moving up

Ok I started the year with a crappy 811 rating from one tournament last year. When. The new rating come out I am now a 890. I have won one tournament and placed 4th in the next 2. All the guys i play with are wanting me to move up. I have been playing in the rec division. They,say rec is 850 to 900. My question is do I have to move up bow or can I atleast get a couple more rec divisions before I have to. I just don't want people to think I am sand bagging. So fellow disc golfers what should I do. I don't think I am ready for intermediate.

[MIDiscGolfer]

If everyone would just play their rating you'd always be playing people pretty close to your skill level.  First tourney I played up in I was rated rec and played int.  Did pretty well and then looked online and found that everyone in the int division that tourney was rated below 900 anyway.  So no one was playing any stiffer competition by playing up we just all paid an extra $5 in entry fees, Which was fine with me since I took third.  :-D

[Jeff Nichols]

Glad you figured it out Michael. Do what YOU are comfortable with! :)

[Jeffery Nugent]

If you win, or do well there are always going to be people who cry "BAGGER!" Move up when your rating makes you move up. The only reason I moved up from rec. was because I turned 50 last year and could play exclusively with guys my own age.(Advanced Grand Master)

[David Sauls]

By default, stay where your rating puts you.

Don't move up because you believe you'll improve faster, or due to peer pressure.  The former is dubious and the latter is weak.

Do move up if you want to---if you like the challenge of being an underdog, or a larger division (if the case) or the particular people you'll be playing with.  Heck, I used to play "up" on some long courses just to watch people throw 100' further than me (and try to beat them).

[Dookville]

The ratings are there for a reason. They are calculated based off of multiple thousands and thousands of rounds.

[Jim Coonradt]

I don't think that there is any one answer that will fit everyone. I know people who have moved up and it has helped them out. But it's not for everyone. Depends on your motivation.

x

[david swamp thing black]

I wanna go up but do I belong ... Whats my 35 foot putt percentage? How far can I throw? How many shots do I have? And how much experience do I have? Those are the questions I have been trying to complete before I go up after 7 years.

[mr ed]

Play what you feel is comfortable for ya now.You'll know.Enjoy the sport for what's it  meant to be..FUN.

 

[david swamp thing black]

Won my first tournament and was rated 935-third in the state for ams. I didnt think I was quite worthy of all that. The prize for winning was a free sanctioning.

[Jim Coonradt]

I think that people tend to take things a bit too seriously when playing tournaments (unless of course you are in the pro divisions). Sometimes people will also say to just go out and have fun. That is true to a point because when I am competing I am very serious about winning. However, you go out and do your best and if you miss a putt don't sweat it. The sun will still rise tomorrow and you will get another chance to compete. You definitely have to have a short memory. And if you are able to keep your concentration and take the bad shots with the good you will be fine and maybe even start winning more.

Develop your strategy, learn to make good decisions and the rest will follow. The whole "what division" thing I don't believe is all that important. Do what feels right for you whether that means moving up or not. In the end it's not going to make a huge difference.

If you move up you will make yourself belong. That is the attitude that you need (confidence). You put in the hard work and it will show. Nothing ever gets handed to you. You have to go out and earn it. And as far as the statistics go they aren't all that important either if you step up and just bang chains. Confidence is more important than questioning yourself.

x

x

[John Hernlund]

There are some other factors that might come into play. For example, I play much better when the pace of play is faster, and I play horribly when it is slow. By playing up a division, I usually get to play faster, which improves my score considerably (I also have more fun, too). Of course, there are no guarantees that any division gets to play faster, since depending on the format (shotgun vs tee times, etc.) you could end up behind another card in a lower division that is slow, in which case that particular benefit goes away.