DNC Guidelines

INTRODUCTION

About the Deaf Disc Golf Association (DDGA)

The Deaf Disc Golf Association (DDGA) is the international governing body for disc golf and is the largest organization for deaf disc golf in the world. The DDGA is a member governed 501(c)(4) non-profit association based in Lockhart, Texas, USA. Founded in 2001, the DDGA is made up of more than 400 members who live and play in nationwide. Each year the DDGA sanctions over 15 competitive events for professional and amateur players, and that number grows annually. For more information, visit www.DDGA.org.  

Structure of DDGA National Championships

For each of its owned National Championships, the DDGA seeks hosts and encourages bids from around the nation. An experienced disc golf club, non/for-profit businesses, or an individual working in conjunction with a community sports commission, visitor’s bureau, or facilities owner can submit a bid. All bids are reviewed by the DDGA officers and a host is selected based upon the experience with running a large sanctioned disc golf event, contents of the bid, suitable facilities, proximity of courses and venues to each other, and other requirements.

About DDGA National Championships

This four-day national competition is open to disc golfers who compete for national championship titles in both the male and female divisions. The expected number of competitors for the event is approximately 144 players. DDGA National Events are your chance to host a sporting event in your community, drawing interest and attention to your city, and generating economic impact for local businesses. (See Appendix B)

Snapshot: DDGA National Championships

(See Appendix C)

Time of Year: Early June – September (Negotiable)

Length of Event: 6 days, Monday to Saturday (Practice + 1 day of field events + 1 day of mixed doubles, followed by 4 days of individual competition)

Number of Competitors: Approximately 144 (110 Men, 34 Female)

Average length of Stay: 5 nights

Estimated Room Nights: 200   +/-  

(Event capacity [(# players)/2] x 0.30 = Daily room block

(Daily room block x 5 days = Total room nights)

Requirements pertaining to the schedule of events:

Doubles

Schedule: Held on Monday of Nationals week (negotiable)

Doubles – single course for both rounds

HOST provides one course knowledgeable staffer on course to act as Assistant TD

HOST maintains water stations on courses (minimum of 4 per course)

HOST provides trophies (distribution document will be provided)

DDGA provides Doubles Management, Marshals, Scoreports and Scorecards (if required)

DDGA provides payout information to HOST for payout at Awards Ceremony

Field Events

Schedule: Held on Tuesday of Nationals week (11am-3pm) (negotiable)

HOST arranges for a single venue to fit all field events, tents, food vendors

HOST arranges for Food Vendors or concessions

HOST provides 16-20 staffers to help at Field Events

HOST maintains water stations (minimum of 1 per Field Event)

HOST provides trophies (distribution document will be provided)

DDGA provides Field Events management, Marshals, and all required paperwork

DDGA provides payout information to HOST for Payout at Awards Ceremony

Player Check-In

Schedule: Held on Monday and/or Tuesday from 10am-4pm preferably at Host Hotel

HOST provides required number of staffers to handle player pack distribution

DDGA provides check-in staff and check-in lists.

Mandatory Player Meeting

Schedule: Held on Tuesday evening at 8pm (generally runs 1 hour)

HOST arranges venue.

HOST arranges for Guest Speaker (local dignitary)

DDGA will provide agenda

DDGA will provide content and speakers

Fly-Mart, Player Party, other evening events

Schedule: Highly recommended that the Fly-Mart be held in conjunction with final round, where spectators are more likely to attend. Other evening events may be scheduled as seen fit.

HOST arranges all venues, vendors, etc.

Note: Age-appropriate arrangements should be made for underage participants.

Presentation of DDGA Annual Awards

This should not be separate event; it should be combined with another evening activity

(Preferably Player Meeting)

DDGA provides awards and presenters.

Singles Competition

Schedule:

• Singles rounds are held Wednesday through Saturday (4 total rounds, two on each course. No semifinals or Finals. Shuffle will take place Thursday night.)
• Awards Ceremony is held on Saturday following the final round.

DDGA provides the Scoring Director to manage the DDGA Scoring Office as well as the

Scoreport cards based on registration and enough Scoreports to handle the number of courses and shuffling (if required). Digital processing and display of scores is preferred.

DDGA provides the Competition Director and Marshals for competition rulings.

HOST provides enough course-specific scorecards and pencils to their Course Directors for all rounds on all courses including extra for players, staff etc.  Scorecards must be specific for each course with correct distances and pars listed for that course.

