Is Tuning your disc during a sanctioned PDGA event legal or not?

I like to tune my discs before I throw them sometime and was wondering if that was legal or not? I havee heard both ways from people, so I am not totally sure.

[Steve Belliveau]

Is "tuning" sanding? if so,yes

[pdgamember]

no its not..look below

this is tuning

that is for the epic..but it works for any disc..bend it down to make it more understable..bend it up for more stable...i like to do it cause i like the same disc for some holes but need it to fly a little different sometimes

[Brandon Swanson]

"Moderate sanding" to remove molding imperfections and dings is legal. Excessive sanding is not. Not sure where the line is officially drawn.

[Ken]

While I am no authority.... PDGA 801.01C

C. Players may not make post-production
modification of discs which alter their original
flight characteristics. This rule does not
forbid inevitable wear and tear from usage
during play or the moderate sanding of discs
to smooth molding imperfections or scrape
marks. Discs excessively sanded or painted
with a material of detectable thickness are
illegal. See sections 802.01 D, E and F.

A very liberal reading would indicate that it does not say it is prohibited, but would that be a modification of it's original flight characteristics (excluding hitting a tree, sign, car (don't park your vehicle in the flippin' street that crosses the 18th fairway at Crestview in Topeka, KS please), etc.)?

If someone were to "call you out" (as many are apt to say) at a league or tournament, my gut would say that the TD has two options: 1) say that the "spirit of the rule" is to prevent adding/subtracting of weight through means that purposefully and permanently alter the disc. Thus, intentional cutting, placing holes, intentional gouging, or noticeably over-sanding with the intent to cheat would be forbidden, but bending is not implied therefore not forbidden. 2) say that ANY and all intentional modifications that are not made during the course of play are forbidden. Hitting a tree is not something most of us want to do, so that may not be intentional. But, standing five feet from said tree and purposefully throwing at it to adjust the flight characteristics is intentional, and therefore against the rules.

Since "tuning" is somewhat undetectable, it would be hard to "call someone out" unless it was blatant, meaning you would have to be bending the hell outta that disc in plain view.

My problem is that if the question is asked, then either the PDGA is too vague, or the answer is already known and tuning is not legal.

I think it is time for the resident pros to answer.

[pdgamember]

I have heard both ways so I am just looking for a clear answer.

[Ken]

My only suggestion would be that until the PDGA says bending a disc is legal, I wouldn't do it in a PDGA event. No reason to lose an entry fee or strokes for something silly like that. and oops... that should be rule 802.01C... my bad...

[Tino "SilverBack" Medina]

this "tuning" you are referring to is simply bending the disc in the hopes that it stays bent and somehow yoou are able to control the flight of hte disc! It is legal simply because mere handeling of the disc, hitting the trees, hitting the ground or hitting the basket cause pretty much the smae amount of "tuning" or bending.

[mark ellis]

It would depend on specifics: exactly what you did to a disc to tune it and who the TD was who ruled on the issue.

The rule is not especially clear on its face. This is likely because, as a practical matter "tuning" a disc doesn't provide an advantage.

Tuning, by any method, is not an exact science. Nobody can take a disc and make it, for example, 10% more overstable or 10% more understable. Or make it glide 30' longer or shorter, or any other other type of flight modification with precision.

So if you are standing on the tee and start bending the rim up or down or up and down and sideways, you are just guessing what the heck it is going to do. Personally I wish my competitors bent their discs every which way. All they are going to get is a scud missle. I don't know of a single good Pro who commonly "tunes" their discs.

Plastic has something called "memory", which means it has a tendency to return to its initial shape. So tuning (by bending) has only short term impact. Plastic memory is activated by heat, so put the disc in your bag or your car on a hot day and it moves back toward its original shape. How much it returns, how fast is anyone's guess. No one wants to guess, we all want consistency.

So what about your favorite broken in driver or midrange disc? It took you months or years to get it to a degree of broken in where it flies on a gentle, controlled anhyzer. It is golden, it is magical, it is remote controlled. Well, not really but we think of it that way because it is not only consistent but WE KNOW WHAT IT DOES at the speed we throw it. It isn't nearly as valuable to someone else because although it is the same disc, they don't know what it does with their unique form and power.

So when you lose that beloved broken in disc there is no sure way to replace that exact flight except the same way you created the last one. That is why you should always have back ups which are thrown regularly in practice for the time they become needed.

Think of it another way. A disc is just a tool. Would you take any other precision tool and bang it, bend it, boil it, shred it and expect it to work better and more reliably?

[Ken]

Your answer is much better... :) Thanks! I have tried bending discs, and I think it is more of a Jedi Mindtrick that is played by the disc....

[Jamie Mosier]

The only thing I've seen tuning work well and almost semi-predictably on is the aerobie rings

[idfx]

Indeed Aerobie rings are the only thing I know that need tuning, except that as Mark said, the outcome lacks consistency, which is a biiig problem with the Pro ring, since it flies soooooo far.

Still, tuning regular golf discs might be interesting when you want a really sharp hyzer in a wooded area with only one opening in the trees, for instance, not high enough for a spike hyzer. Your most overstable disc is still not giving you enough, plus you don't want to use a driver because you'd rather not skip too much: you might want to bend a Drone or something like that.

[Jamie Mosier]

Your not gonna have to bend a drone to make it hyzer lol