I wanted to start a thread regarding why we all think more women aren't playing, and ideas to get more women out. Hopefully all PDGA members will read this, and we can do something to increase our numbers.

If I reply to myself, am I talking to myself? Lol. This has been my experience thus far. When I started playing(monthlies around here) most of the time I was the only girl there. Being very stubborn, I never stopped showing up, however it would get frustrating when it seemed like nobody cared whether I was there or not. In the beginning I was playing some very hard holes for me(no alternate tees) and it could get very frustrating. As I got better, I decided to join the PDGA, and start playing some tournaments. My first tournament I played Int. women(there wasn't an advanced women offered anyways) I shot a 764 rated round and a 858, and won the division. When the td posted the results, he wrote regarding divisions "while int. women is the only division offered to women, they are more than welcome to play any division for which they are age appropriate" After getting a few rounds in I now realize that Adv. women is where I should be playing, but there are few tournaments you can play, and there is a good turnout. Rec. men would be the best division rating wise for me, but most tournaments don't have this that I have played. I have been playing Int. men in the last two, but I got beat pretty soundly at the last one. Now, I don't plan on quitting anytime soon, but I would venture a guess that this is quite similiar to what other girls are experiencing, and that we lose alot of them at this point. I have been trying to get other girls out, and had some success at this, but how do we retain them if they have to go through this???? Obviously alot of them are not even at my level, and if I am dfl in Int. how much fun will it be for them? Even if we had Adv. women and I played that, I'd still be beating them, and that doesn't seem like fun for them either.

Part of the problem is TDs not trying very hard to host the Rec division in some parts of the country. Not only does it hurt your situation but hurts the sport in general when new players get beat up their first event because they're forced to play Intermediate.

Come on down to Texas, We'll find you some competition.

We usually have a few women and a large men's rec field.

As for useful suggestions I have none, but didn't want you to spend all of your time talking to yourself. People might start to wonder.

I thought that I read that the TWC was in Round Rock this year. Will it be there next year? If it is I can probably make it, because my husband lived there for ten years growing up, and it won't be hard to talk him into it.

The TWC will be on the same course next year. The dates will change so it won't be up against Bowling Green next year. Keep us informed, we'll save a spot for you.

My wife plays with me but she just cannot throw very far. I mean with a golf disc she maxes out at 50 feet - as ridiculous as that sounds. But I got her an Aerobie and she can throw that a long way. So she plays with it and I use golf discs and we both have a great time.

Will

Just trying to figure out why I cannot see the post I made last nite.

That is the trouble for me as well- no competition to play against- plus my Husband plays and we have to take turns playing because of daycare issues (we don't know anyone here to babysit- especailly for a weekend event.) If there is no one for me to compete against, then it only makes sense to let my hubby play.
We've tried to get a womans night started here, but no one is showing up. Very discouraging. But at the same time, good for the few of us who do show up because the pro (Barb Paske) is giving us great lessons!
I will be at TWC next year!!! It was a great tournament!

Hey Friends,

I think most of you know me. Cheryl Eldridge . I have started an Association called 'Women's Disc Golf Association'. The web site is www.womensdiscgolfassociation.com. (http://www.womensdiscgolfassociation.com.) Pleeeeeease help me promote it by: Going to the page--by clicking the link below, and looking around; Joining the message boards (2) there; Telling your friends about it; Posting the 'link' to your websites; Sending me information about tournaments you want announced ([email protected]), Sending me photos related to disc golfers (preferably women disc golfers); And visiting often. This is 'OUR' site. Feel free to make any suggestions for improvement. I am going to sponsor it for the first year by myself to see if it takes off. I am hoping it will of course. I am happy to do it in efforts to promote Women in disc golf. Please stand by our division and support this new association for disc golfing females. Visit often and join the message boards.

www.womensdiscgolfassociation.com (http://www.womensdiscgolfassociation.com)

Your Friend,
Cheryl Eldridge
p.d.g.a. #16067
[email protected] <send info here>
_________________
Fan of Disc Golf. Member of A.D.G.O. Proud Georgian!

edited for personal issues, you wouldn't get it

My discs are officiallly retired now. I want nothing more to do with disc golf.

To get more women to play, you have to introduce them to the sport in the first place.

Everyone in the world is different and not everyone agrees with everyone else, women included. Not everyone gets along but there is room for everyone in the sport, and thats what it is about.

Talking bad about other people for your own personal reasons does nothing to promote disc golf to women DaNorm/ Natalie Black. If you dont like me thats fine, I have no issues with it. I dont promote disc golf to women to make friends, I do it so other girls can enjoy a wonderful sport and positive atmosphere. I hope you are mature enough to understand everyone is different, and just because we may not agree on anything doesnt mean you should publicly say anything negative about me ESPECIALLY on a womens thread.

I hope you continue to play, dont let the silly drama of the Discussion board stop you from enjoying disc golf.

To get more women to play, you have to introduce them to the sport in the first place.



Well said Nelle.

The old saying, its not what you say its the way you say it applies here. But its more like, its not that you introduce them but how you do it (and where).

If you really want to get the girls to see the sport show them other girls playing and not your local redneck idiots.

I have never met a girl that has played a tournament for the first time that didn't enjoy the experience of playing with a group of other girls at the time.

Have fun :D

Chris

Definately well said. I happened to see the post before it was deleted. I didn't know who DaNorm was but it was obvious from the post that getting women involved in discgolf was not at all what the post was about and was instead a personal vendetta. If I am wrong, and it wasn't, and getting more women involved is your goal, I suggest you take some lessons from Nelle and be choosier about the people you associate with. I was looking forward to responding to that post before it was deleted, but I figured no one saw it. Don't feel bad Nelle, she's been on other boards posting crap about me too. I just figured most people know enough to look at the source it's coming from and be able to judge for themselves whether it's worth listening too. I am fairly certain I know the answer to that.

Let me start off by first saying that I am not Natalie Black but I am posting from an account that she has used.

Nelle, your comment about there being room for everyone in this sport is true but not practiced by this message board or yourself. Heres an example,� why are all links to other discgolf entities not allowed on the PDGA board? Why on Earth would call someone out after they removed a post for personal reasons? I think the answer to the question of why women are not playing DG is sparked here. Could it be Drama? K Could it be the fact that you like to participate in it? Could it be the fact that you can�t let something just die? Mmmmm, I think we all need to take a look in the mirror before we start talking about others. FYI, I do like your exit to the post. That is the only positive thing I can see from it.

Chris, although you�re a great guy, I don�t think you know what was posted or why it was removed.

Jeannie, I would never allow Natalie to take any kind of personal lessons from Daniel Vargus AKA, Nasty Nelle for any reason. Trust me on this one. Also, dishing out more drama is not the solution to get more women involved in this sport. Please go back and read the paragraphs about being extra nice while registering for your account. I believe Natalie made the right decision about her retraction and I support the way she did the right thing. I do not support the ulterior motives that a few select women of discgolf are portraying here before our eyes.

NOW, can we get back to the program please and stop pointing fingers?

I thought I made peace with you Mike Crump.

I dont like drama, I dont welcome it either. My name was brought up by Natalie in a public post, in a negative way. So I think the drama stems from your side. You cant let it die, because I did when you and I agreed to disagree.

Thats funny, I Aakmehd Znahbue :Ddo not see the post where your name was brought up so here we are again. What exactly did your post have to do about why women dont play discgolf? Was calling someone out by there name any better? Tell you what. You remove your post and I'll remove mine. Deal?

Jeannie, I would never allow Natalie to take any kind of personal lessons from Daniel Vargus AKA, Nasty Nelle for any reason. Trust me on this one. <font color="red"> I might if I knew who I were talking to </font> Also, dishing out more drama is not the solution to get more women involved in this sport. <font color="red">Are you serious? I read your post! </font> Please go back and read the paragraphs about being extra nice while registering for your account. <font color="red"> I don't know what you are talking about. Enlighten me </font> I believe Natalie made the right decision about her retraction and I support the way she did the right thing. <font color="red">Again, I don't know what you are talking about </font> I do not support the ulterior motives that a few select women of discgolf are portraying here before our eyes.

