PDGA Memberhip, what's the point?

[tchamber]

So I was looking at the PDGA site, and I really encourage their commitment to promoting the sport of disc golf, and I was thinking about joining, but:

I live in San Diego, and there are very few courses and tournaments in the area. In San Diego county there are like 2 pdga sanctioned events a year, there are maybe 8 more up in Orange County/L.A., but not many really cater to rec players/intermediate Ams.

So what the hell is the point of a PDGA membership if you aren't in a hotbed of disc golf tourneys, or traveling the country to track the tourneys down? Is it is really worth it for a "casual player" to join the PDGA other than for the purpose of donating his money to the betterment of disc golf?

 

[Rooster1]

i, a multipule PDGA sanctioned event player, only joined because i HAD too. i would still be in boycott of the pdga if i didnt have to have a number for BG. theres really no reason to join unless you care about going to worlds or playing A tier/NT events.

 

[AciDBatH666]

I joined last year, but didnt renew last month. I saw no point in it.
On our Southern Nationals forum, theres constant bickering about why you shouldnt/should join. A lot of guys say theres a lot of politics involved and that they have no idea where their money is going, and they want to see where they are spending it. Ive also heard of ppl questioning it or raising certain issues/concerns on the PDGA forums and getting banned.

I dont know any of this first hand, I just know what I read. Personally, I dont plan on attending worlds or any other tournaments where I would need points to go to, so I didn't see a reason to rejoin. My own personal reasons. I didn't join because of what I heard. Just dont see a reason to blow money that Im not gonna really get any benefit out of.

THis is one of the threads I'm talking about
http://sndg.org/forum/read.php?2,94596

 

[tchamber]

Cool, thanks for the info guys, that was kind of the impression I was under. I think my money's probably better spent supporting the local club/courses then.

 

[mothrows1]

Found this on the pdga site

The PDGA is a non-profit organization run by a volunteer Board of Directors, and hundreds if not thousands of volunteer hours to create all the programs managed by still more volunteers and 5 paid staff.

The PDGA is funded predominantly by members' dues, income derived from tournaments, including the $5 fee you mention, advertising in PDGA hard copy and e-publications paid for by manufacturers, sales of PDGA merchandise, sponsorship and the odd donation.

With these funds the PDGA:

- organizes and manages a 700+ competitive event schedule world wide supporting each event with hard copy and electronic information;

- manages a points and ratings system for 11000+ members;

- supports an annual World Championships;

- provides awards for outstanding achievement by a player, TD, volunteer, touring players;

- produces a hard copy and electronic version of a Course Directory with approx 2201 entries;

- keeps track of demographics which we supply to journalists, PR promoters and other interested parties;

-manages a fabulous website where members can check their own personal stats pages at www.pdga.com and access the PDGA DISCussion board - sure to inform and entertain;

- manages live, hole-by-hole, online coverage for Majors and National Tour events at www.pdgatour.com.

- sends out hard copy and e-notices, membership info, ballots and other mass mailings;

- manages the rules of play including revisions and updates every 3 years or so, as well as annual reprinting;

- introduced a Competition Manual this year, a companion to the rules of play;

- produces an Information Kit available to members and non-members alike.

The kit contains stats, demographics, testimonials, brochures and is useful for anyone interested in installing a course in their area or promoting the sport in general;

- prints a glossy promo brochure "What Is Disc Golf?" available to anyone upon request;

- annually produces for sale a high quality video of the annual PDGA Pro World Championships;

- organizes and subsidizes an insurance policy available to Tournament Directors of PDGA sanctioned events;

- created and manages an officiating system which includes a written exam;

- sponsors a Marshals' Program;

- provides sponsorship to Major, National Tour and Super Tour events in the form of a financial contribution, banners and flags, Marshals, event registration assistance;

- finances and hosts monthly teleconferences and 2 annual Board of Directors face to face Summits;

- sponsors PDGA RadioNews;

- includes an outstanding glossy quarterly magazine with membership and offers a great players package for new members;

- gratefully acknowledges 10 and 20 year PDGA members with a handsome personalized bag tag;

- continues to fund initiatives that work towards airing disc golf on TV - a response to one of the top two member requests;

- in April 2007 we shall open the International Disc Golf Center here in Columbia County, Georgia, housing the offices of the PDGA, the Hall of Fame and Ed Headrick Museums surrounded by 3 Championship courses open to all.

One course is already in the ground and players love it. You must come and experience it for yourself.

These are just some of the initiatives that come to mind. I am sure there are more but you get the point. We safeguard our members' money very carefully while ensuring everyone - Ams and Pro alike - receives the best bang for their buck as we manage and promote disc golf around the globe. Your question prompts me to consider that perhaps the PDGA needs to market itself better to its members, letting them know their funds are being put to darned good use!

