffle with the players, and you are going to end up knowing you busted your behind for a couple of years to pour everything you have into an event just to end up on full blast for something that is going to be judged not good enough.

There really are only a handful of people with the experience of dealing with the current crop of touring players, and that means repeating DGPT stops because those TD's are those handful of people. I can't imagine any club that isn't already a DGPT stop being able to pull off a World's anymore. Even places running silver series events would be ifffy.

 

[BogeyNoMore]

There's more to hosting World's than a collection of suitable courses in close proximity.

A lot more.

 

[ru4por]

Over and above the dedication of resources, I think incidents like happened last year and on Monday help illustrate that even if you are running an A Tier and think you have the experience necessary to run a Worlds, you really don't. There is going to be a driving range or practice days or something that is going to cause a kerfuffle with the players, and you are going to end up knowing you bused your behind for a couple of years to pour everything you have into an event just to end up on full blast for something that is going to be judged not good enough.

There really are only a handful of people with the experience of dealing with the current crop of touring players, and that means repeating DGPT stops because those TD's are those handful of people. I can't imagine any club that isn't already a DGPT stop being able to pull off a World's anymore. Even places running silver series events would be ifffy.

We have to be careful in delineating between Worlds and DGPT. The PDGA provides opportunity for local areas, course and clubs to benefit from a Worlds. The DGPT is not really providing any of this.

I agree with 3P. Few to any local clubs or club conglomerations are really capable of running a Pro Worlds anymore. Yet neither DGPT events, nor PDGA majors are possible without them.

 

[dehaas]

Is it possible in the next few years we'll see more bids for juniors, ams, and masters worlds compared to pro worlds?

Seems like a no brainer to me. Those groups align more with the oldschool festival event mentality of worlds. Demographics who would plan to make a week long vacation of the trip…those are the players who are actually worthwhile economically to a smaller hosting community.

You're also insulating yourself a bit from the expectations and eventual burnout from situations like these.

 

[nothinbuttree]

There's more to hosting World's than a collection of suitable courses in close proximity.

A lot more.

While I get that, it is still a little disappointing that the PDGA has sort of painted themselves into this corner. Maybe the DGPT as well.

This is still not a mainstream sport, so expecting local clubs and TDs to be able to handle a Super Bowl-esque laundry list of requirements seems just off somehow. OTOH, I do get wanting to showcase the better venues for this one event, that are as well run as possible. I guess I don't want to get to a point where a handful of people are essentially controlling the entire sport. I think we are close to that point currently.

 

[Three Putt]

Few to any local clubs or club conglomerations are really capable of running a Pro Worlds anymore.

Which leads to the question of why it is being bid out like it is. Historically there have always only been a few bids for Pro Worlds. It's never been an event that very many places could come up with a viable way to host. The challenges have shifted over the years but the fact remains that it's an event that disc golfers have always struggled to pull off. As the sport booms and the expectations get higher, it's an event that not many disc golfers are qualified to host anymore.

The old-school bid process maybe still works for Am Worlds and such, but Pro Worlds is the "all eyes on us" event. How Pro Worlds is structured kinda needs to be rethought IMO.

 

[Three Putt]

I guess I don't want to get to a point where a handful of people are essentially controlling the entire sport. I think we are close to that point currently.

Chasing $$ always gets you to that point.

 

[Shallows]

Is it possible in the next few years we'll see more bids for juniors, ams, and masters worlds compared to pro worlds?

That is currently what has been happening.

 

[dehaas]

Back in the day wasn't it more or less who had enough courses in the area to accommodate all of the players? Back before pro and am worlds were split into unique events.

I was still at Iowa State in 2004 when Des Moines hosted worlds. It was awesome seeing the pros play Stable Run in Ames, which had just been built a couple months prior. I volunteered to spot a couple times throughout the week.

I still think those 2004 super rocs were some of the best worlds fundraiser discs ever, aside from the 2006 Augusta wraiths.

Which leads to the question of why it is being bid out like it is. Historically there have always only been a few bids for Pro Worlds. It's never been an event that very many places could come up with a viable way to host. The challenges have shifted over the years but the fact remains that it's an event that disc golfers have always struggled to pull off. As the sport booms and the expectations get higher, it's an event that not many disc golfers are qualified to host anymore.

