The Official Rules of Disc Golf, the Competition Manual for Disc Golf Events, and the PDGA Tour Standards go through some level of revision each year. A critical part of this process is making proposed changes available for public comment by members.

The public comment period in August was extremely successful, and, based on member feedback, the PDGA Global Board of Directors has approved some changes to the revisions for 2024. These changes are in bold.

The most notable adjustments are that non-members will continue to be able to play in C-Tiers in 2024 (although a new registration tier allows TDs to give current members priority when registering), and that the D-Tier will not be implemented in 2024.

The following list only represents the changes made in response to the public comment feedback, not a list of every slated change for 2024. If something that was put out for public comment is not mentioned at all, that does not mean the revision has been scrapped: it means no changes were made. The full array of final revisions for 2024, including these changes, will be released on or about November 1, 2023.

Major Changes

Competition Manual for Disc Golf Events

1.01 Player Eligibility & 1.02 Tournament Registration.

The proposal to require membership at C-Tiers will not go into effect in 2024, and the current 1.01.B.1 will remain the same. Instead, the staff will continue a holistic examination of PDGA membership levels and Tier requirements and make recommendations to the Board accordingly. In the interim, a registration tier option will be added to the Competition Manual. Disc Golf Scene already has the ability to build in such a tier.

1.02.C.2 Unlimited Permitted Exceptions

These Unlimited Permitted Exceptions are not limited by percentage of event spots, but the specific early registration tiers for the Unlimited Permitted Exception must be first-come, first-served to any player who meets the specific requirements of that registration tier. TDs may offer tiered registration based on:

a. TDs may offer early registration tiers based on PDGA Player Ratings, to give higher-rated players priority (Examples: Elite Series events, USADGC).

b. TDs may offer early registration tiers based on qualification through PDGA-sanctioned qualifier events that were publicly available to all players. (Examples: PDGA Worlds, USDGC, USADGC, or a Points Series Finale.)

c. TDs may offer early registration tiers based on specific divisions that are otherwise underserved. These are limited to female-only divisions, junior divisions, or senior (age 50 and older) age-based divisions.

d. current PDGA membership.

3.02 Pace of Play

Members requested clarification about the applicability and enforcement of this section. It has been reworked accordingly. 

A. All competitors shall play without undue delay and make every effort to keep up with the group in front of them. Undue delay means delays in play, other than as permitted by rule, that affect the pace of play of the group behind them.

B. Players and groups are expected to quickly move expeditiously from the completion of one hole to the teeing area of the next hole. Any undue delay should not so as not to affect the pace of play within of the group behind them. Also, while advancing down the fairwayDuring play on a hole, a player or group shall not unduly delay play cause undue delay by their actions or inaction.

C. B. A player causing undue delays may be issued an excessive time violation by agreement of the playing group or a Tournament Official.

D. If a group as a whole causes undue delay, each player may should be issued an excessive time violation by a Tournament Official (see 802.03, Excessive Time). Examples of this include:

1. A group remaining by the target of a completed hole to record scores.

2. A group that neglects to start the clock or enforce the time limit when searching for a lost disc (see 805.03, Lost Disc).

3. A group who halts or slows play because of actions unrelated to play.

E. C. If, in the sole discretion of the Tournament Director or their designee a designated Tournament Official, a group is causing undue delays, they that group may be put on the clock. 

1. On the clock means that a Tournament Official will accompany the group and actively time their play each player to ensure that it their play conforms with 802.03, Excessive Time and with this section 3.02.A-D and will issue warnings and penalty throws accordingly.

2. The Tournament Official must notify the group that they are on the clock in a manner understandable to all players. 

3. If the When a group is no longer is causing undue delays, they come off the clock. Off the clock means a Tournament Official is no longer actively timing their play. 

4. When a group comes off the clock, the Tournament Official must notify the group that they are off the clock in a manner understandable to all players.

5. A group that is repeatedly put on the clock may receive penalties as described in 3.02.C B. and 802.03, Excessive Time.

Tour Standards

Establish the D-Tier

The D-Tier will not be implemented for 2024. Consideration of potential future implementation will be part of the holistic examination of PDGA membership levels and Tier requirements mentioned in the C-Tier discussion (1.01 & 1.02, above).

Minimum Rating for FPO Majors and Elite Series Events 

This ratings floor comes after consultation with and approval of the Majors & Elite Series Committee and the Disc Golf Pro Tour.

D.9. MPO players must have a minimum rating of 935 to register for either PDGA Major or Elite Series (DGPT) events. FPO Players must have a minimum rating of 825 to register for either PDGA Major or Elite Series (DGPT) events. 

Minor Changes

Competition Manual for Disc Golf Events

1.04 Event Check-In & 4.05 Checking in and Beginning Play

Thanks to some thoughtful feedback from public comment, the intersection of the two-throw penalty for failing to check in and the provisions of 811.F, Misplay, has been clarified at A-Tier level.

