WI Tour 2024 Updates & Goals

 
The WDSA board wishes to help players navigate planning so they can compete in the WI Disc Golf Tour 2024. 
There were 22 WI Tour tournaments last year. The most common WI Tour structure for an individual tournament is one day for upper rated divisions and one day for lower rated divisions, no matter how many courses are used. The WI Tour requires at least 144 player roster spots to be available per tournament. The 2023 season had 190 different people play at least five WI Tour tournaments. That is equal to 48 holes of 4 players on each card. The popularity of tournaments in WI clearly shows that the WI Tour needs to provide a lot of roster spots. During the 2023 season, there were six tournaments that offered 18-20 holes per round, one that offered 27 holes and nine that used 2 courses per day. Six more tournaments used at least three courses per day. In 2023 there were more than 185 events offered in WI. Three A Tier, all on the WI Tour, 48 PDGA B Tier events in Wisconsin of which nineteen were WI Tour events. There were also 111 C Tier and 23 more unsanctioned events. Every player should be able to find events that work for them. 

The Wisconsin Tour goal for the 2024 season is to increase roster spots. One way this could have been accomplished is by eliminating divisions. We chose not to go that route. To support players committed to the WI Tour, tough decisions have been made and we understand that not all players will be happy with the final decisions. Adding additional roster spots to the tour happened by adding tournaments or adding courses to existing tournaments.

1. The Spring Fling Women's only tournament at Rollin Ridge last year was the first dedicated division event that asked for and was accepted to the tour. Further adjustments may be necessary in future years. There are currently at least 2 Master only tournaments and more than two women’s only tournaments that are not on the WI Tour. There are Junior tournament organizers that have shown curiosity for possible connection with the WI Tour. We are always interested in listening to ways to promote disc golf.

Lake Superior Open and Highbridge Hills while still on the entire WI tournament schedule have left the WI Disc Golf Tour. A reason was not enough WI players entered. Losing a very good TD and many excellent courses is a loss to the WI Tour but I encourage players to attend these great events. We hope the Highbridge Hills group will find a weekend and director during the summer for a WI Tour stop. When that happens, it will be announced.  Skyline is still figuring out what it will do in this 2024 season.

2. We recommend Tour Td's use a tiered entry system that could relieve some of the super quick sellouts of tournaments. Some Td's have been starting registration with set numbers of players for divisions, which helps as well. Especially for small divisions. If a WI Tour tournament is posted online even before registration is open and they do not have your division listed with an amount of spots saved for a certain amount of time, please contact the TD to give your division a chance to play.  

Every year the Tour committee critiques the WI Tour, resulting in changes. We try to figure out how to make it work for as many players and TDs as possible. The WI Tour started in 1993 with four tournaments. In 31 years, it has grown from a small community into a highly popular sport - it has outgrown its shoes, house, yard, and garage. 

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The 2024 WI Disc Golf Tour Finale will be hosted by Josh Hamm of Riverside Disc Golf in West Bend using Riverside and Sandy Knoll Disc Golf Courses. Players must earn invitations using earned points at WI Tour tournaments. Tour champion plaques will be awarded at the Finale. Players do not have to be from Wisconsin to earn points toward qualifying for the Finale. 

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WIDISCSPORTS CALENDAR AND MORE

I would like to remind players that widiscsports.com has posted a working calendar of all WI tournaments that go through the current PDGA State Coordinator, Mike Harrington. Not just WI Tour, but any organized event. We will add as many registration links as we can. TDs should add links here. 

This is the same website that includes tour points, rules, and an archive that is in the process of documenting WI people, places and events that have shaped Frisbee and disc sports in the state. 

This website also includes a list of every Developmental fund donation WDSA has awarded. Over $80,000 from 2000 to 2023. This is money raised with a $1 donation from every player at every WI Tour tournament. This is part of the reason that there are so many disc golf courses in WI. 
There is a fun state map that interactively tracks the history of course development. From the few fists full to over 450 courses now.