What made/will make you step up a division?

[Tfire25]

Hey guys, I just finished the fourth tournament of my short career and I felt like it was a good representation of how I play. I was out driving everyone I was up against(longest about 420) by quite a bit but my putting failed me again. I missed 5 or 6 putts within 15 ft!:wall: Other than the putting I was on the top card most of the tourney without ever playing either of the courses.

Anyways, it brought up a few questions and here is a link to the tourney. http://www.pdga.com/tournament_results/78103
I'm the Tyler in 5th in rec. It was four rounds at two courses.

1. Is it normal for the spread to be that big between 1st and 3rd?

2. I feel like I'm in the right division because of the putting issues but everyone was calling me a bagger when I drove and it got under my skin. Am I right for staying in rec until I consistently shoot close to par on any course?

3. What made you step up a division? Rating, tired of lax rules, etc.

4. Does the adrenalin still get to y'all on the first couple holes?

 

[MNcyclone]

Yea, 420' drives in rec = bagger. Nobody will believe you can drive like that and suck taht much at putting.

 

[Todd Wiley]

According to those results, you are playing right where you should be playing... Am3. The rest of those nutjobs that said "bagger" should probably be playing in Am4

 

[giles]

1. No that guy killed it.
2. Don't look at par for a benchmark.
3. Move up when you think you played bad or were not happy with the round and you still finish well. If you finished in 5th but missed a bunch of easy putts...
4. No, that goes away. When I way playing several tournaments a year they just felt like another day on the course.

 

[Todd Wiley]

Yea, 420' drives in rec = bagger. Nobody will believe you can drive like that and suck taht much at putting.

I'm sure there is truth in the "seeing is believing"... and Drive for show, Putt for dough

 

[jongoff09]

Yea, 420' drives in rec = bagger. Nobody will believe you can drive like that and suck taht much at putting.

I disagree.

If your scores are rec rated, then stay in rec as long as you feel like.

 

[Tfire25]

Let me back up a bit. 420 was my longest drive and that was just great wind disc selection. I also didn't say I'm accurate at that distance. My average d was about 350 and that's when I was really trying for d.

My midrange was pretty awful but it had its moments.

Like I said, my putting killed me. 5 or 6 putts missed inside 15 and almost no sticks at 30 and out.

 

[DavidSauls]

Don't sweat the "bagger" remarks. They're either joking, or ignorant.

A few tournaments will establish where you your skills properly place you. Driving is a skill but so its putting, and it's the whole package that matters. Yet few people call the guy who drives 150' but putts lights-out a "bagger".

Whether you "play up"---a division above your rating (skills)---is entirely up to you. Not the Rec guys who want you out of the division so they have a better chance to win, not the Intermediate guys who want you to contribute your entry to the prizes they win.

 

[Horsman]

I moved up once my rating said I should, now I cant move up anymore and its been the best choice ever

 

[JC17393]

1. Is it normal for the spread to be that big between 1st and 3rd?

In Rec, yes it is. Since few tournaments offer Novice, Rec becomes the catch-all division for anyone not good enough or willing enough to play up. So the talent range goes from the guys who belong there by rating (850-899) all the way to total beginners.

2. I feel like I'm in the right division because of the putting issues but everyone was calling me a bagger when I drove and it got under my skin. Am I right for staying in rec until I consistently shoot close to par on any course?

Don't worry about par...just look at where you stack up relative to other players in the division. When you finish a 4-round tournament 17 strokes out of first in Rec with no round rated above 900, Rec is where you belong.

3. What made you step up a division? Rating, tired of lax rules, etc.

Someone else already alluded to it, but step up when you feel you're ready. If you have an off-day and win, it might be time to move up. From what you describe, you didn't have an off-day but you didn't have a great day either. And you finished well out of first. You're not ready yet.

4. Does the adrenalin still get to y'all on the first couple holes?

For me, adrenaline still pumps depending a lot on what tournament I'm at, what hole I'm starting on, etc. If it's a course I'm comfortable on, I'm pretty calm and collected, no adrenaline. But on tee 1 at the Vibram Open or USDGC or something...yup, there's adrenaline to deal with, even when I've been there before.

 

[Tfire25]

Thanks guys. I really thought I had some pretty consistent rounds for never playing either course before. I beat myself up all day thinking about the damn putts and I just can't figure out how I missed that bad.

At halfway through the last round I had third place by 1 stroke and I missed a 25 ft birdie followed by a missed 15 ft par. He sunk the 60 ft birdie shot and it just got in my head I guess.

That guy that won rec was freaking tearing up that last round. He didn't miss a putt from 30 feet the entire round. Pretty cool to watch.

 

[bholy08]

I started as an AM after playing for one month. Won my first tournament (against a good field) after 4 months. Moved to Advanced after 7 months. Placed 3rd in two out of 3 tournaments within the first 6 months of playing.

I always like to challenge myself, by playing with people better than me. I played the Southern National Am Champions last month and took 10th out of 37 so I still have some work to do before I will consider moving up to Pro

 

[General Scales]

1. Is it normal for the spread to be that big between 1st and 3rd?
Nope, seems like the winner could have moved up and placed well as well.

2. I feel like I'm in the right division because of the putting issues but everyone was calling me a bagger when I drove and it got under my skin. Am I right for staying in rec until I consistently shoot close to par on any course?
People will call other people bagger when they shoot better then they did. Don't let it bother you, it means you are doing something they can't.

3. What made you step up a division? Rating, tired of lax rules, etc.
When I played a casual round with somebody who had just won MA1 at a local tournament and whooped them by five strokes with him trying to win.
4. Does the adrenalin still get to y'all on the first couple holes?
Every tournament regardless of how many times I've played the course. I did it with every hockey game I ever played as well. I wouldn't worry about it unless it's causing panic attacks.

 

[jenb]

Move up when your rating exceed 899.

Don't look at the scores in intermediate and think, "Oh I could have cashed in int." It's not your fault that a bunch of rec guys are playing up in int, which they do a lot when rec is trophy only and int is not, as it has been at these events for the past couple of years. Now, I think those rec rated guys are still just playing up out of habit, but make no mistake. There's no good reason to play up until you are able to perform at that level, unless they actually do go back to trophy only for rec only. Then you might be better off playing int, but only at those events.

/thread

 

[ejvogie]

To answer the question posed in the title:

1) If my rating says I have to
2) If my division is too small and I need to move up in order to play

 

[jenb]

Calling a new tournament player a bagger is just fun and games anyway. Just laugh and take it for the compliment that it is most likely intended to be.

 

[Tfire25]

I was only called bagger to my face a couple times and they were in jest because of great shots. It's the ones my friends told me about that was being said behind my back that irritated me. It's all good though I was just more curious as to when people moved up and why.

 

[plastic cannon]

I moved up to advanced when I was shooting consistently better then when I was playing intermediate. I placed 3rd in a big field of advanced players and decided to stay.

 

[urwatuh8]

In Rec, yes it is. Since few tournaments offer Novice, Rec becomes the catch-all division for anyone not good enough or willing enough to play up. So the talent range goes from the guys who belong there by rating (850-899) all the way to total beginners.

Yea, looking at those results, there *really* should have been a novice division in that tournament.

 

[Halcón]

If I ever win in Rec, I'll move up. Even if my rating at that point says otherwise.