What draws you to a tournament?

[njdevilsphan]

1. The course
2. The competition
3. Ease of travel, distance, any other locals going, do I need to take a day off of work( I work Saturdays)
4. TD. Tournament reputation, some are a must attend every year

 

[turbosteve]

The main thing that makes me want to play a tournament is if it is local or my friends are playing in the tournament.

 

[redrum]

I enjoy matching up against my friends. Lots of trash talk to go around, but in the end we all have a lot of fun. That and the drive to see myself become as good as I can be are the big factors. But I list in declining order of importance to me

Competition
Rating boost
Player Pack/Payouts
Host/TD
Course
Money
Distance

 

[TalbotTrojan]

Two factors for me really:

1. Will I be playing disc golf?

2. Can I afford it?

I really am addicted to this game so just about any chance I get to play I take it. I really enjoy tournaments for the atmosphere and the fun. I like to push myself and I am a really competative person in general. With the two points I look at it means that I play just about everything locally and look to find options for traveling as well. There are enough people locally that I can usualy split travel costs when going further away.

 

[superberry]

I like when the event includes some alternate layouts, or temp holes only playable during the event.

 

[joshmo65]

I was originally going to say location, but then I realized that of the 14 tournaments I played this year, I played a few outside of a 200 mile radius...

For me, it has to be PDGA sanctioned. The only time that I play when it isn't PDGA sanctioned is when it is a fundraiser for a local course.

The more rounds the better in my opinion, except for one round days. Although it is nice to get out early on Sunday and get home early, if I have to travel any distance to get to the tournament and have to pay for lodging, I hate having to spend a night to play just one more round. If the tournament is local, then it obviously doesn't bother me.

If the tournament is a two day tournament, then there has to be cheap lodging near. It is awesome to have a tournament sponsored campsite nearby as all the disc golfers can mingle there after the rounds for the day. I also like player's parties the night in between tournament days to add to the camaraderie and have something to do if I have traveled some distance to get there and know nothing of the area.

I don't care about players packs. I have plenty of discs, towels, and minis. Already have a nice umbrella and stool. And regular shirts don't fit me well enough, so I prefer lower entry fees.

As an AM, I really prefer a smaller entry fee, but am fine with a larger one if the payout is reasonable. Although I have more than enough discs, I just want to feel like it was worth my money.

I almost forgot the size of the field is really important to me. I find playing in small tournaments boring. My ideal tournament is a 4 round tournament with 20+ people in my division to really get the competitive juices flowing.

 

[smyith]

In Order of Importance(for me):
Course Quality
TD Rep
Attending Players
Payout
Driving Distance

I do not care about:
Players Packs - altho nice

 

[Hector Chain]

1) The Course. I want a fun course, preferably one that creates some scoring separation (holes where a good shot is rewarded and a bad one punished, not a wide-open course where par is assured)
2) Location. I haven't traveled more than an hour for a tournament so far and probably won't much in the future. Wish I could, though.
3) TD. Do they have a history of running good tournaments? Have they considered all the possible OB quirks? Is there a decent caddy book (or something that covers these quirks, like the back of the scorecard)? Can the TD run a pre-tournament meeting that doesn't take a half hour? Can they tabulate the scores quickly (one of my biggest pet peeves)?

Prizes are very overrated, especially after you accumulate a trunk full of discs you don't even throw.