Junior Disc Golf Competition
The PDGA offers numerous opportunities for young players to compete in sanctioned events at every level, from local C-tier tournaments to World Championships.
PDGA Junior Divisions
The PDGA Tour Player system is based on Professional, Amateur, and Junior Divisions. Professionals compete for money, Amateurs and Juniors for trophies and prizes.
Age-based Junior divisions are offered in six groups based on a player’s year of birth: Junior ≤18, Junior ≤15, Junior ≤12, Junior ≤10, Junior ≤08, Junior ≤06, each of which are available in Mixed (Male and Female) and Female-only divisions.
| Div. Code (Mixed) | Div. Code (Female-only) | Ages Eligible |
|---|---|---|
| MJ18 | FJ18 | ≤ 18 during full calendar year |
| MJ15 | FJ15 | ≤ 15 during full calendar year |
| MJ12 | FJ12 | ≤ 12 during full calendar year |
| MJ10 | FJ10 |
≤ 10 during full calendar year |
| MJ08 | FJ08 | ≤ 8 during full calendar year |
| MJ06* | FJ06* | ≤ 6 during full calendar year |
*Note that as of 2018 this division is no longer offered at the PDGA Junior World Disc Golf Championships and all players must turn at least 8 years old during the Worlds year in order to particpate in Junior Worlds.
A player's official “PDGA Age” for the purposes of participation in age-based divisions at sanctioned competition is determined by their year of birth, not their day of birth. For example, a player that turns 19 on their birthday in October of 2021 is not eligible for MJ18 or FJ18 during the entire calendar year of 2021.
Points, Event Tiers, and Worlds Invite Criteria
In addition to trophies and prizes, players competing in Junior divisions earn PDGA points.
Following an event, players receive a point for each player within their division that they tie or beat (including themselves) multiplied by the points factor determined by the tier level of the event and the division competed in.
| Division | Majors | NT/A-Tier | B-Tier | C-Tier | Leagues |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MJ/FJ18 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| MJ/FJ15 | 4.5 | 3 | 2.25 | 1.5 | 0.75 |
| MJ/FJ12 | 3 | 2 | 1.5 | 1 | 0.5 |
| MJ/FJ10 | 1.5 | 1 | 0.75 | 0.5 | 0.25 |
| MJ/FJ08 | 1.5 | 1 | 0.75 | 0.5 | 0.25 |
| MJ/FJ06 | 1.5 | 1 | .075 | 0.5 | 0.25 |
PDGA points are used at the end of the calendar year to determine two things: End-of-Year PDGA Points Leader Awards and invitations to the PDGA World Championships the following year.
PDGA Points Leader Awards, including an obelisk trophy, will be given to the to the highest points earner within a division across all of the Junior Mixed divisions as well as the highest points earner within a division across all of the Junior Female divisions.
| Name | PDGA Number | Division | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elijah Bickel | 94844 | Junior Mixed | US |
| Lucy Burks | 70025 | Junior Girls | US |
Invitations to the PDGA Junior World Disc Golf Championships will be sent to players who meet the published minimum number of points for their age-based division during the previous year’s PDGA Tour.
Although PDGA Pro Worlds (FPO & MPO) invites are based on ratings, the invitations to the PDGA World Championships for Pro Masters, Amateurs, and Juniors are based on a current member meeting a published minimum number of points for their age-based division during the previous year’s PDGA Tour.
2020 PDGA Junior Worlds Invitation to Register Criteria
Unlike the End-of-Year awards, all points earned within any division matching the member’s class (Pro or Amateur) count towards a Worlds invitation for their Primary Worlds Division based on their class and age.
For example, if an 11-year-old player earned 50 points playing FJ12, 10 points playing FJ15, and 5 points playing in FPO (Female Pro Open), then they would receive 60 Amateur class points towards a Junior World Championship invite in the FJ12 division.
Members may also earn a secondary invite for another division if they earn that division's points requirement while actually playing in that division. For example, if an Amateur member aged 18 in the Worlds year earned a total of 200 amateur points (the MJ18 requirement) across all amateur divisions, they would earn an invite to MJ18 at Junior Worlds, but if they had also earned 1,500 points (the MA1 requirement) while actually playing in MA1, they would receive a secondary worlds invite for MA1 at Amateur Worlds.