Spectating

[Beable]

Kind of a silly thread maybe.

I'm taking off Thursday and Friday to watch Worlds in Pittsburgh. I've never really gone to a tournament unless I was helping out in some way. Can people give pointers on being a good spectator? I understand player etiquette of course.

Is it fine to follow any card around?
If I get there after the round starts, can I just start following whatever card happens to be at the first hole when I get there?
If I take my kid (7) with me on Saturday and their behavior is not 100% quiet/awesome, should we avoid following a card around?

Thanks. I love playing, but don't do tournaments all that often.

 

[bhadella]

Kind of a silly thread maybe.

I'm taking off Thursday and Friday to watch Worlds in Pittsburgh. I've never really gone to a tournament unless I was helping out in some way. Can people give pointers on being a good spectator? I understand player etiquette of course.

Is it fine to follow any card around?
If I get there after the round starts, can I just start following whatever card happens to be at the first hole when I get there?
If I take my kid (7) with me on Saturday and their behavior is not 100% quiet/awesome, should we avoid following a card around?

Thanks. I love playing, but don't do tournaments all that often.

1) Yes.
2) You can follow a card or pick a hole out and stay there.
3) Probably

 

[DavidSauls]

Turn your phone off.

It's mostly common sense. Don't be a distraction. At all. Sometimes the tricky thing is being aware enough that you don't accidentally become a distraction to someone one another card, other than the one you're following.

 

[DavidSauls]

....the layout of the course affects your movement from hole to hole, as well as your chances of distracting someone else.

You can follow a group, stay at one hole and watch each group that plays it---or, if you can, find a vantage point that allows you to watch multiple holes from one spot---or move around. On courses that are suitable, I like to walk against the flow---I see more play, from more angles, that way than any other.

As for the 7-year-old, the more people who are watching, the less it will matter. And the further away from the players you are, too.

 

[Beable]

Thanks guys! I went to Deer Lakes yesterday for about half an hour and I'll do it again today (I work close by), and from there I just stick at one spot since I won't be there all day. I'd prefer to follow players for a round if I'm there the whole day. I had quite a bit of fun doing the MPO live scoring for the A tier we had here a few years ago. Got to follow and watch some amazing players.

 

[davetherocketguy]

Don't expect a lot of spectator information either on the day(s) you go to watch. I went to spectate at worlds at Lemon Lakes in 2013 and got exactly nada info because while I had played disc golf for years I had never played a tourney at that time. Kinda wish they would have had some sort of spectator info flyer or brochure where things like schedule were layed out...what in the world "final nine" means, where is this final nine occuring (There are 4 courses at LL), what does MPO mean...Granted, while I know what that stuff means now I wasn't real impressed with that aspect of the event.

I ended up hunting down some folks with shirts on that looked like event volunteers and asked a bunch of questions.

 

[davetherocketguy]

Don't get me wrong though, if I got a chance to do it all over again I definitely would. You just don't understand how good these people are until you see it in person.

 

[filobedo]

Kind of a silly thread maybe.

I'm taking off Thursday and Friday to watch Worlds in Pittsburgh. I've never really gone to a tournament unless I was helping out in some way. Can people give pointers on being a good spectator? I understand player etiquette of course.

Is it fine to follow any card around?
If I get there after the round starts, can I just start following whatever card happens to be at the first hole when I get there?
If I take my kid (7) with me on Saturday and their behavior is not 100% quiet/awesome, should we avoid following a card around?

Thanks. I love playing, but don't do tournaments all that often.

Do not approach the players and ask for autographs or attempt conversations with them during the round no matter how well you know them. I have seen people do this several times at the USDGC and typically it is annoying to card mates more than players for some reason. I also saw a child ask Schultz for an autograph in the middle of a round when he was waiting on #5 at Winthop and he was nice but I also have seen others do this to pros and it was totally different.

 

[ru4por]

Bring a stool and a cooler.

 

[bhadella]

Bring a stool and a cooler.

Great advice. And sunscreen!

 

[WillGrrr]

Sunscreen for holes 7,8 & first half of 9 and 18. Bug spray for second half of 9 and all other holes in shade.
Trust me.

 

[1978]

Turn your phone off.

It's mostly common sense. Don't be a distraction. At all. Sometimes the tricky thing is being aware enough that you don't accidentally become a distraction to someone one another card, other than the one you're following.

In the Am Worlds finals, I got worked 3 times buy idiots with their ringers on! I think you can see it in my third shot in the finals...luckly I dont care if you are moving or talking or have a ringer.

NM he cut it out of the video...but it happened!

 

[DavidSauls]

In the Am Worlds finals, I got worked 3 times buy idiots with their ringers on! I think you can see it in my third shot in the finals...luckly I dont care if you are moving or talking or have a ringer.

NM he cut it out of the video...but it happened!

I was in the gallery at the USDGC one year when someone, I think Feldberg, was about to putt and a phone went off.

It was the volunteer spotter's phone.

*

It may not matter a great deal....but courtesy impels you to make as little distraction as reasonably possible.

 

[coupe]

I was in the gallery at the USDGC one year when someone, I think Feldberg, was about to putt and a phone went off.

It was the volunteer spotter's phone.

Avery, 2007.

Spotter was lucky it wasn't Chipmunk … um, Hamster … I mean, Hammock. Now THAT would have been fun to watch.

 

[Beable]

Thanks guys, I went and watched the rounds at Deer Lakes the last couple days. Great weather, great people. Thank you for all the tips. I learned that I really don't like following a card with a huge gallery. But I had a good time parking myself at certain places and following cards that had less people interested in them.

 

[Lewis]

Avery, 2007.

Spotter was lucky it wasn't Chipmunk … um, Hamster … I mean, Hammock. Now THAT would have been fun to watch.

It's always entertaining to watch Hammock putt! opcorn:

 

[Lewis]

Don't get me wrong though, if I got a chance to do it all over again I definitely would. You just don't understand how good these people are until you see it in person.

So true! Recorded video doesn't do them justice. Pro tennis is the same way. :thmbup: