The Unsung Heroes of Disc Golf: Getting to Know Jeff Jacquart

Jeff Jacquart is one of the most recognizable names in disc golf, but behind every great tournament director is a story worth telling. As the man responsible for bringing top-notch events to the sport, Jeff's passion for disc golf is contagious. In this exclusive interview, we delve into his journey from amateur player to professional tournament director and explore what makes him tick.

It all started in the mid-1990s when Jeff was introduced to disc golf by a friend at Sunset Park. "We took our Wham-Os out there and didn't do very well," he recalls with a chuckle, "but the guy in front of us handed us a golf disc and we were immediately hooked." From that day on, Jeff was all in, dropping his other hobbies to focus solely on disc golf.

As his skills improved, so did his involvement in the local club. In 1998, he joined the board, becoming president in 2000, and helped establish their non-profit status in 2007-08. With a newfound sense of purpose, Jeff dedicated himself to disc golf full-time, eventually retiring from his county job to become a PDGA employee.

Jeff's passion for tournaments was ignited by watching Southern California events, specifically the Golden State with Tim Selinkse and the Memorial with Dan Ginnelly. These two pioneers not only pushed him to create his own tournament but also set the bar high in terms of quality and organization. In 2000, Jeff co-founded the Las Vegas Challenge (LVC), which initially started as a C-Tier event.

As the LVC grew in popularity, so did its ambitions. With the help of his team, Jeff successfully upgraded the tournament from C-Tier to A-Tier status, earning it recognition as one of the top events worldwide before becoming part of the PDGA National Tour and DGPT. "Tim and Dan were the driving force behind taking our event to the next level," he acknowledges humbly.

Tournament directors often face unique challenges in their roles, particularly when dealing with different personalities and issues. Jeff advises new directors to be open about their limitations, saying, "It's okay to say 'I don't know' or ask for help." He also stresses the importance of developing a strong support system and delegating tasks effectively.

When asked what often gets overlooked in tournament planning, Jeff points out that it's easy to forget about unexpected shots or scenarios. "We tend to overlook those oddball spots where players might throw an unconventional route," he says. "Detailed notes and rules in the caddy book are essential to avoid confusion."

Jeff has recently taken on a new role as PDGA Director of Competition, overseeing the Majors. He's excited about this opportunity, citing his goal of injecting more excitement into these high-profile events. With Michael Downes and Andrew Sweeton training him in the ropes, Jeff plans to enhance the overall experience for players, spectators, vendors, and volunteers alike.

One of the primary responsibilities as Director of Competition is ensuring that PDGA rules and policies are implemented uniformly across all Majors. To achieve this, Jeff aims to have a more active role in coordinating with local hosts. This includes expanding the marshaling program and adding more staff from other departments at Elite events. His vision for the future is clear: "We want to take the Majors to a new level of professionalism."

As he prepares for his biggest challenge yet – combining the Worlds event with additional support from the PDGA – Jeff is confident that together, they'll create an unforgettable experience for all involved.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE:

(This is the first of a series coming to PDGA.com to get to know the tournament directors of the PDGA Elite Series and beyond.)

Tournament directors are often the unsung heroes of disc golf competition. They spend their time preparing and hosting disc golf tournaments all over the world.

Get to know Jeff Jacquart, PDGA No. 10749, the tournament director for the Disc Golf Pro Tour - Las Vegas Challenge presented by Innova and the PDGA Director of Competition.

How did you discover disc golf for the first time?

JJ: A good friend of mine — Patrick Bragg #13133 — and I played freestyle and did a lot of things together, pool, darts, volleyball — all of that stuff. His boss told him one day, you know we have one of the oldest disc golf courses around out at Sunset Park and that the first holes went in during the late 70s. We went out there to play, took our Wham-Os out there and didn't do very well. The guy in front of us handed us a golf disc and we were immediately hooked. We pretty much dropped everything else we were doing. I was hooked immediately. It was somewhere around 1995-96. Once we went out to Sunset Park and once we got involved with the local club, we were hooked. It was a rush, something new, something exciting. We all grew up throwing Wham-Os and Frisbees around but now there's a sport.

