Bid Packages Released for 2018 PDGA Major Events
Bid Packages Released for 2018 PDGA Major Events
Seeking Hosts for All 2018 PDGA-Owned Majors
Proposals to host a 2018 PDGA Major will be accepted now through October 31, 2016. This includes the PDGA United States Women’s Disc Golf Championship, the PDGA Tim Selinske US Masters Championship, the PDGA Amateur and Junior World Championships, the PDGA Masters World Championships, and the PDGA Professional Disc Golf World Championships.
2017 will mark the inaugural year for the new model of the Pro Worlds, with the introduction of the newly-formed Masters World Championships and the split off of the Professional World Championships. The benefits of such a change are numerous. For the Pro Masters Worlds event, an increased number of professional age-restricted members can participate in the event as space has been opened by moving the MPO and FPO divisions out on their own. Qualified players now have the opportunity to compete in both Pro Worlds and Pro Masters Worlds should they choose to do so.
For the newly structured Pro World Championships, the PDGA will now have an elite World Championship to market and promote; elite-level players will be offered a guaranteed time to register for Worlds, eliminating a mouse-click race determining who gains entry. Therefore, the highest level players will be in the event. By splitting out all age-restricted divisions, more MPO and FPO slots will open up.
PDGA Executive Director, Brian Graham stated, “The PDGA is excited to premier our new World Championship models in 2017, as it is a direct reflection of the growth of our sport and the increased demand to participate in the Disc Golf World Championships. Over the last several years, we have seen an exponential increase in the number of members wishing to compete for a World title. The creation of a new separate event for age-based divisions will now allow us to accommodate more members while also creating a true elite-level Open World Championship for our sport.”
By awarding the bid to host these 2018 events by the end of this year, the eventual Hosts will be provided ample time to ensure a high-quality experience for all PDGA Major Event competitors and spectators. The PDGA will continue with this timeline moving forward.
For each of its World Championships, the PDGA seeks hosts and encourages bids from around the world. An experienced disc golf club, nonprofit businesses, an individual working in conjunction with a community sports commission, visitor’s bureau, and/or facilities owner can submit a bid. National Championships must be contested within the US. All bids are reviewed by the PDGA staff and Board of Directors and a host is selected based upon the experience with running a large sanctioned disc golf event, contents of the bid, suitable facilities, proximity of courses/venues to each other, as well as various other requirements.
The 2018 PDGA Majors Bid Packages can be viewed and/or downloaded from the documents section at the bottom of the PDGA Major Events page.