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By Mike Hall
For some, the thought of signing up for your first tournament can be a scary, intimidating thought. What if everybody is waiting on you (again) to drive? What if you play terrible? What if you don’t know all the rules in a specific situation? If this is how you feel, and you were to enter into a disc golf tournament…you would be like 90% of the other novices at the tournament! One of the biggest misconceptions of a beginner at a tournament is that they are the only novices there and that everybody else knows exactly what is going on! With the popularity of disc golf increasing around 20% every year, there are tons of novice players out there. I hope this article will not only give you the confidence to sign up for the next tourney in your area, but give you a heads up of what to expect when you get there.
Why a tournament?
There are many benefits to playing at a tournament. When asked about improving your disc golf game, the first two pieces of advice I’d offer is first, you must practice, and second, you must compete. There is nothing like the pressure of competition to make your mental game stronger. It’s one thing to sink a 35-foot putt with your buddies at the local park, while it’s another to sink it with a group of strangers watching you knowing your scorecard will be posted for all to see. At competitions, you also meet players who are much better than you. Sometimes just watching pros can inspire you to practice and want to get better. You might be inspired to learn new shots that you might not otherwise. However, other than the benefit of becoming a better player, a disc golf tournament is a blast. The camaraderie, fun, laughter, and just being around people who love the same sport as you is fun!
Before the tournament
The first step in going to a tournament is to pick one to go to. This sounds very simple, and it is, but there are some things to consider. In order to decide what tournament you want to go to, you need to look at some details. First, you want to make sure that the tournament you enter has a novice or amateur division. This will ensure that you will play with people who are on your same skill level. The round will not only be more enjoyable, but it will allow you to be more competitive with the group you’re playing with. Second, how big of a tournament do you want to enter? PDGA tournaments are ranked as A, B, or C tiers. “A” tier tournaments are the biggest (sometimes called super tours) and “C” tier tournament are the smallest. The one you go to is personal preference. An “A” tournament will have more pros and with more people, there is more of a party atmosphere, however, in a “C” tier tournament you might be able to get more personal attention from the officials if you have a question and you might not feel as much of a number. You also want to consider the course where the tournament will be held. If there are several holes over 600 feet, this might not be the tournament for you unless you have a big arm. You probably also won’t want to travel across 4 states for your first tournament. Try to find a course that is relatively close and designed for amateurs to play. It’s great if you can find a tournament at a course you have played before; however, don’t nix a tournament just because it’s a course you haven’t played. Sometimes some of the fun of tournaments is playing a course you haven’t played before. Give a new course a try! After finding the right tournament if you are still nervous about entering, invite some of your friends to join you. Make the tournament a fun outing where you and your buddies can go somewhere new and experience a tournament together.
After you have decided on what tournament you are going to enter, it is time to make some pre-tournament arrangements. Do you need to take off work? Have you pre-paid for the tournament? This is important because many tournaments limit the number of people who can enter and the first ones to pay will be the ones who get to play. Do you have a place to stay if the tournament is out of town? Typically, you can check with the TD (Tournament Director) about places to stay that are close to the course.
This is also the time to begin to fine-tune your disc golf skills. If there is a particular type of shot you have been working on, continue to work on it. It might come in handy during the tournament. However, don’t feel like you can’t enter if you can only throw a backhanded shot. You will be playing with other beginners and there will be others there who can only throw one shot. Go ahead and also look over the official PDGA rules. You can read these at the PDGA website or you can find them at everythingdiscgolf.com. There will be officials at the tournament if it is a sanctioned event to help you interpret any questions about the rules that come up. Having a grasp of the rules before you go will give you more confidence when playing.
You will want to begin thinking about what you will need to pack. Bring your bag of discs, but be prepared to lose some of them. There might be some water holes and you don’t want to get stuck driving with your putter. Usually there is a tournament store, but it’s always safe to bring plenty of extra discs. Other than your clothes and typical things you would bring on an overnight trip, you will want to make sure you bring a water bottle, a disc golf towel to wipe water or mud off your discs, some extra cash for lunch after the first round if it is a morning tournament, an umbrella that can fit in your bag, an energy bar for a snack during the round, and your PDGA card if it is a sanctioned event (otherwise you have to pay an extra 5 bucks). For the tournament, try to keep your clothing as comfortable as possible, but check with the Tournament Director to see if there is a dress code. Some tournaments require the participators to wear a collared shirt. With these things, you are ready to head out to have a wonderful day at your first disc golf tournament!
This Article is brought to you by Everything Disc Golf. The Disc Golf and Ultimate Frisbee Super Store!
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Disc Golf (also known as "Frisbee Golf" and "Folf" or "Frolf" and even "Disk Golf") is played much like traditional golf. Players throw flying discs (golf discs or Frisbees®) from a tee area toward a Disc Golf Basket or Target. The object: complete the hole by putting your golf disc in the basket in the fewest number of throws. Formalized in the 1970s, disc golf is governed by the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA). There are more than 1,750 disc golf courses worldwide, with over 1,400 in the USA. |
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