I play advanced men currently and new to the PDGA. I want to know if some of you out there could give me some advice. I want to start going to National Tour events more. Here are some questions I have before jumping the gun.
1.) When did you know you were ready to move to the next step in competion?
2.) Once you started touring, did you gradually move to more and more events or just jumped into playing a lot of events?
3.) Does sponsorship help? If so, how did you receive sponsorship and what do sponsors help with?
4.) Is it expensive to travel on tour alone?
5.) What are some key pointers in starting out on tour?
6.) I work full time. Is work something that is generally sacrificed when touring all summer?

These are just few questions that I have been curious to know answers to. I really want to see this sport in the "BIG TIMERS" league. Please reply with your input. You can private message me or just reply to the post. Thanks for your time! Ty Boggs

1.) When I consistently cashed in 80 percent of my local tournies. My player rating was above 1000.
2.)Once I had good enough success, I played any chance I had.
3.)Sponsorship definitely helps, I asked for my initial sponsorship, and all of my other sponsors came with time and good play, and more importantly a good image to represent womevers product.
4.)It can be expensive, but if you kow people wherever you go it can definitely help if you can handle sleeping on the floor. Current gas prices are a killer right now also. Entry fees alone cost up to 5000.00 a year, if you play every weekend.
5.)Get out of debt, have $10,000, in reserve in da bank, have a reliable vehicle to travel in, be willing to eat cheaply.
6.)Work is overrated, Quit your Job Play Disc Golf!

1) I think a good way to know when you're ready is to actually go out and try a tournament or two, see where you finish, then decide if you think you could have played better or is this about where you stand? I went out right away and played my 1st NT, The Memorial. I didn't cash but I knew I could play better, so I played some other NT's and I've cashed at every one since.
2) I just jumped right into playing events, I played 17 pdga tournaments my first pro year, then 31 in 03' and last year I played 35.
3) Sponsorship helped me out quite a bit this last year. I had played about 50 pro tournaments and got my name out to the disc golf world before any sponsors started to look at me. A good approach would be to write a potential sponsor a letter saying you are interested in getting a sponsorship and ask what they are looking for in a "sponsoree's" ( If that's a real word ) Like Schweb said, a good imagine will also go along way.
4) It can get very expensive to travel alone, I know I drove 70,000+ miles just for disc golf tournaments in the last 2 years. This can add up to a lot of gas money, the more people you travel will the less money it will cost in the long run. Also, lodging and entrance fee's play a big part of expenses. I spent over $3,000 in tournament entrance fee's alone this last year. When you travel more, you meet more people and hopefully will have some places to crash now and then to keep the hotel/camping fee's down!
5)Learn to eat from the McDonalds Dollar Menu!!
6)If you are serious about touring then you pretty much have to give up your job, at least for the summer. The NT's are spread out all over the country and takes time to travel from place to play. If you need to keep your job, then you will have to stick to more local tournaments rather than the big Supertours and NT's. Worlds alone is a week long.

When did you know you were ready to move to the next step in competion?

Well this is a decision you have to make. I decided to move up after playig bad quite frequently in advanced and still cashing relatively high. I said to myself this is horrible, if I play bad I don't want to be rewarded. So I started playing pro. It took me about half a year before I cashed, and then probably another half a year before I consitently cashed. In my opinion this is must if you are going to be on tour.

Once you started touring, did you gradually move to more and more events or just jumped into playing a lot of events?

I stuck to tournaments in my area besides going to a few big ones that wasn't to far away. When time and money allow you to travel more it's great to do so. Playing as many different courses and so fourth will help your game improve. So now I play quite a few events, and do well enough for my self.

Does sponsorship help? If so, how did you receive sponsorship and what do sponsors help with?

Sponsorship helps tremendously, when I first got sponsored by a local store wait Plug (Disc-n-Dat). It allowed me to get the disc I needed a while keeping my money for tournaments. If you got a big stash already then your one step up from where I was, but the sponsorship definitely helps. Always represent a sponsor proffessionally. When at the bigger tournaments and playing with the sponsor players you need to show you have a proffessional game and additude if you are to be sponsored by a major disc company. These guys have some pull normally. Discraft has one of the better sponsorships deal I think, If you manage to get with them. They give me the disc I need plus extra that I can sell which can help relive a little bit of the burden on tour. Bonuses are always nice to, if you can get them. Gateway and Discraft both seem to sponsor more of the up and coming players than other companies.

Is it expensive to travel on tour alone?

It is expensive to travel on tour with people sometimes, let alone being alone. This is why it is a must that you cash consitently in my opinion. A lot of the touring pros are lot more uptight and frustrated on the course then other pros not living off the game. This puts more pressure on the game and makes it less fun, so if you can tour with an income and not worry about it as much you will have a better time and probably play better to. To save the most, you need to know people, Travel with people, and learn to become a free-loader/ bum and eat cheapily. Two things I don't like to do, So I will stay with work and school and play when I can.

What are some key pointers in starting out on tour?
Be patient, Play Smart, Practice if you can and play a lot. Talk to other pros try to learn on your weakness and get better in all aspects of your game. If you do not have good focus, and mind set, get it before you start or early on. Be confident, but not to where it gets you in trouble. In my opinion you need to have a good backhand, and decent forehand. There are many players that don't but it really helps.

I work full time. Is work something that is generally sacrificed when touring all summer?

For the kind of touring some people do Yes, If you have a decent Job I would say keep it, travel local and to a decent distance with big tournies. It is good to be able to leave thursday night or early friday's sometime if you can. Play all year, don't quit unless you get hurt or get burned out. If you get Hurt take time off, It will only make it worse if you play hurt.

Remeber Chris and Scwheb are two of the best out there it's not that easy to be like them. I wish I had the time to play half as much and commit to as much travel as them but its hard. If you got goals in life and play to do something like school or proffessional career, good luck its hard. Good luck in general and hopefully see ya out there at some events.

Thanks for all your input guys! I really look forward to getting out there with the big events. I got a general idea of what is involved now... I hope all go well. Happy New Year to all of you and keep on bustin' up those chains in 2005! Good Luck!

Thanks for all your input guys! I really look forward to getting out there with the big events.



I really look forward to spending your money :p j/k

Careful, he's really not kidding! He will take your money and spend it on more creating more Nina Fo Fe Tre action figures!

only second place money though....... :eek:

or on B*tches and HOS!!

Close bud!

Most of my money goes to Strippers and Booze :D

:D

And I always thought it went towards Cubbies and Brewers games.

Close bud!

Most of my money goes to Strippers and Booze :D



:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D