I am planning on running a skins tournament. I have scoured the new 2005 documents for information and answers on why I should consider sanctioning this event. I know that if I do a payout based on skins (say $1 per player per hole) I cannot run a normal sanctioned event, but would have to apply for X-Tier status.

What are the advantages of doing so?
Do players in X-Tier events get points?
Will their scores be used in the ratings machine?
Will I get more participation if I get it sanctioned?

I cannot find answers to these questions and would like some thoughts and opinions. It would seem like a waste of time and $ to go through the sanctioning process just for the purpose of having the event listed on pdga.com.

Do players in X-Tier events get points? Yes (usually).

Will their scores be used in the ratings machine?

Not in this format. Some X-tiers might be rateable but depends on the reason for X-tier status.

- What are the advantages of doing so?
If it's sanctioned you get listed in the magazine and on the website so that's free advertising. Also you have the option to purchase insurance through the PDGA which is a great deal. This insurance is often required by the venue.

- Do players in X-Tier events get points?
Typically, yes.

- Will their scores be used in the ratings machine?
It depends. Ratings are based on stroke play, so in a match play event, it doesn't work. Other X-tiers that just add or delete certain rules, they probably would.

- Will I get more participation if I get it sanctioned?
That is the magic question, isn't it? Sanctioning at different levels implies certain standards, especially when it comes to payout. If you were to get X-A, players would know there's a certain amount of added cash. If you're X-C or X-D, it's not terribly meaningful, is it?

Chuck, last weekend there was an X-D singles and doubles tournament at Idlewild (two separate events) and the ratings make the WCP lower than before (previously 67.15) even though three new longer versions of holes were created this year (hole 2 longer over the lake, hole 13 longer over the creek, hole 16 longer and further down the creek). I think the ratings got skewed by too few propagators and too many propagators performing above their rating. I'd love to see the NT players play here and see how the course got rated from such an event....

http://www.pdga.com:8080/tournament/tournament_results.php?TournID=4691

(rounds 1 & 2 for pros and round 2 for Am.s were from the longs)

Is it safe to think this event will count in ratings? My fear is that it will :D

Unless there's something unusual about how the rounds were played, it looks like official ratings will be generated. Some high SSA courses, typically with several wooded holes, have a tendency for their SSAs to drop 1-2 from when the course first is used in a PDGA event just due to working in the course and a learning curve.

I'm willing to bet that the SSA would go up if the top players played in an event here. Many of the locals are afraid to play it because it is so challenging and only the ones who like the course tend to attend PDGA rated rounds there. Chris Heeren (Team Innova) thought 67.15 sounded about right for the old longs -- now that there are three more I would think it will go up. The course record of 62 being considered only a 1014 round seems too low. It does seem to play a little easier though when the leaves are down.

Doesn't having only about a dozen propagators mean a greater likelihood that the ratings get skewed?

Hope you get a chance to play it sometime -- the Parks Dept. has begun doing an excellent job keeping it mowed and course pro Fred Salaz and company continue to groom and improve the course.

Doesn't having only about a dozen propagators mean a greater likelihood that the ratings get skewed?



It can have a higher variance but you don't know which direction from the average. It's been my personal experience on some of my courses and observation of others that people predict their course will be tougher than it actually ends up under competition once it's worked in.

That sounds like a possibility, although I think it is worth mentioning that Idlewild isn't your typical course. Being an 18 hole Pro par 4 course, the on average 18 extra mathematical possibilities to screw up on any particular hole add to the difficulty of consistently shooting good rounds there.

Hopefully some day an A tier will be held at Idlewild and we'll see what happens.

We have a pick your partner doubles here thats usually X-C. Its doubles w/ PDGA points. Not a normal format but payouts follow C tier rules and entrys but it's you and a partner instead of just you competing.

Why not have X tier if all standards are folowed to do "alternative" style tournaments. It allows leeway for TD's to have a format thats slightly away from the norm of almost every other tournament every weekend.