Thank you for your interest in running your own women’s tournament! It is inspiring to see so many women-specific tournaments and several tournament series happening these days. The field of women disc golfers is growing, and it is because of dedicated players like you stepping up. So thank you for your support!

To start, here are two great resources from the PDGA, “How to Plan a PDGA Tour Event” and “How to Run a PDGA Tour Event”. Even if you are a seasoned tournament director, you may find some useful information in the files.

If you would like your event to be PDGA sanctioned, consider taking advantage of the PDGA’s Competition Endowment Program. This program is aimed toward the growth of Disc Golf for women, junior, and new players. To aid in the developmental efforts of these tournaments, event fees and non membership fees are cut in half. This discount is available for the first four years of your developmental event. These special lower fees can also help keep entry fees low, which is especially appealing to women with limited budgets.

Here are three factors to consider before you start planning a women’s tournament:

Female Competitors. Ultimately, for your local event to be successful, you should have a good local base of women players. At minimum, you should aim for enough participants to fill several divisions to make it a competitive tournament with your local field of players. Then utilize your local or regional women’s leagues to spread the word. You can find a list of women’s leagues and their contacts on www.pdga.com/women. The word “tournament” may deter some casual players, so figure out how to make it welcoming for all,assuring that there is a division for every skill level, from beginner to pro.

Consider the Course. The layout needs to be fun and competitive but not overwhelming. Consider the divisions that will be playing based on an average throw. Generally, all Pro divisions and Advanced Women can play from the longer tees while the Amateur divisions will be more competitive with the shorter holes. This adds to the fun factor and accommodates players that may be brand new. You can create shorter holes by marking teeing areas with flags if they don’t already exist. However, be cautious about making them too short to quality for player ratings. Just check with the PDGA standards before making your tournament layout official.

Local Community. Invite the local disc golfing men to come out and support the ladies. You can never have enough spotters, scorecard checkers, lunch makers, and water jug fillers. Having local men as a support can be a motivator for new players. It also demonstrates that the local disc golfers not only accept women players but welcome them as part of the community.

Once you have taken care of the competitors, course, and local community, consider what makes a women’s tournament different. While the logistics of running a women’s tournament are the same as a mixed gender event, there are details you want to address and incorporate that female participants will notice and appreciate. These details will make your event memorable.

Make it Social. Players sign up for the competition of disc golf, but they will stay with the sport because of the friends they make. Think about ways you can make the event more of a get together where women can have fun, make new friends and enjoy the atmosphere.. Having a provided lunch at the course means that players can mingle while they munch instead of having off alone to find food.

Provide Clean Bathrooms. One of the biggest complaints about a course you will hear from female players is the lack of bathrooms. Make sure there are bathrooms available every 9 holes, and that they are clean and stocked with TP. Ladies will appreciate not having to duck away in prickly bushes or poison ivy to find privacy.

Fun Players Packs and Prizes. With ladies, you can get more creative with the players packs and prizes for the event outside of Discs, towels, and T-shirts. It’s fun to give out special prizes, too. For example: last place, most metal hits, most improved, who came from the farthest distance, and even highest score. This makes the event inclusive for everyone, even those who didn’t have their best day.

Make it open to Mothers and Junior Girls. Invite the kids to come out and play! Disc golf is a fun family sport, and family is the number one priority to many women. Accommodating the whole family can make the event even more appealing. Think outside the box; if get a dad to spot, cook, caddy or even chauffeur the juniors group, you’ve created a full family activity day.

I hope you find this information helpful in planning your women's tournament. Don't hesitate to contact the Women’s Committee (women@pdga.com) if you have any further questions regarding running women's events.

Good Luck!
The PDGA Women's Committee