Disc Golf's New Era: Age-Based Divisions Get a Major Overhaul

As disc golf continues its rapid growth, the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) has recognized the need for a more efficient and inclusive competition structure. In response, the PDGA is introducing significant changes to its age-based division system, which will impact players across all age groups.

Starting in 2018, the PDGA will be adding two new age-based divisions: MA65 and MP75, which will join the existing MA50, MA55, MA60, MA70, FP40, FP50, FP55, FP60, FP65, FP70, MP40, MP50, MP55, MP60, MP65, MP70, MP80, FJ18, MJ18 divisions. These new additions will create a more comprehensive and organized system for competing in age-based divisions.

The new division codes have been designed to be easy to understand, with the first character indicating whether it's a female-only (F) or mixed (M) division, followed by A or P for amateur or professional classes, respectively. The remaining two characters represent the minimum PDGA competition age for adult divisions and the maximum PDGA competition age for junior divisions.

One of the key drivers behind this change is to align the PDGA's system with other sports that use similar physiological age breaks. This will allow for a more consistent and equitable competition format across different disciplines.

For players, the changes mean they can expect to compete in one of four adult age-based divisions: Masters (40-49), Senior Masters (50-54), Super Grandmasters (55-59), or Master's Plus (60+). Junior age-based divisions will also be revamped, with a maximum PDGA competition age applied to ensure players are competing against peers of similar abilities.

To address concerns that the changes may lead to reduced participation in certain divisions, the PDGA emphasizes that tournament directors have the flexibility to offer all age-based divisions at their events. However, if a division does not meet the minimum of four players required for competition, it's up to the director's discretion whether to allow the division or not.

The impact on "playing up" (or down) a division remains unchanged: players can still choose to compete in any division they are eligible for based on their PDGA competition age. This means that a player with a PDGA competition age of 60, for example, can choose to compete in MA60 or even lower divisions if desired.

The introduction of these new divisions will be implemented gradually, with the 55 and 65 age-based divisions not being offered at 2018 Am Worlds and 2018 Pro Masters Worlds. Instead, players will earn points towards invites in those divisions which will then be offered at the 2019 Am Worlds and 2019 Pro Masters Worlds.

Overall, these changes are designed to provide a more inclusive and organized competition format for disc golf players of all ages and abilities.

This article was compiled from disc golf coverage with AI assistance. Source: pdga.com — https://www.pdga.com/new-age-based-competition-divisions-starting-2018