Clarification
OK, someone just showed me this thread and I feel the need to clarify a few things. I am the assistant TD for the league in question.
One, this league was not formed solely for the purpose of getting points to qualify for Am Worlds. It is, however, a nice side effect. The league became sanctioned because one of the members asked after week 1. It was looked into and decided that it was doable. My main reason for wanting a sanctioned league was to see how the course would fit into ratings. ie. what is the rating for a par round, etc. AND to get some more rated rounds. This isn't some underhanded attempt to skew ratings or cheat to get points and it never was.
Two, and please don't take this personally OP as I consider you a friend and have no desire to part ways with you. You're misrepresenting this. We have many non-pdga members in the league who aren't overly familiar with the rules and it is OUR job to help teach them and enforce the rules. When you questioned foot faults and the disc pickup you mentioned, I told you that this is something we should point out and fix. I play every league round precisely to PDGA Rules. Hell, I even play most of my casual rounds precisely to PDGA rules although you'll occasionally see me pick up my marker (if it's still the disc and ONLY during casual rounds) and throw it although I never count that second shot and play the first. All players who are unfamiliar with the rules have issues with marking their disc correctly, foot faulting, and dozens of other things until someone who knows the rules steps up and helps. I picked up a competitors disc that was right under the basket during my first tourney at Moraine years ago. I thought I was being nice, it was against the rules. I was corrected by that more experienced player and it hasn't happened since.
Third, in our conversation the primary issue you mentioned was the presence of dogs during the round. I'm well aware as a certified official that the rules state no animals. I'm also well aware that I've played at least four sanctioned rounds that I can remember outside of this league where a player on my card brought along a dog. No one complained, the TD didn't do anything. That doesn't make it right but it's reality. In this specific situation, the dog belongs to the property owner and he freely roams the property pretty much all of the time. We've had the dog approach us out on the course on days where we never even saw the owners. He's really more like the equivalent of a deer...he roams freely. On the day in question there was one other player who brought their dog and I'll fully admit that I told him it was OK since another dog roamed the course and I didn't think anyone would have an issue with it. This was my error and I'll fully own up to it.
Fourth, I don't agree with the handling of this (ie. the nastygram and the ban) but it's not my call and I can completely understand the response since you basically told him that a member of his family wasn't welcome on his own property. That doesn't make it right but I understand the mindset and how something like this could happen in anger.
To summarize, OP I seriously hope this doesn't affect anything outside of the league. I consider you a friend and I'm kind of an innocent party stuck in the middle here. I do want to point out to everyone involved that we are not a league of "rule breakers". We are a league with many new players with no tournament experience that have a lot to learn...and the handful of us with tourney experience are the teachers. The only rule I'm aware of that was being "overlooked" was the dog rule. All other aspects of the rules are being followed to the T and I wouldn't have it any other way. I hope things cool down and something can be worked out.