<font color="red"> I am responding to the post that you made. It had absolutely nothing to do with women playing disc golf. </font>

I have nothing to hide so I dont need to delete anything. My name was brought up by your ever faithful Natalie. Why not call her out by her name? Is she hiding something? I am not playing games with you, or your girl. So leave me out of your drama.

To get more women to play, you have to introduce them to the sport in the first place.



Well said Nelle.

The old saying, its not what you say its the way you say it applies here. But its more like, its not that you introduce them but how you do it (and where).

If you really want to get the girls to see the sport show them other girls playing and not your local redneck idiots.

I have never met a girl that has played a tournament for the first time that didn't enjoy the experience of playing with a group of other girls at the time.

Have fun :D

Chris



from my impression the texas dg community is very receptive to female discgolfers!!! Most Td's strongly encourage female participation and often offer special incentives to entice women to play!!

I don't know any of them, and that is my impression as well. You have to wonder if this individual is having so many issues, that maybe they need to look within themself and figure it out.

Sorry, I dont get caught up in the drama like you girls. Yall have fun. I believe the topic is listed on the top of the thread for those who need direction. Have a wonderfull day!

Pul eeze! I would come over to *** or what ever it is for some drama, but I have to register. LMAO Imagine that. The person who spoke the loudest and just WOULD NOT shut the F up about annon posters and how they have rights, not letting Annon posters onto the site. Amazing!!! Absolutely amazing!!!!

My discs are officiallly retired now. I want nothing more to do with disc golf.



Listen to yourself. Probably the smartest thing I have heard you say.

come to the TWC in TEXAS where everything is BIGGER :D

Everything?? :D

hehe!! ;)

Everything??



YEP YEP :p

Hmmmm.... Note to self.... Texas, the place to be

just do it!!!

After reading all your posts, I want to move to Texas. (SHH, don't tell my hubby) What do you do to get so many women out? There are 8 pro women, and 38 am women with ratings in Tx. That's almost 9% of all women. If every state had that many, we'd have 2300 women, which would more than quadruple what we have now. Tell me what you're doing.

positive encouragement!!!! In last years TWC (the inaugural year) we had ,i believe, 52 women who participated!!! One of the really kewl aspects of the tournament was every card had at least one escort (male). The escorts acted as spotters , score keepers , or what ever else the card may have needed!! ;) :D

We have TD's like Vinnie Miller and Chris Himing who truely care what the ladies want. Vinnie took a big risk by having that tournie and the ladies showed their support. Chris Himing has more women at his tournies than I have ever seen, in a mixed enviroment. He gives us special treatment and it keeps us coming back. Every woman got a bouquet of flowers at the TX 10 Final last year. Not only do the women want to play, the guys want us to play as well.

Yeah, I even did the babysitter thing so DeLynn could participate in the TWC. She had a great time, which translated into a GREAT time for me!

Texas supports Women's Disc Golf!

That was a great tournament! Even if I didn't win came in 7th place I was still a winner by buying raffle tickets I won a PDGA Pro Tour bag then by buying a TWC fund raiser Valk with that awesome stamp, my name was entered in a Innova contest and I won a basket too!! It was delivered a few weeks after the tourney. Thanks again Vinnie!

But that tourney is not the only one that has great TD's supporting women. One series comes to mind TX10's the final is coming up and trust me women Chris Himing has so many surprises for all the women playing. Come down to LIIVVE OAAAK!! and see for yourself how much support we get from our TX TD's!

THANKS GUYS!! :cool:

After reading all your posts, I want to move to Texas.....There are 8 pro women, and 38 am women with ratings in Tx.


Kali has 10 Pros, and 44 Ams in a much smaller area! ;)

So things are smaller in Cali? hahahahahahaha you walked right into that one. hahhahahaha :D

So things are smaller in Cali? hahahahahahaha you walked right into that one. hahhahahaha :D



Everything's bigger in TX. :o

I did notice that California had alot of women. No other states even come close though. Maybe you guys should do a women's only tournament in Cali, I think I'd go to that for sure.

My experience with this subject is that it is hard playing disc golf with kids in tow. I usually have them play with me, but whenever we get close to the playground, the boys don't feel like playing disc golf anymore. This is OK, but it gets kinda old. If I play disc golf with my husband...he leave me in the dust and he gets frustrated with me and my score. Maybe in a few years when the kids are old enough to leave alone, then I may be more visible on the disc golf course. All I do right now is practice my putting at home.

Actually, I serve as the map-reader, driver, hotel-finder, food-finder, kid-minder, kid-entertainer, and husband-disc golf supporter at this time of my life. Not complaining, it beats housework and laundry, plus we get to travel together as a family. So it's a nice break for me from the same-old weekend stuff. Soon enough, I do plan on entering tournaments along with my husband and maybe kids.

California and Texas have large populations is all. If every state were as big as Texas this country would have a billion population instead of 295 million. If every state were as big as California we'd have 1.8 billion. Then the courses would be too crowded. Your bath tub would be too crowded! :D

I had one of my bored moments and decided to calculate the # of women PDGA members per state per capita women. That is, out of all the women in a particular state, how many are PDGA members? I used 2004 US census #s to get these values. I then ranked the states.

Number of women PDGA members per 1,000,000 women:
1. Delaware 12.1
2. Iowa 11.0
3. Oregon 9.6
4. Colorado 8.5
5. Wisconsin 7.4
6. Kentucky 7.3
7. Nebraska 7.0
8. Michigan 6.9
9. Oklahoma 6.4
10. Kansas 6.0
11. Washington 4.9
12. North Carolina 4.2
13. Texas 4.1
14. Minnesota 4.0
15. California 3.6
16. North Dakota 3.3
17. Alabama 3.1
18. Indiana 2.9
19. South Carolina 2.9
20. Florida 2.9

If Delaware had the population of California, it would have 214 women PDGA members. Now that's a lot of people in your bathtub!

Where is Maryland?
We are a small State and we have at least 5 female PDGA members.

21. Arizona 2.8
22. Virginia 2.7
23. Nevada 2.6
24. Illinois 2.5
25. Montana 2.2
26. West Virginia 2.2
27. New Mexico 2.1
28. Maryland 2.1
29. Tennessee 2.0
30. Ohio 1.9
31. Rhode Island 1.9
32. Utah 1.7
33. Maine 1.5
34. Idaho 1.5
35. Pennsylvania 1.5
36. New Jersey 1.1
37. Montana 1.0
38. New York 1.0
39. Arizona 0.7
40. Massachusetts 0.6
41. Connecticut 0.6
42. Louisiana 0.4

Forgot to mention...these are numbers just for rated women!

I have noticed that there are so few wives/girlfriends/sisters playing alongside the guys or even present during tournaments. I'm sure many of the guys have significant others. Even the TDs (that I have seen during tournaments) go solo, without a female counterpart. I wonder if women have run tournaments in Texas?

Yes women have ran tournies in Texas. I know Andi Lehman is a huge mover and shaker in the Houston area. I am sure she has done a tournie or two. I ran the Discraft Ace Race in 2004, not a big tournie but it was one. There are many women that take part in running leagues, or organizing clubs in Texas. We are lucky. I am sure I am forgetting some women who have done more for Texas.

I have noticed that there are so few wives/girlfriends/sisters playing alongside the guys or even present during tournaments. I'm sure many of the guys have significant others. Even the TDs (that I have seen during tournaments) go solo, without a female counterpart. I wonder if women have run tournaments in Texas?



