Tournament Directors are a critical channel that our sport flows through. Without enough confident, willing, and capable TD’s to run events we limit the social and competitive opportunities that Disc Golfers love; we also limit the public presence of our sport and consequentially constrain its growth.
Directing tournaments is a rewarding creative outlet that gives you skills in promotion, marketing, logistics, local government liaison and all the other ingredients of event management; it can also be draining and time consuming if you do too much of it as a volunteer. By widening the pool of tournament directors in Australia we are spreading this workload instead of concentrating it among a few.
The Tournament Director Mentoring Program also ensures that events in Australia continue to be run at a high standard. We also want disc golf to be more than a sporting pastime – we want to be a sport that develops its people. To be an agency of positive social development in the community.
How it works
An experienced Tournament Director takes a new candidate under their wing, working through a checklist of competencies. This can be done as a style of apprenticeship where the candidate and Tournament Director work on the same event; or it can be the candidate’s first event and guidance is received from the experienced Tournament Director, either locally or via remote communication.
A checklist is used to guide both parties through the process. When the checklist is complete a certificate is awarded. The successful candidate will then be known as an ADG Accredited Tournament Director.
If you are interested in becoming a TD speak to your local club about helping with an event.
Who can be a mentor?
Any experienced Tournament Director in Australia can be a mentor. If you would like a certificate, please contact the ADG state rep in your state [state eg nsw]@australiandiscgolf.com with links to two pdga tournaments that you have run.
You can download a copy of the TD mentoring checklist here
Do you have to be an ADG accredited Tournament Director to run and event in Australia?
No. To run a PDGA event you only have to have completed the PDGA certified officials exam. This program is about improving the number and quality of Tournament Directors in Australia. It is not about creating additional mandatory requirements.