1.04.C. At A-Tier events using a staggered start with scheduled tee times, players must also check in with the starter no less than 5 minutes prior to their tee time each day. Players who do not check in with the starter by this time receive two penalty throws. This is recommended for staggered starts with scheduled tee times at all other Tiers. 

D. If a player is later deemed to be absent for the first hole under 811.F.5, Misplay, then the penalty in 1.04.C does not apply. The player only receives the penalty for being absent. 

E. D. See 4.05 for check-in requirements for Majors and Elite Series events.

The intersection of the two-throw penalty for failing to check in and the provisions of 811.F, Misplay, has also been clarified at Majors and Elite Series level.

4.05.A. Pre-tournament check-in is required for all players at Majors and Elite Series events. 

B. Any player who does not check in by the time specified by the Tournament Director shall forfeit their official place and entry fee. 

C. At events using a staggered start with scheduled tee times, players must also check in with the starter no less than 5 minutes prior to their tee time each day.  

D. Players who do not check in with the starter by this time receive two penalty throws. 

E. If a player is later deemed to be absent for the first hole under 811.F.5, Misplay, then the penalty in 4.05.D does not apply. The player only receives the penalty for being absent. 

1.09 Ties

Eagle-eyed members pointed out two issues with the wording here. Those changes are in bold.

B. Except where noted below in 1.09.D, final ties for first place in any division must be broken by sudden-death play. Also, if If ties are being broken for the reduction of field size, they also must be broken by sudden-death play. Under no circumstances should any other method such as hot round, head-to-head scores, etc. be used to break a tie for first place. 

1. Sudden-death play is a format where the player or players with the best lowest score on a hole move on to the next hole and all other players are eliminated. When only one player has the best lowest score on a hole, that player has won the tiebreaker and sudden-death play is over. The Official Rules of Disc Golf and the Competition Manual apply during sudden-death play, but the throws do not accrue to the players’ scores.

2. An aggregate playoff is a type of sudden-death play where the competitors play a set of 6 or fewer holes that have been announced by the TD, where the lowest score on all holes wins the playoff. Players who are tied after an aggregate playoff would proceed to standard sudden-death play on those same holes, unless a different set of holes has been announced by the TD.

3. Sudden-death play, including aggregate playoffs, shall begin, wherever possible, on the same course and layout as the previous round on hole number one unless a different course, hole, or series of holes is designated by the Tournament Director prior to the start of the tournament. 

4. Team Play Sudden-death play must use the same format as the previous round (e.g., medal play, match play, team play) unless another format is designated by the Tournament Director prior to the start of the tournament. In team play, each team is considered a player for the purposes of this section. Any sudden-death format that uses team play to break ties for an event conducted wholly as singles play, or that uses singles play to break ties for an event conducted wholly as team play, must do so for a compelling competitive reason and must be approved prior to the start of the event by the Director of Event Support.

5. The specific order in which players tee off for sudden-death play shall be determined by random draw (e.g., numbered playing cards, selecting tee positions from a hat, etc.).

6. In the case of a tied hole during sudden-death play, the teeing order for the next hole will rotate from the order used on the just completed hole, such that the player who teed first on the previous hole relative to the remaining players will now tee last, the player who teed second will now tee first, and so on.

7. During an aggregate playoff, the teeing order will instead rotate according to in the manner described by 802.02, Order of Play.  during the aggregate playoff, and rotate from the order used on the last hole of the aggregate playoff for any tied players who move on to standard sudden-death play.

8. If the aggregate playoff ends with two or more players still tied, the teeing order will rotate:

a. in the manner described by 802.02 to set the teeing order for the first hole of sudden-death play; and

b. in the manner described in 1.09.B.6 for the remainder of sudden-death play.

9. 7. Players may decline to participate in sudden-death play. Their ranking and cash or prizes will be determined as if they had declined to participate in a semi-final or final among the tied players (see 1.08.D).

3.01 General

Our members reminded us that type 1 diabetics frequently use insulin pumps with continuous glucose monitors that alert them if their blood sugar needs to be regulated. Further, “interact with the group fully” is too nebulous. Both are corrected here.

C. Players are not permitted to have audible mobile phones or audible pagers on the course during any competitive round. In addition, personal music players and other devices must be used exclusively with personal headphones and the volume must be kept at a level so as not to be heard by other players, prevent the player from effectively interacting with their group during scorekeeping tasks, or provide a safety hazard for the player by not hearing “Fore!” calls from other players or warning blasts by the Tournament Director. Failure to interact fully with your playing group due to personal music players and other devices is considered a courtesy violation subject to courtesy violation rules and penalties. Devices capable of making audible sound or flashing light must not make audible sound or flashing light from the two-minute signal until the scorecard is submitted.  

1. If a player’s device makes audible sound or flashing light, it is a courtesy violation (see 812, Courtesy). However, no penalty shall be incurred by use of a device deemed medically necessary by the player’s physician, such as a glucose monitor. 

