Hole Nine Break: How Can PDGA Make Pro-Level Competition Harder?

This is the 14the installment of the Hole Nine Break Series! What does the PDGA need to do to make pro-level competition more challenging? Do they have it too easy right now? Leave your opinion in the comments below!
#discgolf #discgolfdaily

[@ticompany7529]

I think Simon Lizotte once said that a "no run up zone" would be a good idea.

[@tossingplastic]

Hey, that's an interesting thought! I'm not entirely sure how I feel about that, but I'm interested!

[@UtahDarkHorse]

Really the only logical solution is to allow the rest of the card to tackle and dog pile on the person who's trying to putt. Seriously, I think requiring more technical shots such as in wooded courses is the way to go. With the really long holes, you end of seeing people just throw the same shot over and over until they get there, but bombers are fun to watch sometimes. Nature has a wey of making the course harder when the wind is up and/or when it's raining. There seems to be a rather substantial difference in scoring with different weather conditions. Thanks for another great video.

[@tossingplastic]

Wooded courses that support spectators will always be a challenging obstacle!

[@Arafax]

My home course is labeled "very hard" on UDisc being a heavily wooded technical layout. Playing more courses like this would definitely increase the difficulty versus just letting them throw over the top of any obstacles. I'm sure the top level guys would be hitting 10+ under anyway but I'm not sure that is necessarily a problem. Also mandos could be used a bit more to increase technicality without going to the OB option.

[@Arafax]

Also to tag onto the Mando part I like when courses get creative with obstructions as well, like the famous short hole at Winthrop with the door in front of it.

[@tossingplastic]

@Arafax creativity is definitely something that can spice up the difficulty and viewer experience! I think changes will be made I'm just curious the direction they go!

[@derpderpin1568]

They don't need to make it harder. The same dozen people are always in the running to win at the top events which means the difficulty curve has done it's job and the best are consistently separating from the field. If you make it harder you only further isolate the absolute best away from the field and at that point we might as well just have 16 man invitational only tournaments with the best players and run match play. Things are fine as is. Scoring low or high doesn't matter, just your stroke total to get through 18 holes relative to the field.

[@tossingplastic]

That's a well rounded take forsure!

[@user-dz6tx8tc1w]

If I carry a bag I'm only using 3 of them

[@matthewmiller4616]

I never think longer holes make a course more difficult. Instead they just tire the arm out. It'd be like taking the kentucky derby and doubling the distance for the race to make it harder. It doesn't increase the skill required. Wooded courses are much better with super tight and tricky lines. Smaller baskets are a terrible idea as it creates separation between pro courses and amateur courses that don't have the funds for 18 new baskets. I really want to see more super steep changes in elevation holes as control and accuracy on those is really hard

[@tossingplastic]

I really like this take and the Kentucky derby analogy is great. The other side is that it would make endurance a factor like the Daytona 500

[@brandongreen9381]

I agree here in New England we have crazy elevation changes in most of our courses, you could have a 250 ft hole but 100 ft of that is uphill at a 60 ft elevation change . Baskets are blind. Elevation changes would make it alot harder and better to watch for sure

[@mikeslinde5506]

Shorter courses…tougher/modified greens…pretzel sticks ALLLL over!

[@tossingplastic]

What's is a pretzel stick lol?

[@mikeslinde5506]

@@tossingplastic they are timbers/logs sticking out of the ground…you may see them occasionally around the baskets(protecting them).

[@brandongreen9381]

I think they need to venture to different courses they get used to playing the same ones over and over. They should play different areas, maybe more wood courses where accurate shots are key, and playing it smart will win it, not just throwing bombs. Here up in the northeast, we have tons of courses that are woods courses that would challenge any pro. I think they just need to look into switching up the courses, choosing more woods courses. Still have some bomber courses, but the same ones each year it just get to be repetitive.

[@tossingplastic]

I agree completely but wooded usually does not allow for a lot of spectators. I miss when they had the fort as a pro tour stop

[@brandongreen9381]

@tossingplastic very true, but it's something they could look into make a 2 year plan pick some courses and thin them out as time gets closer for spectators, but it would be alot of planning and work, but would grow the sport even more if they could plan it right.

[@user-dz6tx8tc1w]

I don't even carry a bag anymore. 6 discs is overkill .. A star colt . And esp max weight ANAX I have like 180 discs and full bags made just only grab two discs to play the game

[@tossingplastic]

That's definitely fun from time to time! I agree

[@user-dz6tx8tc1w]

@@tossingplastic 🙂 .. the anax can do it all for a non pro .. 10 speed more like 11.5 Glide 6 and it is true to that glide .. 0 turn 3 fade typical driver .. Back hand feel is great and the flick power is unbeatable

[@user-dz6tx8tc1w]

@@tossingplastic you can turn the anax over as well

[@user-dz6tx8tc1w]

Honestly.. long holes cause it makes the pro level tough.. you must hit distance and gaps .. we know how to toss this disc and max it's flight by now. If a pro can't get the distance then boggy's run putts for bird ..tight woods lines and mostly just in the woods is disc golf

[@tossingplastic]

Agrees!

[@78489789676658754335]

I dont understand why we have to make the courses harder. Why not lower pars? Maybe we should label the easier par 3's as par 2's and some of the par 5's are really par 4's. This could be similar to hole 12 at winthrop being changed to a par 4 from a 5

[@matthewmiller4616]

Par is just a number. If 8 pros play a par 5 and 7 of them get a birdie and the other a par the scores are -1 to 0. If it was a par 4 then the scores would be 0 to +1. So what the par is doesn't have an affect on the difference between pros scores.

[@tossingplastic]

Yea, it is interesting because at the end of the day, it is just total shots thrown, right? The problem I think is that for a course to sustain a crowd it has to be more open which in return is "boring" for TV viewer ship and are just birdie fests!