Frequently Asked Questions

Go to the PDGA Course Directory and enter your zip code or the zip code near the places you plan to visit. The Directory will present you with a list of all courses in the directory in order from closest to farthest from that zip code.

First try to contact the person listed as the contact for that course if that information is available. If you’re certain a correction is needed, use the update procedure available for each course in the directory. If the coordinator doesn’t know you, he will usually try to confirm the correction with the course contact in the region.

The Course area on this website has many documents to help with approving, designing and installing a new course and is located here. Check the Disc Golf Course Designers group to see if any members are located in your area. They can help you through all steps of the process. If there’s no one on that list nearby, do a search of courses near your zip code and contact some of the people listed as contacts for those courses, especially courses in public parks. One of the first steps regardless whether you get additional help is to contact the Park Department that oversees parks in the community. Usually, there’s a master plan that has determined the future plans for park development. That will indicate which parks might be suitable for disc golf and whether the option will even be available. Depending where you live, it’s possible you’ll have different nearby parks managed by up to four different authorities such as city, county, state or federal. So you’ll potentially have to contact up to four different authorities to find out what options and properties may be available for a course.

The initial steps are the same as getting a course approved for a public park. The Course Development area on this website has many documents to help with approving, designing and installing a new course. Check the Disc Golf Course Designers group to see if any members are located in your area. They can help you through all steps of the process. If there’s no one on that list nearby, do a search of courses near your zip code and contact some of the people listed as contacts for those courses. The websites for target manufacturers can not only provide information on their target models, but they have helpful advice on course design and installation. Contact information is available here.

The chart that can help estimate acreage is available here. The very shortest beginner courses may need only half an acre per hole on average. The more wooded the property, the less space is needed because the woods can provide a safe buffer between fairways. Championship courses might need more than one acre per hole but again that can vary based on the amount of woods involved.

We’ll assume the land is available already, but that’s an additional major expense if it’s not. A barebones installation with light duty baskets, natural tees and simple wooden signs and do-it-yourself design (not recommended) can be installed for about $350 per hole. A full service community course with a heavy duty basket, dual cement tee pads, nice dual tee signs and two sleeves for basket placements on each hole could run up to $1000 per hole which includes a basic design fee on a property with little clearing to be done. The design fee could be $2000-$3000 higher if the course requires lots of fairway clearing thru woods and the designer is involved in supervising that process. An added cost might be if the clearing is done by outside hired professionals versus park staff and volunteers. Additional amenities that may be considered would be an information sign board at the start of the course and benches at several or all holes. A very nice course can be installed for $20,000 in most places where not much clearing is required.

Much depends on whether holes are mostly in the open or in the woods. Wooded holes have much higher upfront costs for clearing, depending on who does the work. However, maintenance can be minimal other than occasionally trimming some new growth limbs and possibly spreading wood chips on the fairways every few years. Open holes require some level of regular grass mowing but every 2-3 weeks may be fine. Hard surface tees may need to have dirt or gravel added in front of the tees every year or two to deal with wear. If natural tees are used, then it may be necessary to move them every few years and fill in the worn areas. Some park departments regularly dump wood chips around the baskets every year to reduce the natural wear that occurs from player traffic.

Yes. However, it’s imperative that a professional designer be involved for the design phase so the course is not only suitable for those who will play it but also as safe as possible. A contact list of designers who can help find someone to help if they themselves aren’t able to help directly is available here. Typically, Eagle scouts have been doing something to improve an existing course versus building a course. Some of these improvements might be building several sets of steps to reduce erosion in places with grades, creating and installing tee signs with nice graphics, or building benches for each hole.

Yes. They can be acceptable for the lowest tier competitions. Ideally, the PDGA would prefer that those who produce homemade baskets submit a sample and get them PDGA approved as long as the basket doesn’t violate any current patents. The submission process is here.

A full list of member benefits can be found here.

The entire membership process should take 3-4 weeks. This time frame includes processing your membership, assigning your PDGA number and shipping your membership package. We ship using Business First Class. This rate generally takes 3-10 days once shipped. Thank you for your patience.

If your membership package has not arrived within 4 weeks of being processed, please notify the Memberships Manager, Sara Nicholson: memberships@pdga.com or 706-261-6342. To expedite the process when emailing, please make sure to include your mailing address. Once your address is confirmed, we will place a reship/redo order.

