If you are just starting to learn the sport of disc golf, the disc golf rating may be insignificant to you at the moment. However, once you start competing, including those sanctioned by the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA), the sanctioning body of the sport, you might be interested in how do disc golf ratings work for the player.
The disc golf rating is a method that measures the skill level of a particular disc golf player based on his or her performance in various PDGA-sanctioned competitions. The PDGA player rating system is the most commonly used player rating system in disc golf.
| Player Name | US Tour Rank | PDGA Rating |
| Richard Wysocki | 1 | 1047 |
| Paul McBeth | 2 | 1050 |
| Calvin Heimburg | 3 | 1041 |
| Gannon Buhr | 4 | 1043 |
| Chris Dickerson | 5 | 1044 |
(Data in 2022, for real time ranking, visit https://www.pdga.com/players/stats)
To give you an idea of the player’s rating, the table above shows the top 5 US tour ranked players and their respective PDGA player’s rating. As you can see, all of these professionals and high-ranking players have a PDGA rating of more than 1000. But what does it mean, and how is the rating computed?
The PDGA basically calculates the stroke value for every round of disc golf. The Association will be assigned a score per course that will be rated with a score of 1000 per round. What does it mean?
If you shoot over the course score, it will be multiplied by the number of strokes over the value of the stroke. Then, subtract it from 1000. If you shoot under the course score, you can add the number to 1000.
So, what does the number mean when you are over or under 1000 in the player ratings? If your player rating is closer or even more significant than 1000, then you are a very good player, just like that top-five player in the US tour in the table.
How to Calculate Disc Golf Ratings
In the PDGA rating systems, the Association calculates the round and player ratings. The ratings cover all the sanctioned singles and league rounds and will be reported by the tournament director. The round ratings will be available on the PDGA website every second Tuesday of the month.
On the other hand, the player’s ratings cover the 12 months of your performance before the actual date of posting. As per the PDGA rating system, the player’s rating will show how close the average round scores are when it is hypothetically compared to the course rating, which is called the Scratch Scoring Average (SSA).
The PDGA will be the one calculating the round score of a particular player in a 1000-rated round. The Association will give each stroke a corresponding value that usually ranges from 7 to 12 points per stroke.
A good example is when the PDGA assigns a course score of 50 in order to have a 1000-rated round. If a disc golf player shoots a 60 on that particular course, you can use the formula stated above to get the player rating of the player.
So, you will be multiplying the number of strokes divided by 50 with the value of the stroke. Supposedly, the value per stroke is 10 points, and you will be multiplying 10 strokes by 10 points which is equal to 1000. Since you shoot over 50, you will subtract the 100 from 1000 for a 900-player rating.
When are the Player Ratings Posted?
According to the PDGA website, all the disc golf players who are joining a PDGA-sanctioned tournament will have the luxury that their score will be entered automatically with the player’s rating system. If you are a PDGA member, the rating will be published on the website.
It is interesting to note that round ratings are calculated differently in every course. The round ratings can also be affected by the current conditions of the course when the competition is ongoing. Unfortunately, the process of how the PDGA calculates the round ratings is not shared with the public.
Conclusion
So, how do disc golf ratings work? In conclusion, the player’s ratings will rise if they perform well in PDGA-sanctioned tournaments and will also fall if the results are not encouraging. Based on the table shown in this article, players with higher ratings are more skilled and competitive in higher-level tournaments.
But when it comes to the calculations of the PDGA ratings, I can say that it is not rocket science, as there are other factors that can affect the performance of every disc golfer. The player ratings, however, are the best way to measure the skill level of every disc golfer. So, if you are just starting, it is better to work on your game until you are rated by the PDGA.