how come this division went away ?

It's been determined there's only a need for one division in each defined age bracket for men and for women. Now that we have ratings break divisions available for all ams, pros, men and women of all ages to enter them strictly based on their rating, there's no need for additional breaks within age divisions.

Not complaining, I'm not a decision maker any more, just a member, but I am one who would like to see Intermediate Masters come back.

I would not qualify, but I've talked with enough players who would, especially in the southeast, to think that the lack of this division is causing a good number of people some angst.

Interesting thought occurred as this post cleared: Now that we have the expert division, how many Am Masters have ratings that put them in there? Do you know, Chuck?

Intermediate Masters would go over well around here, I think. It would shrink the field enough to force a couple of baggers (well, one is a bagger, the other is a new 40 year old and potential bagger) in Advanced Masters to jump to Advanced where they should be. Meanwhile a decent sized group of guys would get their division back how it was and we'd likely attract back 3-4 Masters players that have strayed away.

It was a very fast growing division by the end of the year the one year it was offered again. It took some time for the word to get out that the old timers that could not compete with the top division had a place to play that did not include rules and behavior training.

I think we may see a rating break in Am masters at some point but the number of changes for 2008 pushed that discussion back at least a year to minimize the number of changes at once. There are about 1700 male am members in the 40-49 age range with a 200 point rating range. That's in the neighborhood of 30 per state/province on average with certainly more in some areas than others. What I think the Competition Committee will need to do is look at when is it appropriate in terms of player numbers to split out an already age protected division based on skill/rating when skill breaks are already available to everyone on the main am track.

If everyone just plays by rating, then why does there need to be an "age" protection in the Am divisions?

if everyone plays by rating, why do we need "gender" protection in Am divisions?
if everyone plays by rating, why do we need "youth" divisions in Ams?

if everyone plays by rating, why do we need "gender" protection in Am divisions?
if everyone plays by rating, why do we need "youth" divisions in Ams?



exactly...why do we need anything other than divisions by rating, is my point. If we are going to have and use ratings, why then do we need any other classifications?

because players like them.

Players also like big purses tons of prizes and TD's to give away 3 times what was brought in at a tournament too. They do however still go to play if all they get is what was put in. So, forget all the age and gender breaks and play by skill level. Players will still play.

if everyone plays by rating, why do we need "gender" protection in Am divisions?
if everyone plays by rating, why do we need "youth" divisions in Ams?



exactly...why do we need anything other than divisions by rating, is my point. If we are going to have and use ratings, why then do we need any other classifications?



I agree..........There should be only 4 ratings based divisions offered at every tournament EXCEPT worlds........I believe at Worlds you should have All your Junior Division........And Masters and Grandmasters and Gender based divisions..........But there is no need for those divisions at any tournament but Worlds.......Everyone lives would be much easier and there would be much more competition for the ladies if every tournament just offered 4 ratings based am divisions........You go where your rating puts you.........Plain and simple. No bagging except in the highest division which there will always be people who dont want to move up to Open. And you cant force someone to become a pro.

So I guess really what im trying to say is rating based am divions at every tournament but worlds.........More people show up to worlds so the competition in the protected division is there and the division actually means something.......But at SuperTours B Tiers and C Tiers there is no need for age or gender protected divisions.

they probably will. that doesnt mean they dont like age and gender divisions.

btw, the originals outlaws came from eden, not oklahoma. i've never heard of anyone confusing the two before :)

btw, the originals outlaws came from eden, not oklahoma. i've never heard of anyone confusing the two before :)



Didn't you know that Oklahoma was the original eden?... :D:DWhy do you think it looks like the dust bowl now.... :D:D

how come this division went away ?



I don't really have an opinion on it but the Southern Nationals Tournament Series offers a version of Intermediate Masters, usually not at Dual PDGA and SN events though

Southern Nationals Tournament Series Handbook (http://www.sndg.org/snhandbook.html)

Any tournament director who wants to offer this division can. At the Illinois State Championships Gary Lewis offered it as a shadow division within the Intermediate division, awarding a state championship trophy to the best shooting Int Master.

If I thought there was a need and a demand for it, I'd run it the way I ran Am IV, but as a shadow division within Am Master. That way the am masters could play with the am masters and the lower rated ones could compete against the lower rated ones. If Barrish, Mitch and the others wanted to do this, I'd tell them to play trophy-only Am Masters, and then I'd sell the ringleader some discounted Brass. Any one of them could run it and i wouldn't have to do any extra work.