2023 North Umpqua Invitational A Tier - Supported by Innova

Onore Misner    July 11 at 8:56pm

Hey Scott, any chance I can switch MA1

Scott Withers    July 11 at 6:58pm

North Umpqua Invitational Official Players Guide (Also emailed to all players)

Welcome: Hi everyone! It’s North Umpqua Invitational week and we could not be more excited to get to spend a few days at our favorite place in the world. I want to first thank you all for signing up for this event, the players truly make it as special as it is. Secondly, I want to give a big thank you to our tee sign sponsors and to X7 Finance for helping us get to $3000 added cash and making this an A Tier ... more

North Umpqua Invitational Official Players Guide (Also emailed to all players)

Welcome: Hi everyone! It’s North Umpqua Invitational week and we could not be more excited to get to spend a few days at our favorite place in the world. I want to first thank you all for signing up for this event, the players truly make it as special as it is. Secondly, I want to give a big thank you to our tee sign sponsors and to X7 Finance for helping us get to $3000 added cash and making this an A Tier!

This is your official players guide/players meeting. Players are responsible to read this fully and to know the information in this email.

A Tier: Please remember this is a PDGA A tier event. All PDGA rules are in effect.

Format: As you know, this event has a new format for this year. All players are guaranteed two rounds of 27 holes (Friday and Saturday) but you must be in the top 50% of your division plus ties to advance to the final day. The only exception to this is any division that has two or less competitors. In this case both players will play the final day to make sure a winner is not crowned after only two rounds.
-Friday: All Amateur Players Shotgun Start 8:30am
All Pro Players Shotgun Start 1:30pm (Estimated Time)
-Saturday: All Pro Players Shotgun Start 8:30am
All Amateur Players Shotgun Start 1:30pm (Estimated Time)
-Sunday: Top 50% of all divisions and ties get to play the final round. This day will be tee times starting at 8:00am. Order of Divisions MP50, MP40, MPO, FPO, MA50, MA40, MA1, MA2, FA1. Awards will follow for each division as soon as that division is complete.

-Friday and Saturday: Players will play the full 27 holes at Whistlers Bend. There will be four holes with adjusted tee pads for MA2, MA50 and FA1. These adjusted pads will be designed to keep the integrity of the hole but to provide players from these divisions a better chance to make a par or even a birdie on some on the harder holes. As a note, if there is not a good, flat spot to put a temporary tee pad, no matter the difficulty of the hole all divisions will play the normal tee. Right now, holes 5, 10, 18 and 25 will have adjusted tee pads for these divisions. If this changes at all, we will let players know at check in. All of these tee pads will be easy to find, hole 5 will be in the fairway, hole 10 will be just short of where the tree line starts, hole 18 will be from the road in line with the normal tee pad and hole 25 will be in front of the tall scotch broom patches near the burn pile. There will be notes on the tee signs for these holes as well.

-Sunday: This round will be 18 holes for everyone that makes the cut. Adjusted tee pads are still in effect for MA2, MA50 and FA1. The tee signs all say Round 3 DO NOT PLAY for the holes that are not being played for this round. The holes we will be playing are in the following order 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 17, 19, 20, 21, 23, 24, 27. Pro divisions please remember 50% plus ties of the field will make the cut but only 40% of the field gets paid! You have to earn it on Sunday too!

-Awards/Payout: Each division that had at least four people as of July 1st has trophies for 1st-3rd place. For divisions with less than four people, only first place is awarded a trophy. Award ceremonies will be done by division, so players do not have to wait until the end of the day on Sunday to get their awards. This is a player pack/trophy only event for Amateur players and all payouts will be sent via PayPal for Pro’s.

Check in/Players Packs: All players are required to check in before round 1. We will be doing early check in Thursday night from 5:00-8:00pm at tournament central near hole 1. If you check in Thursday night, you get first pick of player pack discs as they are first come first serve. All amateur players are getting three discs as part of your player pack. You are also getting a NUI beach towel, NUI cooling towel, NUI insulated water bottle, NUI trucker hat and a mini.

If you are not able to check in at that time, amateur players can check in from 7:15-8:00am Friday morning, but you will not be able to get your players pack until after round 1 if you choose this check in option. You are still required to come to the table at tournament central and let us know you are there and grab a paper backup scorecard.

Pro players can check in either Thursday evening or from 11:30am-1:00pm on Friday before your round. All pro players do get a misprint NUI water bottle and a mini as free players pack items. Don’t worry, these are donated items with no money coming out of the pro payout for them.

Scoring: All players are asked to use PDGA live scoring for this event. We do understand that cell service is not great for everyone at Whistlers Bend but you should be able to start the card and finalize it even if it is a couple holes into the round. It makes our turnaround time with getting scores and groups SO MUCH faster if all groups can please do live scoring. As a note, AT&T has the best service in the park. All groups will be provided paper scorecards as backup options. If you don’t have enough service at tournament central to submit the card, please let staff know and then drive up to hole 15 where everyone should have service and submit it for us. I know this is extra work, but we really appreciate it, it helps so much more than you know.

