What division to play in...

[Fritz]

Ok so I have an 880 rating. (PDGA# 26702) I've been playing disc golf for just now 1 year and I've having a hard time deciding which division to play in for 2006. I think I still have a lot to learn to compete in the higher divisions, but my confidence is intermediate. The state I live in has a hard time with people who do well in their divisions and are quick to accuse bagger...
Anyone have a recommendation on what division and how to choose?
Some say my finishes in Intermediate make me a Advanced player, My 880 rating says not...

[presidio hills]

have you won any tournaments playing intermediate? or... have you finished close to the top in a few of tournaments?
it seems to me that moving up in divisions will make you a better player and so you should if you feel you can handle it.
i played with a kid who'd only played about 5 tournaments as an advanced player, but was getting higher up in the ranks every time... he finished 3rd in one of those and then decided 'what the heck' and started playing open. he said the level of professionalism is way better (he complained a lot of advanced players cheated when they could) plus he told me he got to shoot 18 holes with josh anthon at the san francisco safari. there's a good experience!
it seems to me when you're starting out, especially if you haven't played that many tourneys, your rating wouldn't mean much.
i, personally, wouldn't consider anyone a sandbagger until it was a repeat offense... then yeah... you're whimpy a leech

[Fritz]

I've played 5 Int. Tournaments, placed 19, 14, 6, 2, 9.

[Mark Brunner]

Fritz -

It seems to me that from your tournament standings (if those are in chronological order) that you are steadily improving. The jump in skill required to compete in intermediate to advanced is not as large as the jump from advanced am to open division.

I played 1 tournament as intermediate and took 2nd losing by 1 stroke. I immediately moved up to advanced to play with people better than I am, challenge myself to improve faster, and to play with more people I knew.

If you play a local league and know the divisions others play and can compare your scores/your play to those in higher divisions that will give a good idea of the division that you should play. I always have thought that playing a division higher than your skill will lead to faster improvement. However this is definately not true in every case because poor play in a tough division can hinder your progress more than helping it.

My rating was around 880-900 the first year I played advanced and I managed to cash in a few tournaments but saw my game improve event after event. Since your rating allows, I would say play intermediate a few more times this year and see how it goes... If you are consistantly in the top 5 or top 10 you would probably finish in the middle of the pack in an advanced tournament so maybe it would be good to move up!

I hope this helped you somewhat!

[Blake_T]

imo, play there until your rating or scores tell you to move up.

compare how your scores stand with the advanced players. strength in division varies lots from area to area.

when i started playing tournaments, 1st place intermediate was usually like 10 strokes out of the cash in advanced.

nowadays here, 1st place intermediate is like 6th place advanced.

imo, if your intermediate scores put you at around the 50% mark in advanced with some variance, e.g. when you shoot well you are low adv cash, when you shoot badly you are out of the cash, that is the time when you are "ready."

i know a lot of people that move up early and try to "learn." what i have found most commonly is that people that move up too early end up on the bottom cards usually with other people that should be playing down.

[trogdor]

Ok so I have an 880 rating. (PDGA# 26702) I've been playing disc golf for just now 1 year and I've having a hard time deciding which division to play in for 2006. I think I still have a lot to learn to compete in the higher divisions, but my confidence is intermediate. The state I live in has a hard time with people who do well in their divisions and are quick to accuse bagger...
Anyone have a recommendation on what division and how to choose?
Some say my finishes in Intermediate make me a Advanced player, My 880 rating says not...

Josh, if you stay intermediate, you should place top 5 in each tournament you play in Colorado this year. Mark Brunner says "Steady improvement," I say "Rapid improvement." I think if you move up (to Adv Am ... Not from Int. to Open like Koz!) you would be in the top half of the division in most events.

If your confidence is intermediate, stay there. But, IMO you are better than your confidence.

I THINK...Colorado players who yell Bagger are really TRYING to give a compliment. I think part of our decision will need to be based on where you plan on playing. When in Rome and all that...