2. Music players and other devices Devices that make audible sound must be used exclusively with personal headphones or earbuds, and the volume must be kept at a level so as not to that:  

a. cannot be heard by other players; 

b. prevent allows the player from to effectively interacting with their group, during scorekeeping tasks, or such as scorekeeping or looking for lost discs; and 

c. provide a safety hazard for the player by not hearing “Fore!” calls from other players or warning blasts by the Tournament Director.  does not create a safety hazard for the player due to the inability to hear warning signals by other players or tournament staff. 

3. Failure to effectively interact fully with the playing group as required by rule due to personal music players and other devices the use of headphones or earbuds is considered a courtesy violation (see 812, Courtesy). 

4.03 Caddies and Groups

After further consultation with PDGA Operations & Logistics, the Disc Golf Pro Tour, and the Pro Touring Players Committee, the limit on a single caddie per round has been removed.

D. A player may only have one caddie for a given round, but may have different caddies for different rounds. 

D. E. A caddie cannot be placed or directed to act as a visual reference or guide and is considered a directional aid in any such instance (see 813.02 B, Illegal Device). 

E. F. All other violations of this section are courtesy violations (see 812.C, Courtesy) applicable to the player the caddie is accompanying. 

Clerical Changes

Official Rules of Disc Golf

These Q&As have been edited or added due to the relevant 2024 revisions.

QA-OBS-3 

Q: My disc came to rest under a long, fallen tree branch. The branch is clearly detached from the tree and extends from behind my disc to in front of it. Can I move the branch? 

A: Yes. If part of the branch is anywhere where you could put a supporting point when taking a stance on the playing surface behind the front of your lie, you’re allowed to move it, even if another part is closer to the hole than the back of your marker. 

QA-OBS-4 

Q: A loose, broken branch is hanging down just behind my marker, making it difficult for me to take a stance. It is not touching the ground. Am I allowed to move it? Do I get casual relief? 

A: No. Since it is not on the playing surface where a supporting point may be placed behind your marker, it has the same status as a healthy, connected branch, and you will have to play around it. 

QA-OBS-8 

Q: There’s a huge spider web right in front of me where I want to throw. Can I knock it down? 

A:  Only if at least some of it is on the playing surface where a supporting point may be placed behind the front of your lie, in which case it is debris and can be removed as a casual obstacle. If it’s only in your flight path or it doesn’t touch the ground, it cannot be moved. 

QA-SCO-2 

Q: A member of my group kept a paper scorecard, and their own round and hole scores are correct. However, the other players' scores are not anything like what everyone else actually threw. Because the penalty for a player's incorrect scorecard only applies to the score for that player, can they do that? 

A: They are not penalized if there is a simple mistake for another player's score, but randomly writing numbers down is not keeping score, and that player could be subject to disqualification by the tournament director. Players need to make a good faith effort at keeping score and totaling up the scorecard correctly.  At the end of the round, the group should reconcile any differences between their scorecards before they are submitted. That cannot be done if someone is not keeping an accurate scorecard. 

Competition Manual for Disc Golf Events

1.07 Suspension of Play

This change reflects the revisions that have been made to the PDGA Mid-Event Suspension & Cancellation Policy.

H. A player who stops playing before a signal to stop has been given shall receive two penalty throws if, in the opinion of the Tournament Director, there is evidence that the player stopped playing prematurely. A player who continues play after the announcement of a weather delay an official stoppage in play shall receive two penalty throws if there is evidence that the player was aware of the weather delay stoppage. 

Tour Standards

A-Tier Requirements: Required Divisions

These additions further clarify what divisions must be offered at A-Tier level.

Required divisions: Tournament Directors at A-Tiers must offer, at a minimum, both the top mixed and women’s divisions  based on the class and/or age of the fields the event is intended for, unless the event is only using Ratings-Based Divisions. For example:

a. Pro-only A-Tiers must offer MPO and FPO.

b. Am-only A-Tiers must offer MA1 and FA1.

c. Pro-Am A-Tiers must offer MPO, FPO, MA1, and FA1.

d. Pro-only Masters-only A-Tiers must offer MP40 and FP40.

e. Am-only Masters-only A-Tiers must offer MA40 and FA40.

f. d. Masters-only Pro-Am A-Tiers must offer MP40, FP40, MA40, and FA40.

g. Pro-only gender-based A-Tiers must offer FPO.

h. Am-only gender-based A-Tiers must offer FA1.

i. e. Pro-Am gender-based A-Tiers must offer FPO and FA1.

j. f. Junior-only A-Tiers must offer MJ18 and FJ18.

Public comment is a critical part of the rulemaking process. The PDGA Board and staff would like to extend our sincerest thanks to everyone who wrote in to make suggestions, spot potential flaws, and outline unforeseen consequences. The partnership between members, Board, and staff is how the PDGA will continue to thrive.

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