The old-school bid process maybe still works for Am Worlds and such, but Pro Worlds is the "all eyes on us" event. How Pro Worlds is structured kinda needs to be rethought IMO.

 

[Flick Maniac]

Which leads to the question of why it is being bid out like it is. Historically there have always only been a few bids for Pro Worlds. It's never been an event that very many places could come up with a viable way to host. The challenges have shifted over the years but the fact remains that it's an event that disc golfers have always struggled to pull off. As the sport booms and the expectations get higher, it's an event that not many disc golfers are qualified to host anymore.

The old-school bid process maybe still works for Am Worlds and such, but Pro Worlds is the "all eyes on us" event. How Pro Worlds is structured kinda needs to be rethought IMO.

Yeah I kinda feel like if dg wants to be mainstream, big time, there ought to be professional hosting of events too. Not like many other sports are hosted by a slew of volunteer people who enjoy said sport as a hobby. Well, maybe at peewee level yeah, kids moms and dads are doing it, but lets get real shall we?

 

[mj20300]

I still think those 2004 super rocs were some of the best worlds fundraiser discs ever, aside from the 2006 Augusta wraiths.

I remember those super rocs! Had fun throwing those

 

[BogeyNoMore]

I remember those super rocs! Had fun throwing those

Your secret's safe with us, MJ.

 

[Three Putt]

Your secret's safe with us, MJ.

It's no secret; MJ was Innova sponsored. I think the first time I heard of him, he Monday-qualified at USDGC and ended up on the lead card for the final round. Right after that, Innova scooped him up. He switched to Discraft after about three years on team Innova. It was a big deal. Don't you remember?

 

[runningoz]

Yeah I kinda feel like if dg wants to be mainstream, big time, there ought to be professional hosting of events too. Not like many other sports are hosted by a slew of volunteer people who enjoy said sport as a hobby. Well, maybe at peewee level yeah, kids moms and dads are doing it, but lets get real shall we?

The Super Bowl requires 5,000-10,000 volunteers....

 

[ru4por]

The Super Bowl requires 5,000-10,000 volunteers....

As a Super bowl volunteer I received a 3 in 1 Super bowl winter jacket, a hat, gloves, trinkets, food and a very large, nice party afterward.

 

[Three Putt]

Back in the day wasn't it more or less who had enough courses in the area to accommodate all of the players? Back before pro and am worlds were split into unique events.

I was still at Iowa State in 2004 when Des Moines hosted worlds. It was awesome seeing the pros play Stable Run in Ames, which had just been built a couple months prior. I volunteered to spot a couple times throughout the week.

I still think those 2004 super rocs were some of the best worlds fundraiser discs ever, aside from the 2006 Augusta wraiths.

Pro and Am Worlds were only combined a few times. I think Ann Arbor in 2000 was the first time they did it. Des Moines in 2004, Kalamazoo in 2008, Kansas City in 2009, and Charlotte in 2012 were the only other times they did that.

I had a lot of friends that went to Worlds in 2009, but I remember two in particular. One guy played Advanced Grandmaster and had a blast. He went on and on about Barry Schultz remembering him from another tournament they had both been at (hint: if you are weird enough that a traveling disc golfer remembers you, that should be a wake-up call :| ) and being at the playoff ending had him all jazzed up about disc golf. The other guy was a low-level local pro who played Open. His basic summary of the event was "The PDGA cares more about the flymart than they do the Open players."

Which was always the ying/yang of the old World's and NT events. Am's generally loved being where the Pro players were, playing in the the same events, going to the same players parties, etc. Open players tended to not be into the experience; they wanted bigger payouts, professional events, etc. Not hanging out with dudes playing Advanced Grandmaster didn't seem to strike them as a downside.

Pretty much everything that would have been considered the "tradition" of holding PDGA Worlds in 2009 is gone now, though. You don't have multiple divisions so it's not the disc golf gathering it used to be. You don't use a bunch of courses. The number of rounds are reduced, so you never play two rounds in a day and have to hustle from one course to another. The entire look and feel of the event is fundamentally different.

Except you are still taking hosting bids pretty much the same as when Worlds was more of a big party for disc golfers and oh by the way Climo wins again. I'm not sure that works anymore. Actually it never worked all that well, anyway.

 

[glassila]

As a Super bowl volunteer I received a 3 in 1 Super bowl winter jacket, a hat, gloves, trinkets, food and a very large, nice party afterward.

1982?