1. Introduction

• This document outlines the required standards and best practices for Tournament Directors (TDs) hosting Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) sanctioned disc golf tournaments on the English Disc Golf Association (EDGA) Tour. These standards ensure safety, fairness, consistency, and a high-quality experience for all participants.
• These standards should be read alongside the official EDGA Governance Policies (covering Safeguarding, Clean Sport, Safety Management, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), Data Protection, and Member Conduct) and all relevant PDGA rules and tournament standards.

2. Tournament Classifications

• C-Tier (Local): Open to all; minimum requirements for course layout and facilities.
• B-Tier (Regional): Higher competition level with expected amenities and regional outreach.
• A-Tier (National): Premier events with the highest standards of competition, promotion, and player experience.
• British Nationals or any EDGA tour event with a specific nationality/residency requirement must be run as an X-tier.
• PDGA tournament standards must be adhered to. They can be found here: https://www.pdga.com/rules/competition-manual/505

3. Planning requirements

• TDs must commit to running a tour event the year before the new season is set to start.
• Venue, dates, and tier of event must all be provided.
• TDs must acknowledge that event registration will open 3 months in advance of the event.
• The EDGA will be responsible for selecting suitable venues for the upcoming season to run as part of the National Tour. Selection will consider: suitable layouts for the expected field challenging, fair course design with varied terrain, shot shapes and scoring separation safety and flow for players, volunteers and spectators parking, toilets, warm-up areas, tournament headquarters (HQ) space and good quality tee areas spectator-friendly layout, where applicable reliable playing conditions strong local support from parks, clubs, volunteers and sponsors

4. Tournament Director and Assistant TD requirements

• Must be a PDGA-registered TD and complete a recognised TD Certification Course through the PDGA: https://www.pdga.com/rules/exam
• TDs must have active Premium Full EDGA Membership; for 2026 this will be paid for by the EDGA.
• Ensure all rules and safety requirements are applied and upheld.
• TD must be present on-site during the entire event.
• TDs of EDGA events are representatives of the EDGA and must act with professionalism* and support of the EDGA national tour.
• As a TD for the EDGA, there is an expectation that you represent the EDGA with the highest standards in the public eye. Failure to meet this standard may lead to review by the EDGA and may result in conditions, removal of the event from the Tour, or other proportionate action in line with the EDGA Member Conduct and Disciplinary Regulations.

*TD professionalism means a Tournament Director who:

• Plans thoroughly and communicates clearly with players, staff, and sponsors
• Applies rules consistently, fairly, and calmly
• Anticipates issues and solves problems quickly on-site
• Manages schedules, scoring, and logistics smoothly
• Respects players, volunteers, and the venue
• Maintains transparency and accountability
• Represents the event, the tour and the sport in a positive, credible manner

In short: a professional TD creates trust, order, and confidence so players can focus on competing.

5. Safeguarding and welfare

• All EDGA Tour events must follow the EDGA Safeguarding Policy.
• Every EDGA-sanctioned event must have a named Safeguarding Lead, identified in the published event information.
• The default event Safeguarding Lead is the Tournament Director. The TD may delegate this responsibility to another named person, provided this is clearly stated in the event information.
• Players aged 13 or under must be accompanied by a parent, carer, or guardian during their tournament round.
• A single parent, carer, or guardian may be responsible for more than one junior player aged 13 or under in the same group, provided all relevant parents, carers, or guardians have agreed in advance and this has been communicated to the TD.
• Players aged 14 to 17 may play in a group without their parent, carer, or guardian immediately present, provided that person remains present at the event venue throughout.
• If a player under 18 wishes to attend an event and their parent, carer, or guardian cannot attend, a stand-in guardian may be appointed. The player’s parent, carer, or guardian must write to the EDGA Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) and the relevant TD, stating their permission and identifying the stand-in guardian. The stand-in guardian must also write to the EDGA DSL confirming their acceptance of this responsibility.
• EDGA must assess each role involving children against current DBS eligibility guidance. A person must not begin regulated activity until the required enhanced check and children’s barred-list check, where applicable, have been completed.
• Any safeguarding or welfare concern must be reported to the event Safeguarding Lead or the EDGA DSL as soon as possible.
• If a concern relates to the TD, it should be reported directly to the EDGA DSL. If a concern relates to the EDGA DSL, it should be reported to the EDGA Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead (Deputy DSL).
• If there is immediate danger or a crime is in progress, emergency services should be contacted by calling 999.
• All safeguarding concerns must be recorded in writing by the person receiving the report as soon as practicable after the concern is raised.

6. Course Setup and Safety Management

• All events must comply with the EDGA Safety Management and Course Safety Policy and minimum PDGA safety guidelines: https://www.pdga.com/pdga-documents/association/governing-documents/pdga-safety-manual
• Event Risk Assessment: The Tournament Director must complete a written Event Risk Assessment covering course layout, event Headquarters (HQ), and public interaction areas prior to the event, using the EDGA Event Risk Assessment Template or equivalent, and make it available upon request to EDGA officials or landowners.
• Public Separation: Where fairways run parallel to or cross public footpaths, cycleways, or amenities, reasonable safety precautions (such as warning signage, spotters, or generous safety buffers) must be in place.
• Cease Play Protocol: Play must pause immediately if pedestrians, park users, or maintenance workers enter the active landing area.
• No overlapping fairways for concurrent play.
• Clear, accurate tee signs must be present.
• Out-of-Bounds (OB), mandatory routes (mandos), and drop zones must be marked and included in player briefings.
• For a temporary course, the TD must complete or delegate a final course check before play and retain the event risk assessment for EDGA or the landowner to review on request.
• Courses must be maintained to reduce foreseeable risk to players, volunteers and spectators.
• Courses must have good accessibility with regards to parking and public transport.
• Course map must be available to registered players a minimum of 1 week prior to the event.
• First aid provisions must be available on-site at tournament central.

Course verification and layout consistency

The TD is responsible for ensuring that the course being played matches the published course information.

Before the first round, the TD must either walk the course personally or delegate a named competent person to complete a final course check.

This check must confirm that:

• tee positions match the caddy book, course map and digital scoring layout
• basket positions are correct
• OB, mandos, hazards and drop zones are clearly marked
• temporary signs and tee signs are accurate
• any temporary course changes are safe, clear and playable
• any changes from the published layout have been communicated to players
• If the caddy book, course map, player email, tee signs, Tjing layout or on-course markings conflict, the TD must resolve the issue and communicate the correct position to players before the relevant round starts.
• Material changes to the course after the caddy book or final player email has been published should be avoided. Where a material change is unavoidable, the TD must communicate it clearly to all players before play starts, using the tournament information page, player email, Tjing notice, player briefing or other appropriate channel.
• A material change includes any change to tee position, basket position, OB, mando, hazard, drop zone, par or playing route.
• If a material course issue is found during play, the TD must address it promptly, apply the PDGA rules where relevant, and record the issue in the post-event report to EDGA.

7. Clean Sport and Anti-Doping

• All EDGA Tour events are conducted in compliance with the EDGA Clean Sport (Anti-Doping) Policy and UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) Rules.
• Prohibited List: The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List applies to all participants. Athletes are responsible for any substance found in their samples. The latest list can be accessed here: WADA Prohibited List.
• Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUE): Players using a prohibited substance or method for a medical condition must follow the current UKAD TUE guidance and use the UKAD TUE Wizard to establish whether advance or retrospective approval applies.
• Testing Cooperation: Competitors must cooperate fully if selected for testing. Refusal, evasion, or failure to submit to sample collection constitutes an anti-doping rule violation.
• Alcohol and Substance Prohibitions: Events and participants must follow the alcohol, cannabis, and other substance restrictions in PDGA Competition Manual section 3.03. Any EDGA disciplinary action must follow the applicable rules and the EDGA conduct process.
• Suspected doping should be reported confidentially through UKAD Protect Your Sport. EDGA tournament queries may be sent to [email protected] or through the EDGA contact form.

8. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

• All EDGA Tour events must be conducted in accordance with the EDGA Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy and the Equality Act 2010.
• Zero Tolerance: Discrimination, harassment, victimisation, or bullying on the grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage/civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity, race, religion/belief, sex, or sexual orientation is strictly prohibited.
• Divisional Protection: TDs are encouraged to offer and support recognised female divisions such as Female Professional Open (FPO), Female Pro 40+ (FP40), and Female Amateur divisions (FA1, FA2, FA3) as well as junior divisions where interest exists. Where fewer than 4 players register, TDs should consult players to maintain viable competition rather than arbitrarily collapsing divisions.
• Accessibility: TDs should choose event headquarters that offer level access and accessible parking where possible, and provide clear information on walking terrain in pre-event communications.

9. Divisions and Eligibility

• All standard PDGA divisions must be offered if possible.
• Minimum of 4 players to form a division unless waived by EDGA, in conformity with international standards.
• Proof of PDGA membership may be required for A- and B-Tiers.
• Active EDGA Membership is required for players at the point of registration for the event. All players will be placed on the waitlist until their membership status is checked by an EDGA Official, and will be promoted when that has been confirmed.

10. Rules & Officiating

• All EDGA events must follow PDGA Official Rules of Disc Golf: https://www.pdga.com/rules/official-rules-disc-golf
• A minimum of one Certified Rules Official must be available or contactable for player inquiries.
• Rule clarifications must be addressed during player meetings or via posted bulletins.

11. Schedule & Format

• Provide a detailed event schedule (rounds, breaks, awards) at least 5 days in advance.
• Shotgun or tee-time starts are acceptable; tee-times preferred for B- and A-Tiers.
• Allow reasonable time between rounds (minimum 1 hour) for player rest and course reset. Player wellbeing is key.
• No rounds should be completed in diminishing light.

12. Player Experience Standards

• The tournament info page must be updated regularly.
• The TD must provide accurate event and course information early enough for EDGA to support promotion through its available channels.
• Send final player email (tee times, rules, site map) no later than 48 hours before the event.
• Late dropouts will be managed in accordance with PDGA guidelines.
• Access to toilets or portable facilities required along with relevant sanitary products.
• The EDGA may support the cost of portable toilets for events that need them, but this must be agreed with EDGA in advance.
• Drinking water must be available on-site and signposted on the course map/caddy book.
• First aid provisions must be available on-site.
• Digital scoring to be done via Tjing.
• A post-event write-up is required for all EDGA Tour events.
• This may be submitted by the TD or provided as a draft by the EDGA.
• The TD must review, fact-check, and approve any draft before publication.
• Attribution will only be included if explicitly agreed.

Junior media consent and event reporting

• EDGA may publish junior names in event results, event reports and news articles as part of normal sports reporting, unless EDGA has been told not to do so.
• Identifiable photos or videos of junior players must not be published on the EDGA website or official EDGA social media unless parent or guardian consent is recorded.
• Junior media consent should be collected through EDGA junior registration and renewal where available. For EDGA Tour events, the TD must check whether any junior players are taking part and must make sure that any event photographer, social media volunteer or media helper understands which junior images can and cannot be used.
• If consent is unknown, missing or withdrawn, identifiable junior photos or videos must not be published.
• If a junior player objects to being photographed or filmed, that wish must be respected even where parent or guardian consent has been given.
• TDs and volunteers posting event coverage on personal, club or event channels should follow the same approach where images or video include junior players from an EDGA Tour event.
• If junior media consent is withdrawn after publication, EDGA and the TD should stop future use and review existing published material promptly.

13. Environmental Considerations

• TDs are encouraged to promote Leave No Trace principles.
• Any temporary changes to terrain must be approved by the landowner and local council if applicable.
• Use of reusable or recyclable materials for signage, player packs, and catering is encouraged.

14. Prizes & Payouts

• Prize structures must be clearly communicated once the tournament invitation is released to players, i.e. estimated payouts based on participation.
• Payouts must be in line with PDGA international tournament guidelines.
• If a tournament invite is released without a prize structure, TDs will have 2 weeks to publish one. If this is not done, the EDGA reserves the right to remove the event from the tour.
• All monetary payouts must be made within 7 days post-event.

15. Data Protection and Privacy

• Player registration information, contact emails, and telephone numbers collected by the TD must be handled in compliance with the EDGA Data Protection Policy and the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR).
• Player contact details must only be used for legitimate event administration and must not be sold, distributed to commercial third parties, or retained longer than necessary.
• Digital scoring data is managed in partnership with approved platforms (Tjing and PDGA).

16. Reporting & Compliance

• Tournament reports, including final scores, must be completed through PDGA Tournament Manager without undue delay and within any deadline PDGA sets for the event. Tournament Directors outside the United States and Canada should use the current PDGA international documents and reporting resources.
• Any incidents, including injuries, disputes, welfare concerns, safeguarding concerns, venue issues, or conduct issues, must be documented and reported to EDGA.
• Safeguarding concerns must be reported in line with the EDGA Safeguarding Policy.
• Conduct complaints must be handled in line with the EDGA Member Conduct and Disciplinary Regulations.
• Records relating to incidents, complaints, or safeguarding concerns must be stored securely and shared only with people who need access to handle the matter properly.
• Course setup issues, layout errors, caddy book errors, unclear OB, incorrect tee signs, scoring layout errors, or material differences between the published layout and the course played must be reported to EDGA after the event.
• The report should include what happened, when it was identified, what action was taken, and what should be changed before future events.

17. Conduct, complaints and disciplinary standards

• Rule violations must be handled under PDGA rules where applicable.
• Conduct issues, event conduct concerns, welfare concerns, safeguarding concerns, anti-doping violations, and complaints affecting EDGA events, members, welfare, or reputation may be handled under the EDGA Member Conduct and Disciplinary Regulations.
• EDGA reserves the right to review any event or TD not in compliance with this document.
• Where a board member, officer, TD, or other person is named in or conflicted in relation to a complaint, they must take no part in reviewing evidence, discussing the matter, making recommendations, deciding outcomes, imposing sanctions, or handling any appeal, except where asked to provide evidence as a witness.
• If the tour standards are not adhered to, the EDGA reserves the right to take proportionate action. This may include guidance, conditions, removal of an event from the Tour, removal from a role, suspension from EDGA events or activities, referral to another body, or other action available under the relevant EDGA process.

18. Support and Contact

• Website: discgolfengland.org
• Email: [email protected]

View all current EDGA policies.