Hole assignments will be posted Wednesday for round 1, and as quickly after the rounds as we can for rounds 2 and 3. After round 2, if you are not listed with a tee time for the final round, it means you are not in the top 50% of your division and unfortunately have missed the cut.

The live scoring password is NUI23

Live Scoring Instructions

1. Have one person in your group go to www.pdga.com/score
2. Type in the access code: NUI23
3. Log in using your last name or PDGA number, when you do this all players in your group should also appear on the scoring page.
4. Hit Keep Score Round 1 (Or Round 2 or 3)
5. Click Begin Play
6. Keep Score
7. At the end of the round ALL players in the group need to approve their score.
8. Finalize and submit the scorecard, if you do it correctly, you do not even need to turn anything into the tournament staff. It will provide us with all the information we need to do groups for the second rounds.
9. Check back in at Tournament Central to make sure your scores are finalized.

Grip Bag Giveaway: We have a Grip EQ bag to give away to the player in Round 1 who shoots the best round compared to their rating. If a player is rated 930 but shoots a 990 rated Round 1, they are 60 points above and if that is the most, they win the bag.

Parking: Parking will be something the parks department is picky about. You are not allowed to park on any grass at Whistlers Bend. If the top gravel parking lot is full, your second option is down by hole 25/26 in the provided parking spaces. After that lot is full please go park at the boat ramp and have someone drive you up to tournament central. We are not providing a shuttle from the boat ramp. We tried to get parking suggestions from Douglas County Parks for events of this size but didn’t get anywhere useful in our conversations. Please be respectful of other campers, YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO PARK IN THE GROUP CAMPING AREA. We do not have that area reserved. Depending on where you are starting on the course, please consider driving to the parking area closest to that hole for shotgun start rounds.

Camping: Please be respectful of all Douglas County and Whistlers Bend Park rules. Respect the fact that there are non-disc golfers also camping at the park and you need to observe quiet hour rules the best you can. Please keep the campground in the same or better shape as when you arrive so we have the ability to keep running events of this size at Whistlers Bend. Also, please make sure all your extra vehicle fees are paid and be extra nice to the camp hosts out there. They are awesome people who are totally on our side for running events like this. Lastly, if you did not book the campsite for Sunday night, you will need to check out of the site before your rounds on Sunday. There could be people who have reserved those sites after you for the next evening, tournament staff have nothing to do with camping reservations, but we expect all players to follow the rules and guidelines set by the parks department. Just as a note, right now campfires are still allowed at Whistlers Bend, but I was told this weekend by the camp hosts that we could see changes in fire regulations any day.

Weather: Looks like it is going to be a hot and sunny weekend at Whistlers Bend! With that said, we will have water coolers on holes 11 and 15. The water jugs on hole 11 will also give you an opportunity to get water when you go by hole 20. There is a water spicket near hole 1 and a water fountain at the bathroom near hole 18’s tee as well. This will provide players five or so places to get water as you play the course. Please remember we are all playing at least one afternoon round, pack plenty of water and use that sunscreen. All amateur players are getting a NUI stamped cooling towel in their players pack, these should come in handy this weekend. We have staff scheduled to fill the waters every 2 hours at a minimum so we shouldn’t run out, with that said PLEASE fill your own water bottles to start your round.

The River: We were down at Whistlers last weekend; the river is looking great and is totally good to swim in or float. If you have not experienced the North Umpqua River before, you are in luck. Bring your floating devices and enjoy the river. As a note, the rocks are slick like always so be careful walking on them.

Hole Rules: All hole rules will be on the tee signs and on the PDGA live scoring page. They are also listed here…

Hole rules always in effect at Whistlers:
-On/Over any road you don’t have to cross is OB
-On any paved road or parking lot is OB
-In the river is OB
-Over any painted or flagged line is OB
-Holes 5, 7 and 13 have drop zones painted. Any drive that goes OB on those holes plays from the drop zone. Any shots after the drive play standard OB. We do have an approved PDGA waiver for these holes. Players always have the option to re-tee instead of using these drop zones.

Hole 1: No OB
Hole 2: No OB
Hole 3: No OB
Hole 4: No OB
Hole 5: OB: Over painted line near cliff, all OB drives have the option of playing drop zone or re-tee only (PDGA waiver granted). Any shots after the drive play standard OB rules.
Hole 6: No OB
Hole 7: OB: Over painted line near cliff, all OB drives have the option of playing drop zone or re-tee only (PDGA waiver granted). Any shots after the drive play standard OB rules.
Hole 8: OB Road/Over, Parking Area/Over
Hole 9: OB Road/Over
Hole 10: OB Road/Over
Hole 11: OB Road/Over
Hole 12: No OB
Hole 13: OB: Over painted line near cliff, all OB drives have the option of playing drop zone or re-tee only (PDGA waiver granted). Any shots after the drive play standard OB rules. As a note, the fence is NOT the OB line, the paint is.
Hole 14: OB Road/Over. If you throw it off the cliff left, please consider just re-teeing with a stroke penalty… chances are if you go down there you are not going to find the disc anyway.
Hole 15: OB Road/Over
Hole 16: No OB
Hole 17: OB All Pavement/Roads, On/Over any road you don’t have to cross, Bathroom Area. Only safe areas are the grass/hill area where the tee is located on and the grass area that the basket is surrounded by (yes these are very large areas).
Hole 18: OB All Pavement/Roads, On/Over any road you don’t have to cross, Bathroom Area. For MA2, MA50 and FA1, the road you are teeing off from is NOT OB
Hole 19: OB Road/Over
Hole 20: OB Road/Over
Hole 21: OB Road/Over
Hole 22: OB Road/Over
Hole 23: OB River
Hole 24: OB Road/Over
Hole 25: OB Road/Over, River
Hole 26: OB Road/Over
Hole 27: No OB

Again, thank you for signing up for this tournament and let’s have some fun this weekend! If you have any questions please do not hesitate to reach out.

Matthew Weaver    July 11 at 1:25am

For the Ams player pack are we going to be picking out a disc or is a pack already all set for us? I was just debating about checking in Thursday vs Friday.

Ashlyn Tahlier    July 10 at 10:27pm

PSA: I just cancelled my res for site 29 if anyone is still looking to camp this weekend!

Jonathan Hughes    July 10 at 6:29pm

Hey Scott, any chance I can play ma2

Craig James    July 8 at 3:00pm

Hi Scott, I’m going to need to withdrawal from the tournament. I’ve been having health concerns and lack the strength to compete in this tournament. Thanks

Brian Murphy    July 8 at 1:58am

Hey Scott, are all pin locations in the spots they will be in next weekend?

Brent Rayburn    July 5 at 9:00pm

If anybody has room for a pickup truck at their campsite let me know! Would love to hang at the course ; )

Jeff Sherfey    July 3 at 1:43am

Hi Scott, i broke my ribs hiking and will have to withdraw from the tournament. I was hoping to heal to play, but it is still very painful and I cannot throw without extreme pain. I am in the MP50 division. I tried to withdraw but it will only refund me the $20 waiting list fee. I paid the entree fee already. What should I do for a refund? I was so excited for your tournament. My email is [email redacted], cell 661-618-2248. Thank you, Jeff Sherfey 181106.

Robert Diamond    June 27 at 4:39pm

Campground has been sold out for a while... at least since apr 17th..there nearby campgrounds with spots available?

Michael Belchik    June 27 at 6:13am

Alas, my knee is not healing up from surgery as well as I hoped. I have requested a refund, but DGSCENE is saying I only paid $20. However, I did pay the balance for full entry fee on April 18 and have records to show but cannot paste a picture here. I'm awfully sorry I have to withdraw.

Terry Schulz    June 26 at 5:42pm

Is it possible to have the old guys (MA50) start on a hole in the flats on both days? 1 thru 10

Manders Marie Anderson    June 17 at 2:03pm

Had an emergency and need these funds from signing up. If you can refund at your earliest convenience, I would really appreciate it. Thanks!

Scott Withers    June 5 at 9:30pm

Just as a heads up here is the posted (has been since before sign ups) policy regarding wait list spots for unfilled held slots for different divisions.

Tournament staff will move any open spots to players on the wait list on June 19th. This policy will be in place to make sure we have the maximum amount of players in the event. The timeframe allows over three months for each division to fill before wait list players fill those spots. We also reserve the right to keep some spots open in values of 4 to help make full cards for specific divisions.

Scott Withers    April 28 at 2:55pm

The Final Round will be 18 holes for anyone who makes the cut. Here is the projected layout
Holes 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 17, 19, 20, 21, 23, 24, 27.

Remember this final round will be tee times

Please see the "About" section for the format to the first couple days. This should be a super fun way to finish the weekend without having to play 27 holes, three straight days.

Crystal Kiesow    April 23 at 11:35pm

Will there be a cut for the women’s divisions?

Robert Diamond    April 17 at 5:41pm

Does anyone have space at their campsite for a vehicle with a rooftop tent they'd be willing to rent to me?

Jeff Sherfey    March 23 at 1:52pm

I would like to move from MA50, to MP50 division. I sent an extra $25 via PayPal. Thanks

Jeff Sherfey    March 2 at 2:05pm

What is the name of the campground at the course?

Terry Schulz    February 28 at 9:16pm

Scott, how many MA50 spots will there be?