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0 2017 PDGA International Program Guide Prepared by Brian Hoeniger #4022, International Director UPDATED – March 2017 Credit: PDGA Media
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2017 PDGA International Program Guide
Prepared by Brian Hoeniger #4022, International Director
UPDATED – March 2017
Credit: PDGA Media
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Table of Contents
Part 1: Information for All Countries
1. Introduction 2
2. Program Goals 2
3. Affiliated Countries 2
4. Country Coordinators 4
5. Disc Golfers’ Code 6
6. PDGA Rules of Play & Competition Manual 6
7. International Memberships & Events Protocol 8
8. Player Classifications 9
9. 2017 PDGA World Championships 12
10. 2017 International Major Events 13
11. PDGA International Tour Events 15
12. International Disciplinary Procedures 17
13. Marco Polo Program 18
Part 2: PDGA Europe
14. PDGA Europe Committee 19
15. PDGA Europe Transition 19
16. PDGA EuroProTour & EuroTour 20
17. PDGA Europe Awards 23
18. PDGA Europe Voting Protocol 24
Part 3: Appendices
A. PDGA International Demographics 26
B. PDGA Europe Transition Concept Paper 27
C. PDGA International Member Benefits 34
D. PDGA Disciplinary Action Form 36
E. 2016 PDGA Top Rated International Players 37
F. 2016 PDGA International Events Summary 38
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Part 1: Information for All Countries
1. Introduction
The PDGA is the international governing body of disc golf. Since 2005, when the PDGA International Program was launched, PDGA activity has grown in Europe, eastern Asia and Oceania. In 2016 there were more than 6000 current PDGA International members and 650 PDGA Tour events in the countries beyond the PDGA’s historical base in USA and Canada. All told the PDGA now partners with more than 30 national disc golf and disc sports associations around the world. See Appendix A on PDGA and Disc Golf Demographics. For more information please visit www.pdga.com/international and www.pdga-europe.com .
Elsewhere, in other corners of the globe where disc golf is beginning to take flight, the PDGA serves as a resource base for building the game at the grassroots level. Funding support is also available to new countries and regions through the Marco Polo Program, details for which can be found at: http://www.pdga.com/marco-polo-program .
The PDGA International Program is steered by the International Director, who serves on behalf of the PDGA Executive Director and Board of Directors. Input and advice are provided by the PDGA Europe Administrator, and the European and Asia/Oceania Country Coordinators. The Program is also supported by the PDGA’s USA office staff, through www.pdga.com, and the PDGA’s global database, in activities that include player ratings calculation, social media, sponsorship of and on-site support at International Major and Championship events, the Marco Polo Program, financial accounts management, and problem solving.
In the fall of 2016, following approval by the PDGA Europe Committee and the PDGA Board of Directors, a PDGA Europe office was opened in the Netherlands and the first PDGA Europe Administrator was appointed. These are the initial steps in the envisioned transition of PDGA Europe over the next 1-2 years to a self-governing and self-sustaining continental branch of PDGA. PDGA Europe is now starting to assume many of the activities and responsibilities heretofore provided by PDGA’s USA office, staff, and governance structure. For more information on this unprecedented project, please see Appendix B: PDGA Europe Transition Concept Paper.
This Guide serves as the principal resource on the International Program. It details the roles of and the relations between PDGA and all countries outside of USA and Canada, the basic services provided by PDGA to the countries, and the standards that apply to PDGA International memberships and Tour events. Please send any questions regarding the Guide to the PDGA International Director or to the PDGA Europe Administrator.
2. Program Goals
Foster and strengthen the growth of disc golf around the world
Support the growth of national disc golf associations and disc sports bodies
Assist in the introduction and development of disc golf in new countries and regions
Set player standards for classification of PDGA members into universal Professional and Amateur divisions
Set tour standards for classification of PDGA International events into appropriate tiers
Support the translation of PDGA documents into other languages, including the PDGA Rules of Play and Competition Manual, the Official’s Exam, Introduction to Disc Golf brochures, etc
Strengthen the PDGA brand as the global players association and leader in organized competitive disc golf
3. Affiliated Countries
The International Program has been built on the basis of partnerships between the PDGA and National Disc Golf or Disc Sports Association(s). At the country level, the National Associations retain responsibility for all domestic/in-country issues, including the application of the standards discussed in this document.
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Table of PDGA Affiliated Countries and Partner Associations Updated March 2017
Affiliated Country Partner Association Website
EUROPE
Austria Österreichischer Discgolfverband www.discgolf.at
Belgium Belgian Disc Golf Commission www.belgiandiscgolf.net
Croatia Croatian Flying Disc Association http://www.hfds.hr
Czech Republic Česká Asociace DiscGolfu www.DiscGolf.cz
Denmark Dansk Disc Golf Union www.ddgu.dk
Estonia Eesti Discgolfi Liit www.discgolfiliit.ee
Finland Suomen frisbeegolfliitto www.frisbeegolfliitto.fi
France Fédération Flying Disc France www.ffdf.fr
Germany Deutscher Frisbeesport Verband www.discgolf.de
Hungary Hungarian National Flying Disc Association www.disc-golf.hu
Iceland Íslendska Frisbígolf samband www.folf.is
Latvia Latvian Disc Golf Federation www.diskgolfs.info
Lithuania Vilnius Disc Golf Club www.discgolf.lt
Netherlands Nederlandse Frisbee Bond (NFB) www.frisbeesport.nl
Norway Disksport Norge www.disksport.no
Poland Disc Golf Poland www.discgolfpoland.pl/
Russia Russian Disc Golf Association http://www.rdga.ru
Slovakia Slovak Association of Frisbee www.discgolf.sk
Slovenia Frizbi zveza Slovenije www.frizbi.si
Spain Asociación Española de Disc Golf http://www.aediscgolf.com
Sweden Svenska Frisbeesportförbundet www.frisbeesport.se
Switzerland Swiss Discgolf www.discgolf.ch
United Kingdom British Disc Golf Association www.bdga.org.uk
ASIA/OCEANIA
Australia Australian Disc Golf www.australiandiscgolf.com
Israel Disc Golf Israel www.frisbee.co.il
Japan Japan Disc Golf Association www.jpdga.jp
New Zealand New Zealand Disc Golf www.newzealanddiscgolf.org.nz
South Korea Korea Professional Disc Golf Association www.kpdga.kr
AMERICAS
Brasil Disc Golf Brasil www.discgolfbrasil.org
Costa Rica Costa Rica Disc Golf Asociación https://www.facebook.com/DiscGolfCR/
AFRICA
Ethiopia Ethiopian Disc Golf Association https://www.facebook.com/Ethiopian-Disc-Golf-Association-502480383184750/
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The basic and annual criteria for being a PDGA affiliated country are:
Ten (10) or more current PDGA members annually
One (1) or more sanctioned PDGA events annually in country, following International event standards
These criteria apply to all European, and to established Eastern Asia, and Oceania disc golf countries.
The PDGA International Director may grant affiliated status to countries in Africa, Latin America and elsewhere who do not meet the above criteria, where there is significant disc golf developmental activity
PDGA support and benefits to the affiliated country includes:
Global organization, governance and related standards, including the Rules of Play, Competition Manual, & Technical Standards
Sanctioning and promotion of events as part of the global PDGA Tour
Individual membership benefits, including player ratings
Searchable databases of player, event, and country statistics at www.pdga.com & www.pdga-europe.com
Financial assistance with the translation of key PDGA texts, including the “PDGA’s Official Rules of Disc Golf & Competition Manual”, Officials Test, and the “What is Disc Golf” brochure, into local languages
Rights to use PDGA-affiliated names and logos including PDGA Tour & PDGA Major, provision of related promotional materials including PDGA logo banners
Countries interested in becoming PDGA affiliated should contact the International Director for more information.
4. Country Coordinators
PDGA Country Coordinators are appointed in the following manners:
By a national disc golf association or disc sports body that is recognized by PDGA as its affiliated partner for the country in question.
Where there is no national body recognized by PDGA, or, in the case of new disc golf countries where a national body does not yet exist, a Country Coordinator can be appointed by a vote of the current PDGA members within the country, or by the International Director.
The roles and responsibilities of PDGA Country Coordinators include:
Representation of the country to PDGA and PDGA Europe, including the handling of PDGA related requests from their Association and from TDs and members in their country to PDGA, and vice versa.
Coordination of PDGA activity and promotion in country, including the distribution of PDGA information to TDs and members (International Program Guide, International Event Report form, on-line membership and event instructions, officials tests, etc.).
Ensuring that their country’s memberships, event dates and results are submitted to PDGA following the prescribed methods, either by the individual members or by the Country Association, in a timely manner.
Maintaining the accounting of and settling the country membership and events fees owed to PDGA
Entry of new and updated information on country disc golf courses in the PDGA Course Directory
PDGA Europe Country Coordinators Credit: PDGA Media
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PDGA International Country Coordinators & Contacts Updated March 2017
PDGA Europe
PDGA Europe Administrator Hans Nagtegaal 44969 [email protected]
Austria Bernd Wender 8673 [email protected]
Belgium Fabienne Werner 57312 [email protected]
Croatia Aleksander Vuckovic 62431 [email protected]
Czech Republic Pavel Kotala 59645 [email protected]
Denmark Sinus Frank 25808 [email protected]
Estonia Rainer Lipand 57090 [email protected]
Finland Tapani Aulu 44389 [email protected]
France Florence Dumont 25097 [email protected]
Germany Frank Hellstern 3723 [email protected]
Hungary Gergely Hrubó 71781 [email protected]
Iceland Haukur Arnason 8800 [email protected]
Italy Diego Melisi 90613 [email protected]
Latvia Gunars Grundmanis 43605 [email protected]
Lithuania Darius Gricius 41932 [email protected]
Netherlands Peter Buijsrogge 28282 [email protected]
Norway Ingar ballo Sandum 27273 [email protected]
Poland Michal Paszowski 66145 [email protected]
Russia Alexandr Makarov 47551 [email protected]
Slovakia Richard Kollar 61991 [email protected]
Slovenia Bostjan Babic 63294 [email protected]
Spain Carlos Rio 16108 [email protected]
Sweden Peter Bygde 8558 [email protected]
Switzerland Martin Jenny 8446 [email protected]
United Kingdom Charlie Mead 1980 [email protected]
Asia/Oceania
Australia Paul Arden 8520 [email protected]
Israel Bruce Weber 38365 [email protected]
Japan Hiroshi Yokota 3614 [email protected]
New Zealand Simon Feasey 8508 [email protected]
South Korea Sung Bae Kim 8734 [email protected]
Taiwan Kuan Chen 8701 [email protected]
Thailand Nigel Mills 62319 [email protected]
Other Countries
Brasil Adriano Reche Medola 60285 [email protected]
Costa Rica Justin Dolan 72490 [email protected]
Ethiopia Yohannes Desalegn 69150 [email protected]
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5. Disc Golfer’s Code
The PDGA Board of Directors has approved the following code of ethics which relates to the sustainability of our sport. The International countries are asked to assist the PDGA in promoting this universal code:
6. PDGA Rules of Play & Competition Manual
The current PDGA Official Rules of Disc Golf are in effect at all PDGA sanctioned events. Plans are for the next edition of the Rules book and Competition Manual to come into effect in 2018.
It is the responsibility of each country association to determine how the standards and procedures discussed in the Competition Manual are applied in their country.
The exceptions where the Competition Manual applies in full in all countries are:
Section 1.6-E on Grouping and Sectioning: Groups shall not be more than five players and should be limited to four players whenever possible.
Section 1.9 on Tie Breakers in its entirety: All ties for 1st place must be broken by sudden death playoff. All ties for other positions will be recorded as ties.
Section 2 on Division Qualifications in its entirety
Section 3.3 on Player Misconduct in its entirety
PDGA International Major events
If an event or TD does not agree with certain standards or Rules, he/she may appeal, through their Country Coordinator, to the PDGA Tour Manager for a waiver of the condition(s) in question.
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Experimental or Non-Standard Rules
All TDs are reminded that ANY rule or tournament procedure which is not specifically allowed by the PDGA Rulebook or Competition Manual, MUST be approved prior to the event by the PDGA Tour Manager. This means any intended use of a non-standard rule, including but not limited to, a different percentage of payout, mulligans, team formats, limiting a player’s OB options, etc. Non-Standard Rules Specifically Concerning Limiting a Player’s OB Options:
We have recently seen a disturbing trend of TDs enacting rules that limit a player’s OB options without first receiving a waiver. In some cases those rules have been so punitive that they have caused excessive scoring which produces skewed ratings.
Again, as per PDGA rules (804.04.D.3), in order for a TD to limit a player’s choice of the three standard OB options the previous lie, marked one meter from where last inbounds, or within the designated drop zone (if provided) - the Tournament Director MUST request a waiver from the PDGA Tour Manager.
Typical examples of limiting a players OB options include, but are not limited to, Island Greens, BUNCR area rules, HAZARD area rules, and other “Throw and Distance” rules.
Any rule requiring players to re-throw from their previous lie after landing in a marked area, with or without a penalty (Island Greens, “Throw & Distance”, BUNCR areas, etc.) may potentially be unrateable.
When a waiver is requested, the PDGA Tour Manager will work with the TD to ensure that any such rules will not prevent the event from being rated. This typically can be accomplished with the addition of an appropriate drop zone, alternate route to complete the hole, or some other alternative. Note that a waiver for the use of a HAZARD area (Throw penalty only) can usually be rated, however a waiver for the more punitive BUNCR area, where a re-throw from the original lie is required, sometimes CANNOT be rated.
Any event that receives a waiver for a rule where it is determined that the rule will make the layout unrateable will only be sanctioned using the X designation added to the Tier level and the TD will need to include the information that the event WON’T be rated within the event information prior to players registering to ensure they are aware. TDs and course designers are encouraged to use less punitive ways to challenge their players while following standard PDGA rules. Establishing a forward drop zone providing players with options after landing in a marked area is a more appropriate way to penalize players while also keeping players moving forward to benefit the speed of play.
New Zealand’s Simon Feasey Credit: Moonrider Productions
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7. PDGA International Memberships & Events Protocol
a. Memberships
All PDGA International memberships are submitted at http://www.pdga.com/membership as follows:
By the individual member using their credit card or paypal. This is the preferred method because the member is responsible for the accuracy of their own data and payment is received by PDGA when the membership is submitted.
By Country Associations who collect their national players’ PDGA memberships. Prices - US$30 Professional Members or US$20 Amateur & Junior Members + US$20 New member PDGA logo golf disc. All new members receive a PDGA logo mini disc.
+ US$40 Annual (4 issues) airmail subscription to the PDGA’s Discgolfer Magazine
Each affiliated Country Coordinator receives a complementary magazine subscription
Note: for the European countries and members these prices are scheduled to change from US$ to Euros in April or May 2017, when the Europe office will begin providing fulfillment services. At that time a Pro membership will become €30, an Amateur/Junior membership €20, a new member golf disc €20, and a magazine subscription €40. When this change occurs European member fees will be directed from http://www.pdga.com/membership to the PDGA Europe office accounts.
Members receive a PDGA member card, an individual member page at www.pdga.com including event results and player rating, the right to play in PDGA Tour events around the world, the right to play in PDGA Major and other leading events subject to player qualification. The PDGA sends members a copy of the Official Rules Book & Competition Manual each time a new edition is published. New members receive this booklet as part of their membership. See Appendix C on The Benefits of PDGA International Membership.
New Members who played in PDGA Tour events before they became a member can also get credit for these event results by emailing a list of the events they played, the dates of the events, and their division and places of finish to the PDGA Tour Manager.
b. Official’s Exam
The official’s exam is taken online at http://www.pdga.com/rules/exam . The exam is open book and may be taken an unlimited number of times until it is passed. Once passed, the member must pay the US$10 fee to be certified. Official’s certification is valid for 3 years. All PDGA Tournament Directors and all players competing in a PDGA Major or in a USA National Tour Series event are required to be Certified Officials. Note: for European countries and members the official’s exam fee will continue to be US$10 as the exams will continue to be administered by the USA office.
c. Event Sanctioning
All International events must be approved by the host country association before they are PDGA sanctioned. National Associations who do not wish to have this authority must advise event TDs in their country that they can sanction their events with PDGA without such approval. In cases where national associations have declined this authority and there is a conflict between events that are geographically close and wish to sanction on the same date(s), the Country Coordinator should serve as Event Schedule Referee.
All listed event TDs (and assistant TDs) must be current PDGA members and certified PDGA officials before the PDGA will sanction their event(s).
For each International event to be PDGA sanctioned the TD or country association must complete the PDGA sanctioning agreement found here: http://www.pdga.com/pdga-event-sanctioning-agreement . The event sanctioning submission is received when payment information is submitted on the checkout page.
Sanctioning Fees are: US$100 A Tier, US$75 B Tier, US$50 C Tier, US$25 League.
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Note: for events in the European countries the prices for A/B/C Tier events are scheduled to change from US$ to Euros in April or May 2017, when the Europe office will begin providing fulfillment. At that time a European A Tier will become €100, a B Tier €75, and a C Tier €50. League events in Europe will remain at US$25 as Leagues will continue to be managed by the USA office. When this change occurs European event sanctioning fees will be directed to the PDGA Europe office accounts.
Upon sanctioning the PDGA Office emails an event confirmation to the TD, copying the Country Coordinator. This email includes a link and password to the PDGA on-line scoring system (Tournament Manager) used for uploading lists of registered players and unofficial event results. See: http://www.pdga.com/apps/tournament/manager/help.php Exceptions: PDGA International Major events and the European Championships are entered in the PDGA database by PDGA staff and do not pay sanctioning fees. EuroProTour / EuroTour Series events are entered in the PDGA database by the PDGA Europe Administrator and pay sanctioning and player fees in Euros to PDGA Europe.
d. Event Reports
All International event TDs, use the latest copy of the PDGA International TD Report form which can be found here http://www.pdga.com/documents/pdga-international-td-report .
All International event TDs must submit a completed event report to the PDGA, even if the TD has already loaded the event’s unofficial results to the PDGA website. These event reports are reviewed to ensure the information is complete and correct prior to official entry into the PDGA database. European events submit their event reports to [email protected] . All other countries submit their event reports to the PDGA International Director.
Where reports are late, Country Coordinators will be requested to assist the PDGA Europe Administrator and International Director in obtaining the report. TD’s with reports over 90 days late will not be allowed to direct another sanctioned event until the reports are received and may face disciplinary action.
Official results are generated when the PDGA processes batches of event reports into the database. Official PDGA player ratings are calculated and updated about 12 times a year by the PDGA Ratings Committee.
e. Questions, Corrections & Changes
European countries, events and members can email the PDGA Europe Administrator at [email protected] whenever they have a membership or event related problem or change requiring resolution. For example, when a member has not received something from PDGA that they paid for, or they have a change of address, or their name is not correct in the PDGA database. Likewise, when there are any changes or corrections to an event’s information, or official results such as missing player PDGA#s, wrong player score or payout amount, etc. All other countries can email their questions and issues to the International Director for resolution.
PDGA Office Contacts
President - Board of Directors Rebecca Duffy 33115 [email protected]
Executive Director Joe Chargualaf 15615 [email protected]
International Director Brian Hoeniger 4022 [email protected]
PDGA Europe Administrator Hans Nagtegaal 44969 [email protected]
Office Manager Toni Giusto 10339 [email protected]
Tour Manager Andrew Sweeton 21582 [email protected]
Memberships Manager Vic Allen 51507 [email protected]
Marco Polo Program Michael Downes 13898 [email protected]
Media Manager Matt Gregoire 28647 [email protected]
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8. Player Classifications
The table below includes all 2017 PDGA Professional and Amateur divisions and applies to all countries.
PDGA Tour Player Divisions, Ratings & Points Factors
PROFESSIONAL CLASS
Division Division Ages Suggested Minimum
Name Code(s) Eligible Ratings
Pro
Open MPO All 970+
Master MPM 40+ during full calendar year 935+
Grandmaster MPG 50+ during full calendar year 900+
Senior Grandmaster MPS 60+ during full calendar year 850+
Legend MPL 70+ during full calendar year 800+
Senior Legend MPE 75+ during full calendar year 800+
Grand Legend MPR 80+ during full calendar year 800+
Pro Women
Open Women FPO All 900+
Master Women FPM 40+ during full calendar year 850+
Grandmaster Women FPG 50+ during full calendar year 800+
Senior Grandmaster Women FPS 60+ during full calendar year 750+
Legend Women FPL 70+ during full calendar year 750+
AMATEUR CLASS
Division Division Ages Ratings
Name Code(s) Eligible Requirement
Amateur
Advanced MA1 All Any (required for 935+)
Intermediate MA2 All < 935
Recreational MA3 All < 900
Novice MA4 All < 850
Advanced Master MM1 40+ during full calendar year Any
Advanced Grandmaster MG1 50+ during full calendar year Any
Advanced Senior Grandmaster MS1 60+ during full calendar year Any
Advanced Legend ML1 70+ during full calendar year Any
Amateur Women
Advanced Women FA1 All Any (required for 825+)
Intermediate Women FA2 All < 825
Recreational Women FA3 All < 775
Novice Women FA4 All <725
Advanced Master Women FM1 40+ during full calendar year Any
Advanced Grandmaster Women FG1 50+ during full calendar year Any
Advanced Sr GMaster Women FS1 60+ during full calendar year Any
Advanced Legend Women FL1 70+ during full calendar year Any
Junior Boys & Girls
Junior I - 18 & Under MJ1 or FJ1 <= 18 during full calendar year Any
Junior II - 15 & Under MJ2 or FJ2 <= 15 during full calendar year Any
Junior III - 12 & Under MJ3 or FJ3 <= 12 during full calendar year Any
Junior IV - 10 & Under MJ4 or FJ4 <= 10 during full calendar year Any
Junior V - 8 & Under MJ5 or FJ5 <= 8 during full calendar year Any
Junior VI - 6 & Under MJ6 or FJ6 <= 6 during full calendar year Any
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Changing Player Classification
A player relinquishes their PDGA Amateur status by accepting money for place of finish in a Pro division or by applying for a Pro membership.
An Amateur player retains PDGA Amateur status by accepting merchandise or nothing in lieu of Pro cash
The requirements for reclassification are found here: http://www.pdga.com/faq/pdga-tour/reclassification PDGA Player Age: A player's official PDGA Age is based on their year of birth, NOT their birthdate. So whatever age they will be on their birthday during the calendar tour year is their PDGA age for that entire calendar tour year and determines their eligibility for age-based divisions. Examples: 1) If a 10 year old player will turn 11 at any time during the calendar year, their PDGA age is 11 so they are not eligible for Junior IV during that entire calendar year, they must play Junior III. 2) If a 39 year old player will turn 40 at any time during the calendar year, their PDGA age is 40 and they are eligible for Masters during the entire calendar year. Limits on Junior Competition: The PDGA highly recommends that Tournament Directors create their event schedules to ensure that all players in the MJ5, FJ5, MJ6 and FJ6 divisions (age 8 and under) play no more than 18 holes per day. Additionally, TDs should use their discretion to possibly limit the amount of daily play concerning the MJ4 and FJ4 divisions (age 10 and younger) depending on the length and strenuousness of their course(s).
Manabu Kajiyama, Japan’s top player, tees off at the 2016 World Team Championships Credit: Moonrider Productions
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Ratings Based Events and Pros Playing Am Each International Country Association is responsible for deciding if Ratings based Events and Pros Playing Am (PPA) will be allowed in their country, and to advise their TDs accordingly. Where PPA is approved by a country, and offered by a TD, Pro Male players that are rated < 970 and Pro Female players that are rated < 925 may compete in certain amateur divisions that they qualify for based on the following table. Pros may NOT play in Amateur or Junior divisions at PDGA Majors OR EuroProTour/EuroTour Series events.
RATINGS EVENTS
Division Division Ages Ratings
Name Code(s) Eligible Requirement
All Players
Gold RPA All 970+
Blue RAH All < 970
White RAD All < 935
Red RAE All < 900
Green RAF All < 850
Purple RAG All < 800
PROS PLAYING AM
Allowed To Division Ages Player's Rating
Participate In: Code(s) Eligible Requirement
Men (or Women)
Advanced MA1 All < 970
Advanced Master MM1 40+ during full calendar year < 935
Advanced Grand Master MG1 50+ during full calendar year < 900
Advanced Senior Grandmaster MS1 60+ during full calendar year <850
Advanced Legend ML1 70+ during full calendar year <800
Intermediate MA2 All < 935
Recreational MA3 All < 900
Novice MA4 All < 850
Women
Advanced Women FA1 All <875
Advanced Master Women FM1 40+ during full calendar year <825
Advanced Grandmaster Women FG1 50+ during full calendar year <775
Advanced Senior Grandmaster Women FS1 60+ during full calendar year < 725
Advanced Legend Women FL1 70+ during full calendar year < 700
Intermediate Women FA2 All < 825
Recreational Women FA3 All < 775
Novice Women FA4 All < 725
9. 2017 PDGA World Championships
The 2017 PDGA World Championship events will be held as follows:
EventDate OfficialName City State Country
June 20-24 PDGA Professional Disc Golf World Championships Augusta Georgia USA
July 15-22 PDGA Amateur Disc Golf World Championships Quad Cities Illinois/Iowa USA
August 12-19 PDGA Professional Masters Disc Golf World Championships Grand Rapids Michigan USA
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Details on these events, including player qualification standards and registration schedules, can be found at: http://www.pdga.com/world-championships . Note the separation of Pro Worlds, for the first time, into separate events for MPO/FPO and for the age based divisions respectively. The lists of invited players will be posted in March 2017 after the completion of the 2016 year end tour results and player ratings.
Denmark’s KJ Nybo is currently Europe’s top rated player Credit: Innova Europe
10. 2017 PDGA International Major & Disc Golf World Tour Events
Event Date Tier Official Name City Country Website
January 26-29 M DGWT #1 - Aussie Open Perth Australia www.discgolfworldtour.com
May 12-14 A DGWT #2 - Konopiste Open Konopiste Czech Republic www.discgolfworldtour.com
July 20-23 M DGWT #3 - European Open Nokia Finland www.discgolfworldtour.com
October 4-7 M DGWT Championship - United States DGC Rock Hill, SC USA www.usdgc.com
Disc Golf World Tour The vision of the DGWT organizers, led by Jussi Meresmaa, is to deliver a “successful and global Disc Golf promotion effort by offering the highest caliber events and widest media exposure platform, establishing Disc Golf as a legit sport around the world, and creating innovative and effective marketing opportunities for international commercial partners.” For all information on the DGWT please visit www.discgolfworldtour.com .
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2017 USDGC Qualification The player qualification standards for the 2017 USDGC will be posted at www.usdgc.com when finalized
European Disc Golf Championships The European DGCs, which will next be held in 2018, are managed jointly by the European Disc Golf Federation (EDGF) and the event hosts. Entry is restricted to qualified European citizens and residents. The EDGC 2018 bid period will be January-February 2017. The bid documents and guidelines are available at http://discgolffederation.eu/.
2017 WFDF Team Disc Golf World Championships This event was first held in 2016 in Vancouver, Canada. The 2017 event format, which aims to accommodate up to 24 countries, will be organized and managed solely by WFDF. All the event details will be available at www.2017wtdgc.uk .
Notes The PDGA supports International Major events and the European Championships with financial sponsorship internet and social media promotion, live scoring and on-site presence. In order to be considered for PDGA International Major event status, the following is required:
The submission of a detailed bid proposal which must be received by June 30 one year prior to the event, ie June 30, 2017 for a 2018 Major event. For more information please see http://www.pdga.com/pdga-documents/major-event-bids/bid-guidelines-international-major-disc-golf-events .
In-depth review of the bid proposal by the PDGA Executive Director and International Director, followed by approval by the PDGA Board of Directors.
Events approved for International Major status must sign an event agreement with the PDGA and deliver the event standards detailed in the agreement
Finland’s Leo Piironen won the 2016 European Championships Credit: Innova Europe
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11. 2017 PDGA International Tour Events
This section outlines the standards and procedures that apply to ALL PDGA Tour Events in International Countries except for Majors, the European Championships, and EuroProTour/EuroTour Series events.
These standards are designed to accommodate the different models used by each country in their national and local level events and series. It is up to each Country Association and TD to ensure that prevailing national standards are met.
All International Tour events must be approved by the host country association before they will be PDGA sanctioned. National Associations who do not wish to have this authority must advise event TDs in their country that they can sanction their events with PDGA without such approval.
The host country association will determine the membership requirements, if any, of national player participation. The PDGA requires that out of country current PDGA members, who sign up on time to secure a place in an event, be allowed to participate without paying any extra fees. Exception: This does not apply to national championship events that are open only to nationals of the country in question.
If an event or TD does not agree with certain standards or Rules, he/she may appeal, through their Country Coordinator, to the PDGA Europe Administrator (European countries) or the PDGA Tour Manager (all other countries) for a waiver of the condition(s) in question.
International Tier Standards A Tier B Tier C Tier
The following are the minimum standards to be met by PDGA International events at the different Tier levels:
Sanctioning fee $100 $75 $50
Sanctioning deadline 90 days prior 30 days prior 7 days prior
TD requirements TD & any named Assistant TDs must be current PDGA member and
current certified PDGA official.
Certified Official requirements 1 official per course.
TD must be non-playing.
1 official per course 1 official per event
PDGA Membership requirements none none none
Length of event 2 - 4 days 1 - 3 days 1 - 2 days
Minimum number of holes * 54 36 18 (36 preferred)
Divisions Determined by host country association and/or TD
Minimum Pro Purse US$3500 or €3000 US$700 or €600 none
Trophies MPO Top 3 + other
Division winners Each division winner none
% Players paid out Determined by host country association and/or TD
Pro Payout % of Net Entry Fees 75%+ 50+% 0+%
Amateur Payout % of Net Entry Fees including player package value
75%+ 50+% 0+%
Upload Scores to pdga.com via Tournament Manager
After each day Within 24 hours of
completion of event Within 24 hours of
completion of event
Submit Completed TD Report to [email protected]
Within one week of event completion
Within two weeks of event completion
Within two weeks of event completion
* Each round of play must include at least 13 holes in order for player and course ratings to be calculated
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Event Entry Fees
PDGA recommends that International countries and events follow the table below in determining their entry fees in local currency and US$. This will build consistency in events and player experiences in your country and around the world.
Please note this table shows total entry fees. From these amounts certain items may be deducted, leaving the NET ENTRY FEES referred to in the Tier Standards above. These deductions include:
Host country association and/or local club fees
Host park, land owner, and/or municipal authorities fees (green fees)
Tier MPO FPO Other Pro
Amateurs Juniors
A Tier $ 70-110 $ 70-110 $ 70-110 $ 40-55 $ 30-45
€ 60-100 € 60-100 € 60-100 € 35-50 € 25-40
B Tier $ 40-70 $ 40-70 $ 40-70 $ 25-40 $ 15-30
€ 35-60 € 35-60 € 35-60 € 20-35 € 12-25
C Tier $ 0-50 $ 0-50 $ 0-50 $ 0-30 $ 0-20
€ 0-45 € 0-45 € 0-45 € 0-25 € 0-18
X Tier Events
Created to accommodate alternate or experimental formats such as doubles, team events, non-basket courses, winner-take-all, skins, match play, vintage, and overall events.
The X designation is also to be be used for Singles events where eligibility is limited based on host country citizenship and/or residence (example: the Swedish National Championships)
X Tier events are sanctioned as XA, XB, and XC in accordance with tier guidelines and player points are awarded accordingly.
Results must be easily convertible to PDGA divisions for player point calculation and data entry. For this reason Divisional Doubles (pro, advanced, etc) and Mixed Doubles (male/female) cannot be combined within the same event and require separate sanctioning agreements.
PDGA Leagues
For all countries PDGA sanctioned Leagues are handled entirely by the USA Office. Sanctioning is US$25 per League, and there is a $1/player/week fee, half of which is kept by the League organizers. All League fees are paid in US$ to the PDGA Office, and all League event Reports are sent directly to the PDGA Tour Manager.
PDGA League formats are currently limited and sanctioned leagues must adhere to the format. The PDGA is exploring how to accommodate other League formats in the future.
For all the information on PDGA Leagues please see: http://www.pdga.com/leagues
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Miscellaneous
True Amateur Payout – The PDGA recommends all events offer a True Am payout whereby most of the Am players’ payout value is in the player packages all Amateur and Junior players receive, with only the top finisher(s) receiving additional recognition, such as medal(s) or trophy(s). For more information see: http://www.pdga.com/files/pdga_true_amateur_event_guidelines.pdf
Different Pro & Am Tiers - A single event may sanction under different tiers for Pro and Amateur players (Example: a Pro C/Am B tier event) by paying the sanctioning fee for the higher tier.
Dual or “Split” Events – Dual events split specific divisions on to separate days of the same weekend. Example: All Amateur divisions play on Saturday and all Pro divisions play on Sunday. Because this format allows a single player to play both days in different divisions this event must be treated as two separate events for the purposes of reporting and ratings calculations. TDs using this format submit only a single sanctioning form and sanctioning fee, but must make note on the sanctioning form of which divisions play on which days. TDs MUST treat the event as two separate events for the purposes of uploading pre-registration or unofficial results and MUST submit two separate TD Reports.
Target Requirements
The following target requirements apply to ALL PDGA sanctioned events:
PDGA Target Requirements1 Major A Tier B Tier C Tier
PDGA approved Championship2 targets of same design and manufacturer
PDGA approved Standard2 targets. Same design and manufacturer recommended
PDGA approved Basic2 target or non-approved target with basket
PDGA approved Object3 target X-Tier X-Tier
1 Please note that events that do not meet the target requirements may request a waiver from the Tour Manager. 2 Please see Technical Standards document for more information on targets classified as Championship, Standard, Basic or Object at:
www.pdga.com/documents/pdga-technical-standards-manufacturers-guidelines
3 Object targets are allowed under XB and XC Tier events but this must be specified when filing the sanctioning agreement.
12. PDGA International Disciplinary Guidelines
Europe
The PDGA Europe Disciplinary sub-Committee reviews incidents occurring within Europe, except for at Major events where they are handled by the USA Disciplinary Committee. Details on the PDGA Europe disciplinary protocol can be found at www.pdga-europe.com .
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Asia/Oceania and other International Countries
The PDGA Disciplinary process as it relates to the International countries outside of Europe is as follows.
When an incident occurs at a PDGA sanctioned event it is the host country association that must first decide if this matter is to be sent to the PDGA Disciplinary Committee for review. All incidents brought to the Committee must include a completed copy of the PDGA Disciplinary Action Form (see Appendix D). If a country association decides not to pursue a disciplinary issue, and a PDGA member disagrees, he/she may submit the Form provided it is accompanied by the signatures of at least 10 current PDGA members.
For more information on PDGA Disciplinary related process please see: http://www.pdga.com/pdga-disciplinary-process
13. Marco Polo Program
The Marco Polo Program was conceived and approved by the PDGA Board of Directors in 2011, with an official start date of January 1, 2012. The goals of this program are to support the introduction of Disc Golf into new countries and to strengthen its development in other countries around the world. The program provides up to $3000 funding for innovative international projects that promote the growth of Disc Golf, and that create links between PDGA, the countries, and the local Disc Golf communities. To date funding grants have been awarded for disc golf development activities in Barbados, Mexico, Israel, Spain, Honduras, Italy, Ethiopia, Scotland, Zambia, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua.
Grants will be provided to PDGA international members and to USA/Canada members who have the opportunity to travel overseas. Materials and equipment purchased with grant funding must become the property of an in-country participating not-for–profit disc golf, sports or community association or group, and not the individual participants. All projects receiving support must promote the PDGA and its contributions as part of its project activities.
For more information on the Marco Polo Program, including the Application Form and examples of Project Reports from some of the recipients to date please see: http://www.pdga.com/marco-polo-program .
Beneficiaries of Marco Polo Program Grant to Ethiopia Credit: Yohannes Desalegn
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Part 2: PDGA Europe
14. PDGA Europe Committee
PDGA Europe was established in 2006 as a Steering Committee of the PDGA Board of Directors. The Committee is composed of the PDGA affiliated European Country Coordinators, who represent their National Disc Golf or Disc Sports Associations, the PDGA Europe Administrator, and the PDGA International Director, all voting members. The PDGA Executive Director has observer status on the Committee. The PDGA Europe website, skype group teleconferences, and other means are used by the Committee for ongoing communication and discussion. English is the official language of PDGA Europe.
PDGA Europe is empowered to take continent-wide decisions including pricing structures, the design and management of PDGA EuroProTour & EuroTour standards, the determination of continental awards winners, and other issues of common interest. Sub-committees are responsible for working on some of these issues and for providing managerial support to the European Disc Golf Federation in regards to the biannual European Championships. Certain decisions including the awarding of Major event status, require the approval of the PDGA Board and/or Executive Director.
PDGA Europe resources and information can be found at www.pdga-europe.com . Additional resources related to the International Program and PDGA Europe can be found at http://www.pdga.com/international . For more information on PDGA Europe please contact the PDGA Europe Administrator.
15. PDGA Europe Transition
In the fall of 2016, following approval by the PDGA Europe Committee and the Board of Directors, a PDGA Europe office was registered and opened in the Netherlands and the first PDGA Europe Administrator was appointed. These are the initial steps in the envisioned transition of PDGA Europe over the next 1-2 years to a self-governing and self-sustaining continental branch of PDGA Global. PDGA Europe is now starting to assume many of the activities and responsibilities heretofore provided by PDGA’s USA office, staff, and governance structure.
In 2017 the key steps in this unfolding process are planned to be as follows:
January-May: Determination by the Committee of the future roles of and relations between the European Country Coordinators and National Associations on the one hand, and the PDGA Europe Board of Directors on the other. It is envisioned that the PDGA Europe Committee will evolve into an Advisory Committee to the Board.
February-March: Completion of the Information Technology work, including PDGA websites and database, that will enable European member and event fees to be transferred from US$ to Euros, and the PDGA Europe Administrator to start providing the fulfillment services currently provided by the USA office’s fulfillment partner.
June: Solicitation of European candidates for 4 positions on the PDGA Europe Board of Directors. Identification of 3 PDGA USA representatives to be appointed to the initial Board.
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July: Election of PDGA Europe Board Members by current PDGA members in Europe, as part of annual PDGA Elections.
September-December: The PDGA Europe Board is oriented and begins work on key formative tasks, including:
- Appointment of Officers: President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary. - Drafting of Constitution and By-laws using the PDGA (USA) documents as key reference and ensuring
that these documents meet requirements of the Netherlands. When ready these documents will require the approval of the current European members.
- With the PDGA Executive, International and Financial Directors, drafting and signing of agreements regarding mutual roles and responsibilities, the assignment of rights, and financial relations.
- Terms of reference for and ratification of PDGA Europe Committees, and appointment of European representatives on PDGA Global Committees.
- Review of PDGA Administrator performance including financial management and monthly reports - Appointment of Auditor
For more information on this unprecedented project, please see Appendix B: PDGA Europe Transition Concept Paper.
16. PDGA EuroProTour & EuroTour Series
Overview
Since 2006 the EuroTour has been a championship series featuring some of the continent’s biggest and best events and attracting Europe’s and the host countries’ top players.
Beginning in 2017 the Series is being divided into the EuroProTour (EPT) and the EuroTour (ET). EuroProTour events are exclusively A Tiers and offer only the showcase MPO and FPO divisions. EuroTour events can be at either A Tier or B Tier level and, in addition to MPO and FPO, offer age based Pro, as well as Amateur and Junior divisions.
The EPT and ET have their own dedicated websites at www.pdgaeuroprotour.com and www.pdgaeurotour.com where all the details on event standards, player registration, and the tours’ points and bonus system can be found.
Bids from the countries to host EPT and ET events must be submitted to the PDGA Europe Administrator and the EPT/ET sub-Committee by March 31st of the previous year. This group then determines and announces the annual tours schedule by April 30th.
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2017 PDGA EuroProTour & EuroTour Schedule – Final
Dates Event Name Tier Location
Apr 1-2 ET#1 Dutch Championships Pro-Am / B Rijswijk, NL
Apr 15-16 ET#2 Isle of Mull Classic Pro-Am / B Fanmore, Isle of Mull, UK
May 6-7 ET#3 Kokkedal Open Pro-Am / B Kokkedal & Hillerød, DK
May 19-21 EPT#1 Tali Open Pro / A Helsinki, FI
May 25-27 ET#4 Westside Discs Tyyni Pro-Am / A Helsinki & Sipoo, FI
Jun 2-4 ET#5 The Battle at Bluebell Woods Pro-Am / A Dunbar, UK
Jun 9-11 EPT#2 Sula Open Pro / A Sula, NO
Jul 1-2 ET#6 Iceland Solstice Showdown presented by Innova Pro-Am / B Reykjavík, IS
Jul 7-9 EPT#3 Skellefteå Open Pro / A Skellefteå, SE
Jul 14-16 EPT#4 Estonian Open Pro / A Tallinn, EE
Jul 28-30 EPT#5 Turku TBC Pro / A Turku, FI
Aug 4-6 ET#7 Valgjärve Open Pro-Am / A Valgjärve, EE
Aug 12-13 ET#8 Chateau Hostačov Open Pro-Am / B Hostacov,CZ
Aug 19-20 ET#9 Belgian Open Pro-Am / B Braine-l’Alleud, BE
Sep 8-10 EPT#6 Strudengau Open Pro / A Sankt Thomas am Blasenstein, AT
Sep 22-24 ET#10 Copenhagen Open Classic presented by DGA Pro-Am / A Copenhagen, DK
Finland’s Juho Parviainen, 2016 EuroTour Champion Credit: Innova Europe
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2006-2016 PDGA EuroTour Winners
Year MPO FPO MPM MPG MJ1 MPS
2006 Jesper Lundmark Lydie Hellgren Martin Fredericksen
2007 Jesper Lundmark Anne Matilainen Christer Köhler
2008 Timo Pursio Anne Matilainen Kari Vesala Charlie Mead
2009 Jesper Lundmark Jenni Laakso Marco Lehousse Paul Francz Sander Bahnerth
2010 Markus Källström Birgitta Lagerholm Kari Vesala Paul Francz Maxime Tanghe
2011 Sylvain Gouge Lydie Hellgren Kari Vesala Charlie Mead Markus Pohjolainen Markku Tohni
2012 Emil Dahlgren Angelica Frantz Bert Brader Paul Francz Lari Koivunen Markku Tohni
2013 Simon Lizotte Sofie Sandström Christer Köhler Ollie Samuelsson Gabrielius Gricius Charlie Mead
2014 Juho Parviainen Sophie Beucher Ville Piippo Ollie Samuelsson Jasper Heino Markku Tohni
2015 Seppo Paju Natalie Holloköi Ville Piippo Wolfgang Kraus Mikael Hakala Paul Kustala
2016 Juho Parviainen Eveliina Salonen Ville Piippo George Braun no winner no winner
Eveliina Salonen won the 2016 EuroTour and the European Championships Credit: Innova Europe
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17. PDGA Europe Awards
Volunteer of the Year
Created in 2009, this award is voted on by the PDGA Europe Committee members.
PDGA Europe Volunteer of the Year
2009 Florence Dumont 2013 Hans Nagtegaal
2010 Peter Bygde 2014 Janne Karlsson
2011 Jonas & Mats Löf 2015 Marko Saviauk
2012 Darius Gricius 2016 to be announced
Male & Female Players of the Year
Since 2014, European Male and Female Players of the Year have also been recognized.
2014 Simon Lizotte 2014 Ragna Bygde
2015 Simon Lizotte 2015 Ragna Bygde
2016 Karl Johan Nybo 2016 Eveliina Salonen The Players of the Year are determined by a points based system. Details on the European Players of the Year calculation can be found at www.pdga-europe.com .
Germany’s Simon Lizotte, World Distance Record Holder & 2 time European Player of the Year Credit: Rami Roppo
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18. PDGA Europe Voting Protocol
The following refers to PDGA Europe Committee procedures as of January 1, 2017. This protocol and the roles of the Committee will be reviewed as the PDGA Europe Transition unfolds. See Section 15 above and Appendix B.
1. General Rules
a. Number of Votes. Each European PDGA official Country Coordinator and the PDGA EuroTour Manager (an eligible PDGA-E member) has one vote in each PDGA Europe committee (PDGA-E) voting. b. Abstain votes. For the purpose of these rules every “abstain” vote is counted as a cast vote. If an eligible PDGA-E member does not vote within the voting period his/her vote is recorded as “did not vote”. c. Automatic majority approval. If eligible PDGA-E members approve any decision at their meeting or anywhere else by a majority of all votes in PDGA-E, the decision is automatically approved and valid immediately. All PDGA-E members must be informed about such decision within three days through PDGA-E discussion board. d. Delegation. If an eligible PDGA-E member serving a particular European country as Country Coordinator cannot participate in any PDGA-E meeting or PDGA-E online voting, he/she can delegate a substitute representative of the country. i. Any announcement of such delegation must be done in an electronic form - either by a post in PDGA-E discussion board or by an email to the official list of PDGA-E members’ email addresses. ii. The delegation announcement must include the name of the European country and the name of its official country representative, the name of the substitute representative and date of the PDGA-E meeting. iii. By delegation one person cannot hold more than three votes in PDGA-E, i.e. he/she cannot represent more than three European countries.
iv. The voting right of the substitute delegate is limited to the PDGA-E meeting. v. By delegating the official country representative loses his/her right to vote in the particular PDGA-E meeting.
vi. A separate announcement of delegation must be issued for each PDGA-E meeting or online vote.
2. Electronic Online Voting
a. Duration of voting: at least 5 calendar days or until a majority (>50%) of all eligible PDGA-E members votes for the same option whatever comes first. b. Means of voting: either via PDGA-E discussion board or by an email to the official list of PDGA-E member email addresses. c. Minimum Quorum: at least 33% of all eligible PDGA-E members must vote for voting to be valid. d. Number of votes needed for approval (votes with two options): the option with more votes out of the votes cast is approved; in the case of a tie the vote of the PDGA International Coordinator decides. e. Number of votes needed for approval (votes with more than two options): if one of the options obtains a majority of the votes (>50%) cast at the end of the voting period, it is approved; where no such option exists the two options with the highest number of votes advance to the second round of voting on the same agenda; in the case of a tie for the option with the second highest number of votes all options sharing the second highest number of votes also advance to the second round of voting; where the same repeated tie occurs in two following rounds of voting, the vote of PDGA International Coordinator decides which option/options from the options with the second highest number of votes advances to the next round of voting. f. No result. In the case that voting does not result into the approval of any option in 2d. and 2e. or the minimum quorum is not met, voting on the same agenda must be repeated at the next PDGA-E meeting.
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3. Voting at PDGA-E meetings
a. Duration of voting: voting must happen during the official PDGA-E meeting. b. Means of voting: at official PDGA-E meetings (electronic or in person); the time of the meeting must be officially announced to PDGA-E members at least 14 days ahead. Only present eligible PDGA-E members and delegated substitutes can vote but non-present eligible PDGA-E members can also vote electronically or by phone either at the time of voting or before the time of voting where the voting options are known prior to the meeting. c. Minimum Quorum: at least 33% of all eligible PDGA-E members or delegated substitutes must be present at the time of voting to be valid. d. Number of votes needed for approval (votes with two options): the option with more votes out of the cast votes is approved; in the case of a draw the vote of the PDGA International Coordinator decides. e. Number of votes needed for approval (votes with more than two options): if one of the options obtains a majority of the votes (>50%) cast at the end of the voting period, it is approved; where no such option exists the two options with the highest number of votes advance to the second round of voting on the same agenda; in the case of a tie for the option with the second highest number of votes all options sharing the second highest number of votes also advance to the second round of voting; where the same repeated tie occurs in two following rounds of voting, the vote of PDGA International Coordinator decides which option/options from the options with the second highest number of votes advances to the next round of voting. f. No result. In the case that voting does not result in the approval of any option in 3d.and 3e., or the minimum quorum is not met, voting on the same agenda must be repeated at the next PDGA-E meeting.
___________________________________________________________________________
Action at the 2016 Samui Swine Classic in Thailand Credit: Samui Disc Golf
2012 - 2016 PDGA International & Canada Demographics
Country Name/Year in BOLD = PDGA Affiliated Country
COUNTRY ISO 2012 2012 2013 2013 2014 2014 2015 2015 2016 2016
Tour Current Tour Current Tour Current Tour Current Tour Current
Code Events Members Events Members Events Members Events Members Events Members
EUROPE
Austria AT 10 36 11 38 10 69 10 94 16 112
Belgium BE 8 29 9 28 9 34 11 46 10 50
Croatia HR 0 3 1 12 3 17 6 18 10 21
Czech Rep CZ 5 17 6 18 10 45 17 94 20 115
Denmark DK 13 120 12 142 11 158 10 179 16 181
Estonia EE 6 25 7 46 10 105 23 246 35 510
Finland FI 34 579 47 718 75 1018 149 1620 216 2403
France FR 14 104 10 124 14 207 19 191 8 161
Germany DE 26 113 33 151 29 199 35 234 40 274
Hungary HU 2 10 1 11 2 17 2 20 2 26
Iceland IS 0 1 0 2 2 18 7 51 9 62
Ireland IE 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 2
Italy IT 1 19 3 12 3 12 1 16 1 18
Latvia LV 1 2 2 11 2 10 2 9 2 28
Lithuania LT 3 17 4 18 3 13 6 24 4 23
Netherlands NL 10 44 18 44 11 50 14 54 22 66
Norway NO 17 159 11 174 23 202 25 325 28 422
Poland PL 0 0 0 2 0 4 1 15 5 36
Portugal PT 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1
Russia RU 2 9 0 8 1 15 6 58 4 55
Serbia RS 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
Slovakia SK 1 1 0 4 2 8 4 12 5 16
Slovenia SI 0 1 0 0 0 1 2 10 3 10
Spain ES 0 0 1 3 1 13 3 14 2 14
Sweden SE 54 364 56 422 71 500 80 668 75 774
Switzerland CH 7 73 9 76 9 95 10 95 13 105
Ukraine UA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
United Kingdom GB 13 77 20 83 20 113 27 138 45 187
SUB-TOTAL 227 1804 261 2149 321 2925 470 4233 591 5676
ASIA/OCEANIA
Australia AU 11 57 17 73 15 93 21 137 26 176
Hong Kong HK 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
India IN 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11
Israel IL 1 6 0 1 0 3 1 7 0 5
Japan JP 20 90 21 90 23 94 22 100 29 104
Laos LA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1
Malaysia MY 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1
New Zealand NZ 3 4 3 10 0 11 2 32 9 38
South Korea KR 2 5 2 12 3 10 2 13 2 17
Taiwan TW 0 2 0 10 0 11 1 1 0 3
Thailand TH 1 1 1 4 1 11 1 20 7 16
SUB-TOTAL 38 168 44 200 42 233 50 316 73 373
CANADA
Alberta AB 4 37 7 55 4 49 6 81 8 97
Br Columbia BC 4 65 9 104 22 140 20 207 23 234
Manitoba MB 0 6 0 10 2 20 7 27 7 31
MaritimesNB NF NS
PE 0 1 0 5 5 8 6 22 7 31
Ontario ON 14 140 15 164 17 217 20 286 27 349
Quebec QC 1 9 2 8 1 17 2 16 5 28
Saskatchewan SK 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 6 2 13
Territories NU NWT YT 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 5
SUB-TOTAL CA 23 260 33 348 51 453 61 647 79 788
LATIN AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
Brasil BR 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 2
Colombia CO 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Costa Rica CR 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 12 1 2
Curaçao CW 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Puerto Rico PR 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2
SUB-TOTAL 0 0 0 10 0 4 1 19 1 8
AFRICA
South Africa 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1
SUB-TOTAL 0 4 0 4 0 1 0 2 0 1
TOTALS 288 2236 338 2711 414 3616 582 5217 744 6846
17.4% 21.2% 22.5% 33.4% 40.8% 44.3% 27.8% 31.2%
As of end 2016 there were current members in 46 countries outside of USA. In absolute numbers growth in 2016 has
almost matched record setting 2015. Countries who had 1 or more members in recent years but not in 2016 are hidden.
Numbers of Leagues included in the above 2016 Events column are: CA 5, FI 7, FR 1, IS 4, NL 2, SE 1, TH 2, UK 6 = 28 total.
Growth Rates:
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Concept Paper - PDGA Europe Transition and Timeframe Version 7 – March 5, 2017 Introduction This document outlines the proposed strategy for transitioning PDGA Europe from the Committee of the PDGA Board that it is today to a formalized, legal and significantly self-governing continental arm of a PDGA Global “mother” institution or “hub.” With time it is envisioned that PDGA Europe will become responsible for all PDGA business in Europe, except for those roles and responsibilities which will fall under PDGA Global, or continue to be delivered by the PDGA office in USA. This vision is also predicated on the presumption that there will be ongoing profound and documented mutually beneficial and supportive relations between PDGA and PDGA Europe. Rationale The PDGA is the governing body for the sport of disc golf. While PDGA, as a USA not for profit, plays many leading roles in Disc Golf on a global basis, PDGA structure internationally has been relatively underdeveloped – with a USA headquarters, a small Canada office of the USA base, and a PDGA Europe Committee. In addition PDGA Country Coordinators serve as liaisons between their National Disc Golf or Disc Sports Associations, the PDGA events and members in their country, and the PDGA itself, including USA headquarters and the PDGA International Director. The basic premise here is that the roles and activities of PDGA could be more rationally divided between a PDGA Global “hub” and several continental or regional “spokes”, similar to how the largest and many other International Sports are organized. Given disc golf and the PDGA are now growing faster and gaining more media and mainstream exposure than ever, the PDGA has a unique opportunity to strengthen its position and brand for the foreseeable future by transitioning to a Global disc golf association or federation. After 11 years of the International Program, PDGA enjoys direct relations with 30 “affiliated” countries and their National Disc Golf or Disc Sports Associations. 24 of these countries are in Europe where there were more than 5600 current members and 590 sanctioned events in 2016. In other words, today PDGA Europe alone is similar in size to the PDGA was as a whole circa 2001. Here are several key reasons why formalizing and granting increasing self-governance and self-reliance to PDGA Europe is a solid strategy:
1. PDGA Europe members and countries will have greater authority and decision-making over their PDGA affairs, which should increase their commitment to the PDGA brand and the strength of the PDGA brand itself
2. A portion of the current and future workload of USA office staff is transferred to Europe, thereby putting Europe in charge of these affairs and responsibilities, while freeing up HQs ability to handle continuing growth
3. Europe will also be represented in those aspects of PDGA operations that will become the responsibilities of a PDGA Global body
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4. A continental model is created for other parts of the world to follow when ready, ie North America, Asia, Oceania, South America, Africa.
Initial Process – Design and Approval of Concept February 2016 International Director (INTD) and EuroTour Manager/Board Member (ETM) draft the vision of the new PDGA Europe and how the transition from the present to the future structure/governance/financial management/membership & events processes will unfold. DONE. Executive Director (ED) reviews the document and approves or provides his recommended adjustments which are then incorporated. DONE March-April Select Country Coordinators are appointed to a Transition sub-Committee and review the document. DONE. May International Director (INTD) and EuroTour Manager/Board Member (ETM) draft V2 of the document. DONE. The document is reviewed by the Transition Sub Committee. DONE. On Friday May 20 the document is sent to the Board for review and discussion at the spring summit in California on May 24-25. The authors’ respond to the Board’s questions and concerns. The Board indicates what information it will require in order to approve the formalization of PDGA Europe at its fall summit in September. DONE. June-mid July The ETM works with the IT Director to determine the technological relations and division of IT and database responsibilities between Europe and HQ. DONE. The IT Director provides an initial estimate of any costs involved in building the new global and European database relations. DONE. The IT Director begins the process of designing the required IT innovations. IN PROGRESS The ETM prepares an initial estimate of the costs of registering PDGA Europe in Netherlands, and of providing key services including staffing, membership fulfillment, and IT. DONE. The INTD, ETM and ED calculate an estimated division of revenue between Europe and HQ reflecting the evolving division of labor. DONE (See attached 2015-17 PDGA Europe financial documents.) The INTD and ETM complete V3 of the document and have it reviewed and approved by the ED. The document is then sent to the European National Associations via the Country Coordinators for their in depth review. DONE. August By mid August the National Associations are to advise their PDGA Country Coordinator whether they are to vote in favor or against the proposal. DONE. August 24-27 – The Country Coordinators vote on the proposal at the European Championships in Finland. DONE. The Vote was 12 in favor with 3 abstentions. The CCs also voted to open a PDGA Europe office in Netherlands, initially under the governance of PDGA HQ with Hans Nagtegaal serving as interim administrator. DONE. The Vote was 9 in favor with 5 abstentions and 1 not in favor.
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August 30-31 The Board votes on the proposal at its fall summit in USA. DONE. The Vote was 6 in favor with 1 abstention to approve both the establishment of the PDGA Europe office in Netherlands and Stage 1 of the Transition. Strategy/Plan of Action Stage 1: September 2016-August 2017 Registration: PDGA Europe will be registered in Netherlands, initially as the European arm of PDGA (USA) - an American not for profit. The current PDGA governance will serve as PDGA Europe governance on an interim basis, including PDGA Board as PDGA Europe Board, as well as the PDGA Constitution and By-laws. IN PROGRESS. Research confirms this step will include translation of PDGA governance documents into Dutch, as required by Dutch law, and their review for possible conflicts with Dutch law. Upon approval any revisions would be translated back into English, as English will be the office language of PDGA Europe. IN PROGRESS. Financial: A more detailed analysis of costs in transferring responsibilities to Europe and in linking PDGA Global and Europe databases. This includes:
- Memberships and events pricing structure in Euros. Given the Euro is trading at US$ 1.05 to 1.10 the current pricing structure will simply be changed from USD to EUR (a Pro membership would be EUR 30, C Tier event sanctioning would be EUR 50, etc). While this would amount to a small increase in pricing this will be offset by lack of charges in sending funds in USA or paying for conversion of Euros to US$.
- Costs of a PDGA Europe Administrator. - Costs of small PDGA Europe office: rent, utilities, equipment, software, communications, supplies. - Costs of office delivering renewal and new Member Fulfillment (cards, discs, printing, postage, etc). - IT related design costs, and costs of enabling European or USA staff to upload updates from a “Euro”
database into the global database in USA. Plus any costs of upgrading current pdga-europe.com website. - Other operational costs: banking, paypal, CPA, Directors Insurance, employer matching payroll taxes,
staff health insurance, elections, promotional materials. - Marketing, sponsorship and travel costs related to EuroTour and Euro Major events - Other heretofore PDGA funding support such as Translations of Rules of Play/Competition Manual - Other possible Euro revenue sources such as Advertising.
DONE. In step with the above the determination of how much of the memberships/events/other income to be received by PDGA Europe is to be transferred to USA reflecting continuing services provided by HQ to Europe:
- Fee for transferring rights to use PDGA name, logos, trademarks (per Bob Decker PDGA Treasurer) - Ongoing work of the International and Executive Directors in planning and overseeing transition. - Player and course ratings calculations - Supplies sent to Europe: magazines, rulebooks TO DO.
These considerations will lead to the drafting and approval by the Board of a 2017 PDGA Europe budget based on the above calculations. (See 2017 PDGA Europe Budget attached.)
4
Office Functions The PDGA Europe Administrator undergoes training during a visit to USA office and fulfillment house. He then begins work on the following duties, some of which will be dependent on when the PDGA IT Director completes necessary enhancements to the database and website: research and set up of membership fulfillment systems (ie member card printing system, securing of a new members mini-disc and full size disc provider), the securing of office space, the drafting of an accounting system using QuickBooks, maintenance of PDGA members and events database, processing and fulfillment of memberships (initially in-house and with time out-sourced), review of European TD reports and entry into database, day to day financial management, submission of monthly financial statements, respond to information requests and member inquiries, EuroProTour & EuroTour Series management. The overall expectation is that, as 2017 unfolds, the PDGA Europe office will gradually take on more responsibilities, and will become fully operational before the beginning of the 2018 membership renewal season. ONGOING. With time this position could involve into the title of Continental Director based on job performance and the need to hire more staff under the Continental Director. However the sequence in the transition of tasks from the USA headquarters to Europe office unfolds, it must be set up for success. Governance The vision is that the governance of PDGA Europe will be based on a bi-cameral model, with power shared by a Board of Directors, elected by the current members in European countries, and by a National Associations Committee, consisting of the Country Coordinators representing their respective Associations. Protocol is that each PDGA affiliated National Association appoint its Country Coordinator. However where a National Association is not in good standing with PDGA, or declines this authority, or does not yet exist, a Country Coordinator may be elected by country’s current PDGA members or appointed by the National Associations Committee. Thus, the National Associations Committee will essentially be similar in structure to the PDGA Europe Committee that preceded it. In summary, this bi-cameral model accommodates both the traditional structure of PDGA as a members association, and the typical structure of Continental Sports Bodies where each member country has a seat. The proposed number of BOD members is 7, of which initially 4 would come from Europe and 3 from USA. This division demonstrates USA’s commitment to the transition and trust in Europe’s ability to self-govern and manage its responsibilities and relations in a timely and professional manner. The appointed USA representatives would include at least one current PDGA Board member, along with other North America based members experienced in organizational governance. The election of European Board members will be organized as part of the broader annual 2017 PDGA elections in May-June (call for candidates and design of ballot) - July (voting period). Current European members as of the start of election will be eligible to vote for the European Board members. To avoid having any country obtain a majority power in this initial Board of Directors, the maximum number of any particular country's elected BOD members will be one (1), thereby safeguarding that no country can obtain a majority of European seats on this Board. The initial terms of these elected and appointed Board members would be for 2 years.
