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PDGA Tour Event Levels & Tiers

There are several levels of PDGA-sanctioned events, referred to as Tiers. Each Tier has its own set of requirements and regulations based on the PDGA Tour Standards. Higher Tiers of events, which include World Championships, PDGA Majors, Elite Series events, A-Tier events, and (beginning January 1, 2022) B-Tier events require current PDGA membership in order to participate. PDGA Majors and Elite Series events also require that the competitors have passed the PDGA Certified Official Rules Exam and registered as a Certified Rules Official with the PDGA. For C-Tier events (and B-Tier events held prior to January 1, 2022), any player who is not a current PDGA member may participate by paying a per-event fee of $10 (unless playing in a Junior division in which case there is no such fee).  Players who are not current PDGA members may play in PDGA Leagues without any additional fee.

Event Descriptions

PDGA Major

PDGA Major events include World Championships, National Championships, and the PDGA Champions Cup, with the competitors based on invitations and qualification. Qualification to World Championships and Majors are awarded according to previous year Tour Points and other qualifying criteria. Current members who do not earn an invitation to the World Championships may still gain entry if there is still room after the registration tiers for invitees.

  • TD & ATD of record may not play.
  • Current PDGA membership required to compete.
  • Current status of Certified Rules Official required through the dates of the event to register and compete.
  • Length, purse, number of holes, and many other elements of these prestigious events are handled on a case-by-case basis.
  • Minimum payout of 125% of Net Entry Fees 

Disc Golf Pro Tour (Elite Series)

The Disc Golf Pro Tour is an event series for the Open and Open Women's divisions. The Disc Golf Pro Tour events showcase the sport, its leading events, and its top players, with the goal of increasing sponsorship and media coverage.

  • TD & ATD of record may not play.
  • Current PDGA membership required to compete.
  • Current status of Certified Rules Official required through the dates of the event to register and compete.
  • Length: 2-4 days
  • Holes: minimum of 54
  • Cash Added to Pro Purse: minimum of $10000 (across both divisions)

A-Tier

A-Tier events are regional events with strict requirements for the overall purse and payouts. These events typically bring in some of the best competitors in the sport, lasting between 2-3 days with a minimum of 54 holes to be completed.

Each fall, after the full Major and Disc Golf Pro Tour schedule is known for the following year, the A-Tiers are then scheduled by the PDGA Office for the entire following year. In late September, an online A-Tier Request Form is made available through both a story posted on pdga.com, as well as an email sent to the TDs of the A-Tiers from the past two years. The form is typically available for two weeks and TDs must provide at least three possible dates for their events in order for a conflict-free schedule to be produced.

Note that In order to even be considered for A-Tier status, an event must have been run for at least several years as a successful B-Tier event that both met all Tour Standards and was also absent of player complaints. In addition, the Tournament Director must be have an established track record of running quality events at the B-Tier level or above. Because of their greater mileage restrictions, only a limited number of events can be A-Tiers. Therefore, not all requests for A-Tier status will be approved. Once the A-Tier schedule has been set, it is released on pdga.com (typically on or about November 1st) so that PDGA State, Province, or Country Coordinators can begin approving TD’s date requests for B-Tier and C-Tier events. At that time, the online event sanctioning form for the following year is also made available.

  • TD & ATD of record may not play.
  • Current PDGA membership required to compete.
  • Length: 2-3 days
  • Holes: minimum of 54
  • 100% payout of Net Entry Fees plus min. of $3000 Cash Added to Pro Purse (across all Pro divs)
  • 110% payout of Net Entry Fees to Amateur purse (prizes + player packs)

B-Tier

B-Tier events are considered state-level, often taking place over an entire weekend with the Tournament Director(s) providing a minimum of 100% payout to the professional and amateur divisions alike.

  • Must have either a non-playing TD or ATD of record.
  • Current PDGA membership required to compete (after January 1, 2022).
  • Length: 1-2 days
  • Holes: minimum of 36
  • 100% payout of Net Entry Fees plus min. of $750 Cash Added to Pro purse (across all Pro divs)
  • 100% payout of Net Entry Fees to Amateur purse (prizes + player packs)

C-Tier

These are local events that can easily be run in one day, on one course, with a minimal amount of staff and volunteers, but they certainly do not have to be small and/or simple. There are many large C-Tier events around the world each year that bring in hundreds of players and provide very large payouts for both the professional and amateur divisions.  

  • TD and/or ATD of record may play.
  • Current PDGA membership NOT required to compete. Non-current members or non-members pay a $10 per-event temporary membership fee when registering (except in Junior divisions).
  • Length: 1-2 days
  • Holes: minimum of 18 (36 preferred)
  • Cash Added to Pro Purse: optional
  • Minimum of 85% payout of Net Entry Fees to Pro purse
  • Minimum of 85% payout of Net Entry Fees to Amateur purse (prizes + player packs)

X-Tier

X-Tiers are not a separate Tier, but rather a designation used in conjunction with another Tier level (XM, XA, XB, or XC).  X-Tier events either use experimental formats or have deviations from ordinary PDGA rules and regulations significant enough to merit this modified Tier designation.  X can be added to the Tier designation for a variety of reasons. If the event is a non-singles format - such as doubles, triples, team, or match play - or uses non-standard rules - like offering mulligans or mandating throw and distance penalties for an island green - the X means the event is not rated. The X can also be used for other non-ratings related items such as a charity event with limited payouts or a restriction on who can register such as residents of a specific country or state, or collegiate-only.  These types of X-Tiers, where the format is ratable, will still receive ratings.

PDGA Leagues

PDGA Leagues run once a week, on the same day of the week, for a duration of 6-10 weeks. PDGA members who compete receive PDGA Player Ratings from each round just as they would at a typical PDGA event, and accrue PDGA points depending on their place in the field each week.

  • TD and/or ATD of record may play.
  • Current PDGA membership NOT required to compete.
  • Leagues run once a week on the same day for a duration of 6-10 weeks.
  • PDGA members receive an official rating from each league round attended.
  • PDGA members will receive PDGA points, which is the primary criterion for earning an invitation to World Championship events.
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tournament director, help, tour documents, tournament manager

Tournament Directors