Pro thoughts

[jdw80550]

I love throwing. I have played in 40+ PDGA tourneys. I am an MA2 player, waiting to hit MA40 next year.

I am playing in a tournament next month. It's a 7 hour drive. The pro field is playing one of my favorite courses twice, while the MA2 field is only playing it once. This is a travel/vacation tournament for me. That being said, I signed up to play Pro, so I can play the course I like twice.

I do not expect to win or even place. If I did I wouldn't take money because I'm trying for Am worlds in MA40 next year.

All that to say, the only way I expect to get anything of value is by hitting an ace. Therefore, my plan is to try and run aces all weekend, when I can.

I am looking for Pro's thoughts. Do you care how others approach a tournament? Does it bother you to have someone playing that's not trying to win? What are your thoughts on people playing up in a division?

 

[Cgkdisc]

In general, pros like non-contenders (donators) to increase the purse and the number of paid places. In addition, donators throw more shots to boost ratings, especially if their plan is running for aces. As long as you don't play slowly and follow appropriate etiquette, you should be fine.

 

[biscoe]

I love throwing. I have played in 40+ PDGA tourneys. I am an MA2 player, waiting to hit MA40 next year.

I am playing in a tournament next month. It's a 7 hour drive. The pro field is playing one of my favorite courses twice, while the MA2 field is only playing it once. This is a travel/vacation tournament for me. That being said, I signed up to play Pro, so I can play the course I like twice.

I do not expect to win or even place. If I did I wouldn't take money because I'm trying for Am worlds in MA40 next year.

All that to say, the only way I expect to get anything of value is by hitting an ace. Therefore, my plan is to try and run aces all weekend, when I can.

I am looking for Pro's thoughts. Do you care how others approach a tournament? What are your thoughts on people playing up in a division?

Initially I would suggest you check with the TD to see if they will allow you to take merch instead of cash should you win anything- some will, some won't. Also can't do that if it is an A tier or above.

I tend to question your plan of trying to run a bunch of aces. I would think you have more to gain in the long run by attempting to play your good tournament game with the idea of seeing where that gets you in comparison to the guys you are playing with and as a learning experience.

To answer your questions directly:
Do you care how others approach a tournament?- not really unless it gets downright silly

Does it bother you to have someone playing that's not trying to win? No. it does bother me a bit to play with people not trying to do their best however. Hell, i play in plenty of tournaments where i am not realistically trying to win.

What are your thoughts on people playing up in a division? it is fine, sometimes it even means more money available for me. A player's attitude and decorum matters much more than their skill level to me in determining whether i enjoy playing with them.

 

[txmxer]

Looking at the results of past tournaments, I frequently see people in the pro division that aren't competitive.

I'm not sure why they choose to play there—possibly because of slot availability?

Also note there are a lot of PDGA members with low ratings listed as pros (males in the 7&800 range).

I saw this when researching the what pros are before and after your PDGA # thread

 

[jdw80550]

Sorry, should have given you tournament specs. 2 day, 3 round C-Tier. First day play both courses, second day only the big course.

I'm still going to try and play well, but I'm going to stress if it does go well.

Good to know about cards. My philosophy is, "never be the guy on a card people don't want to play with again."

 

[ru4por]

Shrug.....I'm not a pro. But, if you have no interest in competing and just want to play the course, why not just go play the course on a different weekend?? There is a chance you are simply taking a spot from some other pro, who is interested in competing/

 

[jdw80550]

Shrug.....I'm not a pro. But, if you have no interest in competing and just want to play the course, why not just go play the course on a different weekend?? There is a chance you are simply taking a spot from some other pro, who is interested in competing/

Could be taking a spot. I like the competition. I've played the tourney before when all divisions played the same layout. Playing the course on different weekend is ok, but then you are playing alone. Everyone likes friends.

If there is a pro that wants to buy my spot, I don't mind getting to upcharge and make some money. Otherwise, I'm kind of the thought they should have signed up early. Why do I need to give up my space for someone who wasn't interested when the spots were open and released? Not trying to be trolly, but feel like I don't need to give up my spot just because someone wants to compete more.

 

[BillFleming]

I love throwing. I have played in 40+ PDGA tourneys. I am an MA2 player, waiting to hit MA40 next year.

I am playing in a tournament next month. It's a 7 hour drive. The pro field is playing one of my favorite courses twice, while the MA2 field is only playing it once. This is a travel/vacation tournament for me. That being said, I signed up to play Pro, so I can play the course I like twice.

I do not expect to win or even place. If I did I wouldn't take money because I'm trying for Am worlds in MA40 next year.

All that to say, the only way I expect to get anything of value is by hitting an ace. Therefore, my plan is to try and run aces all weekend, when I can.

I am looking for Pro's thoughts. Do you care how others approach a tournament? Does it bother you to have someone playing that's not trying to win? What are your thoughts on people playing up in a division?

I'm not a pro, but...

I don't believe that any player, pro or am, knows another's intentions unless they tell them. When I play in a tournament (as an AM), I know I'm probably ending up dead last. I'm good with that. I don't tell all my cardmates "hey, I'm most likely going to lose...but I'm just in this for the fun. Are you okay with that?". In my experience, other players only care the other way around...you are playing in a lower division than you should be (sandbagging).

 

[ThrowBot]

If you are really so bad that you shouldn't play in the pro division, the PDGA will let you know. They'll make a rule specifically to prevent you from competing. You can go down in history like Lloyd Weema!

 

[jdw80550]

If you are really so bad that you shouldn't play in the pro division, the PDGA will let you know. They'll make a rule specifically to prevent you from competing. You can go down in history like Lloyd Weema!

HAHAHAHA! Forgot about that dude!:hfive:

 

[Hampstead]

The only people I don't enjoy playing with are the slow pace non-stop talking oblivious to what's happening while I'm putting or throwing but easily annoyed while someone somewhere does something when he's about to poorly execute a shot.

 

[biscoe]

The only people I don't enjoy playing with are the slow pace non-stop talking oblivious to what's happening while I'm putting or throwing but easily annoyed while someone somewhere does something when he's about to poorly execute a shot.

yeah- the talky hypocrites do suck.

 

[jdw80550]

Played my Pro event this weekend. Shot 3 rounds higher than my rating. Didn't embarrass myself or tick anyone off. Thanks for all the advice.