PDGA TD Checklist

[Billipo]

Why isn't COURSE PREP included in the PDGA TD checklist?

Like...

* Insure course is mowed prior to event
* Schedule and participate in a workday
* Mention course volunteers by name at players meeting

Another attempt to ignore the critical importance of course volunteers?

Besides my play, course design and condition are the most important part of my disc golf experience. Event or no event.

Thanks volunteers!

 

[ru4por]

Most TD's are also volunteers. Most I know have some sort of EXTENSIVE checklist. To include all pre tournament items on a check list, it would be pages long. Given the individual variables and preferences....I'm not convinced an inclusive list from the PDGA would have much practical application.

Course design should not be on that list. It is already set as part of the course, rarely would a TD or club change the course design.

In these new days of COVID recovery, many might name volunteers and thank sponsors in a players' meeting video.

I don't really agree with your priorities.....which really speaks to how extensive a checklist would have to be to cover all players' preferences.

Agree with thanking the folk putting in endless hours of work, though.

 

[DatRedDude]

Why isn't COURSE PREP included in the PDGA TD checklist?

Like...

* Insure course is mowed prior to event
* Schedule and participate in a workday
* Mention course volunteers by name at players meeting

Another attempt to ignore the critical importance of course volunteers?

Besides my play, course design and condition are the most important part of my disc golf experience. Event or no event.

Thanks volunteers!

Insure course is mowed prior to event
public park, they mow on their time, we can't control when the city mows grass

Schedule and participate in a workday
most td's in my area do

Mention course volunteers by name at players meeting
last thing i want to sit thru is a rambling td mention 35 names, players meetings are useless

 

[ballgolfconvert]

Course prep is already part of the checklist (Page 2, a few days before). They list baskets, tees, putting circles, OB's, etc.

 

[Billipo]

Course prep is already part of the checklist (Page 2, a few days before). They list baskets, tees, putting circles, OB's, etc.

That's no what I was considering course prep. I'm considering stuff like making roughs less rough, no limbs expending in front of tees, trimming up ceiling heights, trails clear of brush, limbs off of fairways.- general clean up.

Regarding no control of mowing. Our local maintenance volunteers have good relationships with the parks we support. Had an event involving 4 parks with all different agencies. All freshly mowed. Not due to TD but maintenance volunteers.

35 volunteers. Very lucky send some over. We have about 4 that drive efforts not including the ones who TD. Our TD volunteers worry about their big day the maintenance volunteers worry about the other 364 days.

Apparently a thankless job. No wonder it's hard to get help.

 

[`cjc]

Insure course is mowed prior to event

public park, they mow on their time, we can't control when the city mows grass



Schedule and participate in a workday

most td's in my area do



Mention course volunteers by name at players meeting

last thing i want to sit thru is a rambling td mention 35 names, players meetings are useless

I wish we had 3 to 5 volunteers let alone 35!


Sent from my moto z3 using Tapatalk

 

[BillFleming]

Why isn't COURSE PREP included in the PDGA TD checklist?

Like...

* Insure course is mowed prior to event
* Schedule and participate in a workday
* Mention course volunteers by name at players meeting

Another attempt to ignore the critical importance of course volunteers?

Besides my play, course design and condition are the most important part of my disc golf experience. Event or no event.

Thanks volunteers!

There have been some comments on this already, I'm not going to quote them but I might be saying the same things. Bear with me.

I just finished being a Course Director (not Tournament Director, but still a Tournament Official) at the Memorial in Arizona.

For the first point of mowing the course and/or other course "cleaning". Some courses are not owned by the Tournament Director or the sponsor of the event. The Memorial is one of them. The TD could be fined and possibly lose the use of the course for doing certain types of course maintenance on the city owned public park. There was a tree branch that would interfere with the tee to be used by the women pros and all ams. The TD had to get the city to trim it prior to the event.

Workday....it's tough enough getting volunteers for the tournament, much less for even a single work day.

Courses do get cleaned up and prepped, but wind and other weather happens. Most TDs don't want any changes starting a week before the tournament. Mainly because it takes a lot of work to make changes, but also so people practicing it are practicing on the course as close to the way it will be for the tournament.

Announcing volunteers....man that would be nice. But you rarely know who is going to show up the day of the tournament. I had a list of who volunteered for each day, but on the actual day - my volunteers didn't match the list. Some who were listed were there, some listed didn't show, and others showed up without being on the list. The players know the volunteers are there and frequently thank them for their work. I see that happen more with the pros though....finish their throws, go to the volunteer(s) nearby and thank them for being there.

And these days most player's meetings are virtual....either just an email, or a video link sent via email. Tee times are set on PDGA/Live, so players show up for their tee time instead of hours in advance - so you would have to announce the whole list multiple times.

 

[BillFleming]

Apparently a thankless job. No wonder it's hard to get help.

Not fully a thankless job. See my previous post...the volunteers at our tournament frequently are thanked by the players.

Besides that and lunch, volunteers for the Memorial get a voucher where every hour worked gets them credit that they can use at the disc golf store for anything with a tournament stamp...and it doesn't have to be Memorial 2022 stamped. If there is older Memorial stamped items or any other tournament that the store has....that all counts.

Last year, I ended up with a bit over $100 in credit for three day's work.

The issue is with time. For a Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday tournament....it's not easy for people to get time off work. And 4 days of time? Spouses and family might have a say in that.

Then, is the course close enough to easily travel to?

 

[DavidSauls]

It's a fair point about the TD checklist. Even where the parks department does the mowing, it may be possible to work with them to time it so it's done just before the tournament. I know a TD who I used to assist, did just that for every event.

As a private course owner, mowing and course prep is about all I think about, for the last month before the event.

As for the volunteer recognition, players meetings are going away in favor of handouts or digital. At any rate, I don't get much out of being announced. About a hundred times more rewarding is for the TD, at some point along the way, to look a volunteer in the eye and say "Thank you for all your help."

 

[BogeyNoMore]

The most I would ever hope for is the TD or other official announcing "I'd like to take moment to thank everyone who helped with the event."

I've volunteered for USADGC and DGLO a bunch of times, and tbh, I don't want to sit through anyone rattling off a list of names, even if one of them is mine.

Many players, including numerous touring pros, have thanked me personally. To me, that means far more than being 1 out of some 35 names being rattled off from a list ever could.

 

[ru4por]

Yeah, I agree with the notion of thanks from the players. A player thanking me for my work and letting me know they had fun is what I was in it for to begin with. I help throw parties, all I want is for people to have a good time.

 

[Improbably]

Mention course volunteers by name at players meeting
last thing i want to sit thru is a rambling td mention 35 names, players meetings are useless

As someone who does a significant amount of coursework, I don't want my time to be wasted hearing my name mentioned.

As someone who does a significant amount of coursework, I specifically want the time of players who don't show up for coursework to be wasted...

 

[biscoe]

People still have player's meetings? (actual semi-serious question)

 

[ru4por]

People still have player's meetings? (actual semi-serious question)

Yes. We do not. Why not take advantage of knocking out another item on your punchlist ahead of time? Plus the slew of obvious other advantages to the TD, staff and players. :thmbup: