Playing in a SuperClass tourney last weekend made me start thinking about other ways to restrict the game to improve player's abilities, skills and appreciation of the game.

The SuperClass was great fun, but many people didn't have any idea what to do with a lid, and the difference between people with Ultrastars and people with Zephyrs a SuperHeros was pretty noticeable. None of these are discs that player throw regularly on the course.

So I was wondering whether there was a way to sanction a tourney that used a different set of disc restrictions. I was thinking Putter Only would be a great tourney restriction. Players are allowed putters -- as many as they like -- but only putters. Every player has putters they are familiar with, and every player should probably throw their putters more often to learn how they behave in a variety of situations.

I thought that hosting a putter-only tourney could be a great way to help stress the worth of slower-flying discs without introducing the alien presence of SuperClass discs (alien to MOST current players at this point).

Is there any loophole that would allow restricting people to only using putters in a sanctioned tournament (that will recieve ratings)? Also, are there any suggestions on what methological standards should be created to guarantee no pseudo putters (like XDs and Classic Rocs) would be allowed in. Is there a certain height that "makes a disc a putter?"

Also, how many of you all would want to play in a putter-only sanctioned tourney? Anyone?

With an X-tier event, you have a wide range of options to use. You just need to submit it and have it approved. How you would define a putter could be as simple as submitting a list and saying that the discs have to be on this list.

There have been several one disc challenge events over the years as X-tiers. However, no ratings would be produced but points could still be earned. Super Class events have separate ratings that don't impact a player's regular rating. A so-called putter category would be too wide ranging to have ratings unless for some reason the PDGA defined a specific category with specific discs. Then it would be a separate rating like Super Class will be.

Hmmm... do any of the X-tiers produce ratings? Do the one-disc challenge events produce ratings?

As long as the event allows the full range of regular discs using PDGA rules then ratings can be done. Examples of X-tiers with ratings might be glow events, unusual payout structures or perhaps experimental baskets or even post targets are used. No ratings for mulligan events, restricted discs (one disc) or special rules that would change "normal" scoring. Super Class events are currently listed as X-tiers but will have their first ever official Super Class ratings posted by April.

Just wondering. If the ratings are a way to approximate how good/bad a player is and how that player fares v. the field on that day, why restrict? I understand the weird x-tiers where if you land in a certain spot you have to throw with the opposite hand etc. However, if you have an event that puts everybody on an even playing field but restricts the discs- ie a one disc challenge or even a super class, wouldn't the ratings likely come close to those we expect? I suspect ultimate players may have disproportionately high ratings at superclass and but otherwise would expect that a 950 player would play better than a 900 player in a one disc or superclass and that the difference in their games would be similarily quantifiable? No? Just wondering. If so, it would seem that as long as you are playing golf with no strange local rules such as I am told that have done at the Pickle, ratings should be reasonably accurate. The cream would, as they say, rise.

While the assumptions may be accurate, we don't have enough data to confirm that those assumptions are true regarding skill in each format. So you don't want to mix the formats within the overall ratings. For example, let's say you have runners who do the 100, 200 and 400 meter races. Doing an overall ranking based on their finish positions in races at all three distances over a season wouldn't make sense since it's likely some are better at the 400, some in the 200 and some in the 100. You need rankings within each distance separately even though the overall value may be a fairly close correlation to any individual distance ranking.

I would think that unusual payout structures and experimental targets _could_ affect "normal" scoring as well. If the payout was restricted to top 20% or top 3, etc., you will have some players taking greater chances, since that is the only chance they have to cash. Likewise, for other targets, back in the early 1980's, Tom Monroe had a putt for posts/trees where he would use an 80 Mold Midnight Flyer and flick a sidearm straight on with driving velocity, and it was deadly accurate, and I dare say that it would give him a statistical advantage over those who did not modify their putting styles for non entrapment basket type targets.

That's why each X-tier sanctioning agreement is reviewed to determine whether it will be rated or not.

I agree, I think the X-tier oddball targets would affect scoring differences and would skew rating-levels more than one-disc events.

Would this be an option: sanction a normal C-tier tourney where ALL discs are allowed, but have a separate pool of cash for players who AGREED to play with just one disc (or with just putters or whatever). That way, technically, everyone is allowed to play with whatever they want, but they DQ themselves from the side-prizes if they do.

I'm guessing that would make MOST players choose to play with Putters only (or one-disc only) or whatever, giving up possible ratings in order to play with a single disc and be eligible for the separate pool of money/prizes...

Just a thought. I just love the idea of a sanctioned tourney -- with ratings -- that allows people to duke it out with their putters and see how they fare. Or a one disc challenge or whatever... Just trying to continue to think outside the box.

I don't see the benefit to muck around with someone's rating. You're talking about a one time special event and the scores themselves tell who shot better.