Contact the PDGA office at coa@pdga.com or 706-261-6342.

Yes, if it is within the current calendar year. Just send an email listing the event(s), division and place of finish to tourmgr@pdga.com and we will add the event(s) to your stats. There may be a delay in seeing an event in your stats if the tournament report has not been submitted by the tournament director. A good way to check this is to see if the online results state "Unofficial" or "Official". If it states "Official", the tournament report is in our possession and the event can be added.

The PDGA is a non-profit organization run by a volunteer Board of Directors, and hundreds - if not thousands - of volunteer hours to create all the programs managed by still more volunteers and 5 paid staff. With these funds the PDGA:

• organizes and manages a 1,200+ competitive event schedule world wide supporting each event with hard copy and electronic information;

• manages a points and ratings system for 15,000+ members;

• produces a full color glossy publication for all members;

• supports an annual World Championships;

• provides awards for outstanding achievement by a player, TD, volunteer, touring players;

• produces a hard copy and electronic version of a Course Directory with 3,200+ entries;

• keeps track of demographics which we supply to journalists, PR promoters and other interested parties;

• funds the PDGA Innovation Grant Program, created to increase and promote the awareness of the sport of disc golf and the Professional Disc Golf Association;

• manages a fabulous website where members can check their own personal stats pages at www.pdga.com and access the PDGA DISCussion board - sure to inform and entertain;

• manages live, hole-by-hole, online coverage for Majors and National Tour Elite Series events;

• sends out hard copy and e-notices, membership info, ballots and other mass mailings;

• manages the rules of play including revisions and updates every 3 years or so, as well as annual reprinting;

• manages a Competition Manual, a companion to the rules of play;

• produces an Information Kit available to members and non-members alike. The kit contains stats, demographics, testimonials, brochures and is useful for anyone interested in installing a course in their area or promoting the sport in general;

• prints a glossy promo brochure "What Is Disc Golf?" available to anyone upon request;

• annually produces for sale a high quality video of the annual PDGA Pro World Championships;

• organizes and subsidizes an insurance policy available to Tournament Directors of PDGA sanctioned events;

• created and manages an officiating system which includes a written exam;

• sponsors a Marshals' Program;

• provides sponsorship to Major, National Tour Elite Series and SuperTour events in the form of a financial contribution, banners and flags, Marshals, event registration assistance;

• finances and hosts monthly teleconferences and 2 annual Board of Directors face to face Summits;

• offers a great "Welcome" package for new members;

• gratefully acknowledges 10 and 20 year PDGA members with a bag tag;

• continues to fund initiatives that work towards airing disc golf on TV;

• in April 2007 we opened the International Disc Golf Center here in Columbia County, Georgia, housing the offices of the PDGA, the Hall of Fame and Ed Headrick Museums surrounded by 3 Championship courses open to all;

• provides standardized rules governing the running of an event - i.e.: Payout;

• provides a method for preventing divisional sandbagging - i.e.: monitoring non/non-current members' player ratings to protect current members competing in a PDGA sanctioned event.

Birdie Club members receive a Birdie Club logo disc and Birdie Club Bag Tag. Ace Club members receive an Ace Club logo disc, Ace Club logo shirt and an Ace Club Bag Tag. Eagle Club members receive two personalized Eagle Club logo discs and an Eagle Club logo Columbia softshell jacket. This is a lifetime membership. All members of these clubs are listed on our website and in DiscGolfer Magazine, the PDGA's official publication. Thank you for your support.

Yes. Simply call our fulfillment house 888-840-7342 and they will be happy to make the upgrade for you.

Although some Tournament Directors offer to accept memberships at an event, it can sometimes lead to a lengthy process. The membership will arrive with the tournament report which may not be due until 30 days later, depending on the Tier status of the event. Your best bet, for future renewals, is to renew online www.pdgastore.com or over the phone 888-840-7342 for the quickest processing.

You will receive 4 issues of DiscGolfer. If you renew/join after issues have been released, the back issues will be included in your welcome/renewal package. If they are not included please contact the memberships manager, Sara Nicholson at memberships@pdga.com.

