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1st place in AM 1=4th in Pro-$350, embarrassing?

DISCLAIMER: This does not pertain to me!

I'm not sure if I should feel bad for this person or be congratulatory toward him, but the hero of this story just won 1st place in AM1 in our annual b-teir tourney, by 8 stokes(with 2nd place shooting his #1+#2 P.B.'s in two of four rounds).

If he would have entered open, he would have placed 4th=$250 + a guaranteed spot in a 5 hole safari skins match @ $100/hole.

Is this a good example of how "sand-bagging" sometimes doesn't pay off in the long run? or Should we think that we all have the potential, as am's, to beat a field of pros on any given day?

Tags: sand bagging, sand-bag, sand-bagging, sandbag, sandbagging

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jeff Nichols on April 20, 2011 at 11:39am

Did he just have a REALLY GOOD DAY, or is this a repeat action for this person?

Permalink Reply by Grassidy on April 20, 2011 at 5:20pm

all the results I have seen have been like 24th in the Memorial, and 23rd in Gentleman's Cup, LV.(both A-teirs), I think its his 3rd year competing, last year he played about 5 tourneys, all top 10.

Permalink Reply by Justin NUDGA#15 on April 22, 2011 at 12:52pm

I know this guy, and I have been playing with him since he started playing disc golf. He has only been playing a year and a half. He is dedicated to becoming better, and plans on going pro (a great goal to have, while playing am) He won because he practiced more than any of the other MA1 players. I can assure you of it.

You forgot to mention that his PDGA player rating is 933. That is an average AM rating.

Could it be possible that he just played to his full potential? Isn't that what we all hope for when we play these tournaments?

Permalink Reply by Grassidy on April 22, 2011 at 7:42pm

All im saying is, bummer he woulda cashed and been eligible for the skins match(without buying a raffle ticket). No doubt he deserved his win and played with-in his PDGA rating.

Permalink Reply by Justin NUDGA#15 on April 22, 2011 at 9:21pm

Yeah i feel ya. I cashed in Pro and he beat me by 7 strokes!

Permalink Reply by TinaH on April 20, 2011 at 12:45pm

Some sandbaggers never learn. Much less, want to. They're so not at the top of their game, if they don't realize they have cheated themselves to begin with.

Permalink Reply by Dookville on April 20, 2011 at 1:35pm

The first tourney I ever played I won the Novice division by 6 strokes and they where calling me a sandbagger. I moved up the next month and played in the intermediates. I finished 6th out of 21 and they where calling me a sandbagger. Based on how I felt my round went, I was having an off day putting, I will move myself up to Advanced for the next tourney.

I hate being called a sandbagger, and I hate more to think they I would ever sandbag.

Good story of justice maybe being served.

Permalink Reply by Donny Olow on April 20, 2011 at 3:49pm

I did play novice in 1976. Played Pro ever since.

Permalink Reply by Dookville on April 20, 2011 at 4:32pm

I've noticed that our Open division and Advanced divisions play pretty close to the same scores. It's just that occasional time that a pro gets hot and busts the field, which is about every other tourney. I would play open, but I can't see competing with Mike Raley and Steve Rico for $50.00 at a monthly when the advanced field play just about as competetive.

Permalink Reply by John on April 20, 2011 at 5:30pm

I believe any give day a am can play on a pro level the difference is the pro can play there all the time but a am will have a great round then a bad one the next .

I played in a tournament recently and tied the top pro for the first round and was ahead in my division by four stokes ,next round tanked and placed 2nd loss by one stoke ,i was playing am2 BTW.

Permalink Reply by Herb E on April 21, 2011 at 1:31am

it just seems like there has to be a simple way to fix this whole "sand-bagging" issue. I threw two good drives at the first tournament I played in and a kid from the group behind us called me a sand bagger, I finished at the bottom of Am 3. Is this a real problem or something that people just like to complain about? If it's a real problem, then it seems like there is a simple solution; make playing in the lower brackets much less attractive. Not fair? If you want to try to use disc golf to make money then become a better player and play in the highest brackets. The payouts shouldn't even be comparable, like with other real sports where "pros" are involved.

Permalink Reply by Eric Day on April 21, 2011 at 3:22am

I would like to say that some players just don't want to play pro, which in my opinion is not that bad. There's a local guy i play with that could play in pro but just doesn't want too. Going by the rules nobody can be forced to move up to Pro open anyway. Plus its cheaper not to move up,

On the other hand it does suck to be beat by the same player over and over again. I played almost two years in Ams(am2), moved up to advanced and got my but kicked. I decided after a few months of loosing my butt of I would move back down, and there is often 2x as many am players. The first tourney I moved back to ams I won, and the whole dang park was calling me a bagger. I took it as a compliment as it being my first win, an was more then happy to take my bashing lol. Went on to not cash in the next two am tourneys, this weekend im back to the course I won on and Im sure im going to get a warm welcome ;b. Point to all this, maybe like the other guy, I just want to play where the fun is.