Well, I have taken the plunge. I am going to TD a tournament. I've done some of the groundwork, but realize I have a lot to do. I've got a little under 11 months before the tournament happens.

Advice? I could certainly use some.

Please remember when doling out your pointers that the tournament is in Switzerland and things work a little bit different here. So it's probably best to keep the pointers and a general instead of specific level.

Thanks!

if you can require it without harming turn-out -- pre-registration is a huge help. you can already have Board cards, scorecards, payouts, etc. taken care of (though last minute no-shows might require slight alterations).

make an event flyer listing info on what, when, where, cost and who (divisions offered) and post it online and at nearby courses.

i would also get people to agree to help you run the event as soon as possible. having someone greet people for check-ins, help check math on turned in scorecards, etc. will be needed. also you should prepare the course to eliminate scoring controversies. if there exist holes that can swallow discs fill them in. clearly mark OB. Mandos, and drop Zones the afternoon before the event...

i would also review the Online TD Report form (Excel spreadsheet) to review what information you will need to document and so you can begin keeping track of expenses and sponsors. if you don't have a copy of it contact David Gentry and ask for a copy.

probably more experinced TD's will give you more info, but i'd thought i'd chime in and throw a few things out there. ... is this the kind of thing you were looking for?

Why not look at the guides the PDGA has prepared for you as a start? Try the Plan a Tournament and Run a Tournament doc links on the upper right side of this Club page: http://www.pdga.com/club_affiliate/club_affiliate.php

Great link Chuck -- it never occurred to me to look at the Club page before...

i found this info:


All PDGA TDs must be certified officials



how long has that been in effect? :confused: (it makes sense, i just did not realize that was a requirement)

also, is there a link anywhere that lists current PDGA certified officials?

The link is on the Membership Page

But heres the link anyway

http://www.pdga.com/certified_officials.php?sort=pdganum

Great link Chuck -- it never occurred to me to look at the Club page before...



Dave and I just revamped these docs this past year (part of my parttime work for PDGA) to include event improvements and course guidelines implemented in the past few years.

thank you. i looked on the "Information" page for it as well as for the event planning info Chuck posted a link for above...
maybe we could also put links there... (?)

There are lots of links and revisions planned for the website but it may not happen for a while.

a site index might also be a good idea. if not immediately, whenever it becomes feasible ;)

are most tournaments put on by Clubs? only one of the 4 PDGA events in the Cinci area i attended this year were put on by our Club, and our club is not PDGA affiliated (though that is about to change from what i hear)...

These are some of my best pointers, since you have a couple of months to get going on this:

Think about the little things that annoy you that TDs do. Make a list. Don't do those things. Think about the things that TDs do that make a tournament seem special to you that don't involve or require an E 10,000 sponsor. Make another list with little check-off boxes.

On the promotional end, make a flyer early, print out lots of copies at work when no one is there, or just steal the copier if you work for the government and no one is going to notice. Nothing promotes a tournament better than actually handing a flyer to a player and asking him to attend. Do this 200 times and you'll get the attendance you want.

Jon, Brett and I are not exactly ISO 9002, but we've thought a lot about the dozen little things that make a tournament better than average that don't cost a dime, and we try to do them every time.

The one thing I'd be doing this far out is some income and expense projections to see what is reasonable and what is possible for high, low and middle attendance. The first mistake I made running tournaments was letting someone else worry about the money end. The TD needs to know everything about the money end.

Another thing to do a long time in advance is to find out if there are any governmental impediments to running your tournament. Do you really have permission from the proper person to use the land or course? Do you have to get some kind of license to do anything you might be planning on, like, serving food, selling discs, or whatever? Also, there used to be at least one European country where we have tournaments where the PDGA cash and prize pooling format is very illegal. I'm not certain how illegal but in another sport that tried it the organizers were prosecuted. Don't do anything that would get you thrown out of the country, but if you do, my aunt used to go to Switzerland every year [for the banking I assume] and bring us this really good chocolate...

Pre-register only so you know what the pay out will be and organize the payout (discs in bags/cash in envelopes) the night before the tournament. Pre-reg also allows you to fill out scorecards and assign holes ahead of time.

Do everything possible early, if possible; then it gets your best effort.

You might get some unexpected criticism. I hope not, but it shouldn't be unexpected, you being the one whom actually took responsibility, not just wished [they had the power].

Try and have fun. Remember that you are accomplishing something; that should warrant pride.