Currently we do not offer prorated memberships. If you feel you are going to compete in several PDGA sanctioned events before October 1st, then it will be worth it to go ahead and join. Members receive discounted entry fees to PDGA sanctioned events. However, if you will not be competing much before then, join after October 1st and your membership will be extended through the following year.

Yes to both. We track all sanctioned PDGA event results for all members in our database. If, after renewing, you do not see an event added to your stats, please contact our Tour Manager, Andrew Sweeton, asweeton@pdga.com.

ABSOLUTELY! Don't let the name fool you. 75% of our members are Amateurs.

Yes you may. Simply renew using the Affiliate Club Membership form/link and add the family member option.

On the top menu bar you will see "Membership". There will be a drop down box; click on "Member Search". The lists will be on the far right-hand side of that page.

QUICK LINKS:
Ace: http://www.pdga.com/acemembers
Birdie: http://www.pdga.com/birdiemembers
Eagle: http://www.pdga.com/eaglemembers

You will register as a RENEWAL using your PDGA #. If you were to register as a NEW member, all the events you have played in thus far as a Supporting member will not be included in your stats. All NEW members are assigned a PDGA # automatically. This would cause you to have two numbers floating around... not a good thing. Help us spread the word.

Call the office. It may not have reached us. Also, the PDGA office staff is small. Only one person in each department so our inboxes stay full. We thank you for your patience as we do answer all emails. If your matter is time sensitive please don't hesitate to call us instead. We are here for you!

PDGA: 706-261-6342 (Mon-Sat 9:00AM - 5:00PM ET) or 888-840-7342 (After hours)

A Supporting member is a non-active PDGA member who receives a PDGA # to use when competing in sanctioned events. You are "supporting" the PDGA and its efforts to attract corporate sponsors. Tracking and providing a more realistic number of those competing will move us closer to our goal. Sponsors/Media are looking for that big number and we know we can provide them with this and spark their interest. In addition, by using your PDGA number in events the PDGA will be happy to track your points and stats as a competitor. When you do decide to become an active member, this collected information will be visible to you online. Until active, you will be required to continue paying the $10 non-active member fee at sanctioned PDGA events.

November 1st - All documents should be available by this date or the following business day, if it falls on a weekend. The online system will be ready at this time as well. Thank you in advance for renewing!

Please contact the PDGA office with your request for reclassification at tourmgr@pdga.com. Pro players can reclassify as amateurs provided they meet the following criteria:

1) The player has not accepted cash while competing in a Professional division within the past calendar year

2) The player has not previously been reclassified as an Amateur within the past five years.

3) The player's rating is...

1. less than 970 for males who are Open age players (less than 40 during calendar year)
2. less than 935 for males who are Master eligible players (40+ during calendar year)
3. less than 900 for males who are Grandmaster eligible players (50+ during calendar year)
4. less than 850 for males who are Senior Grandmaster eligible players (60+ during calendar year)
5. less than 800 for males who are Legend eligible players (70+ during calendar year)
6. less than 900 for females who are Open age players (less than 40 during calendar year)
7. less than 850 for females who are Master eligible players (40+ during calendar year)
8. less than 800 for females who are Grandmaster eligible players (50+ during calendar year)
9. less than 750 for females who are Senior Grandmaster eligible players (60+ during calendar year)

Players who do not meet this criteria may still request reclassification but are expected to provide detailed reasons along with any supporting documentation. For example, a player requesting reclassification due to injury will need to provide a letter from an appropriate medical professional.

Yes and No. You may compete in amateur divisions at A, B, and C Tier events if your player rating falls within the guidelines: http://www.pdga.com/documents/divisions-ratings-points-factors However, you are now classified as a Professional with the PDGA and are ineligible to compete in Amateur Majors such as the US Amateur Disc Golf Championship and Am Worlds.

*Please keep in mind that you may accept prizes in lieu of cash in a Professional division and remain an Amateur.

Under the top menu bar you will see "PDGA Tour". There will be a drop down menu; click on "Tournament Directors". The forms will be listed in the column on the right-hand side of the page listed as "Documents and Resources". QUICK LINK: http://www.pdga.com/tdinfo/resources

On the top menu bar click on "PDGA Tour". There will be a drop-down option stating "Tournament Directors"; click on this and look on the far right-hand column to find "TD Payment".