5
For motions and decisions to be approved will require majority votes of both the Board and the National Associations Committee. Either side will be able to submit motions it has passed to the other side for approval. However, as is common with governing bodies in general, there will be certain profound instances, for example if an emergency arises, where the Executive vote of the Board will be all that required. In these ways PDGA Europe will be governed in a manner that serves and safeguards the interests of both the individual members and the larger and smaller National Associations. Voting shares on the National Associations Committee will be weighted on the basis of number of current members at previous calendar year end, as follows: 1000+ members = 5 votes; 500-999 members = 4 votes; 250-499 members = 3 votes; 100-249 members = 2 votes; <100 members = 1 vote. Based on end 2016 current members, the countries will have the following numbers of votes in 2017: 5 – Finland 4 – Sweden, Estonia 3 – Norway, Germany 2 – Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Switzerland, UK 1 – Belgium, Croatia, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Russia Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain The total number of possible votes is 44. A quorum will consist of >= 50% of votes or 22 total votes. The National Associations Committee will also have the right to put forward the motion to the Board to remove a Country Coordinator due to non-participation; if approved the National Association or country in question would be advised to replace their Country Coordinator. Note: the above bi-cameral model was designed and approved by the PDGA Europe Committee at their teleconference on February 16, 2017. It was then approved by the PDGA Board at their summit in Las Vegas on February 22, 2017. The NAs will have the option of signing a Memorandum of Understanding with PDGA Europe. This signed MOU will in part indicate the following:
- The NA accepts or declines the authority to appoint its Country Coordinator - The NA has sole authority to determine its national championship events and the standards of those
events - The NA accepts or declines authority for approving PDGA Tour events in its countries - The NA accepts or declines the authority to submit individual memberships directly on behalf of its clubs
and players to PDGA Europe. - The NA accepts or declines authority over whether the PDGA Competition Manual will apply in whole or
in part (per the International Program Guide) in their country. - The NA will uphold decisions related to PDGA disciplinary actions against PDGA members in its country.
The option of NAs to accept or decline these authorities reflects the differences between the countries and the ways each country organizes its PDGA relations today. The Board will also have the authority to revoke an MOU signed with a country where a National Association acts in conflict with the PDGA Mission Statement. The NAs will pay zero fees to PDGA Europe, beyond those of individual members, events, officials tests, meaning there will be no “country/NA” fees per se.
6
The above described Governance work will be the main task of the PDGA Europe Committee, working with the International Director and the Europe Administrator, during the months of January-June 2017. Stage 2: September 2017 – June 2018 1st PDGA Europe Board of Directors formed consisting of elected Europeans and appointed members of USA Board. Appointment of Board President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary. The new Board begins works on key formative tasks, including:
It is hoped that the 1st PDGA Europe Board of Directors and the National Associations Committee will agree that the interim PDGA Constitution and By-laws, as discussed in Stage 1: Registration above, can serve as the core governance documents, when the registration of PDGA Europe is changed during this stage, to that of a European/Dutch not for profit sports association. If this is confirmed than the current PDGA Europe members will be asked to vote on approving these documents. If either the Board or the Committee or the European current members fail to approve them, than these documents will need to revised until they are approved.
With the PDGA Executive, International and Financial Directors, drafting and signing of agreements regarding mutual roles and responsibilities, the assignment of rights, and financial relations.
Terms of reference for and ratification of PDGA Europe Committees, and appointment of European representatives on PDGA Global Committees.
Review of PDGA Administrator performance including financial management and monthly reports. Decision to confirm interim Administrator as Official Administrator or to hold a hiring process for the permanent position
Appointment of Auditor.
The development of a job description for European Country Coordinators, beyond their role on the National Associations Committee, that parallels the roles and responsibilities of a USA State Coordinator.
The question of event hosts/players insurance within the European continental and individual countries context
Establishment of PDGA Europe Committees including European Competitions, Disciplinary, Women, Marketing, EDGCs (?), and others to be determined. While committees will consist of volunteers, participation in the committee’s work will be mandatory in order to maintain one’s seat on the committee.
Appointment of Europeans to PDGA Committees which have global functions (where there is no current Euro representation): Rules, Technical Standards, Course Design, Ratings, Game Development Team.
Ongoing analysis by the Board of the financial performance and sustainability of the model created, based on detailed monthly reports submitted by the Administrator.
Based on progress made in 2017-mid 2018, the 2nd PDGA Europe Board elections would be held in the summer of 2018 at same time as PDGA “General” elections. In this election the number of USA appointed positions would remain at 3 but the number of European positions would be increased to 6.
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Stage 3: July 2018 –2020/21 Division of current PDGA into PDGA Global and PDGA USA: Provided the transition of PDGA Europe is proceeding well, during this timeframe the current PDGA would begin transitioning into PDGA Global. With time PDGA Global would become the center of a PDGA Federation of Continental arms. The initial PDGA Global Board would be comprised of members from the current Board, the PDGA Europe Board, and Asia/Oceania representative(s). One of this Board’s first tasks would be to rewrite the PDGA Constitution, reflecting the changes in PDGA structure. At the same time PDGA will establish “PDGA USA” covering PDGA activity in USA (members and fulfillment, events in USA other than Worlds including the National Tour and USA National Majors, USA media and parks/cities relations, etc). The key roles of PDGA Global would include World Championships, International Major events, Rules of Play, Competition Standards, Tech Standards, and others to be determined. In addition to USA, each continent beginning with Europe would have representation on the Committees responsible for each of these issues. PDGA Global would potentially receive income from Worlds registration fees in, tech standards fees, rules book sales, contributions from PDGA USA and PDGA continental arms, and others TBD. These would be offset by expenses including Worlds registration fees and sponsorship out, International Majors expenses, the Marco Polo Program, International Director costs, and PDGA global governance. For the foreseeable future both PDGA Global and PDGA USA will be based out of IDGC = day to day operations would essentially remain as is. In other words, to quote Brian Graham “the creation of PDGA Global and PDGA USA will primarily be a change only on paper and perception with the office continuing to manage PDGAs USA activities just as it does now.” PDGA Canada would continue as it exists now, as a small office of PDGA Global, with income/expenses continuing as is (about Canadian $20K per annum). PDGA Canada could become more formalized, i.e. its own registered entity within Canada, when its size and the desire/commitment of Canadian members for this to happen justify the effort. PDGA Asia & Oceania would be developed only once PDGA Europe was well along its own continuum, reflecting the relatively small size of activity in this disparate region today, and the lack of call from those countries to upgrade its PDGA related status from the current in which PDGA works with Japan Korea Thailand Australia and New Zealand on a country by country basis. In time USA, Canada, Costa Rica (the newest affiliated country), and other countries such as Mexico, could form a modest PDGA North America arm, the existence of which would fulfil the need for a continental PDGA disc golf body in North America, even if this body existed only on paper. Similar PDGA South America and PDGA Africa arms would be begun once the sport is sufficiently active on those continents.
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Alternative Strategies Should the PDGA Board of Directors or the PDGA Europe countries reject the transition of PDGA Europe as outlined in this document, or fail to reach agreement on revisions to the document, or should the European members and countries fail in their responsibilities to manage and develop PDGA Europe effectively and efficiently, then alternatives would be: Maintain the status quo. PDGA Europe remains an office of PDGA USA and a committee of the Board consisting of Country Coordinators appointed by their National Associations, with the NAs holding key authorities over PDGA activities within their countries. It would then be up to the European NAs to reach understanding among themselves in terms of how they would organize a more formalized PDGA Europe, and to attempt to negotiate an agreement with PDGA. PDGA forms PDGA Europe as an individual members association, similar in structure to PDGA (USA) of today. Governance and decisions would be based entirely on individual members and the European National Associations would no longer be directly involved. PDGA follows the lead of UPA USA Ultimate, by reverting to a mostly but not entirely USA (+ Canada) focused entity, that allows for overseas memberships and sanctioned events. Notable differences would be PDGA USA would continue to play its traditional leading roles in the sport internationally by maintaining ownership of the PDGA Tour, PDGA World Championships, Rules of Play, Competition Standards, Technical Standards, etc. This scenario would be similar to the PDGA model before the International Program was begun in 2005.
Respectfully Submitted
Brian Hoeniger Hans Nagtegaal
International Director PDGA Europe Administrator & PDGA Board Member
PDGA International Membership Benefits
Part 1: What is the PDGA? The Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) is an international not-for-profit organization based in Georgia, USA. Founded in 1976, the PDGA is run by its member-players, and serves as the governing body for the sport of disc golf. As a primary stakeholder in the growth and development of disc golf, the PDGA partners, supports, and works with the National Disc Golf and Disc Sports Associations, disc golf clubs, parks departments, Tournament Directors, manufacturers, retailers, promoters, and the media. The PDGA is based on an annual membership and tournament system. In 2016, the PDGA had 35000+ active members, and sanctioned more than 3000 competitive disc golf events for men and women of all age groups and skill levels. The PDGA Tour includes hundreds of local and regional events, the season-long National Tour and EuroTour Series, the PDGA Professional and Amateur Disc Golf World Championships, the USDGC, and other Major events in USA, Europe and Asia/Oceania. Traditionally focused on the USA and Canada, PDGA activity in other countries has been growing exponentially since 2005, when the International Program was introduced. In 2016 there were more than 6000 PDGA international members and 650 Tour events in Europe, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Australia, and New Zealand. Elsewhere, in Latin America and other corners of the globe where disc golf is beginning to take flight, the PDGA serves as a resource base for building the game at the grassroots level. In 2012 the PDGA also introduced the Marco Polo Program which provides funding support for initiatives aimed at introducing and developing the game in new countries and locales. The PDGA has a full-time staff of eight, led by the Executive Director, who is appointed by and reports to the volunteer Board of Directors. Part-time Consultants are also used on specific projects including the International Program. The Board of Directors are elected by the membership, and serve three year terms. Throughout its brief history the PDGA has relied heavily on a large cadre of dedicated volunteers – the Tournament Directors, the Committee members, and so on - and it is these committed volunteers who are the real backbone of the organization and the sport.
Part 2: Benefits of PDGA Membership There are many benefits of being a current PDGA International member. Some are direct benefits to the individual, while others are more indirect, and reflect the growth of the sport as a whole. The direct benefits of PDGA membership include: 1. All renewing members receive a basic membership package including current year membership card, annual
tour/member information, PDGA logo bag tag and sticker. 2. New, first-time members also receive lifetime member #, new member mini, and the latest rules book.
Renewing members receive a complementary copy of the rules book whenever a new edition is printed.
3. Current members are eligible to compete in all levels of PDGA Tour events where they earn points towards invitations to Major events including the PDGA World Championships. Current PDGA members can track their tournament season and career results at their own personal stats pages at www.pdga.com .
4. PDGA members also gain their own very cool player rating, based on their round by round performances at
Tour events. The PDGA Ratings system measures a player’s ongoing level of play, enabling them to compare their game with friends and rivals, and with the best disc golfers in their country and around the world. Qualification for an increasing number of top level events is now based on player ratings.