Best wishes!

Best advise for an aspiring TD. Promote a gallery for the event. Make sure that you have a spectator presence for the event, even if it is for the last round. When your players have to compete in front of a crowd , it makes them feel special. It will bring out the PLAYER within the player .

Aspire to create an atmosphere condusive to positivity and pleasure for you players, spectators , and event staff. When your players are happy , you will be happy. Create a niche, do something different. People will remember you and your event for that .

Affiliate your event with a charity. Lots of people are quick to judge that a TD is out to make money off of their golfer's. Give them no reason to think that way.

Be receptive to the opinions of others. When individuals feel like they have had a fraction of a percent of involvment , they will bend over backwards to help you out.

You need a trustworthy event staff, find likeminded individuals to help run the event. You will be thankful that you did!

Just my .02

I did my first PDGA sanctioned event a month ago, my advice to prepare yourself is to run a non-PDGA event first to get your feet wet, then go for the big guns.

Double check your supply list:
ie Lots of Water, scorecards, pencils, small medical kit/bandages, maps with OB, hole directons with special conditions, etc...

Have backup plans for inclimate weather -> can the teebox areas be moved if wet/muddy/snowy, baskets moved to avoid muddy areas, etc...

Lots of beer.........for the staff!!

Also, depending on how much golf you are playing for the weekend , take it easy on your players. I staffed an A tier this year, the format was 48 holes the first day. A round of 24 champion tees in the morning on sunday, and a monster tee ( safari golf ) final nine. Not too many were happy about that final 9 . After 72 holes of golf, people get tired . Take it easy on your golfers, their feedback will reflect their appreciation.

Also, this is a big one, give the golfers something to do after the final round. I.E.- ring of fire, ace golf , or a skill challenge. You as the TD will appreciate their absence whilst you are wrapping up the final scores, pay out , etc. There is nothing worse than 150 people , up your arse, wanting to know how they finished up. " Are the scores posted yet, Are the scores posted yet,Are the scores posted yet,Are the scores posted yet,Are the scores posted yet,Are the scores posted yet,Are the scores posted yet,Are the scores posted yet" Even the most patient person will want to rip their heads off. Trust me , I speak from experience.

1. Prepare. Like others have mentioned get everything ready to go prior to the event. You will not have time to be running around doing last second jobs.

2. Find some quality helpers. You will not be able to pull this off by yourself.

3. The event is not over at the end of the day. Getting results up on the tour page is a big bonus. Turn in the TD report prior to the next ratings update. It's a shame when TD's pull off quality events then neglect this end. I'm still waiting for results from a July event. That pisses players off.

DO NOT PLAY in your own event. BIG mistake - as there is just way too much to do to share your mental capacities for TDing AND playing.

DO NOT PLAY in your own event. BIG mistake - as there is just way too much to do to share your mental capacities for TDing AND playing.



Second . Big no-no.
Prepare for one of the most thankless jobs in the world. There will be a handfull of people that go out of their way to express their appreciation. The rest will come and go without a second glance!

Wow! Lots of help, advice and hints.

First, this is not going to be a huge affair. It is only a 12 hole course. I doubt we'll get 60 players, but that would be the max.

Second, this is not and will not (for the foreseeable future) be a PDGA event. Nothing against the PDGA, but it's a bit more hassle than it's worth right now. Maybe way down the road. However, it is going to be one of the events in next year's SwissTour. This means that there are guidelines that I must follow.

I've almost completed the lists of things I need to do and when they need to be done by. (Order shirts, get info on the website, get flyers made, get permit from the sports dept., thousands of other things, etc.) I've already found 5 of my 12 sponsors and have 2 more that are waiting to see something official before they'll commit. (I did some calculations and figured with 12 small sponsors I'll be able to afford to make a nice player's package and pay out significantly more than the average tournament in Switzerland.)

As far as volunteers, I've got a core team of three people (me and two IT guys) plus I will have the support of our local club (only 6 members, but hey, it's help!) and most importantly, I have the help and support of my extremely tolerant and understanding wife.

Thanks again! And keep those tips coming!

Tolerant wife is a must have for any disc golfer!

Keep those questions coming . Also, if it is a 12 hole event, think abut adding some extra holes. Here in the states, a 12 hole event would have an attendance of zero!
Either that , or play 3 rounds. 36 is a good number!

Golf must be awesome is switzerland. I would assume lots of elevation.