QUICK LINK:
http://www.pdga.com/tdpayment

Follow this link: www.pdga.com/rules/becoming-a-pdga-official

This document will help explain the different levels:
http://www.pdga.com/files/documents/EventsGuide.pdf
If you have further questions, please contact our tour manager, Dave Gentry. dgentry@pdga.com

Yes. It can be found here: http://www.pdga.com/rules/3-4-dress-code

Your PDGA Player Rating (PR) is a number that shows how close your average round scores are compared to the course rating, called the Scratch Scoring Averages (SSA), of the courses you’ve played in competition. Players who average the SSA on courses played will have a rating of 1000 and are considered “scratch players”. A player who averages scores lower than SSAs on course they’ve played will have a rating over 1000. Most competition players shoot scores higher than SSA so their ratings range somewhere from 700-999.

Dealing with ‘sandbagging’ – players entering a division below their skill level – used to be a challenge. Since 2002, PDGA Player Ratings have been used to group amateur players in competition divisions that prevent players from entering divisions below their rating. In addition, ratings provide one way to rank the world's top players on the PDGA Tour. Course ratings pave the way for statistical comparisons of courses around the world with the potential to help improve their designs and levels of challenge. Course SSA ratings provide a benchmark for players to compare their scores on different courses. Ratings also allow players to handicap their play against anyone all over the world. And based on member surveys, ratings are very popular and fun to watch, not only yours but everyone else’s, too.

Players who enter a PDGA event in a division tracked by the PDGA will automatically get their results entered into the ratings system. However, only ratings of current PDGA members will be published. Starting in 2009, players can earn a separate Super Class rating if they play in those events. See the Super Class FAQ for more information.

Your first rating can be calculated after just one valid round of tournament play. It will be posted on the PDGA website the next time the ratings are updated.

Your current rating can be found by looking up your name under the Membership menu. In addition, you can see unofficial round ratings in events you’ve entered, that haven’t been rated officially, if your TD has posted results of your event online at the PDGA site. If you don’t regularly have access to the Internet, all Tournament Directors receive the current PDGA member list with individual player ratings included so you could also ask a TD.

If you don’t see any scores during or just after the event, it’s because the TD has not posted the scores. If you see the scores but don’t see any ratings, it means the TD has sent the tournament report to PDGA HQ and the official scores are now posted. Once official scores are posted, any unofficial ratings disappear until the next official ratings are processed.

Ratings are now updated at least 8 times per year. Additional minor updates may be added when special corrections or adjustments are needed. For 2011, ratings are scheduled to be updated on March 29th, May 17th, June 21st, July 19th, August 30th, September 13th, October 25th, and November 22nd with the 2011 yearend update on January 24th, 2012.

Your rating only changes when you have new rounds that have been reported and rated since your last ratings update. If you don’t play, your rating continues to stay frozen at the same number.

If you have pre-registered, the TD may allow you to remain in that division as long as the event is within two weeks of the ratings posting date. If you did not pre-register before the new ratings were posted, then you are expected to play in the division where your new rating now resides.

Either an event you played quite a while ago just got reported for this update or it’s possible an event you entered needed to be corrected once an error was found in the previous calculations.

Our website allows TDs to upload results and have unofficial ratings calculated. These unofficial results and ratings are not connected to the official results processed by PDGA HQ. When the PDGA receives the tournament report, the scores and member names are checked then added to the PDGA database for display on the web. Since official ratings have not yet been processed, there are no official or unofficial ratings remaining online. Once the official ratings get calculated and are added to the PDGA database, they automatically get displayed with the official scores which have been there for a while.

The scores thrown by propagators each round are used to calculate the SSA rating for a specific course layout. A propagator is a current member whose rating is over 799 and is based on at least 8 rounds. As long as there are 5 propagators playing a course layout, ratings can be calculated. The average rating of all propagators will equal the average rating they get for the round – always. If the same course layout is used more than one round, the scores from multiple rounds will be used to determine an overall SSA, as long as the individual round SSAs come out close to each other, so everyone gets the same rating for the same score on the same course. If the SSAs are significantly different, likely due to varying wind conditions, the round ratings will be calculated separately. If a propagator shoots more than 60 points below their rating, their score will not be used in the SSA calculations.