 

[TheBigKahunaNC]

I can't think of any reason for an Am or Rec player to join, it's very expensive, and I don't think the benefits are worth it. Maybe for Pros, but that's it. I'm always shocked at the annual dues the PDGA charges.

 

[roadkill1]

If you compete in A-tiers, NTs or majors you must have a membership. If you compete in 10+ sanctioned events per year it's more economical to just pay the membership and receive the other perks as well.

However if you are a casual player only attending a few sanctioned events a year you really don't get your money's worth. A magazine subscription, your stats kept and posting privileges on the pdga site. I don't think that's worth $50-75 a year. You can buy a subscription to Disc Golf World News on your own, there are many free disc golf forums out there and you could easily tabulate your own stats if you're only playing a handful of events.

The pdga takes in an awful lot of revenue each year and while there are some worthwhile things they're doing I think it's getting really pricey. A pro membership used to be $25 per year now it's up to $75. That's a 200% increase and I don't see a 200% increase in member benefits.

 

[black udder]

There's a few big discussions going on around this issue on the PDGA board now (one regarding tournament divisions and the other about benefits of membership).

If you're not a touring pro, the single biggest reason to join the PDGA is to support disc golf. They do more than a single individual could ever do in a year to support the sport, so from that perspective, it's not bad.

So many people ask for your help over the year, police, fire, lost children, animals, etc. This year, I chose to donate to disc golf. Dunno if I'll keep up the dues or not. I think that once you get a number, that's it, so you could rejoin at any time and still keep your pdga#.

The magazine is $20, so if you join as an AM, it's really subscribing to the magazine + $30 to the PDGA. $30/year isn't that horrible, really.

In addition, you do get the right to speak up about any issues you want - including how you think the PDGA membership could be more beneficial to all members.

The worst thing we can all do is nothing when it comes to the sport growing.

 

[tchamber]

I'm perfectly happy to contribute to the growing sport. I had already decided to contribute money and time to my local group.

My question, which I think has been well answered, is are there any benefits for rec/Int Am players joining the PDGA other than to contribute to the disc golf cause. It looks like for the most part there isn't.

It may still be worth joining, it's something I have to debate. But if I join, I will do so under the impression that it is essentially a charity for something I have a vested interest in, not under the impression that I'm purchasing a service.

 

[black udder]

That's the way I looked at it this year.

We'll see next year.

Whether you join or not, look at the PDGA board and take a peek at some of the discussions. If nothing else, it's a real eye-opener to the inside of the sport.

 

[bigs]

Ive also heard of ppl questioning it or raising certain issues/concerns on the PDGA forums and getting banned.

First off, I call BS. I'm one of the board mods over at the PDGA forums, and we do not suspend or censor people simply because they have dissenting opinions. We actually pride ourselves on the fact that we allow that sort of free speech. We have certain guidelines that we follow for censoring posts and suspending users. What usually happens is, the dissenting opinion people tend to get really riled up, stray from their argument ,and make personal attacks or threats that end up getting them on probation and/or eventually banned. The same goes for many of the people defending the PDGA. If you ever check out the forum, you'll see that a LOT of the talk nowadays is whether or not membership is worth it, and what services the PDGA provides.

That said...

Whether or not to join is your call. I joined initially because I was getting into disc golf, I figured that was what I was supposed to do, and I like to support the growth of anything that deserves it and I can afford. I renew because of those same reasons, but also because I travel and play a lot of tournies. This year I'm playing mostly A-tiers and I'm planning on going to both Am Nationals and Am Worlds.

I don't think of the PDGA as a business that provides me a service (although I love getting points and ratings, and I just plain like competing). I think of it as an extended local club that cares about the growth of our beloved sport, and I do not have second thoughts each year on whether or not to join. I see the PDGA as the best avenue we have to getting the sport "mainstream," gaining sponsors, and taking us to the next level, whether that be on ESPN, the Olympics, or simply improving our image past "a bunch of guys smoking up in the woods with knockoff Frisbees." So I close with this (please forgive me): don't ask what the PDGA can do for you, but what you can do for the PDGA.

By the way, I don't think the PDGA is right in everything it does and I am not a completely blind supporter. I think change comes from within and I want to do what i can to improve the organization and grow the sport. For me, that's supporting the PDGA, but I recognize that's not the only way and I won't condemn anyone for not joining or whatever.

 

[AciDBatH666]

bigs348, When i said what I said, I also said its just what I hear. BUt Im glad to hear it from your point.
I dont completely beleive everything I read, but it is some of the stuff I hear. I dont frequent the PDGA boards, so I don't really take any of what I read to heart.
I joined last year to support the PDGA because I was getting more and more into DG and wanted to help the cause. I enjoy the magazine, but it is a little pricey to join when Im not really getting much in return.