Don't you have to have at least 12 holes to be a rated round?

Needs to be at least 13 holes to be rated. However, he said the event will not be PDGA. And he didn't say the event would only be 12 total holes, just a 12-hole course. I suspect it will be three rounds of 12 for the event.

Needs to be at least 13 holes to be rated. However, he said the event will not be PDGA. And he didn't say the event would only be 12 total holes, just a 12-hole course. I suspect it will be three rounds of 12 for the event.



I was wondering for future reference

As I said, things are a bit different in Switzerland. It's no big deal to have a 12 hole event. We've only got two 18-hole courses in the whole country!

Needs to be at least 13 holes to be rated. However, he said the event will not be PDGA. And he didn't say the event would only be 12 total holes, just a 12-hole course. I suspect it will be three rounds of 12 for the event.



I'm toying with the idea of 12 rounds over 2 days, 2 rounds Saturday morning, 2 rounds Saturday afternoon, 2 rounds Sunday morning, followed by a 9-hole final in the afternoon. (By SwissTour regulations, a SwissTour event must have a 9-hole final.) Too much?

Im trying to imagine disc golf in Switzerland. Is it in the mountains? Never been to Suisse but I bet the course is beautiful like maybe Colorado or something. Or is it on like some flat area maybe? Got photos?

I obviously meant 6 rounds over 2 days, not 12!

Imagine away!

Swiss Disc Golf Photos (http://www.swissdiscgolf.ch/4_Galerie/galerie.htm)

There are pics here from other places in Europe as well. (France, Belgium, Germany, Finland) Follow the link for 'Reitplatz Kurse' to see pics of the place where my tournament will be.

Are you playing the tournament with the crossing fairways as shown?

If I were doing a tournament there I'd (a) get permission to use the whole park, (b) redesign the course to eliminate the crossing fairways without moving any of the existing baskets, and (c) set up a couple of temporaries.

I remember reading somewhere that the soccer or rugby players there are not friendly to disc golf. I would definately want assurances from the park district that we had exclusive use of the pitches.

Of course! I thought that having crossing fairways would add to the excitement of the tournament! /msgboard/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

We will have permission to use the entire park. We are paying a small fee to have exclusive use of the whole place. The course will look something like this:
Tournament Course (http://www.swissdiscgolf.ch/4_Galerie/ReitplatzKurs/RPS31.htm)

However, there has been a redesign to change some of the holes and add 3 extra holes (with temp baskets borrowed from another club). All the holes will flow from one to the other and none of them will cross. As soon as the course map is finished, I'll put it on the web and elicit comments.

If you'll notice, there are 3 or 4 different course plans for the Reitplatz course. We use the ones with crossing paths only as training courses. They work because we rarely have more than 3 or 4 people out playing at any one time.

Do you know Boris Lazzarotto? He was the TD at the Euro masters in Geneva. He ran a great event with press (I was interviewed on TV!) and great prizes!

As for advice...if you can, get an assistant. I ran events,(and played in them) for quite a while with minimal assistance. Now I have a team of 3 or 4 depending on the event. But just one person can let you breeze through insead of pushing.

I think Bruce was right above, Think of what you like and implement that.

bonne chance
BOB

In the tournaments I have ran, I try to always make things clear. That part is obvious. It's how you make things clear that is the key.

I feel that having an OB sheet as opposed to just saying the OB's is important. No matter what, not everyone will listen to your player meeting and someone will always be wrong. Having a reference sheet makes things easier on the player and on you!

When it comes to OB, keep things simple. Don't have anything complex. I always feel that a creek should be water and beyond unless the creek crosses the hole. The same can be said for paths. I hate when someone throws further from a basket than I do, yet he is IB and I am OB.

Always think worse case scenario. If hole 1 has a road behind the tee, make sure people know the road is OB on that hole. While the odds of someone going OB on that hole are very very slim, prepare for it to happen.

Given that it is Europe, make your o.b. and course routing sheet in five or six languages! :D

Is O.B. actually called O.B. in French or German?

OB is called OB - at least in German.

They do mistranslate 'Mando' as 'Dog Leg.' On some of the pics you may see a 'dog leg' marked. That's a mando.

And the routing sheet will be in English although the explanation at the player's meeting will probably be in English, German and a little French. Our player's meetings are always interesting! :D

Fortunately, I speak English and German and one of my assistants speaks English, German, French, Italian and Spanish - all fluently!