I try and get Mizz Pimp to come to as many events as possible. She even came to the NT in Warwick with me and caddied for me and did the same yesterday. She is also learning and very excited about next summer and really looking forward to play her first tournament (shes just not very confident to play around anyone but me right now). But watch out ladies. If it all goes as planned youll have another Woman in the ranks next year :D

Well that's cool that women are doing this. I am (obviously) new to the disc golf world. However, I still see very little numbers of female companions at tournaments or on the course. Maybe the guys don't want us around! Back at home, I am talking to other women about disc golf. I am about THE ONLY female at our course. I just started playing about 6 months' ago, so I'll do what I can to promote the sport.

Almost all of us started as the only woman on the course. It takes courage to keep coming out there. Your doing great and I am glad to see you are getting involved. Word of mouth and patience is a great place to start.

I know there is no way of knowing, but I would be curious to see what the percentage of women that do play is that have a significant other that plays as well. I am sure it must be high. It's not easy for women to continue to play when they don't have a boyfriend/hubby that plays as well.
I know for me it's tough because even though I know the guys don't mind playing with me when I am there, the only time I ever get to play with anyone is when I either run into them or see them at doubles or tourneys. When you have a group of guys that hang out and want to play a round for fun, it's never on their mind to say, hey let's call the girl to see if she wants to play today too, which is totally understandable. And then when I do run into people, I kinda feel like a tag-a-long.
I've been playing for almost 2 years now and I am starting to loose interest. There is no competition, and I rarely play with someone that is on the same level as me even when I do get to play with women. The tournament scene is starting to get old because of it, and with the lack of friends to play casually with I am am starting to loose interest. It would be different if there were more women, but for now there just isn�t so�.

COME ON JEANNIE, STAY STRONG!!!!

Start a ladies league or something. Dont lose hope, there is room for us here. Stay strong for the ladies who are behind us just learning the sport. I know it gets old, but remember the love you had for it in the beginning? Remember how excited you were to find such a cool sport?

Stay strong girl, you can do it!!! :D

Don't give up!!! For a good year, I was the only girl showing up, the one time I got to play with another girl, I beat her by many, many strokes, and it wasn't much fun. But, I kept coming out, and things are definitely changing here. I think everyone now knows that I will always be here, so it makes it easier to talk their girlfriends into coming out. I've run into 5 or 6 girls this year, and we are finally getting together to play. Start playing rec men. It's encouraging to beat a few guys /msgboard/images/graemlins/smirk.gif, and it'll help get your game there. I played in a tourney recently in Int. men, and I was quite surprised because my drives were consistently right there with the guys. It's more fun if you can play with women at your level, but playing against the guys will definitely keep your game going until you can play against us.

WOW, Nebraska is #7! It must be that we have a small population and a handfull of PDGA members. Statistics, you got to love them. Things aren't a bleak as I thought they were.... :)

It does seem that all of the women I know have a husband/boyfriend who also play. I can't come up with any women who play "solo". I am encouraged that most of the women around here are pretty active in several aspect of disc golf. I run the Cornhusker State Games event and have been assistant TD of our local B-tier in June. I know I can do more than I have. I really want to get a ladies night going with all of the local college women who I see out there throwing. :D

Jeannie, you can't quit after only 2 years. I was the only woman playing around here for at least 5 years! :DDon't be afraid to enter the men's rec or intermediate division. It does help to focus your play because your shots really do count. It's easy to loose focus and become discouraged when you are in the division of 1. I usually play men's am masters these days. I can hang with the old coots.

Thanks for the encouragement gals.
Well I am certainly not going to stop playing. I am just loosing interest in tournaments. The drive to get out there and play every possible one there is within 3 or 4 states of me just isn�t there anymore, as it used to be. I think if there were more competition it might be, but there�s not.
I really just posted that because I think it is one of the reasons women don't stick with it. I don't want it to sound like a gripe session or anything, it's just the way it is. I know I should try to sound all happy and positive, but I am the kind of person that just says what�s on my mind, and this happens to be it at the moment. The whole tournament thing just isn't working out for me, as much as I love it. I have 3 kids and making the arrangements is just too much to deal with sometimes and I find myself asking what I am doing this for. I expend so much energy trying to pull off going to these events and it is just beginning to wear on me after 2 years. I don't like driving by myself and trying to get other players to commit to plans is like pulling teeth. Everyone has their own lives and most of the people I know don't have kids and just don�t need to plan ahead like I do, so it makes it hard for me. It is also not easy to find guys (since there are no girls) whose wives or girlfriends are going to be appreciative of them going places with another woman and understandably so.
So I think I just need to give up on the tourney thing, or at the very least slow down drastically. Doing that leaves me with playing casually, which leaves me with what I said in the last post. I live in a rural area so the woman�s club thing is tough. I don't really care at all who I play with for casual play anyway, but again, there just isn't anyone. So anyway, I know I will always play but it is getting too much for me to always be trying to get people out there and advance the sport and all that. I have done my share of trying in many ways, but I'm burned out for now. I probably just need a break and I'll be right back out there next spring. Disc golf women are tough cookies. All of us! But this area is where I think having your significant other play is an advantage. You can keep each other going and staying involved when sh*t happens (which we all know does).
I have also said in the past that I feel Am�s should not get all these prizes and that we should be playing for the �title� and get a trophy. I think we should have lower entry fees and that money should go to the Pro�s. But as it is now, I feel like every time I go to a tourney that I am basically paying for plastic that I don�t need and there is no trophy to play for really, because there is no competition for me. I basically always went for the fun because I love meeting new people and that is what I got out of it. But it is becoming hard to justify spending the amount of money that I do to travel and eat and stay over and pay sitters. I don�t mean to sound so negative about it, but that is the reality of it and I have to imagine that there are a lot of other women out there dealing with what I am. Okay, so maybe it was a gripe session. Oh well.

It's a shame you don't have anyone to play with. Even when playing casually it's more fun to play with someone. I'm lucky that my wife plays and I have a friend who plays.

A couple of years ago when I still played ball golf I almost always played with a girl named Susana. Once she got married tho she just kind of disappeared. After that I kind of stopped playing. I had a couple of other friends who played but they were really anal about it. Not nearly as much fun as Susana.

I know that none of this is really helpful. Anyway, I wish you the best and hope you find someone to play with. If you lived in Kentucky I'd play with you :-).

Thank you. It's not so much that I don't have people to play DG with. There are always people that I could call, which i have done many times, but it just never works out with everyone's schedule and it becomes too much of an effort. I can always go to doubles and play with everyone, which is what I have done, but I'm at the point where I just want to play some fun rounds without a partner and without it being a tourney, and that is what is non-existant. I know guys deal with the same thing but I think it's tougher with women because there are less of us, way less of us! I used to just go to the park and see if anyone was there, but there never is anymore so...

Argh, I just wrote a long post and didn't realize I wasn't logged in. I didn't know you do that. Well here's a brief version:

Thank you. It's not so much that I don't have anyone to play DG with. I can always call people and bug them to come play, which is what I often do, but we all have different schedules and it never works out and it's getting old. I want to get back to playing some fun rounds without a partner and without it being a tourney. I don't have the time or enegy to form a Ladies Leauge, and can just accept the fact that this is the way it is. I used to go out to the course all the time and play alone, but I lost interest in that and there is never anyone out there anymore that I know. Guys can call there buddies on a whim to play but there aren't enough women really to do the same. I am not saying any of this to put blame on or make anyone feel bad. It is just the way it is. I have talked to other women about it and I think this among many other things has bearing on why women don't continue at the same level as the men do. Of course there are exceptions but I can bet for the most part they are women who's significant other plays, or women that don't have kids.

here are some reasons women aren't playing---- washing dishes, kids, shopping, cooking, and the big dedication part.

u can't stop, won't stop playing

here are some reasons women aren't playing---- washing dishes, kids, shopping, cooking, and the big dedication part.




I think if those were the only reasons, my husband wouldn't be playing! He does all that stuff in our family. :D I guess the reason I can't get out more is because of the job. I work 8-5, and somedays, I'm just too tired or it's dark when I get done.

