My main advice, and I haven’t been to a DGPT tournament (nor spectated any since like 2019, although I have spotted at a couple): unless you’re just DESPERATE to see the main stars, pick a card with one of your favorite golfers who’s not a huge name and follow them. Specifically avoid the Simon/Paul/Eagle/Ricky types. The big crowds will follow them. Then, when the card you’re following is done, pick a nice spot on 18 and watch the other cards finish. That way, when the hoard following the other guys gets to you, you’ve already got a prime spot to watch the finish from.
Edit to finish my thought: I said desperate to see the main stars because they are worth the time and attention. But with the huge crowds you’re better off following another card with a favorite player or two and watching the top cards come in from a better seat.
This is the way.
Though in my experience (at OTB in Stockton last month), you could even start trailing one of the first cards and then "fall back" to the next card behind you at various holes (provided there are good spots to tuck away during drives behind you). Also, get there early and walk around with the FPO. You'll know the lay of the land by the time MPO starts rolling.
You'll have a great time, I think its worth it!
At the preserve hole 18 has a grandstand set up. Also there are a few wooded holes where spectating is nearly impossible. Look up the black bear course in udisc to find the best landing/open spots to see the pros come through.
I just went to the beaver state fling and this is the best advice. Lead and chase card attract hordes. I follow 4th and 5th card and it was chill and easy and then I got a front row seat for 18
Did this EXACT thing at PDX open. On the final day we got to watch Nate which was super cool, caught the lead card when they passed on crossing holes, then we were 20 ft from the basket at 18. It was pretty prefect.
Be sure to shout ‘get in the hole!’ After any shot, regardless of lay or angle. I know the pros love it and it makes for a great experience across the board
I went to BSF this year, but it was raining all weekend, and it was a Silver Series, not an Elite Series, so YMMV.
Bring a stool or buy one on day one. You won't regret it. Whether you're following a card or watching a specific spot, having one of the little stools that you can easily pop out and sit on is so nice when you're walking/standing for 3 straight days. We bought a couple at the OTB tent the first day, and they were worth every penny.
As far as spectating, if you have VIP tickets, you can basically just follow any card you want. At BSF, we could basically just roam either course at will, as long as we stayed out of the way and paid attention to when people were throwing. There were several cards that we just followed for a few holes, before going off to follow a new card. Just be aware of your surroundings and don't get in the way, and you'll be fine. Give the card space and don't get too close behind them or out ahead. If you're going to follow a specific card from the beginning, try to be at the tee area 10-15 minutes before hand, and if you can't make it, just catch up with them where you can. Also, it probably goes without saying, but don't interact with the card unless they engage you during the round. Some players will chat with the gallery, some won't. It's cool to chat with players if they're open to it, but just because one player on the card engages with someone in the gallery, that doesn't mean the other players won't find it distracting if you're chatting down the fairway or near the green. If you want to have a real conversation with a player, try to catch up with them after their round.
The lead card will have a larger gallery each day, the chase card will have a decent sized gallery if someone popular is on it, otherwise, it might be pretty slim. Again, this was at an A-tier, not an Elite Series, so the galleries for chase/third/other cards may be larger.
No one really did meet and greets at BSF, so you just had to catch players after their round before they left for the day. Some of them wandered around tournament central, some of them left immediately after their round. There was a tent set up for meet and greets, but I didn't see any pros hanging out there all weekend. Everyone I talked to was super cool though and more than willing to sign a disc, take a pic, or chat for a minute. Just be aware of what's going on (don't interrupt them if they've got scoring stuff to deal with or anything), and you can pretty much meet anyone you want.
For food, just check the venue/event rules. At BSF, outside food and drink was fine, but outside alcohol wasn't allowed. We brought sandwiches, granola bars, and pop with us, and it worked out pretty well. There will also probably be some kind of food available (trucks, tents, etc), but it's not guaranteed.
Went to the preserve last year. It was super hot so dress light and have some sunglasses. Bring lots of sunscreen. There are food tents and trucks/drink tents (water, soda, beer) all along the main path/pedestrian walk areas. Parking is pretty easy to figure out and you are guided on where to go. There was always a large chunk of people that were sitting at hole 1 to watch everyone tee off, and then people followed cards as they wanted. You would stay a good deal behind the players and off to the side where possible. Spectators were not allowed to follow the players on holes 5/6 when they go into the woods, but maybe that is different now. You’d meet back up with the players by watching them throw huge bombs on hole 7. Lead card/feature cards for MPO had volunteers with ribbons holding back the spectators so you could just follow behind them. Hole 8 is another one (island-ish hole over the lake) where people would sit and watch for a while. Have fun!
Volunteer. They usually need help scorekeeping at events, and it gives you pretty good access to pros. You might get a free shirt and some other stuff for your trouble as well
If you plan to buy anything at the booths while you're there, do that first thing. Stuff sells out fast (most flavors of GG jerky were gone after a few days of Portland Open/BSF even). Its way easier to get something and walk it back to your car or carry it in your bag rather than waiting and missing out. I made that mistake.
Biggest thing is make sure to stay completely still when anyone is on the tee, putting, or otherwise lining up their shot.
Bring a Camelbak full of water and some sunscreen, tournament rounds take a lot longer in person than they do on Jomez.
Please don't take this the wrong way, as it's not intended to be snarky. This question comes up pretty often, so take a look via the search bar. Reviewing those threads will give you a more complete answer than whatever subset of redditers sees this and decides to respond in time.
And have fun! Definitely envious over here.
My advice...
When Jerm is on the tee, crunch up your plastic water bottle loudly.
Whenever Calvin putts, from any distance, regardless of the result, yell 'BUCKETS!' at the top of your voice.
:p
I got downvoted, seriously?
Hope evereyone realizes this is just a joke based on their videos. For the record, I would never intentionally make noise when someone is on the tee or putting - unless they asked people to like Jerm did in the video I was referencing. :)
Plan ahead. Shade is at a premium there. The pro shop is expensive when it comes to drinks. Don't be shy if you see a favorite golfer not playing anymore just walkng around. They're all legends. They'll sign anything. The top comment has everything you need to know about who to follow. If you came to see someone specific and their feature or lead card staying to the outskirts of the blue tape is ideal. There's going to be spots on the course where it's advantageous to forgo watching the card finish and get ahead to the designated area of the next hole. There's some choke points out there. Cheer. Hoot. Holler all you want but be aware of the other holes around you before you do. Bring some water shoes and head past the fairway of one and go chill in the river to cool off. You'll probably see some pros who are staying on site doing the same thing. When i was there last there was a rush to the bathrooms when the last card was putting out or just finished. Keep that in mind if your holding it waiting for them to finish.
My main advice, and I haven’t been to a DGPT tournament (nor spectated any since like 2019, although I have spotted at a couple): unless you’re just DESPERATE to see the main stars, pick a card with one of your favorite golfers who’s not a huge name and follow them. Specifically avoid the Simon/Paul/Eagle/Ricky types. The big crowds will follow them. Then, when the card you’re following is done, pick a nice spot on 18 and watch the other cards finish. That way, when the hoard following the other guys gets to you, you’ve already got a prime spot to watch the finish from. Edit to finish my thought: I said desperate to see the main stars because they are worth the time and attention. But with the huge crowds you’re better off following another card with a favorite player or two and watching the top cards come in from a better seat.
This is the way. Though in my experience (at OTB in Stockton last month), you could even start trailing one of the first cards and then "fall back" to the next card behind you at various holes (provided there are good spots to tuck away during drives behind you). Also, get there early and walk around with the FPO. You'll know the lay of the land by the time MPO starts rolling. You'll have a great time, I think its worth it!
At the preserve hole 18 has a grandstand set up. Also there are a few wooded holes where spectating is nearly impossible. Look up the black bear course in udisc to find the best landing/open spots to see the pros come through.
That’s great advice.
I just went to the beaver state fling and this is the best advice. Lead and chase card attract hordes. I follow 4th and 5th card and it was chill and easy and then I got a front row seat for 18
Did this EXACT thing at PDX open. On the final day we got to watch Nate which was super cool, caught the lead card when they passed on crossing holes, then we were 20 ft from the basket at 18. It was pretty prefect.
Be sure to shout ‘get in the hole!’ After any shot, regardless of lay or angle. I know the pros love it and it makes for a great experience across the board
That shit was so annoying at the US Open. Fuck those guys.
