You Need To Join A League This Summer

Ok so as I’m writing this, I’m sitting in business class on a huge plane heading to India, how crazy is that? Unfortunately, this long journey is not for disc golf, but it reminded me of our exhaustive tournament schedule in 2021. My wife and I played in at least one tournament almost every weekend between April and October. We clocked around 19 events in at least three states. To be clear, it was a wonderful whirlwind of amazing disc golf, breweries, friends, and adventures, but it was a huge commitment. 

That is why this year I am focusing more on League play, and I wanted to share with you my reasons for taking this route.

While we’ll still be traveling this year, it won’t be as insane. Specifically, there is a huge wave of women’s events scheduled this summer that will dominate our calendar. This is a very good thing! The massive growth on the women’s side in the last two years gives Alyssa the opportunity to play in a women’s event just about every weekend if she chose to. Obviously, she’s going to play the USWDGC in Madison, WiscoDisco and a few others, but I’ll cover ‘The Midwest Invasion’ in the coming weeks in a separate blog. But this lends to my first reason to get into a league: schedule and availability. It will be much easier for me to plan rounds that work for both of us, and still get the thrill of competition. As for availability, you can throw a cat and hit at least two leagues before it claws your eyes out. Also, I don’t have to hover over my computer counting down the clock before an event goes live only to sell out in 12 seconds. 

Another great benefit to joining leagues is the cost. For a very modest price, you get maximum value. Usually portions of your weekly buy-in will be split into various prize pools including rolling ace pots and other fun challenges like ‘CTP’ and ‘Longest Putt’. For the average cost of a single B-tier, you can plan out almost an entire summer playing leagues.  

I mentioned the thrill of competition, and in league play, it can be both fearsome and highly entertaining. You find yourself in the hunt with the same players week in and week out, and as the season progresses, you push each other to improve, to fight for the win, and we all get better from it. Nothing like chasing down your bestie each week for bragging rights! Plus, competition gets really exciting with the introduction of a handicap system. Suddenly old ‘Bogey Bob’ has a chance to go toe to toe with young ‘MPO Mike’ and maybe catch him that day, with his 8-stroke adjustment. The point being that it’s anybody’s game each given week. And if you’re interested in your PDGA player rating, you can even opt in and have your score recorded and rated. This is very convenient way to monitor and improve that coveted rating statistic. 

Next, what better place to compete with your friend than at a variety of your favorite courses? Most leagues travel these days, touring a handful of courses which minimizes the monotony of playing the same track every week. You get to explore your entire game while experiencing challenges in the woods, or on big open fairways, or on a creative ‘league only’ layout.  You may find it much easier to attend when the league swings through your local course. You may make a day out of it, playing a round in the morning, then heading out to explore a new brewery or arcade. You know, patronize the local scene. Or even better, playing a second round at another nearby track. Variety, they say, is the spice of life. 

If you’re not convinced by now, then I guess leagues just aren’t for you. But let me give you the piece de resistance of league play, the End of the Season Playoffs! With just a bit of commitment, you can find yourself easily qualifying for your league’s end of season event. This is a great way to cap off a wonderful season, but you also have a chance to win some significant prize money. Some leagues even offer hardware that you can take home and add to the trophy room (or in my case, a tiny little shelf next to all of Alyssa’s awards.)

Ok fine, you’re in! But alas, you search and search but there is no league in your area, what to do? That’s easy, start up a league yourself! Unlike a tournament, leagues can take much less time to plan and execute. Spreadsheets help keep track of handicaps, points, rankings and more. Most leagues are running by committee, so you can share the responsibility as the season progresses. Almost certainly the players that attend your league will be more than happy to help with other on-course duties. And there are several resources available online to help streamline the entire process. You have all the tools you need to get started should have the opportunity. Who know, maybe I’ll be in the area and get to swing by for a round.