Why host worlds?

[davetherocketguy]

Just glancing through this document:

http://www.pdga.com/files/pdga_2019_pro_worlds_bid_process_-final.pdf

I am curious as to why in the world ANYONE would want to host worlds. Sounds like a royal PITA to me but maybe I am missing something here. Looks to me like the host does the bulk of the grunt work for what? Just bragging rights to say, "Gee I hosted worlds once." ... ?

I mean, I look at worlds and these other major tournaments and see a whole host of volunteers spending time and money away from friends and family so some pro can make money off their back. All that work raising added cash prizes...I just cannot fathom having to raise thousands of $$ from locals. Yuck. And then some pro will have the audacity to whine...

To top it off, I look at the PDGA pro feeds from Twitter and Facebook and frankly, I don't recall any of them thanking or otherwise acknowledging the hard work put in by unpaid volunteers to make their lifestyle possible. OTOH maybe I am missing it...I hope I am...

I've never run a major tournament and at this rate probably never will but it seems to me the big thing these pros and the PDGA seem to be lacking is some semblance of gratitude for all of this free work. Maybe this is why there aren't any hosts for the 2019 events yet. I mean, I don't think it's wrong for a tourney director to expect a little something in return for all that. Like a lifetime membership to the PDGA or something along those lines.

Someone enlighten me here - what motivation is there to host one of these headaches?...am I way off base? Please tell me I am really curious about this process that sounds like an exercise in sadomasochism.

 

[BogeyNoMore]

opcorn:

 

[davetherocketguy]

opcorn:

LOL NO

Look...please I am not trying to troll here.

Stop laughing

Seriously. I'm not.

 

[tbird888]

You could probably say that about any TD for any event.

 

[DavidSauls]

Why run any tournament?

If you figure that out, Worlds is just the same thing, magnified twentyfold.

Edit: Tbird's seconds quicker than me

 

[davetherocketguy]

You could probably say that about any TD for any event.

Why run any tournament?

If you figure that out, Worlds is just the same thing, magnified twentyfold.

I'm trying to run an Ace Race (obviously much less involved than even a C tier) for the purpose of raising funds for a local course so there's that. If it weren't for that reason I sure as heck wouldn't be doing it...

 

[DavidSauls]

I run tournaments, and I don't have an answer.

Though my brother and I look at it like this: We're throwing a party. Why would anyone throw a party at your own house, when you can just attend a party at someone else's house, and avoid the expense and the clean-up? (Unless, of course, the only way you can get invited is to do it yourself).

So we throw a disc golf party, of sorts, and invite our disc golf friends and friends-to-be to join us. Why? I still don't know.

But I think the answer's in there, somewhere. You want to invite the disc golf world to come have a big disc golf party in your hometown....and you want it bad enough to undertake the enormous effort involved.

 

[JC17393]

To top it off, I look at the PDGA pro feeds from Twitter and Facebook and frankly, I don't recall any of them thanking or otherwise acknowledging the hard work put in by unpaid volunteers to make their lifestyle possible. OTOH maybe I am missing it...I hope I am...

In my experience (both playing and running Majors, NTs, etc), most players are extremely effusive in their praise and gratitude to the hosts and volunteers in-person at the event. They're thanking spotters directly as they play through their holes. Thanking the TD and staff during awards speeches. Things like that. My view is if they're doing that, social media stuff is superfluous. Nice, but not necessary. Leave the social media posts to thank sponsors and anyone not present at the tourney.

I've never run a major tournament and at this rate probably never will but it seems to me the big thing these pros and the PDGA seem to be lacking is some semblance of gratitude for all of this free work. Maybe this is why there aren't any hosts for the 2019 events yet.

The PDGA isn't lacking for hosts for 2019 events. They've only just asked for bids, which given their history is right on schedule. Request for bids now, receive and deliberate over them for a couple months, announce the locations in the fall. Just about on schedule with when the 2018 locations were published last year.

Someone enlighten me here - what motivation is there to host one of these headaches?...am I way off base? Please tell me I am really curious about this process that sounds like an exercise in sadomasochism.

Others have addressed the motivations, but yes, it borders on sadomasochism for some. Particularly the ones that do it once, then dive in and do it again.

 

[Cgkdisc]

In several cases in the past, the bid was driven by the local club, not necessarily an individual, as a way to inspire Park Depts to upgrade existing courses and sometimes get new ones in their area from manufacturer sponsorship. In older days, running Worlds was considered a duty tto the wider disc golf community to share your wealth of courses in your town with the understanding other communities would take their turn when they could, sort of how settlers took turns helping others raise their barns so they would get help when needed. In the case of Highbridge in 2007, if my host team didn't do it, many would never get to hear about or make the effort to visit the amazing complex we built near the edge of U.S. civilization.

 

[BogeyNoMore]

My post was somewhat tongue in cheek, but I am curious to see what's said.
I've never even TD's and event, but if you asked be for an answer, I honestly think it comes down to some combination of:
+ Love of the game.
+ Ambition to create a name for yourself within the larger DG community.

 

[bhadella]

Pro Worlds makes more sense when you have a product (like a company) or a location (private course) that you want to sell to the public. Preparing two courses for the event isn't that hard (even if one is a temp course). But with only ~300 participants the financial impact on the local economy is negligible; especially when you think of how inexpensively the generic pro travels compared to am players (who are on vacation). And the work to getting the added cash is really intense.