All rated rounds you have played and have been reported to the PDGA within 12 months of your most recently rated round will be included in the calculation. However, if any one of those ratings is either more than 100 points below your average rating or more than 2.5 standard deviations below your rating – whichever number is smaller – that round will not be included. That works out to about 1 in 50 rounds getting dropped. Rounds where you DNF (Do Not Finish) are never counted in your rating. The most recent 25% of your rounds get double weighted which slightly boosts your rating if you have been steadily improving. If a player has fewer than 8 rounds in the past 12 months, since their most recent round, then we’ll go back up to another 12 months until we find up to 8 rounds but never go back any farther than a total of 24 months.

Every throw equals about 10 rating points on a typical 18-hole course with an SSA near 50. If your scores average 10 throws over SSA, your rating will be 100 points lower than 1000 which would be 900. So a player with rating of 950, who is about 5 throws better than a player with a 900 rating, should probably spot the 900 rated player about 4 to 5 throws if they are trying to level the playing field for the round.

All amateurs with the exception of aged based divisions, like Juniors or Masters and older, compete in divisions based on rating levels. You may not play in a lower division if your rating is above a certain number. The chart for 2009 is located at www.pdga.com/documents/divisions-ratings-points-factors. In addition, there are ratings events where everyone – Ams and Pros – play in a division based on their rating. Players are always allowed to enter divisions even higher than their current rating, just never below.

Hosting a PDGA event is the official way to get an SSA rating for your course. Your course gets an SSA rating when at least 5 current PDGA members with official ratings over 799 play it in PDGA competition. The rough SSA calculation for an 18-hole course with average foliage density is to take the total course length in feet, divide it by 285, then add 30. This will get within a few shots of the SSA and even closer if you adjust upward or downward for more or less than average foliage on the course.

The SSA is generated from player scores, so it will just end up a little higher in poor weather conditions. Player ratings can still be calculated properly regardless of the weather.

There’s no way to determine what an official SSA value would be for a course simply by taking measurements, looking at foliage, fairway widths and accounting for hazards. Not only that, it’s common for TDs to add temp holes, change tee or pin positions, or use new courses such that no SSA would be on file for that layout anyway. Using the scores of players with established ratings to produce an SSA has proven to be an accurate way to indicate how the course played that round. The only weakness of this system is that we require only 5 propagators to generate an SSA. Statisticians would prefer we use at least 30 propagators minimum for better accuracy. However, the PDGA has chosen 5 so that more players would get ratings. Some smaller divisions who play shorter layouts may not have very many propagators on a layout that round and would not get ratings in several events. The slightly higher inaccuracies produced with this system for individual rounds tend to even out over time. Plus, no round rating remains in an active player’s rating more than 12 months before it disappears.

Tech questions may be directed to Roger Smith or Chuck Kennedy by sending us a message from the Contact area of the PDGA website. Other ratings documents are also posted on the PDGA website: www.pdga.com/ratings

Super Class events require all players to use only Super Class discs which are in a new subcategory of current golf discs. Super Class discs are the largest diameter, tallest height and bluntest edge golf discs available in weights up to 200 grams. Other than being restricted to Super Class discs, these events are run just like regular events and all tiers are available for sanctioning.

Take a look at the PDGA approved disc list located in the Tech Standards area here: www.pdga.com/tech-standards Discs that meet Super Class guidelines are now identified with an S near the end of their specification row. In the future, manufacturers can use the Super Class logo and type font shown above in their hot stamps or molded letters to identify them. Retailers already carry some of these discs and have started identifying them as Super Class to help customers.

The primary reason for introducing the new Super Class category is to bring back a true golf challenge to hundreds of disc golf courses that have been bypassed by new disc technology and reduced to easy par 3 courses. Super Class is simply a better way to match the type of discs used to the length of a course. With 18-hole courses ranging from 3500 to over 10,000 feet, it’s unreasonable to expect one category of discs to be best suited to provide a challenge over this whole range. Easy par 3 courses can instantly be turned into courses with par 4 and even par 5 holes when even the best players use Super Class discs. In addition, Super Class discs can instantly be thrown by beginners due to their similarity to catch discs, thus making it easier to introduce new players to disc golf. Since ultimate discs are part of the Super Class category, it’s hoped that ultimate players will consider trying Super Class competition even if it’s only for cross-training their disc throwing skills.

