Rating = ? Division

[XxInnovaxX]

im just now starting to figure out the whole player rating, and round rating concept and i was wondering is there a certain range that qualifies you to play a certain division?

ex. 750 novice
1000 open

 

[XxInnovaxX]

anyone?

 

[12StonesScott]

The official word:

http://www.pdga.com/files/documents/09PlayerDivisionsGrid_0.pdf

Basically, above 935 you play either Pro or Advanced Am.
900 - 935: Intermediate
850 - 900: Recreational
< 850: Novice

Of course, it's up to the TD how to enforce that in non-sanctioned events. And not every division is offered in every event. I'm taking my pathetic 828 rating out this weekend and playing in Rec, as there's no Novice division on offer. I'm also chuckling to myself that there's one 893 rated player in Rec, which while legitimately within the guidelines, is higher than 2/3 of the Intermediate field, and at least 54 points higher than the next highest rated player in the Rec field. I'm thinking of taking him some canvas and sand as a joke.

 

[vonDrehle]

I will find the link in a second but I believe it is technically...

Rec <900
Intermediate 900-935
Advanced 935-975
Open 975+

But I still play is if intermediate goes to 915 and advanced starts from there.

**Link has been posted above **

 

[DavidSauls]

I will find the link in a second but I believe it is technically...

Rec <900
Intermediate 900-935
Advanced 935-975
Open 975+

But I still play is if intermediate goes to 915 and advanced starts from there.

**Link has been posted above **

There is no ratings break between "Advanced" and "Open".

Players registered as Amateurs, who have never received cash in a sanctioned event, can continue playing Advanced regardless of their rating, as long as they can withstand the "bagger" taunts.

Pros (registered as Pros, and/or having taken cash) can play Advanced if their rating is under 970.

 

[Roc1Time]

There is no ratings break between "Advanced" and "Open".

Thats my problem with the system(one of them) is that you can stay am forever.

 

[80playedin10states]

i like it because someone like me(usually between 950-970) has a choice and can flip flop back and forth...in NY, i am a decent open player, but take my low rating elsewhere and i barely will compete in advanced..if someone is within the guidelines, and hasn't won in that particular division(on that course), i say go for it..can you really call me a pro when there are pros that would beat me by 10 strokes or more each round? if i lived elsewhere i probably would be an "am" forever

 

[sidewinding]

i like it because someone like me(usually between 950-970) has a choice and can flip flop back and forth...in NY, i am a decent open player, but take my low rating elsewhere and i barely will compete in advanced..if someone is within the guidelines, and hasn't won in that particular division(on that course), i say go for it..can you really call me a pro when there are pros that would beat me by 10 strokes or more each round? if i lived elsewhere i probably would be an "am" forever

And at your age it's only down hill from here.

 

[blang]

Also remember that divisions have max scores but do not minimum scores. I would suggest playing up one division according to your rating. There is no glory in a 849 player winning novice or a player in the 890s winning Rec.

 

[DavidSauls]

Also remember that divisions have max scores but do not minimum scores. I would suggest playing up one division according to your rating. There is no glory in a 849 player winning novice or a player in the 890s winning Rec.

In South Carolina this is rampant---to the point that almost everyone playing Intermediate is under 900, and all the Advanced players are in the low 900s, and the 950s are playing Pro. Not sure why, but they do.

 

[DavidSauls]

Thats my problem with the system(one of them) is that you can stay am forever.

In most sports you can stay Am forever. Our oddity is that you can go Pro, then be an Am again.

Among the rationale behind the current system is to fix a problem we used to have. Ams would move up, cash, but their skills would plateau in the 950-975 range, or even decline as they aged. But they could never go back to Am, without petitioning for an exemption from the PDGA. So they'd either have to donate in Open for the rest of their life, or quit playing. Which was referred to as the "Move Up - Move up - Move out" syndrome.

I have periodically advocated a system---which apparently interests no one at all---of "bump and dump". If you win, say, 1 A-tier, or 3 Bs, or 5 of any, you must move up.....but also.....if you go, say, a year without cashing (or merching), you can move back down, so no one is locked forever in a division they can't compete in.

 

[blang]

Also remember that divisions have max scores but do not minimum scores. I would suggest playing up one division according to your rating. There is no glory in a 849 player winning novice or a player in the 890s winning Rec.

Almost the same in GA. I am an 839 rated player and If I get a 857 in my rounds this weekend I will be 850. After this point I will be signing up for Int in all GA tourneys in the future. I have two good runs to win in Rec with second place finishes, if I do not get a win in rec perhaps I will later on in Int.

 

[blang]

The official word:

http://www.pdga.com/files/documents/09PlayerDivisionsGrid_0.pdf

Basically, above 935 you play either Pro or Advanced Am.
900 - 935: Intermediate
850 - 900: Recreational
< 850: Novice

Of course, it's up to the TD how to enforce that in non-sanctioned events. And not every division is offered in every event. I'm taking my pathetic 828 rating out this weekend and playing in Rec, as there's no Novice division on offer. I'm also chuckling to myself that there's one 893 rated player in Rec, which while legitimately within the guidelines, is higher than 2/3 of the Intermediate field, and at least 54 points higher than the next highest rated player in the Rec field. I'm thinking of taking him some canvas and sand as a joke.

