2009 Events

[discglfr]

Just getting a post up regarding some things Lifetime Disc Sports is working on here in 2009. Of course, more details are to come soon but these are some confirmed things:

Look for the following PDGA Sanctioned events in the new few months:

March 14th - Western Lakes Open - PDGA C-Tier - Pewaukee | That's right, we are taking over a ball golf course for the day. We'll have 18 baskets and a fun layout that won't be just about throwing far. A great lunch special will be available and did I mention that they will have a bar onsight for both lunch and after 2nd round beverages? Let's make a good impression with these guys because they'll keep having us if it goes well.

April 5th - Tyler Too - PDGA B-Tier - Newtown PA | After helping host the Philly Open on Saturday, we are heading to one of the best course in the country - Tyler State Park in Pennsylvania for an event which collaborates with the Bucks County Disc Golf Alliance.

April 11th - Parkside of the Moon - PDGA C-Tier - Kenosha | No spring IOS Event at Parkside so I worked with Sergio to bring in a 1 day C-Tier the day before Easter. Field will be limited to 90 and it should fill quickly.

May 2/3 - Janesville Jammer - PDGA B-Tier - Janesville | This will replace the "WI Tour Warm Up" and will actually be on the Wisconsin Tour. They have put thousands of dollars into reseeding the grass out there and we look forward to playing on some not so muddy turf. The baskets haven't been replaced due to all the spending on the grass but this course is only getting better with time.

May 23/24 - GMO - PDGA B-Tier - Milwaukee | Still working a few details here but look for the Greater Milwaukee Open to be a good and big as ever. Could Brown Deer come into play? Well, we're trying but certainly can't make any promises just yet.

Lifetime Disc Sports is just weeks away from debuting a brand new Online Registration website. I will say this ... it will blow away the previous registration website and we hope it becomes the standard for all disc golf registration websites. We are cautiously hesitating on putting the aforementioned events up on TakeFlightToday because the new site is just about ready so we don't want to input the information twice. Especially since the old site is 10 times less friendly then the new one will be.

Don't hesitate to hit us up with any questions!

[harr0140]

I'm a member at Western Lakes and have known the owners for about 10 years. One of the owners actually helped me get my first golf course superintendent position. So, I am excited to see how a course would be setup there. The bartenders are excellent too. It is a great place to play golf and hopefully it is a great place to play disc golf.

Terry I am not sure I understand the tiering of events. DO you have to be a particular skill level to enter a b tier versus a c tier? I am a new amatuer and would like to play in some events, but I am not sure I understand the classifications.

[discglfr]

I don't want to get too far off topic on this thread but no, you do not have to be of a certain caliber to play in sanctioned events. The more important part is just that you're a PDGA member. Only PDGA members can play in A-Tiers and Majors.

B and C Tier events help provide some insight as to the size and caliber event because they have certain guidelines they must meet. My opinion is that a C-Tier is your entry level PDGA event which should have at least 36 holes of golf, typically is a 1 day event, might have 30 to 90 players and will have slightly lower entry fees and is required to payback 85% of the entry fees taken in (although I usually get to the 100% plus mark).

B-Tiers are usually more established events which might be 1 or 2 days, probably have a good turnout and some added sponsorship. Slightly higher entry fees and requires 100% payout from the entry fees (remembering that taxes, course fees, sanctioning fees, and other expenses can be deducted prior to making that calculation). In terms of gaining points - you earn more points playing in higher tiers - those points help earn invitations to some events such as the World Championships. Regardless if it is a C, B, A, or Major - you are eligible at all of them to have your rounds rated which is considered a primary benefit to an event being sanctioned versus not.

Show up to some sanctioned events, establish a rating, and see where it takes you. I started playing about 16 years ago at the age of 14 and over 400 events later you could say I'm hooked :)

Thanks!

[thenamesben]

Sweet, the temp course is going to be sanctioned! Very cool!

For the Jammer, is it going to be Pros on Sat and Ams on Sun?

[zaschenbach1]

I just want to get something straight, on here you put the GMO is may 23-24 but on the PDGA website it says its on may 16-17 AM only tournament. I just want to know the exact dates, so I can mark my calendar.
thanks
zack

[discglfr]

March 14th - Western Lakes Open - Update

I am heading out to the Western Lakes Golf Course tomorrow with Tom "Big Daddy" Jenkins. We are going out with some range finders, a wheel, and a GPS unit. Usually we just bring Schwieger out, tell him to throw far, then move the pin about 100 feet closer and put it there. Just kidding.

Anyway - I will have more updates in the next 48 hours but be certain of this ... the temporary course will NOT just be long and boring where you just throw and throw and throw. I like that we have lots of land but long holes make for a really long day as well as long back ups and lots of discouragement. Don't get me wrong, it will not be a pitch and putt but it won't be insanely long either.

Registration was a little late in getting up but we already have nearly a dozen players in just 2 days. I guess the vibe out there is pretty good. You can register online using this link: http://www.takeflighttoday.com/product_info.php?cPath=24&products_id=211. As always, you can save yourself the $5 online fee by just mailing in your information to me with a check.

Please take note that the REGISTRATION LATE FEE GOES IN EFFECT on THURSDAY NIGHT at 7PM. It is a $10 increase and you are going to see that with lots of Wisconsin based events this year. It helps out the events to pre-register and we hope this a good incentive to get it done early so the event can run smoother.