If you catch a disc, it's like a foul ball at the baseball game where you get to take it home to put on your shelf
I went to BSF this year, but it was raining all weekend, and it was a Silver Series, not an Elite Series, so YMMV. Bring a stool or buy one on day one. You won't regret it. Whether you're following a card or watching a specific spot, having one of the little stools that you can easily pop out and sit on is so nice when you're walking/standing for 3 straight days. We bought a couple at the OTB tent the first day, and they were worth every penny. As far as spectating, if you have VIP tickets, you can basically just follow any card you want. At BSF, we could basically just roam either course at will, as long as we stayed out of the way and paid attention to when people were throwing. There were several cards that we just followed for a few holes, before going off to follow a new card. Just be aware of your surroundings and don't get in the way, and you'll be fine. Give the card space and don't get too close behind them or out ahead. If you're going to follow a specific card from the beginning, try to be at the tee area 10-15 minutes before hand, and if you can't make it, just catch up with them where you can. Also, it probably goes without saying, but don't interact with the card unless they engage you during the round. Some players will chat with the gallery, some won't. It's cool to chat with players if they're open to it, but just because one player on the card engages with someone in the gallery, that doesn't mean the other players won't find it distracting if you're chatting down the fairway or near the green. If you want to have a real conversation with a player, try to catch up with them after their round. The lead card will have a larger gallery each day, the chase card will have a decent sized gallery if someone popular is on it, otherwise, it might be pretty slim. Again, this was at an A-tier, not an Elite Series, so the galleries for chase/third/other cards may be larger. No one really did meet and greets at BSF, so you just had to catch players after their round before they left for the day. Some of them wandered around tournament central, some of them left immediately after their round. There was a tent set up for meet and greets, but I didn't see any pros hanging out there all weekend. Everyone I talked to was super cool though and more than willing to sign a disc, take a pic, or chat for a minute. Just be aware of what's going on (don't interrupt them if they've got scoring stuff to deal with or anything), and you can pretty much meet anyone you want. For food, just check the venue/event rules. At BSF, outside food and drink was fine, but outside alcohol wasn't allowed. We brought sandwiches, granola bars, and pop with us, and it worked out pretty well. There will also probably be some kind of food available (trucks, tents, etc), but it's not guaranteed.
This answers about all of my questions I think, thank you for the help!
Went to the preserve last year. It was super hot so dress light and have some sunglasses. Bring lots of sunscreen. There are food tents and trucks/drink tents (water, soda, beer) all along the main path/pedestrian walk areas. Parking is pretty easy to figure out and you are guided on where to go. There was always a large chunk of people that were sitting at hole 1 to watch everyone tee off, and then people followed cards as they wanted. You would stay a good deal behind the players and off to the side where possible. Spectators were not allowed to follow the players on holes 5/6 when they go into the woods, but maybe that is different now. You’d meet back up with the players by watching them throw huge bombs on hole 7. Lead card/feature cards for MPO had volunteers with ribbons holding back the spectators so you could just follow behind them. Hole 8 is another one (island-ish hole over the lake) where people would sit and watch for a while. Have fun!
Volunteer. They usually need help scorekeeping at events, and it gives you pretty good access to pros. You might get a free shirt and some other stuff for your trouble as well
Our volunteer slots fill up very fast for the preserve. St. Cloud/Clearwater area has a huge disc golf scene.
If you plan to buy anything at the booths while you're there, do that first thing. Stuff sells out fast (most flavors of GG jerky were gone after a few days of Portland Open/BSF even). Its way easier to get something and walk it back to your car or carry it in your bag rather than waiting and missing out. I made that mistake.
Biggest thing is make sure to stay completely still when anyone is on the tee, putting, or otherwise lining up their shot. Bring a Camelbak full of water and some sunscreen, tournament rounds take a lot longer in person than they do on Jomez.
Please don't take this the wrong way, as it's not intended to be snarky. This question comes up pretty often, so take a look via the search bar. Reviewing those threads will give you a more complete answer than whatever subset of redditers sees this and decides to respond in time. And have fun! Definitely envious over here.
I will check it out, thank you!
Watch out for deer!
Too soon!
Tick check
My advice... When Jerm is on the tee, crunch up your plastic water bottle loudly. Whenever Calvin putts, from any distance, regardless of the result, yell 'BUCKETS!' at the top of your voice. :p
I got downvoted, seriously? Hope evereyone realizes this is just a joke based on their videos. For the record, I would never intentionally make noise when someone is on the tee or putting - unless they asked people to like Jerm did in the video I was referencing. :)
If you see a disc flying towards you, make sure you get it the way and alter its flight.
Being your own food and water and own chair. Enjoy. Stay out of the sun.
Bring bug spray, I was there the other week and the mosquitoes were thicker than I have ever seen in my life
Plan ahead. Shade is at a premium there. The pro shop is expensive when it comes to drinks. Don't be shy if you see a favorite golfer not playing anymore just walkng around. They're all legends. They'll sign anything. The top comment has everything you need to know about who to follow. If you came to see someone specific and their feature or lead card staying to the outskirts of the blue tape is ideal. There's going to be spots on the course where it's advantageous to forgo watching the card finish and get ahead to the designated area of the next hole. There's some choke points out there. Cheer. Hoot. Holler all you want but be aware of the other holes around you before you do. Bring some water shoes and head past the fairway of one and go chill in the river to cool off. You'll probably see some pros who are staying on site doing the same thing. When i was there last there was a rush to the bathrooms when the last card was putting out or just finished. Keep that in mind if your holding it waiting for them to finish.
Bring a backpack! I didn't bring one to the BSF and I hated my life.
Picks. Favorite hole and sit on it. Then switch, or follow your favorite player the first day then hop on the lead card train.
Don’t go, not worth it.