Jeannine, disc golf should be fun! If it's not fun, then it's time to take a step back and look at the situation. I think that's exactly what you're doing right now. If tournaments are what bother you, then take a break from them. If casual rounds are still fun, then just do those! Just because you play disc golf does not mean you have to compete. In the end, all that matters is what makes you happy.

here are some reasons women aren't playing---- washing dishes, kids, shopping, cooking, and the big dedication part.




Thankfully those aren't the only reasons!! Otherwise, my husband would NEVER be able to play with me!! :D

Jeannie, if disc golf stops being fun for you, then it's time to take a step back and take a look at things. I think that's exactly what you are doing right now. If tournaments aren't fun for you, then take a break from them. If casual rounds are still fun, then play those. Just because you play disc golf doesn't mean you need to play tournaments. Don't feel bad about not wanting to play a tourney. In the end, it's all about what makes you happy.

Keep the faith and do whatcha gotta do. Maybe go dancing a few nights. :)

You sound like you know what you need to do. Maybe you should cut down on the number of tourneys. How about just picking a couple of tourneys for next year, and target ones with traditionally good turnouts for am women? Worlds and the U.S. Chick Championships are good starts. Those are expensive trips, but if you are cutting down on the number of tourneys you go to it might work.

I hope you find the fun again. You are good people and I know Laurie had fiun playing with you. Good luck! :)

I love the idea of just attending tournaments that typically have a good turnout. I just wish there was an easier way to find out which ones these were. I wish there was some type of schedule around here that showed the top 20 tournaments with the best women's attendance, then we could all try to make the same ones. There is nothing worse than showing up to a tournament to find out you are the only girl registered(again)

I love the idea of just attending tournaments that typically have a good turnout. I just wish there was an easier way to find out which ones these were. I wish there was some type of schedule around here that showed the top 20 tournaments with the best women's attendance, then we could all try to make the same ones.



there is...in the dgwn.... after the first issue the other issues have the top money,players, etc. listed in/near the pdga pages and most women is definately one of the catagories...
check your magazines!!!
that's what you pay you pdga fees for :D

I can tell you why my wife dosen't play tournaments. She will sometimes throw with me casual, but she is not competitive, its not her style. Some women are, some are not. She likes to walk in the park mostly. I would like to see more women play competitive but I'm not one to try to socially engineer it with paying out the whole womens field, when things like that happen, only a few will take advantage and it sets a precedent for the future of women in disc golf. Let womens dg evolve naturally instead of trying to force it and we will have a strong womens field in time.

I just checked my summer issue. It had the richest events, the largest events, top money winners, but I can't find anything listing how many women played anywhere??

I love the idea of just attending tournaments that typically have a good turnout. I just wish there was an easier way to find out which ones these were.


Come on out to the SoCal Championships next month! It's not that far and we usually have a pretty good sized am women's field.

TD's have tried almost everything to get women to play, if a woman shows up to play a tournie and doesnt get anything for her efforts, she more than likely wont come back. Not unless she is super competetive and doesnt like to lose. Disc golf has been around for awhile and the womens divisions dont seem to be keeping up with the growth. Paying out the full division usually only effects the womens divisions anyway, because it comes from the winner and entire field. I dont think the pros should be fully paid out from the others entry fees, I think this should come from additional sponsorship supplied by the TD or club running the tournie. Also, pros understand the process, I do not think the entie division should be paid in pro, but I do think sometimes in smaller divisions something should be offered so the women dont continue to be discouraged.

Disc golf can be very intimidating for women, its mostly men, very competetive and not many women around at all. The additional things people offer like added cash and paying out of the entire field help to make women feel more comfortable and taken care of. With more women playing, other women will see it and join.

The efforts the TD's have made in Texas have worked. I know Chris Himing has always paid out all the am women, even dead last place. It has come from my pocket before and I completely understand why it has to be done. He has had huge success getting women to play, because he makes them feel comfortable and makes them feel like they have a place there. Brian Mace did the same thing with lowering the womens entry fee for ZBoaz this year. He lowered it considerably and got the attention of many pro women and he ended up have a large group. So the efforts are working and they are appreciated.

Sometimes we are faced with super small divisions, and could play with the men, but then other women will see that there are no women playing in the womens division and then that could turn them away. So its a difficult situation, there is room for everyone in the sport, we just have to let them know that.

Sometimes you have to do a bit of detective work on the results page. Usually there is only a partial listing of the results. However, they alway say how many were in the field. It's in the () at the division heading.

Julianna also sends out a few e-mails listing the known "women friendly" events. If you don't get that e-mail, just send one to her to get on the list.

Good luck!!

In general, the bigger events tend to attract the most women both am and pro.

I don't care about the payouts. I've played many times against the guys, and don't care what place I come in. I just think that there should be an easier way to plan which tournaments to attend. Why should we have 6 tournaments with 2 women each, when we can plan a little and maybe have 2 tournaments with 6 each. It's just as much about getting more women out, as it is keeping the ones we have interested.

I know there was some talk about forming a list, there was an email list going for awhile, I havent received anything from them lately. Maybe there is a thread about it on this board. Come to think of it I think there is. I also know they were making a womens directory with conact info to other women disc golfers.

From what I remember, Chris didn't spread the payout down for all the women, he figured the payout normally, then added enough for a disc to all of the non-cashing am women.

The TX10 Finals are coming up soon, great turn out from the Women in the past.

Yes Gary, that sounds more like it.

The TX10 Final had an awesome turn out last year. 20 something am women and a good number of pro women. Plus this year he made the awesome Challenger just for the ladies!!

there used to be a list of "women's events" out at the start of the year...Texas had Waco,VPO,and States...they where target events that the ladies knew would be attended by other ladies and would do something to make them feel like they should be there(ladies only players pack,or CTP,or Raffle)...maybe a web page with a list or at least listed in the Mag

I understand the efforts to make the womans division "juicy and attractive" for women to play. I do not like the idea that in order to play or come back and play women fields need to be fully paid out. Usually there is a players pack. Plus the experience of compeating. If most women aren't competitive unless they don't like to loose then maybe tourney play is not for them. Why then put so much effort into "buying" women players to play? I saw some excellent dg by the women at texas states and if excellent play does not attract women to the sport, then "buying" them makes them.....well Im not going down that road!!! I think the money would be better spent getting dg into the schools at an elementary level and up and by putting dg on tv and showing the women as well as the men. That is what it will take to "hype" the sport to the level everyone wants it to go to. All we need now is for the mass media to pick it up. I know when I started skating, nobody would touch it. Now look at it.

sorry...maybe it is only online quarterly and in the end of the year magazine...

i have the last 9 years at home and i'll go back and see if i can find it....

on the discussion board there are threads in THIS(women in dg) thread that have sites that are for women,lists to join,etc.
just change your setting button on this thread to posts in last year to see them all...

also in the pdga announcement thread do the same thing because that's where i think the online info is posted...

i hope that helps some....
sorry to mislead you as that was not my intention and being at work i didn't have a way to check it out but i KNOW FOR SURE it is posted somewhere...


keith

We had 14 women at the 2005 Live Oak Summer Open. I want more next year. Ahead of the event I asked Nelle what I could do to attract more women to the event, and she said lower the entry fee. We did. Maybe that helped, I don't know. Is it an economic issue?

Ladies please tell us TDs what we can do to make you play our events.

I would personally go to more tournaments, if I knew well ahead of time how many women were likely to show up. Because there aren't many events around here, I know I will probably have to make quite a drive to get to one. I need to know that it is worth going to ahead of time. When I plan for an event, it gets quite pricey. I have to pay a babysitter, drive wherever it is, stay at a campsite,or hotel. So anything you can do to help with cost definitely helps. Also knowing the TD actually wants the women there, and is trying to get more goes a long way in my decision.

From what I remember, Chris didn't spread the payout down for all the women, he figured the payout normally, then added enough for a disc to all of the non-cashing am women.

The TX10 Finals are coming up soon, great turn out from the Women in the past.



