The ACT
Amateur Challenge Tournament
General Rules of Play
Jun 4th
As we are about to approach the event this weekend, we wanted to remind you that the ACT does follow the PDGA Rulebook and that we expect our players to adhere to the rules as best as possible. We’re also aware that many of our players don’t know the rules, so many of you will be learning as you go and we understand that. Please take a few minutes to look over the rules online so you at least have a cursory knowledge of what some things are to look out for when you’re on the course. Especially important are sections 801 (Conduct of Players) and 803 (Rules of Play). The player’s meeting before Round 1 will be a good opportunity to hear more about some rules clarifications and some brief rules questions you may have.
Listed below are some highlights from the rules, and these will also be reinforced in the programs available at the check-in table at the event. These are some of the “biggies” so read them over and comment here if you have any questions. See everyone in a day (or two) on the course!
- The furthest away player always throws next.
- Please be courteous, no talking when someone is about to throw.
- You may stand directly behind your lie to take your next shot, or mark your lie with a mini-marker disc and stand directly behind the marker.
- Out-of-Bounds (OB) penalties incur a 1-stroke penalty; you take your next shot from where your disc went out of bounds and are granted up to 1 meter of “relief” from the OB line. Ex: If you drive OB on the left side of Hole 2 on your first shot, have the group agree upon where you believe the disc crossed the line into the OB area (if you go OB but then come “fair” again before ultimately ending up OB again, you mark where you were LAST in bounds). Place your mini up to 1M from the OB line and you will now be taking your “third” shot. ** The only exception to the OB rule is Hole 1. All OB drives from the long tee will take their next (“third”) shot from the short tee rather than from where the disc went OB. OB drives from the short tee follow normal OB rules.
- The order players drive on each hole is determined by “Honors.” The player who completed the previous hole in the fewest number of throws will go first, then whomever shot next fewest, etc. In case of ties, look back as many holes as needed to determine which player had “Honors.”
- The disc must come to rest in the basket or chains (not on top of the basket!) for a hole to be considered “complete.” Even if you’re right next to the basket, please hole out properly rather than “splash the chains” with the disc in hand.
- ** No Littering! ** This includes candy wrappers, bottles, cans, and especially cigarette butts. Please follow a “pack in, pack out” mentality when playing at Wickham and dispose of any trash in proper receptacles. Trash cans can be found by Tournament Central, Hole 6, the nature center between Holes 11 & 12, and the bathrooms behind Hole 14′s tee.
“Weather” or Not
Jun 2nd
Just a friendly reminder that the ACT will be held both days this weekend, rain or shine. Temps are currently looking high-70′s to low-80′s, with moderate (40% or less) chances of rain on either day. Plan appropriately. Some suggestions for those who may not have played in inclement weather before…
- Towels! Dish towels (or similar sizes) work well, microfiber is good and many golfers swear by chamois as a “first wipe” followed by a microfiber towel after in order to get your disc really dry. Throwing wet discs adds a whole new layer of challenge to the game, so you’ll want to throw dry discs if possible.
- Waterproof shoes. Nothing can annoy you more during a tournament round than squishing around in your sneakers. If you have waterproof boots or something with Gore-Tex (or similar) on it, wear it!
- Plastic bags. It’s a bummer when you go for your wallet and the end of the day and find it soaked – or worse, your cell phone. Rather than put things straight into your bag, think about putting your wallet, cell phone, and other important items into a zip-top bag before putting it in your bag while you play. Or just leave them in the car.
- Umbrella. Golf umbrellas with wind vents are preferable, square-shaped umbrellas are best for putting down since they tend to fly/roll away less when it’s your turn to throw. Of course, smaller umbrellas are easier to carry so use your own judgement.
Here’s a quick rundown of things you may want to bring no matter what the weather is, for those people who haven’t played many events before…
- Bag. Disc Golf bag, backpack, whatever lets you carry your stuff around. Every year we’ll see a few players walking around with a small pile of discs in their hands and it’s just an inefficient way to carry things (plus it’s easier to drop them while walking or forget one after playing a hole). You can plan to carry around the bag your player’s pack will come in, but it’s probably easiest if you bring your own.
- Sunscreen. You’re going to be outside all day and even if it does rain this weekend, sun is very likely for portions of the day. You want to go home with good things to remember the tournament by, and a lobster-shade sunburn isn’t one of those things.
- Water. You’ll want to hydrate during the round, and while we will have water out lots of places on the course it doesn’t hurt to at least bring your own water bottle to refill during the day. It’s especially important to hydrate if/when it does rain, since the body doesn’t remember it needs to rehydrate as easily then, so make sure you keep drinking!
- Towels! Even if it’s not raining, a good towel (usually dish-towel sized) can be the difference between a great shot and a poor one. Cleaning off excess leaves, mud and other debris before throwing not only helps the flight of the disc but also your grip of the disc while throwing.
- Money. You’ll want money to pay to get into the park – may want to buy lunch – may also want to buy something available during the day or definitely want to get in on the lunchtime CTP contest where you can win your own portable basket to take home at the end of the day. ($1/throw, $5 for 6 throws. Rules are simple and will be explained on tournament day if you are unfamiliar with the format).
There are plenty of things to keep in mind when playing any tournament, especially your first one, so post a comment if you have questions or want to add to the lists above for others to keep in mind as well.
See everyone this weekend!
Lunch & Sponsors
Jun 1st
Quick note – Marco Polo’s will be on site on both mornings of this weekend to take food orders for those who wish to buy lunch. Orders will be taken before Round 1 and delivered to the course before the round is complete, ensuring you don’t have to worry about a brown-bag lunch in your car or trying to race out of the park and back during lunch break before round 2 begins. Take advantage and make an order! Tournament days give you enough to think about without having to worry about your lunch as well.
Long overdue is an official update on our event sponsors. Every year we say it and every year it’s true, but this event would not be anything close to what it is if we didn’t have such wonderful support from so many individuals and businesses. So now, without further ado…
- Mike Saimond – cash sponsor
- Derek “Fats” Sonderfan – CD’s donated to the player’s packs
- Brew & Wine Hobby – giftcert prize donations
- Margarita’s of East Hartford – gifrtcert prize donations
- EMS of Manchester – Kayak rental giftcert prize donations
- Willimantic Brewing Company – giftcert prize donations
- Hooters of Manchester – giftcert prize donation
- Hartford Distributors – beverage donation
- Vibram Disc Golf – ctp-per-group donation (proto granite putters)
A massive, very heartfelt “Thank You!” goes out to each and every one of them since they are the reason we have so many great prizes to give away to our players every year. For links to most of these sponsors, and to see the full list of sponsors for this year’s event, please visit the main sponsor page.