Courses under 6000 feet for 18 holes seem to be the most fun. Longer courses may be OK to try if a good number of top level players are involved. Any courses with Red or White tees based on PDGA guidelines www.pdga.com/course-development should be fine. Courses with blue or gold tees can be used but it’s important to have at least 4-6 holes less than 225 feet to not only keep it fun but have some legit par 3 holes with ace runs. So take a look at the 6 shortest holes from the blue or gold tees and either create or use a shorter Red or White tee on those that are more than 225. In general, heavily wooded courses are ideal for Super Class discs because they are easier to control for all levels of players, especially beginners.

Players who enter Super Class events will receive a separate Super Class rating for each round they complete. For 2009, Super Class ratings will be maintained separate from a player’s PDGA stats page. Super Class ratings will be updated at the same time as regular ratings. Players will get to see unofficial Super Class ratings for those events in the Tour Schedule area just like regular events as long as TDs upload results. Your regular PDGA Player Rating will not be affected by your play in Super Class events. However, until enough players get established Super Class ratings, your PDGA Player Rating will be used to generate Super Class course and player ratings. The course SSA (Scratch Scoring Average) will be higher when played with Super Class discs.

Points earned in Super Class events count toward your overall Am or Pro total. Cash winnings for pros in Super Class events will be added toward their overall total.

Yes. All rules apply in Super Class regarding Am and Pro status along with the same ratings breaks used to determine Am divisions in Super Class. Pros with ratings under 970 may enter Advanced in Super Class should they wish and Ams may enter Open in Super Class and accept merch instead of cash to retain Am status if they wish.

Here are several situations where running Super Class may be a good option:
1. A course is 9 or 12 holes and is typically not used for tournaments
2. An 18-hole or more course is too short to challenge players, especially those with higher ratings
3. In winter or for night golf, Super Class discs don’t travel as far and in general are easier to find in the snow or in the dark.
4. You want to expand the base of players in the area by attracting those who play ultimate
5. You want to encourage more locals and/or beginners to see what PDGA competition is all about since the Super Class $25 sanctioning fee is lower and there’s no $10 non-member fee.
6. Regular tournaments have gotten so big that players are being turned away. Super Class events can be run at the same time to handle the overflow and use shorter courses normally not used.

The PDGA's Discussion Board is a member benefit. You must be a member to post.

Once you become a current member of the PDGA, you may post on the discussion board. To monitor who is a member, we use a verification code in order to open an account to post. Once you type in your verification code, which is printed on your membership card, you will be transferred to a page with instructions on opening an account. At this point, you will then decide a user name and password. PLEASE NOTE: The verification code is only needed once in order to first open an account.

Tournament Directors of PDGA Sanctioned events are required to be a Certified Official. Starting in 2011 passing the Official's Exam is now required for all amateurs and professional competitors playing in a National Tour Elite Series or PDGA Major event.

The Board approved the elimination of the PDGA Rules Proficiency Exam and replaced it with the PDGA Certified Officials Exam. Once you pass the exam you will be considered a PDGA Certified Official.

In 2011 all Certified Officials will be required to re-test. After passing the exam your certification will be good for three years.

There is a US$10 fee for all persons required to take the PDGA Certified Officials Exam.

The PDGA Certified Officials Exam certification is good for three years, unless otherwise noted by the PDGA Board due to a major rules revision.

The PDGA Certified Officials Exam will be an on-line examination, and will be available at pdga.com in early January 2011. It will be initially offered in English, and will become available in other languages as our international partners complete the translation of the exam.

You may take the exam an unlimited number of times until an acceptable score of 80% is achieved.

The test is not timed, and is open book. The subject matter will cover both the 2011 PDGA Official Rules of Play and the 2011 PDGA Competition Manual.

Please check that the confirmation email is not in your spam folder. If this is not the case please contact the PDGA Store at 888-840-7342.

The Certified Official's Exam can be found at www.pdgastore.com/Qstore/Qstore.cgi?CMD=009&DEPT=1293690362.

This was offered during the 2011 tour to allow TDs to recertify due to the change.  In 2012 you will need to pay the $10 fee.

Once the Touring Pros for a given year are calculated they are sent an email with information on how to take the Official's Exam free of charge. If you didn't receive this email please contact the PDGA Office at office@pdga.com or (706) 261-6342.