That is basically it Gary. I still think you need that competitive aspect of the event so the payout will reflect that most of the time. Those that don't cash according to the PDGA guidelines usually get at least enough to buy a disc of choice as you said. This does not come out of payout of the ladies that actually cash. It is added over and above the payout.

I also try to get sponsored items for player packs, CTP's, raffle etc. This year we have some very nice candle packs for player packs, LiveStrong ladies clothing, specially printed logo on ladies clothing and the new Super Color Ladies Challenger. I am sure a few more surprises as well.

All the ladies entry fees are also much cheaper than the men.

It is not about buying their entry either. It is about doing a nice thing and hoping they have a good time and experience this great sport as it should be.

Thanks
Chris

guess I need to try to bring my girlfriend to one of your events Chris. I know she would really like the ladies challenger. I'll have to check our schedules and see what we can do. If Attwood is there for me to drink a beer with it's even better.

I love the idea of just attending tournaments that typically have a good turnout. I just wish there was an easier way to find out which ones these were.


Come on out to the SoCal Championships next month! It's not that far and we usually have a pretty good sized am women's field.


Just got off the phone with my husband. He thinks this will be a good one to go to. Where is a good place to stay around there? Never been, how cold does it get in November there?

Just got off the phone with my husband. He thinks this will be a good one to go to. Where is a good place to stay around there? Never been, how cold does it get in November there?


Sweet! :D

If you aren't afraid of priceline.com, go there and pick 3-stars, Buena Park, and $50 a night. (It's possible to get 'em for $35 a night, but you have to work the system a little.) Worst hotel you will get with 3-stars is a Holiday Inn.

It's SoCal. It doesn't get very cold. Long sleeve t-shirt, windbreaker, and wind pants at the very worst. Shorts and sleeve-less shirt for you extremely likely. :D Prolly just a jacket in the morning and dump it right before the round starts.

We had 14 women at the 2005 Live Oak Summer Open. I want more next year. Ahead of the event I asked Nelle what I could do to attract more women to the event, and she said lower the entry fee. We did. Maybe that helped, I don't know. Is it an economic issue?

Ladies please tell us TDs what we can do to make you play our events.



As I see it, the problem has 2 issues. One is that our ranks are small to begin with because women do feel intimidated by men when they are starting out. They "don't want to hold up progress" and there are some guys out there who don't grant beginning women the courtesy of encouragement. In that regard it is totally up to the local women to bring other women into the game and make them feel comfortable by providing the newbies the opportunity to learn from other women. It means putting out the extra effort (well demonstrated by Danielle Vargas in San Antonio) by organizing some type of consistent league/clinic type of gathering to grow the local ranks.

The other side of the coin is continued growth into the Pro ranks that seems to stay stagnate. The reason for this continued hurdle is economic. Advanced women are reluctant to move up to Pro only to be confronted with higher entry fees, smaller fields and thus "paying to play" most of the time. Pro Women's entry fees are too high to encourage more women to move up in the ranks to become Pros. Others disagree with my opinion of this analysis but it does become an economic issue. As entry fees for Pro men's divisions have grown over the years (and justifiably so considering the ratio of men/women), TD's and other officials have kept women's entry fees rising right along with the Men's. Women have to choose wisely what events they can "afford" to play in. It's very generous of TD's to do extra things to encourage the ladies to come out to play, but in the big leagues, lowering the entry fees is key to encouraging more women to move up to the Pro ranks and allowing more women the financial flexibility to offset tournament expenses. That is one of the main reasons why Chris's Texas 10 Tour has been successful in drawing women...Pro women. The entry fee is reasonable. Playing in a tournament with a $90+ entry fee with only 3 Pro Women is not very encouraging, nor is it financially a good economic choice of spending unless you have the extra cash to spend. I know I don't. So, yes, it does become an economic issue. So what TD's can do to encourage women to move up in the ranks is to lower the entry fees, put a percent of added cash into the Pro Women's purse and if you have good perks to encourage more women to play, then pay as far down into the field as you can. The players will remember that, and they'll return next time...hopefully with a newbie.

I agree with Andi about the economic issue -- that's a problem on the male side also -- the fees go up as one climbs the ladder and it gets harder and harder to cash.

I also think it can be pretty intimidating watching some guys throw as far as they do. However, we have several really good women players in SE MI that don't mind playing with good men players and they can throw quite a long ways. There are also lots of recreational women players here that just come out and play with their friends and never play in tournaments or with the local regulars.

As for women-friendly tournaments, DGLO in Ann Arbor pays out nicely to the Women Pro field -- I have heard several Women Pro Division winners remark in their acceptance speech that women are treated very well at this tournament. There seems to be a different winner almost every year so the courses don't particularly favor a certain player's style -- just throw reasonably accurate tosses and putt well.

I always knew that that Andi Lehmann was one clever chick! She is right on both scores.

As it stands, women make up such a small portion of the disc golfing community in general and the tournament players in particular that it is difficult to know what to do. I don't think that there is a universial answer to the problem. It is the local women who need to get more women playing in locally. There are several methods to get this done, it just takes someone to do it.

On a national level, entry fees are too high. Almost all women to do play are part of a disc golfing duo or family. I can't think of any one who plays with out having a boyfriend/husband who also plays. It does get to be a fincancial strain to cover 2 entry fees all the time. Compound this if there are kids involved. Take the typical 2 day event. Say both the parents and kids play. That's 3 or more entry fees. Usually the kids play only one day. What are you going to do with them on Sunday in a town where you don't live? Hmmm....

Men's entry fees have climbed because there is the demand. Women's fees have climbed as well and has reduced the demand.

Where is Maryland?
We are a small State and we have at least 5 female PDGA members.


Hi Rhonda,
Maryland, huh? We don't have any members from there yet at the WDGA. You should come over and join representing Maryland.
Cheryl~
WDGA #001
http://www.fulltimewebmaster.com/myforum/index.php?mforum=womensdiscgolfa

Well that's cool that women are doing this. I am (obviously) new to the disc golf world. However, I still see very little numbers of female companions at tournaments or on the course. Maybe the guys don't want us around! Back at home, I am talking to other women about disc golf. I am about THE ONLY female at our course. I just started playing about 6 months' ago, so I'll do what I can to promote the sport.


That sounds great! Being a member here is the first step. You are welcomed to join the WDGA as well. We are in steadfast support of the PDGA. The Women's Disc Golf Association is a nation wide 'program' determined to unite female disc golfers from all corners of the USA and beyond.
You all are welcomed to join!!
http://www.fulltimewebmaster.com/myforum/index.php?mforum=womensdiscgolfa

Hugs,
Cheryl~

Disc golf can be very intimidating for women, its mostly men, very competetive and not many women around at all. The additional things people offer like added cash and paying out of the entire field help to make women feel more comfortable and taken care of. With more women playing, other women will see it and join.



Yes, that is so true. In addition, I believe showing warmth and encouragement to new-comers is the formula to get more females throwing discs. Break the ice first, then set examples.
Cheryl~

Hey everybody,
I was just catching up to par. I couldn't get in for a while because I couldn't find my official password. Lorrie sent it to me and now I am here. I hope all of you had a very happy thanksgiving. Looking forward to seeing you at the WDGA message board. Visit soon.
Hugs,
Cheryl~
http://www.fulltimewebmaster.com/myforum/index.php?mforum=womensdiscgolfa

Just one more.....
Does anyone know if golferchic is back from SoCal? I haven't seen her posts lately.
Thanks,
Cheryl~
http://www.fulltimewebmaster.com/myforum/index.php?mforum=womensdiscgolfa

I'm back. It was a crazy couple of weeks, lots of work, family, etc. SoCal was fun, the girls out there are great, just couldn't get adjusted to the altitude change fast enough. Maybe next time ;)

I live in Las Vegas, and most of the women who start playing here tend to quit after a few rounds. There are only 3 women players here that play tournaments, one being myself. I try my hardest to bring my friends and associates out, but the chicks seem either intimidated, by the men and myself or bored... I've gone as far as yupping my skill level to mediocre, but that just makes me seem like a fool. I just don't know what to do... :confused: <font color="green"> </font>

I think that we should try a different approach. Go after the competitive women.
I myself appreciate what tournament directors do special for women, however I also despise it. I am competitive and want to be treated accordingly. Don't take away money from the winners to keep women happy, it only pisses off the other women. Entry fees should be paid out accordingly by numbers, and extra sponser money should not be given out by numbers. It is sponser money and should be divided equally among the divisions
Go after softball players. They usually are competitive women.
cya

Hello Samantha, are you going to be playing in the Gentleman's Club challenge in February? I'm debating going down there, we are doing a women's only tournament in Utah on June 24th, it's about 400 miles from Vegas if you want to come. It's a one day only, but it should be lots of fun. What division do you play? If I go to the Gentlemans Club, I'll probably be playing advanced.