Back to the event - 2 rounds of 18 holes. 9 of the baskets will resemble DGA Mach V's, Mach III's, or Chainstars and 9 of the baskets will be identical Disc King portables. Thank you to Disc King for making that happen. They will be offering incentives for you to provide feedback about their baskets.

One final incentive - we'll have full use of the lower club house which means bathrooms, food, and a BAR! They are also offering a lunch plate special which you can pay for right away with your registration.

Early registrations are currently posted to the PDGA site and found here: http://www.pdga.com/tournament-results?TournID=8769

Sign up today please!

See you on March 14th!

PS - CUSTOM STAMPED DISCS for all non-pro divisions!

[harr0140]

Terry, if it makes it easier to sell the lunch, they mostly have their food catered by Saz's. That might help people sign up but I do not know what they plan on providing. Normally the food they put out for the golf members (of which I am 1) on Thursday is ok, but sometimes it is wedding rejects, and we know this! So you might want to clarify what people are paying $5 for. A lot of times $5 isnt a bad deal, but other times, I wouldnt pay $1 for it!

As far as the bar is concerned, there is plenty of room for people, smoking is allowed, and the bartenders are very nice, I am friends with all of them. I asked the bar manager if she was working that day and she said she didnt know about it ( so it may just be Paula (one of the owners), but you might want to ask for Sara (Bar Manager) and/or Erin to work. They are great bartenders and fun to hang out with too.

If you need any input about the course I would be happy to provide some input, but i am sure you can see what you need to when you get out there. There are rivers everywhere on this course, but almost no woods in play. I am not sure if you can use any of the wooded area, but the most accessible wooded areas would be behind the driving range. Other than that I cant say there are any wooded areas that will really come into play. All there would be are large willows and other trees. The water is what makes this course great for golf, so it may be an integral part of making this a fun disc golf course too. I am concerned though that the course will be saturated by the time we get there next saturday. I would seriously recommend getting the rubber tee pads or there will be some tee area issues. I know the course well and early in the season it can be very rough. With 40 degree temps this week, the snow will mostly be gone, and the melting will be working its way into the soil, so the surface could be tough to deal with.

I wanted to give you what info I could, since I play about 50 rounds of golf there per year. I look forward to how you set up the course!

[harr0140]

How many people do you typically get for this size event? I know the GLDC fund raiser was smaller than you would expect for a pdga tiered event, but , being new, have no idea how many people make it to these events.

[discglfr]

Mike,

Thanks for the above information. I will be meeting with Greg again tomorrow to hammer out a few of the details. The food in question is probably going to be brats/burgers/dogs type of thing that are made up that day. They won't be rejects from something else. The more people that pre-pay for the food the better because then he'll have an idea as to how much to cook.

As for the land - that will get looked at tomorrow and we'll see about using the hills and the trees to our best ability. It won't be a Northwoods style course but we'll do the best we can without having to walk miles upon miles to play it. I would love to get back up to the clubhouse 2 or 3 times during the course if possible during play.

I will be looking for some help to transport the rubber mats from Dretzka over to this course. Any takers in the next week? We'll need to coordinate with Shark.

We might see as few as 40 for this event or it could easily sell out at 90 which is 18 holes x 5 people per hole. I think I'd be content with 54, really happy with 72, and blown away with a full 90. I guess we'll see. The registrations are off to the races already so it's great to see some excitement.

PS - We are going to severely limit the smoking just like at the Ice Bowl event. Many people hate getting 'smoked' out while in a bar or restaurant. So, although it might be allowed in some spots, the event may designate new 'non smoking' areas. For what that's worth!


How many people do you typically get for this size event? I know the GLDC fund raiser was smaller than you would expect for a pdga tiered event, but , being new, have no idea how many people make it to these events.

[harr0140]

I have a truck that I could certainly load and take some mats out to Western Lakes. What do they weigh about 50 pounds a piece? So I could take at least half of them in one load. How are you planning on getting them off of Dretzka though?
I will be busy this week getting my shop setup for the spring landscape season, but could take a couple hours out of my time to move some mats for the event. Let me know, Mark should have my # from singing up for the GLDC last week, but in case he doesnt 262 894 3404.My shop is about 5 minutes from Dretzka, so I can drive up there just about anytime Thursday. Friday might be tough as I will have an employee working with me, but I could easily do it after 4 PM on friday too. The weekend may also be a possibility, but I would like to get in a round of DG too, so it may revolve around that.

Let me know.

Mike

[thenamesben]

Just registered for the WLO, this is gonna be fun!

[zaschenbach1]

When is the GMO you said its the 24th or something like that but on the PDGA website it says the 16th. please comfirm the date please I want to play the GMO

[discglfr]

Zach,

Originally the plan was to the GMO on the 16/17 weekend. Now instead it doesn't look like the Am portion will be an A-Tier and it has been officially moved back to the following weekend which is May 23/24 and happens to be Memorial Day Weekend. Sorry for the confusion.

Ter


When is the GMO you said its the 24th or something like that but on the PDGA website it says the 16th. please comfirm the date please I want to play the GMO

[zaschenbach1]

thanks for the dates. see you there