He told me he may move up.

 

[blang]

If I were doing ratings.

<800 Novice
<850 Rec*
<900 Int
>or = 900 Advanced
no limit Pro**

* All non rated players would be encouraged to begin at Rec
** if you want to donate to the filed with cash you may do so at any rating.

The reasoning is that many beginning players would never even qualify for Novice therefore give the average mediocre player a chance to compete and not be discouraged in Rec or Novice by 890 rated players. By the time a player reaches a 900 rating they have already put a lot of effort into reaching their level of play and would be less likely to quit based on the field as oppsoed to the under 800 rated players that are afraid to play or the 825 rated players that are forced to either take a win from a true novice player in A-4 or get beat by a 890 rated player in A-3. Sandbagging would not matter as much and people would accept that the amateur and pro divisions are where you want to try to play if possible. Also to discourage bagging I would limit Rec, Novice, and possibly Int. to player packs and trophies only.

 

[Roc1Time]

If I were doing ratings.

<800 Novice
<850 Rec*
<900 Int
>or = 900 Advanced
no limit Pro**

* All non rated players would be encouraged to begin at Rec
** if you want to donate to the filed with cash you may do so at any rating.

The reasoning is that many beginning players would never even qualify for Novice therefore give the average mediocre player a chance to compete and not be discouraged in Rec or Novice by 890 rated players. By the time a player reaches a 900 rating they have already put a lot of effort into reaching their level of play and would be less likely to quit based on the field as oppsoed to the under 800 rated players that are afraid to play or the 825 rated players that are forced to either take a win from a true novice player in A-4 or get beat by a 890 rated player in A-3. Sandbagging would not matter as much and people would accept that the amateur and pro divisions are where you want to try to play if possible. Also to discourage bagging I would limit Rec, Novice, and possibly Int. to player packs and trophies only.

Thats all fine and dandy but a player that is rated 900 will get smoked most of the time if playing advanced. At least down here. And if you did nothing but trophies and players packs your tourney turn out would drop off the planet. All that your plan would do is make more people want to donate to the open field or go play money games with thier friends,imo. But the point is about ratings is that nothing is perfect and there is alot of things that need to be changed and thats why the PDGA has changed the rating system so many times already in its short history.

 

[blang]

Thats all fine and dandy but a player that is rated 900 will get smoked most of the time if playing advanced. At least down here. And if you did nothing but trophies and players packs your tourney turn out would drop off the planet. All that your plan would do is make more people want to donate to the open field or go play money games with thier friends,imo. But the point is about ratings is that nothing is perfect and there is alot of things that need to be changed and thats why the PDGA has changed the rating system so many times already in its short history.

Thats all fine and dandy but a player that is rated 900 will get smoked most of the time if playing advanced.
If you want to see a player get "smoked" look at what happens to 795 rated player in most Rec events. These players are typically beaten by players over 100 points above their rating. It sounds like you are proving my point about payers getting smoked. I will also ask the question, (already knowing the answer) who is more likely to quit tournament play, a 910 rated player that cannot win Advanced because we will be beaten by a 940 rated player (that will have a 970 rated round) or a 780 rated player that is guaranteed to lose rec to a 890 rated player (that will probably win with a 930 rated round)?
if you did nothing but trophies and players packs your tourney turn out would drop off the planet
By the way, the players that are 850 and below (the people that you say will drop off) are the ones that are not currently getting any plastic from a payout using today's system. More people "drop off" because they cannot compete with 890 rated players in Rec than would quit from the loss of a voucher after the tournament. If you are below 800 it is almost imposable to cash in today's system yet under 800 is the highest growing class of player in the PDGA. As a player that has played in mostly rec events I would have given any plastic winnings from any of my tournaments for a chance to redo that one or two shots that cost me the win. In all my years of playing in organized sports the only times I ever got any prize other than a trophy for doing well was in my PDGA events. In the future I know that I will look back at any Rec, or Int. win the same way a NFL player would look at a middle school football victory. I would rather cash in Advacned that win a event as Rec.
All that your plan would do is make more people want to donate to the open field
A larger Advanced field and more money being used for advanced and pro means more people will cash at a the higher levels meaning more people would be willing to forgo the chance to win Int. to cash in advanced. Most Georgia Tournaments cash the top 50% in all devisions and last cash usually is equal to the entry.

 

[80playedin10states]

at my age what is all downhill? i cash more playing masters than i will open..i still get carded so i dont feel or look 40, just throw like it..hard to compete with 17 yr olds that throw 500+..

 

[80playedin10states]

isn't there 4 am divisions now?..if someone is 75o they should be in am4 not am3..we can argue about numbers all day...basically it boils down to the td knowing where to put people..keeps the sandbagging at a minimum

 

[Roc1Time]

All PDGA events payout top 50%, or very close to it. And you dont get cash in Advanced.

 

[Roc1Time]

The bagging gets worse the higher level you get, dont worry, i know you have been playing so long you know how things work but move out of rec and then come talk to me about bagging and about how you never cash.