More women would play disc golf if the discs came in girl colors. There are way too many blue discs, red discs, yellow and white discs. These are guy colors. We need discs to come in mauve, ecru, puce, fuscia, teal, peach, heather, and china bone, and other girl colors like that.

I can't believe someone is more bored than me.. You sir are the gayest of the gays being able to name those colors is enough evidence of your gayness. Glad to see you got rid of the orange it was gross. Why do you insist on bothering the ladies on this thread? You deserve to be wacked with a stick.

As for why fewer women play.. Ask my daughter. Economics, assholes and other issues I'm sure.

More women would play disc golf if the discs came in girl colors. There are way too many blue discs, red discs, yellow and white discs. These are guy colors. We need discs to come in mauve, ecru, puce, and china bone, and other girl colors like that.


You are right. I am always looking for nice colors in a disc. I love pink. I can hardly ever find a pink disc in my size range.
Cheryl~

Cheryl, you are sooo hot. (If that pic is you). Lance you are a (swearing deleted) .

Morgan you're a troll and a misogynist. :p

You are a http://www.infoplease.com/ipd/A0641547.html

That makes no sense. You're a dolt.

Can it, retard

I am done. Rhett is probably right.

Maybe the reason more women aren't playing is because of things like this morgan/krazy deal going on here in this thread. :p

Yeah. that must be it.

Isn't think kind of stuff part of the reason the powers-that-be decided to make the board members only? hmmmm.... :D

Samantha don't be "yupping your skill" to be less intimidating. Play your game and show the other women how they can. One little tip or suggestion at a time. Set up a women only time, whether once a week, every other week, whatever works and make it a learning league. If necessary, work on only one area at time, this week we putt, this week we upshot. But don't back off your game.

The first time I played with Nadine Cosgrove here in CO, I was in awe of her ability. Disgusted with mine, but in awe of hers. That was how I wanted to be able to play. But you have to see it, to learn it and hope to play it.

But do get some time away from the guys for the other women to learn. Sometimes you just need to get out and throw like a girl with just the other girls. Then eventually you'll run into guys that only wish they could throw like a girl. : )

Yes, TWC will be at Cat Hollow in Round Rock again this year. Please show up!!!

I know why i don't want to play with men any more. When I started out they seemed to be so patient and just happy that I am the only female that frequents our home course. Only to find out that now there are moans and groans behind my back because I can't keep up to their level -- that I slow them down. I thought that playing will they guys was making me a better player (and I am certain it is), but finding out what they really thought has hurt me a lot. I started playing because it was fun, not to have another game that guys seem to think is just for them and not for girls. We compete just as fiercely as the men, but with half of the respect. I'm tired of the complaints about how almost if not all the women get paid out, but the men don't. They get paid out more plus there are 2, 3, and 4 times as many competing in the male divisions. I refuse to give up this game and to let a couple of bad eggs get to me, as there are so many men that do back us playing this sport. Any one else had the same experience?

Is it tougher for women to play with other women , competitively , than playing in the men's group , competitively ? I have heard , some women are not so Pressured.

I know that , when I play with women in the group , I'm more nervous , about not blowing my shots and acting more Gentleman like , ya know !!!! /msgboard/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

It is tougher for me to play with a group of guys....but i have decided it would be better for my game. I tend to play like crap when i have to play in front of guys....especially ones that can throw far and play good. I play better in the womens group just because it makes me feel more comfortable. The guys i play with are always very complimentary and helpful but i still feel uncomfortable playing in front of them. I also always feel like i need to hurry which makes my shots even worse. Guess because it takes 2 of my shots to 1 of theirs. But i am going to start playing with the guys more....i think if i can get use to it i could step up my game.

I know that , when I play with women in the group , I'm more nervous , about not blowing my shots and acting more Gentleman like , ya know !!!! /msgboard/images/graemlins/smirk.gif


Most of the groups I've been in where there are men playing with a women's group, the men tend to tell us they are so much more relaxed and have the most fun tournament rounds ever, because the women are so laid back and positive. It's interesting that you actually feel more pressured in a group of women! I'm not one to inherently get along with other women, but I feel much more at ease in tournaments in a group of women that I don't know than in a group of men I don't know.

I don't have any problem playing with women in the group. I went many years before I could throw very far, and don't get in hurry. Now I know that I will more distance off the tee than most women, and a worse short game than most women. So, if you don't laugh at my putts, I won't comment on your distance. :D :D

Well, that's not really fair since I often laugh at my own putts, but you get the idea. :cool:

It is tougher for me to play with a group of guys....but i have decided it would be better for my game. I tend to play like crap when i have to play in front of guys....especially ones that can throw far and play good. I play better in the womens group just because it makes me feel more comfortable. The guys i play with are always very complimentary and helpful but i still feel uncomfortable playing in front of them. I also always feel like i need to hurry which makes my shots even worse. Guess because it takes 2 of my shots to 1 of theirs. But i am going to start playing with the guys more....i think if i can get use to it i could step up my game.




Kat (my wife, who doesn't frequent the board) had this issue for awhile. It took time for her to listen to me ( ;)) and realize that she didn't have to try to keep up with the guys throw for throw. Once she started throwing within her limits, she discovered she wasn't "that bad" when playing with the crowd.

As for rushing, she's worked on thinking about her next shot before she gets to it and discovered that playing a little faster can help her stay in rhythm. That should be your goal--do everything at your speed. A good number of guys (most who complain about women and slow play) aren't very fast either.

Sweetheart, in the short time that I've known you, your game has improved 1000 fold! I know that we'll be seeing you very soon in advanced. In fact, there were several of the ladies who played Conroe with you recently who've decided to move on up and get experience with better players. Realizing that is the way to help improve their games more quickly.

And remember, any guy is lucky to be playing in the company of any of the wonderful LADIES who embrace disc golf as passionately as most guys. Heck, we all must be a little bit "special" to put up with all that disc golf entails for a woman. Don't know many "high maintaince ladies" who could or would want to be a part of this group, and that's just fine with me. Just my thought on the subject.

Sign up for Advanced at your next event and play with us, Missy!

Thanks for the compliment Sue!!! You noticing my game is a big compliment to me. I do plan on moving up and who knows.....maybe i can start playing Advanced by the end of 2006 with you and Dee.

hahahha Cause you know De will still be there!!! hahahaha j/k

A little bird told me that after Tulsa, she's going to move up. I'll believe it when I see it, but Sunday at Snow Farm she did play Open. Somehow, I suspect she's got more plastic than she'll ever need, and the call of cash will get the better of her.

No, the Queen is going to move up when she thinks she's good and ready and not a minute sooner. Hopefully, it will be sooner than later.

I know why she stays where she does, but ya have to give her hell about it. :D

I miss the playoffs and the one stroke differences.

So she is going for Advanced Master 3 Time World Champ huh? Go get em DE!!

So please tell, why does she stay where she is?