I got on our local club's board in 1998, became the club president in 2000 and we got our non-profit status in 2007-08. We both immediately got involved with the club. I haven't stopped since then. I don't do anything besides disc golf, it has become my life. I retired from the county early so I could become a PDGA employee and I'm really looking forward to the future.

What is the history of the Las Vegas Challenge?

Our local club would run a couple of events a year, but I would also go to Southern California to play Golden State with Tim Selinkse as the TD and the Memorial with Dan Ginnelly and his whole crew down there. Those two and their entire clubs made me want to do my own tournament and take it up to a higher level than what our local club was doing. I was learning that from Tim and Dan.

In 2000, we ran it as a little C-Tier. It just happened to fit really close to Wintertime Open and the Memorial so over the years, there was kind of a tour flow every week — Wintertime then Vegas then the Memorial.

We eventually out-did ourselves comparing ourselves to those events, but they were the driving force as to how take a typical C-Tier event up to the next level as a B-Tier then an A-Tier. We used to brag that we were one of the top A-Tiers in the world before we became a PDGA National Tour and a DGPT. It was really those two. It was Tim and Dan that made me want to take our event to the next level.

PDGA Radio: Jeff Jacquart »

What advice do you have for tournament directors?

One thing I express to my lead staff and volunteers is that we're not perfect. We're going to do something wrong. Admit to it, move on and make it learning experience — how we can avoid that next time? But there are a lot of personalities that we have to deal with. It's a leadership trait that TDs have to learn is how to deal with the different personalities and issues. From the staff to the players. It's a very difficult leadership position.

It's really hard for us to say 'I don't know what I'm doing' or 'I need help' or 'I don't know the answer all of the time.' We need to start to be able to do that. There's nothing wrong with saying 'I don't know. Let me get back to you' or 'You're right, we did it wrong, we're going to fix it.' So for the new TDs, there will be some frustration but reach out to other TDs that have been doing this for a long time. Anyone that wants to call me, anyone that wants to talk to Doug (Bjerkaas), anyone that wants to talk to Nate (Heinold), I'm sure their phones are wide open, give them a call.

Reach out to others, talk to them. Also try to bring up your right and left hand people to see how they can take over some of the burden for you or if you need to walk away for a little bit, how they can take over for that position. I can't emphasize that enough to the new TDs: You're going to get frustrated with things. Take a breather, talk to your right-hand person, gather your support and say you need a little help and ask what they think. Let it set and simmer a little bit before you make a decision.

You have to have an understanding what you can and cannot do. Understand that you cannot make everyone happy. This is my 23rd year doing this. The first 10 years of running the LVC, I was so worried about the handful of criticisms that I was getting from a couple of players that I forgot about the 200 players that were having a great time. Over time, you'll realize that no matter what you do, you'll get criticism.

What is one thing that tournament directors often overlook?

Those oddball spots where you never thought someone would throw that route or throw that far to be OB, whether it's OB or not. Did they make the mando or not? Is it an unsafe lie or not? What TDs will typically overlook is not expecting those really weird shots that the TD or staff can't throw.

OB lines, you think that there is no way that an area is going to come into play and it will. It does. Detailed notes and rules in the caddy book. Make sure that your course is clear. The caddy book is the bible.

Preach the provisional rule.

Tell us about your new role with the PDGA as Director of Competition.

I'm so excited about this position. I am the director for the Majors. I am still in training. Michael Downes and Andrew Sweeton have been training me quite well. I just can't do what they've been doing for the last 10 to 20 years just yet. Eventually, I will be in the position where I — and my entire team — will be working very closely with local hosts for each Major to make sure that it is going as smooth as it can, making sure all of the PDGA rules and policies are being implemented.

As he prepares for his biggest challenge yet – combining the Worlds event with additional support from the PDGA – Jeff is confident that together, they'll create an unforgettable experience for all involved.

This article was compiled from disc golf coverage with AI assistance. Source: pdga.com — https://www.pdga.com/news/td-spotlight-jeff-jacquart