5. Current International members also have the option to receive the informative PDGA e-newsletter (free), and
to purchase a subscription to the PDGA magazine. First-time (New) International members also have the option to purchase a new PDGA member logo disc.
PDGA Member fees are also used to support many other activities and programs – the indirect benefits of membership – including:
1. The development, maintenance and innovation of the PDGA database and websites.
2. The on-line worldwide Course Directory which now has almost 6000 listings in 54 countries.
3. The work of the PDGA Staff in running the organization day to day including processing and maintenance of the now huge memberships and events system, the associated accounting, the management and delivery of the annual Pro and Amateur World Championships, annual refinements to the system, and so on.
4. Governance by the volunteer Board of Directors and the work of the volunteer Committee members who review and revise the Rules of Play, test and approve discs and baskets for sanctioned play, develop the Tour and competition standards, oversee the course and player ratings system, investigate Disciplinary issues, and examine other important aspects of disc golf from the environment to sustainability to how to grow women’s play.
5. The marketing of disc golf to the public, sponsors, social and traditional media, including representation of
the sport at trade shows, live web TV coverage of leading events, print materials including DiscGolfer magazine, inclusion in ESPN’s Top 10, photography, videos on disc golf instruction, leading events, great shots, etc.
6. The International Program, which is strengthening and supporting the growth of disc golf and the PDGA
brand in 30 affiliated countries in Europe, Asia, and Oceania. Beyond providing sanctioned PDGA Tour events and the benefits of membership, the International Program fosters the globalization of the Rules, competition formats, and other standards, all with the aim of increasing international play. The Rules book and Competition Manual together with other key PDGA information has also been translated into and published in several other languages. This Program is steered by the International Director with advice and input from the PDGA Europe and Asia/Oceania Country Representatives, as appointed by each participating country’s national disc sports or disc golf governing body. Information on this program is available at www.pdga-europe.com and at www.pdga.com/international .
7. The International Disc Golf Center, in Wildwood Park, Columbia County, Georgia, which opened in April
2007. A fabulous resource and headquarters for the sport, the IDGC is home to the Disc Golf Hall of Fame, the Steady Ed Headrick Museum, the PDGA offices, and 3 world class courses.
All these PDGA activities and programs build credibility for disc golf and contribute to the formalization and growth of the sport. In short, as a PDGA member you enjoy all the direct benefits of membership as listed above, while also supporting and promoting the development of the sport and the PDGA around the world.
Join the PDGA. The professional association for ALL disc golfers!
Professional Disc Golf Association 3841 Dogwood Lane Appling, GA 30802 706-261-6342
Professional Disc Golf Association
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2016 PDGA Top Rated International Players
Based on Final 2016 Player Ratings . Only includes players who were 2016 PDGA current members & who played in a PDGA Tour Event in 2016
Rank FirstName LastName Country Rating Notes Rank FirstName LastName Country Rating Notes
European Men Rated 1000+ European Women Rated 900+
1 Karl Johan Nybo DK 1033 1 Ragna Bygde Lewis SE 931
2 Simon Lizotte DE 1028 2 Eveliina Salonen FI 929
3 Stephan Müller CH 1023 Master 3 Jessica George GB 927
4 Andreas Widehäll SE 1021 Master 3 Katka Bodová SK 920
5 Leo Piironen FI 1018 5 Natalie Holloköi CH 909
5 Juho Parviainen FI 1018 7 Camilla Grunden SE 907
7 Seppo Paju FI 1017 7 Henna Blomroos FI 907
8 Sylvain Gouge FR 1016 6 Jenni Eskelinen FI 908
9 Marvin Tetzel DE 1012 10 Katharina Gusenbauer AT 901
9 Jalle Stoor FI 1012 9 Wiebke Becker DE 905
9 Markus Källström SE 1012 Other European Countries Top Rated Women
12 Teemu Nissinen FI 1011 Martin Zélie BE 722 Junior
12 Henrik Johansen SE 1011 Eva Králová CZ 841 Amateur
14 Pasi Koivu FI 1008 Lena Brammer Nielsen DK 862 Master
15 Kevin Konsorr DE 1007 Kristin Tattar EE 861
16 Håkon Kveseth NO 1005 Kimberley Carniel FR 852 Amateur
17 Lassi Hakulinen FI 1004 Maja Šimenc HR 836 Amateur
18 Janne Hirsimäki FI 1003 Aliz Török HU 724 Am Master
18 Patrik Berglund SE 1003 Master Kolbrun Mist Palsdottir IS 715 Amateur
20 Dominik Stampfer DE 1002 Mireta Jurgeleviciute LT 799 Junior
20 Kristian Legind Spliid DK 1002 Elena Vecmane LV 828
20 Fredrik Widehäll SE 1002 Master Eveline Nagtegaal NL 786 Amateur
20 Henric Hagman SE 1002 Lydie Hellgren NO 879 Grandmaster
24 Henrik Wahlman SE 1001 Master Marta Wacior PL 704 Amateur
26 Christian Plaue DE 1000 Diana Mukhametgalina RU 816 Amateur
26 Emil Dahlgren SE 1000 Jasmina Pištan SI 784 Amateur
Other European Countries Top Rated Men Asia/Oceania Men Rated 975+
Harald Neumayr AT 970 1 Manabu Kajiyama JP 1028
Marco Lehousse BE 995 Master 2 Tetsuya T2 Kikuchi JP 1012
Lukas Filandr CZ 986 3 Hideaki Matsuda JP 1002
Silver Lätt EE 988 3 Simon Feasey NZ 990 Master
Carlos A. Rio ES 983 Grandmaster 5 Yasushi Jitsuhiro JP 989 Master
Hamish Blair GB 981 6 Kazuo Shirai JP 988 Sr GM
Mike Doc Gordon HR 952 Master 7 Dai Takakura JP 983
Dani Hatvani HU 966 8 Yutaro Sakai JP 979
Niall McGinty IE 800 Amateur 8 Yoshiyasu Kajiyama JP 979
Ástvaldur Einar Jónsson IS 958 8 David Bandy AU 979
Jeff Gromen IT 898 Am Master 11 Atsuhito Kawasaki JP 976 Grandmaster
Gabrielius Gricius LT 965 Other Asia/Oceania Countries Top Rated Men
Gunars Grundmanis LV 946 Zvi Teff IL 838 Am GM
Bert Brader NL 979 Master Eric Fitzsimons KR 959
Szymon Wacior PL 938 Ryan Hebert LA 924
Nenad Radojevic RS 686 Am Master Ron Turner MY 926
Iosif Yusim RU 920 Master Tee Vetne TH 939 Junior
Bostjan Babic SI 940 Amateur Mac Hsiao TW 951 Master
Michal Kúdela SK 971 Asia/Oceania Women Rated 895+
1 Yuki Fukuhara JP 939
2 Mayu Iwasaki JP 937
Other Countries Top Rated Men 3 Rika Tsukamoto JP 917 Master
Nicolas Restrepo CO 795 Am Master 4 Hiromi Kato JP 915
Ross McGlothlin ZA 864 Am Master 5 Sachiko Sato JP 899 Grandmaster
Other Asia/Oceania Countries Top Rated Women
Other Countries Top Rated Women Kristina Bair AU 858
Maelly Garschagen Gava BR 683 Amateur Shinah Kim KR 865
Hayley Flintoft NZ 890
Joy Chupthasorn TH 869 Am GM
Leading 2016 PDGA International Events - Final
Country Events Pros Ams Total Players Total Pro Purse Players
Europe Europe
Austria 16 886 104 990 $5,383 Prodiscus After Easter Open Finland 264
Belgium 10 336 18 354 $0 European Disc Golf Championships Finland 200
Croatia 10 280 0 280 $0 Helaheitot Finland 188
Czech Republic 20 1200 126 1326 $19,813 Finnish National Championships - Frisbeegolfin SM Finland 177
Denmark 16 686 246 932 $19,596 Startti AM Finland 169
Estonia 35 1859 816 2675 $23,899 Eesti Meistrivõistlused Discgolfis by Latitude 64 Estonia 159
Finland 210 5708 7818 13526 $149,541 EuroTour #4 - HAIX Tali Open Finland 156
France 7 104 309 413 $1,659 Finnish Juniors & Amateurs National Championships Finland 153
Germany 40 2534 163 2697 $7,042 EuroTour #5 - Estonian Open Estonia 147
Hungary 2 119 2 121 $0 Prodigy Disc Tour - Kerava Finland 144
Iceland 5 75 39 114 $0 European Open - Disc Golf World Tour #3 Finland 144
Italy 1 6 6 12 $0 European Masters - Disc Golf World Tour #4 Sweden 144
Latvia 2 118 12 130 $1,110 Swedish Championships Sweden 144
Lithuania 5 211 30 241 $3,768 Asia/Oceania
Netherlands 18 288 341 629 $4,636 Tokyo Open Japan 103
Norway 28 1263 425 1688 $33,750 National Championships Japan 102
Poland 5 166 4 170 $649
Russia 4 0 88 88 $0 Pro Purse
Slovakia 5 244 12 256 $0 Europe
Slovenia 3 67 7 74 $0 European Masters - Disc Golf World Tour #4 Sweden $35,264
Spain 2 39 56 95 $1,740 European Disc Golf Championships Finland $28,994
Sweden 75 3038 1943 4981 $80,341 European Open - Disc Golf World Tour #3 Finland $21,858
Switzerland 13 571 7 578 $10,206 Konopiste Open - Disc Golf World Tour #2 Czech Republic $19,609
United Kingdom 39 471 829 1300 $7,150 EuroTour #4 - HAIX Tali Open Finland $11,355
Europe Total 571 20269 13401 33670 $370,283 EuroTour #5 - Estonian Open Estonia $10,962
Asia/Oceania EuroTour #2 - Copenhagen Open Denmark $10,199
Australia 26 136 720 856 $2,031 Prodiscus After Easter Open Finland $6,469
Japan 29 756 670 1426 $9,455 Grip EQ Tour - Tammisaari Finland $6,455
New Zealand 9 133 229 362 $117 Finnish National Championships - Frisbeegolfin SM Finland $5,663
South Korea 2 42 84 126 $738 Grip EQ Tour - Lahti Finland $5,582
Thailand 5 42 112 154 $2,015 Hamar Open Norway $5,574
Asia/Oceania Total 71 1109 1815 2924 $14,356 Asia/Oceania
Costa Rica 1 0 11 11 $0 Tokyo Open Japan $1,449
Grand Total 643 21378 15227 36605 $384,639 National Championships Japan $963
2016 PDGA International Events Summary by Country - Final