Why is it necessary to go for a 3 time Advanced Master Women's Championship? :confused:

Missy,

SuperGirl (Nicole) enjoyed playing on a card with you at the Conroe Open. Me and her both think you have a very good arm. Maybe she will get to play with you again before you move up into advanced.

Thanks..........Rick

The biggest reason, she likes to win. :D LOL

And secondly, she has some fellow MALE disc golfers who consistantly tell her she shouldn't, as she's not committed enough (extra practice). However, if you compare scores, she's right with the Pro ladies each time. I was lucky enough to be her partner last year in San Saba and, we will be defending our World Doubles title this year, and sure hope that we'll have some competition this year with the move to CR.

I would expect that after Laura Hovey and I move up, she just won't have any choice! :D :o :D

I enjoyed playing with Nicole too. Tell her to keep her head up and don't let her game get to her. She has a good game. Just shake those bad shots off.

Hey Sue....hope you and Laura move up before i get to Advanced :o:D

Yeah, it can just be you and Dee! :D LOL!!! :D

LOL :DThat is fine...Dee and I would dominate Adv :eek: :D

The biggest reason, she likes to win. :D LOL

And secondly, she has some fellow MALE disc golfers who consistantly tell her she shouldn't, as she's not committed enough (extra practice). However, if you compare scores, she's right with the Pro ladies each time. I was lucky enough to be her partner last year in San Saba and, we will be defending our World Doubles title this year, and sure hope that we'll have some competition this year with the move to CR.

I would expect that after Laura Hovey and I move up, she just won't have any choice! :D :o :D



I am Deatra's Mixed dubs guy and she just really isn't ready to move up. I mean she has a 833 rating which equates to about a 940 guy and a 940 guy cannot compete regularly in Open. She is in a pretty bad situation in that she wins about 75% of the events she enter in ADV but she would get smoked by Nelle, Mel, and Andi on most courses so she might as well stay down. I am going to get to play with Dee a little more coming up and I will see if she will listen to a few tips on shot selection(her main problem) and if she does she will be able to move up after 06 worlds. I kinda wish she would've moved up this year so we could've gone to GA but she is better off in ADv right now and she has the potential to play up but she still makes some stupid mistakes that cost her about 3 or 4 strokes a round. :D

Matt, I think she wins more than 75% of her events. It doesn't matter, but I do think that she's competitive with the pro girls, maybe she wouldn't win each and almost everytime like it currently is, but she'd be playing with better players. Therefore, improving her game in the process.

She's my "World Champ" partner too, and I think she should move up after Tulsa, and expect she will do just that. Heck, that way.........she can continue to take my money.......for a little while! LOL

When you initially move up, you shouldn�t expect to go in and kick butt. It�s hard to move up, but if you are regularly winning in your current division and can hold you own in the next, then you should start thinking about it. But it�s up the person (and their rating). No one should feel pressured about moving up or not. Winning feels great, but it isn�t everything. (I�m speaking generally, as I don�t know the people ya�ll are talking about)

I am Deatra's Mixed dubs guy and she just really isn't ready to move up. I mean she has a 833 rating which equates to about a 940 guy and a 940 guy cannot compete regularly in Open. She is in a pretty bad situation in that she wins about 75% of the events she enter in ADV but she would get smoked by Nelle, Mel, and Andi on most courses so she might as well stay down. I am going to get to play with Dee a little more coming up and I will see if she will listen to a few tips on shot selection(her main problem) and if she does she will be able to move up after 06 worlds. I kinda wish she would've moved up this year so we could've gone to GA but she is better off in ADv right now and she has the potential to play up but she still makes some stupid mistakes that cost her about 3 or 4 strokes a round




Can you please explain to me why you would want to compare her 833 rating against a pro guy with a 940 rating :confused: She isn't competing again the pro guy with a 940 rating.

Why would she get smoked by Mel (rating 868), Nelle (rating 846), Andi (879 rating). That makes a difference in score of 1 to 6 strokes, I wouldn't necessarily call that getting smoked. Any one of us can have a good or bad day at disc golf. We all have at times made stupid mistakes that cost us strokes when we go out and play. That is not a reason not to move up. Also there are 53 other PDGA pro women members who have a rating lower than Dee's 833. Does that mean those 53 women should not be playing Pro, I don't think so.

She must not have too much of a problem with shot selection or she wouldn't have 2 World Titles under her belt.

I just recently received a e-mail from a women disc golfer who expressed the following

After reading about Miss De'atra going to play at Am Worlds in Tulsa to compete for a third Advanced Masters Women't title, it is making me have second thoughts about even going to Tulsa. Other women in the division may choose not to go in 2006 too, because they know she is playing again and that her game is good enough to compete in the Pros. Why take a week off work and pay all the expenses at Am Worlds to compete against a Pro player? It would probably be best for me to just practice and play in other tournaments in 2006 and then plan on going to Milwaukee in 2007. It will for sure be a lot more fun and more competitive playing Milwaukee knowing that all the women in the division have a chance at the title. She played great at 2004 Am Worlds and won by 18 strokes over six other players. In Flaggstaff this year, she won by six strokes over three ohter women. I guess she has her reasons for staying Am - but her doing this is really making me think I don't want to play with her.



So how do you encourage women to play Am Worlds when someone out there wants to go for 3 Worlds Titles?

I know that no one can make a person move up, but I'm sorry if I don't understand why someone thinks they have to stay Advanced just to win another World Title.

Some reflections on getting better and moving up. Not for the novice player, but for someone who is pretty serious about their disc golf.

(Before I start, I'll say that I don't know any of the people previously named in this thread and none of the comments are directed at anyone personally except myself!)

One of the neat things about playing with people who are better than you is that you get to see other shots, other ways of approaching holes, etc. There's so much that can be learned that way.

You don't get better if you don't have pressure on your game.

You don't play your best unless you are surrounded by people that really seriously challenge you to do so.

One of the drawbacks of playing tournaments in the women's divisions is that they are generally small divisions - so you don't get much exposure to a wide variety of players. You can get in a rut playing against the same people all the time, especially if there are wide ranges of skill levels consistently in the same foursomes. I have been playing in the Open Advanced divison a bunch lately and I recommend something similar to all women who want to improve their games - at least some of the time, play in whichever open division is best suited to you. Yeah, you'll probably "lose" in terms of score, but you can gain a great deal in what you can learn.

Along the same lines ...
Why on earth wouldn't you go to Worlds just because you think that someone there in your division is likely to beat you? It seems that would really challenge you to step up your own game, especially since you've got months to prepare! Wouldn't it be cool be able to say "I beat a two-time champ", or "I really gave her a run for the money" ??? Or at least to say "I really learned a lot from playing with her" ??? Take the challenge - step up your game!!
And also, think about coming to the USWDGC in Peoria next September - a really great experience for women disc golfers of all skill levels !!!!!

Hey, I do play with her all the time, and she is my doubles partner, but my goal for 2006, to beat her and be the NEW Woman's Advanced Masters World Champ!

Those are my goals, I've been playing up some and love the experience. Plan to go that way next fall for good. Tulsa &amp; Peoria on my calendar this coming year!

Hope to meet lots of new ladies in the near future.

Susan

Hi don't want you talking to yourself hahahaha I am DeLynn from Amarillo Texas my husband John Rock Stewart, using is sign on now, he is always on the discussion board. He taught me how to play. Really fun game. I havent been able to play much this winter we have a nine month old and has been really to cold for him to be out. Not sure why more women dont play we dont have alot here just our regulars. Not many of us. I sometimes wonder if its not because of the day to day taking care of kids, house etc. I guess that would only apply to those of us who have kids though. We do have some young girls that play but they dont participate in the tournaments or weekly events we have here. Wish more women would play. A few of us went last year to the TWC and we had a great time!!!!! Hope we get to go again this year. I find the game to be relaxing after a tough day. Alot of women might find they could release some tension if they would play plus get out with the girls and just hang out. Our course here is pretty stroller friendly our little boy was on the course at 3 weeks old and is well adjusted to his stroller hahahahha.