 

[eric40817]

For what its worth... look at how popular and iconic Maple Hill has become due to the Vibram NT being hosted there. Do you think people would be planning road trips to come out to Maple Hill and discussing it nationwide if the Vibram wasn't there? No. It would be just a course on a Christmas tree farm.

 

[GMcAtee]

Just glancing through this document:

http://www.pdga.com/files/pdga_2019_pro_worlds_bid_process_-final.pdf

I am curious as to why in the world ANYONE would want to host worlds. Sounds like a royal PITA to me but maybe I am missing something here. Looks to me like the host does the bulk of the grunt work for what? Just bragging rights to say, "Gee I hosted worlds once." ... ?

I mean, I look at worlds and these other major tournaments and see a whole host of volunteers spending time and money away from friends and family so some pro can make money off their back. All that work raising added cash prizes...I just cannot fathom having to raise thousands of $$ from locals. Yuck. And then some pro will have the audacity to whine...

To top it off, I look at the PDGA pro feeds from Twitter and Facebook and frankly, I don't recall any of them thanking or otherwise acknowledging the hard work put in by unpaid volunteers to make their lifestyle possible. OTOH maybe I am missing it...I hope I am...

I've never run a major tournament and at this rate probably never will but it seems to me the big thing these pros and the PDGA seem to be lacking is some semblance of gratitude for all of this free work. Maybe this is why there aren't any hosts for the 2019 events yet. I mean, I don't think it's wrong for a tourney director to expect a little something in return for all that. Like a lifetime membership to the PDGA or something along those lines.

Someone enlighten me here - what motivation is there to host one of these headaches?...am I way off base? Please tell me I am really curious about this process that sounds like an exercise in sadomasochism.

I totally agree with your reasoning. I enjoy running local leagues, but that's it. Plus, I'm not looking for a second income by running tournaments (disclaimer: not all TD's are for profit). I'm also not a self promoter or facebook famous in the dg world, which seems to be what is needed to be a successful TD now-a-days.

 

[BrotherDave]

I've only ran small tourneys like ace races but for every whiner there are like 10-15 people that laud you so you get the good feelies more often than not (you'd have to really eff up a tourney to get everyone mad at you, lol). You probably get a good ego trip hosting Worlds and some people are just workaholics and/or German and like organizing this stuff.

 

[GMcAtee]

I've only ran small tourneys like ace races but for every whiner there are like 10-15 people that laud you so you get the good feelies more often than not (you'd have to really eff up a tourney to get everyone mad at you, lol). You probably get a good ego trip hosting Worlds and some people are just workaholics and/or German and like organizing this stuff.

I'm 95% German. Explains why I like running leagues extremely organized and strict. The locals just thought it was because I'm a Yankee.

 

[jtreadwell]

For what its worth... look at how popular and iconic Maple Hill has become due to the Vibram NT being hosted there. Do you think people would be planning road trips to come out to Maple Hill and discussing it nationwide if the Vibram wasn't there? No. It would be just a course on a Christmas tree farm.

An incredible course on a christmas tree farm. I imagine the tourney ended up there and got big due to the course it was on, not the other way around.

 

[Putt for D'oh]

Right... along those lines why volunteer for anything really? School Board, youth sports, any other amateur sport. Thankless jobs and long hours and hard work. Why do anything you are not getting paid for right?

I"m going to submit a bill to the club next time i'm running a weed eater at my local course.

 

[SD86]

We could ask why people organize any event, from Homespun Festivals to scholastic chess tournaments to charity drives, to political events, etc.

It's often the same people doing it, go through the hassle, then start planning for the next event. For them, it's almost an addiction to the thrill of doing events like these, seeing them come into being, progress through to the end. Then it's over and they find their next project. It's what they do.

For some, money is involved. For some, it's love of the game (chess or DG, etc.) and furthering the game. For some, it's the sense of being involved, of being a part of something bigger. There is always a motive, usually based in love of what it's about.

 

[eric40817]

An incredible course on a christmas tree farm. I imagine the tourney ended up there and got big due to the course it was on, not the other way around.

I agree. Indeed it is a fantastic course. The course drew the tournament in. The tournament increased the courses growing popularity rate.

 

[_MTL_]

I am having the best disc golf experience of my life as the TD for worlds next year.

My wife one time asked me why in the world would I do something like this.

I answered like this....

When I went to play in the 2007 worlds in Wisconsin, I had a terrible round in round 4 or 5 (not sure which? one of the two). I shot a very disappointing 59 which was rated 950 (I was around 980, so 950 wasn't good for me at the time) to fall down in the field. I was in the hotel looking at scores online and saw Matt Orum had shot a 68 on the same course. My immediate thought was "if I'm mad at a 59, I can't imagine how upset a player the caliber of Matt Orum is with a 68."

Chris Heeren was in my room and I said "holy crap, Matt Orum shot a 68." Chris says "yeah, I played with him."

I come back - "wow. was he late (implying he got a few par +4s)? Did he tin cup hole 17 (a driveable par 4 over OB)?"

Chris quickly says "nope, he just shot 68."

Confused, I ask "well, I'm mad about a 59, how in the hell did Matt Orum shoot 68?"

Chris says "he had a 30 footer for 67 and he doinked it."

And that's why. Moments you will never forget.