PDGA TD School | Episode 1 | Celebration of the TD
The PDGA's New Tournament Director Training Program kicks off with a celebration of the very individuals who make disc golf tournaments possible: the Tournament Directors. Join us as we explore the critical role that TDs play in hosting and organizing events around the world. From setting up registration pages to handing out awards, these dedicated volunteers are the backbone of our community. Through expert guidance and best practices, this program aims to equip both new and experienced TDs with the skills needed to succeed. With a focus on topics such as online scoring, course setup, and event management, we'll provide valuable resources to help take your tournament game to the next level. Funded by PDGA membership fees, this training is designed to support our community's growth and success, one tournament at a time.
Learn pro-level tournament directing with PDGA experts in Episode 1 of TD School. Improve your event management skills with live scenario lessons.
Watch on YouTubeVideo Transcript
It's 7:30 AM on a Saturday. Cars are pulling into the parking lot at a park not far from your home. Everyone's making their way towards a pop up tent. A person is seated, checking off names on a printed sheet. Brightly colored discs are stacked on a nearby table. As people leave the line, they pick up a disc and other items from the table and venture away. There's a hint of anticipation in the air as like minded folks gather for some friendly competition. It's tournament day at the disc golf course! This type of scene is playing out on a daily basis all around the world. This year alone over 10, 000 PDGA sanctioned disc golf events will be played at varying levels of competition on courses ranging from 9 hole pitch and putts to 12, 000 foot elite level monsters. But all of these events have one thing in common, the Tournament Director. Someone has to pick the date on the calendar, contact the Parks Department, apply for PDGA sanctioning, set up the registration page, collect the entry fees, buy the player, pack discs, paint the OB lines, set up the online scoring, blow the horn to start play, act as Marshall, and when the players are finished playing, hand out the awards and prizes and submit the results for the whole world to see - the Tournament Director. We're here to thank those disc golfers who have made a contribution to our community by running tournaments and hosting the party. We want to encourage you to join their ranks because without tournament directors, there are no tournaments. This celebration of Tournament Directors is our first installment in the PDGA's New Tournament Director Training Program. We'll be producing new video content and written training materials aimed at teaching best practices to new tournament directors, as well as providing help to experience TDs with some more nuanced topics. The PDGA's Event Support Team is producing this training as a resource to the disc golf community, funded by your PDGA membership fees. Our goal is to help improve the quality and quantity of disc golf tournaments worldwide by providing the best authoritative information to our tournament directors. Now, we'd like to acknowledge the people that brought us to this point and laid the foundation for the disc golf tournaments we play today. In 1969, Ed Headrick and George...