Hey DeLynn! I have a 14 month old and we've been taking her out on the course since she was about 4 months- weather permitting. She is normally very good out on the course and likes to place the discs in the basket.
Having a child does make it very hard to play in tournaments- having no family nearby makes it even harder. But I love the game and can't wait for the day my daughter might decide to play!

positive encouragement!!!! In last years TWC (the inaugural year) we had ,i believe, 52 women who participated!!! One of the really kewl aspects of the tournament was every card had at least one escort (male). The escorts acted as spotters , score keepers , or what ever else the card may have needed!! ;) :D



Who ever thought of this is BRILLIANT....I love them....Man the BS that could have been and could be prevented by having an impartial scoretaker........spotter also a geat bonus.......All we need now are guys that will put up with us for a round... :D This is KillerKate....and that's my 2 cents....Have a Great Day Ladies....


Oh...bty.....I am sponsoring a girl to play in our Ice Bowl this year....anyone with a little extra cash might want to do the same....I think for some women, the money...combined with childcare expenses can be a bit much..... :confused: Hey I do what I can...

Tammy,
Congratulations on your first born! Pass my regards along to Brandon. Looks like I might cross paths with ya'll again in Tulsa.
Craig

What DeLynn neglected to mention was that not only was David on the course at three weeks, but he was with us all when she played TWC only four weeks after having him by c-section! Now if that doesn't take away the excuses! Love ya D!

Thought I'd weigh in on the moving up too. Yes, it is a personal decision. BUT... if staying am keeps other women from moving up from intermediate, up from rec, or coming in to play at all, that personal decision begins to affect women in disc golf at a lot of levels. And isn't the goal for all of us to bring more women into the sport and enlarge ALL the divisions?

Here's the story of my rating that I hopefully can keep from being too awful long. My first competitive year was 2002. I played advanced and won the series points in Colorado for the "Thin Air Tour". My goal beyond that was to get an invite to my first Worlds.

2003 started in limbo with others thinking I shouldn't play in Am. I wandered around in Adv Women, some Intermediate Men, some Pro Women leading up to Am Worlds. I won Adv Masters at Am worlds in 2003 with a rating of 819. Am and Pro Worlds were seperate, so I took my invite and went to Pro Worlds two weeks later with that "smokin" rating of 819.

I got to Flagstaff, practiced the courses, all the while wondering what the heck was I even doing there. I showed up on the first tee of the first round being very nervous and met Andi Lehman and Lisa Warner. I introduced myself, explained that I had no idea what I was even doing there and was immediately adopted into Pro Master Women. I don't know if I could have pulled two better women to play with the first round. I ended up making the final nine and cashing in fourth place, still playing along with Andi, Lisa and fellow Coloradan Peggy Berry. Tell me they don't pull you along with them. I was officially pro and felt like I was in the right place.

2004, my first full year of pro, I started with a big 830 rating and it sucked most of the time. I took my DFL's and moved on learning from better players. I played a lot that first year with Nadine rated in the 920's, so we're talking 9 strokes a round. Talk about getting "smoked". But you know what you learn while on the back of the box? You learn the preferred routes, the preferred shots and you learn to make A LOT less mistakes. 2004 was a pretty uneventful year except that I learned a lot and ended in the 850's. People kept telling me "you'll get better playing with people who are better". And we all go "yea right" while secretly preferring to be the one winning rather than learning.

Then came 2005 and I decided that me and my whopping big 856 were going to step it up a notch. I played all Open Women except for the occasional opportunity to play Masters. I ended the year winning Pro Masters at the USWDGC and a final rating of 883.

Where would I be if I'd stayed Am? Would I have improved? Sure there's a learning curve in there for anyone stepping up. But go look at some past ratings. Danielle and Mel were used as examples, check them, check the other women up for Rookie of the year, any others you know have gone pro and you'll see a lot of ratings in the vicinity of 830 when they made the decision to go pro.

You can use Vanessa as an example too. She's a World Champion who took a number of years off. While she was familiar with the pro arena and a lot of the players when she returned, she had to work at the ratings game and bringing her game back to the competitive level too.

Personally, I think there comes a time to just suck it up and make the move. Accept the fact that you won't be the best, but you can still aspire to be. Accept the fact that you have more to learn and go learn it. Accept the fact that you may well be the new little fish in the BIG pond. But then who really wants to be the big fish in the little pond forever. And as soon as the BIG fish is out of the little pond there's a lot of room for many more little fish and the divisions will grow. If the big pond gets too scary, you can still go wading in the men's am divisions to hone your skills like Vanessa said. See you in the BIG pond ladies!

I have been playing now for almost four years, and I am totally addicted. This will be my third year competing (first as AM 1), I am really looking forward to expanding my tournament horizons. I look forward to meeting a lot of y'all at Bowling Green (and hopefully AM Worlds :) - we'll see if I can get in via the waiting list - haha!
Regarding getting more women to play, I try to tell anyone who will listen, about disc golf. :) I was in a video store and used my PDGA card for ID...the girl who waited on me was just a casual player, and geeked about the PDGA. Hopefully I will see her on the course some day!

peach is definately "out" this year, but the teal and peuce are definately "in" colors for the season. I, personally, like magenta....but that's me. :P

Just a quick question for the new moms....did you play while pregnant? In the next few years, I hope to add to my family, but can't imagine NOT playing....well, except the birth part...haha.

I am pregnant now. Playing while pregnant varies with each person, just like most other pregnancy stuff. It depends on your body, your pregnancy, and partially the courses you are playing. Many of our local courses are very long and have great elevation changes, great until you are climbing them with a big pregnant belly. There were a bunch of babies born to disc golf women in Texas within the last three years. Most played at least some while pregnant. I only know of one that played all the way through and most of that was casual play. I'm 41 and miscarried my first two pregnancies, so for me, it was no disc golf after my first prenatal visit during this pregnancy. Now, in the second trimester, I am ready to at least walk the courses and practice putting...just as soon as I finish a couple more projects around the house.
My husband and I decided it was good to take a little while off the course and spend time with all the household projects we had neglected while spending every waking hour on the courses. We are both ready to go back out...very soon.

CONGRATS LAURA!!! I am SO happy for you!!! When are you due?

I have a 16 month old and I played the entire time, but I had a very easy pregnancy. I did get tired easier and there were somedays that I had to stop, walk a few holes and then pick back up. I had Ava in Sept, so I had the belly and the heat to deal with. I played in one tournament where I proably should not have. 4 rounds in TX in the summer was tuff!
Like Laura said, everyone is different. Staying active while pregnant is important too (health permitting), makes for an easier delivery! Now getting on the course after you have a baby is a whole nother story!! :D

I played every single day of my pregnancy. I was even playing a round on my home course when my water broke. I hate to sound like a broken record, but the girls are right when they say everyone is different. I too, had a VERY easy pregnancy. No problems at all, played disc golf every day, just took a little nap after work before I went to the course :)

I am by no means qualified to comment but, we have had several of our local women play during their pregnacy. I think it's great exercise. :D

Kat is currently ~4 1/2 months along and still playing, although this weekend she dropped out due to an unrelated pain (and the cold didn't help things). She plans on playing a more limited tourney schedule to about 7 months (early May), but that is all contingent on how the pregnancy goes. So far its been well.

Tony, Congratulations to you and Kat.

Is she still planning on playing the TX Women's Championships? If so we will see you then.

Again, Congratulations.

Congrats to Tony and Kat.

Thanks to both....and congrats to you too Laura!

Yes to the TWC.

Congrats Tony and Kat...As far as Don and Laura....I know you were married on the golf course (I was there), but I hope the baby was conceived in a more traditional place....otherwise, my putting my never be the same :eek:

Congratulations all of you...I look forward to seeing the newest disc golfers on the course later this year.

Chris is trying to talk Kat into delivering at one of his events.... :)

He's had proposals and marriages already.