Now I dont expect the PDGA to be like a business and HAVE to give me something back. I fully understand that my money is basically to help fund other things and isn't really meant to come back to me. Im cool with that. This year I just didn't have the extra money to burn on it.

 

[bigs]

I wasn't trying to single you out. I guess the "I call BS" was a little harsh, sorry. I understand you were just saying what you'd heard but I wanted to set the record straight for other readers.

I get that people don't like throwing their money into something "just because it's a good cause" but sometimes it gets a little frustrating with the whiney "I don't get anything out of it" responses (which have been popping up more and more over on the PDGA board. Sometimes I wish we did censor that stuff, just so I wouldn't have to see it over and over again.)

Personally, I think not having the funds is one of the best reasons. If it's not a top priority, it's not a requirement to play disc golf, and often times there's better ways to spend the money -- I'm okay with that.

 

[tchamber]

Thanks for the info and clarification bigs. I think I've made my decision for the time being. I have nothing against the PDGA at this point, but I know that the local group really needs help and support getting discgolf some exposure here in San Diego, so I think that's where I'm going to focus my time and money for now.

Thanks to everyone for the input on the PDGA membership.

On a sidenote, does anyone know if Blake was able to renew his membership? I know he didn't renew it awhile back for some reason.

 

[bigs]

I have nothing against the PDGA at this point, but I know that the local group really needs help and support getting discgolf some exposure here in San Diego, so I think that's where I'm going to focus my time and money for now. .

I think this is a great attitude. To some degree you've said that there's not a lot in it for you (because of lack of tournaments, etc.) but you're also realizing that the reason for that is because the local scene needs to grow. I definitely agree that's a much better use of your time, money, and effort. You weighed some options and made an informed decision and I totally respect that.

 

[TexasOutlaw]

Ah..another PDGA thread. Joining the PDGA is great if you play tournaments. For the pure recreational player like me (player that just wants to play and could care less if I finish 6 under or 8 over), it doesn't do much sense to join.

I almost joined because I used to use their forum plenty; however, it didn't take me long to notice the way pros (pros may not be the word, what would be a non-recreational player?) look down on rec players. The flaming was getting out of hand about the time they quit allowing non-members to post.

I got harassed plenty about not supporting the sport by not joining, but I disagree. Every time I purchase disc equipment, I am supporting the sport. Every time I take some new people or kids and take them out on the course, I am supporting the sport.

 

[eric_dmb]

I first joined - or was signed up - by my mother for christmas about 5 or 6 years ago. She saw me getting into competing in events and playing more and thought it would be cool. I like being a part of the PDGA and knowing that 35,000 other people do too.
I will continue to join/renew each year until it is too much for the lack of benefits. right now, I feel that it is not out of my range to contribute to the ever growing popularity of disc golf.

 

[discmonkey42]

I enjoy being a member. I don't get my $ back in dollar for dollar value, but I don't need to. I'm lucky to be in a position where the $50 isn't all that much, so why not. I think it's a little silly to have this debate. If you don't want to join, then don't. You're just not allowed to participate in discussions like why isn't disc golf on TV, why doesn't the public at large like disc golfers and what can we do to change our image, and what's the itinerary for am worlds. It's kind of like the voting discussion. Some people get really passionate about who votes and who doesn't. In the end, some will and some won't. Those that don't don't get to bitch about certain things.

In 20 years, I look forward to sitting back in my tent at the National Disc Golf Center, listening to the world championship recap on the radio or tv, and talking about how I was there when it started and have been a PDGA member since back in the day. And I honestly don't care that I'll be sharing a tent with people who never joined. All of us contribute in ways that we can and that we see value in and it all makes a difference in the end. This board alone is huge.

 

[Timko]

I'm in the group where $50 isn't too much for me to give to the pdga, so I decided to join. Yea, tracking my rating this year will be nice (if it goes anywhere ), but the pdga is starting to get involved with more philanthropic endeavors like EDGE, which is where I'd like to really give money to later in life. That's part of the reason the pga is so big; they donate fistfuls of cash to various charitable organizations and programs. Grated, the pga has been around a lot longer, but on a smaller scale, I think the pdga should try to follow their model.

 

[Rooster1]

wanna know where most of your money is going? the IDGC. so if you live in georgia then your moneyis well spent as your getting 3 championship courses. otherwise, go ask your local TD about the pdga, they tell you what the pdga really does for local groups(not holding a tiers or NT's). and its just about jack squat except take money from entry fees. i realy really don't like the PDGA but i joined, and will be a memeber so long as i have ot have it to play big events.

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