HOST provides the Course Directors and Assistants to run each course, keep water jugs filled, call round scores into the DDGA Scoring Office, and deliver/pick-up Scoreports at the end of each day to/from the Scoring Office (if necessary).

Note: The Host is required to have all courses prepped, marked, and in tournament configuration with water and restrooms provided at least by the Saturday morning prior to Nationals for players to be able to practice (4 days prior to singles competition). 

HOST ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

DDGA Membership and Payments

In order to submit a bid, the listed tournament director (TD) and assistant must be:

• a current DDGA member in good standing
• a current PDGA member in good standing
• a current PDGA rules official
• up-to-date with all past tournament payments and reporting
• experienced in hosting DDGA/PDGA sanctioned events

Endorsements & Support

The final bid should include a letter of endorsement and/or support from your local disc golf club. The local disc golf club does not necessarily have to be involved with the planning of the event, but it is preferred that they support your intentions.

The final bid should include a letter of endorsement and/or support from the PDGA state coordinator of the state in which the event is to be hosted. The state coordinator does not necessarily have to be directly involved with the planning of the event, but it is preferred that they support your intentions.

The final bid should include a letter of endorsement and/or support from the local convention and visitor’s bureau, or sports commission in the city or cities in which the event will be hosted, pledging their support for the event.

The final bid should include a letter of endorsement and/or support from the parks department, or venue owners of the disc golf courses on which the event will be played.

Bid Committee Structure

It is preferred that the bid come from a registered non-profit organization, LLC, or some other legal entity. The bidder is strongly encouraged to ensure that they adopt a structure that protects their personal financial interests, i.e., ideally eliminating or minimizing any potential risk of personal financial liability arising from the event.

Unacceptable bid committees are groups that are politically motivated, religious organizations, or corporations whose primary business is in conflict with DDGA vision, mission, and value statements.

BID SUBMISSION

Bid Application Process

Your main contact will be the DDGA Executive Director, who may follow up with you directly, asking for more information, clarification or supporting documents. The selection process may include a site visit by a DDGA representative.

The DDGA Executive Director will review all bids and make recommendations to the DDGA Board of Directors.  There will be an opportunity to respond to any questions arising from the review of each bid, prior to the recommendation being sent to the Board.

All bids should include the name of the event and the year or years for which you would like to be considered.

The official title of the tournament will be:

“(Year) DDGA National Championships” and “(State Abbrev) (Last 2 digits of Year)”

Sample: “2016 DDGA National Championships”, “IN16”

The official title is to be used in all references to the Event including logos, merchandise, media and Event publications.

Bid Submission

Proposals shall be submitted to:

executive@DDGA.org

Deaf Disc Golf Association

The deadline for the submission of a bid for 2020 is June 1, 2018.  It is the intention of the DDGA to award the hosting of the event as soon as possible thereafter. 

BID DOCUMENT GUIDELINES

DDGA Championship Event Guiding Principles

A DDGA National Championship event does not just take place on the course. All aspects of the event must be well-planned and well-executed, down to the smallest details. Please use the following principles as your guide when preparing your bid and incorporate them into your planning:

World-Class Competition, World-Class Event Services

Your bid should acknowledge and respect that the needs and expectations of the competitors hold the highest priority, both on the course and off. Off the field, all services should go smoothly for the competitors, so they don’t have to worry about anything except their competition. For example, catering services should serve food that is geared towards athletes competing at the highest levels while addressing cultural differences and expectations as well as other dietary needs and restrictions. Event transportation should be on time and sufficient. Hotels should be quiet, clean, and conveniently located. All of these areas are more detailed in the pages that follow, but the principle of putting the athletes first and delivering a world-class event should be incorporated into all plans and decisions.

Professionalism at All Levels

Each planning area should be respectful, well-thought out, and given careful consideration. This is important to consider when selecting staff and key volunteers. For each area, choose people that are trained and experienced. In some cases, it is better to partner with existing companies or agencies that are experts in certain areas to help ensure smooth and successful operations. When planning your tournament please also remember the message and impression you are giving to others: spectators, sponsors, fans and future fans, city officials, convention bureau management or any groups that are involved, interested or in attendance. From check-in to the awards ceremony, please think through all areas, and ensure that they are planned with dignity, respect, knowledge and enthusiasm.

Value

Disc golf competitors are, for the most part, fully funded through their own contributions. With airfare, tournament fees, lodging, and meals, the cost of attending an event can be quite expensive. DDGA and LOC will work to ensure that they receive quality services, as well as quality competition, throughout their DDGA experience so they see good value for their investment.

Bid Application Contents

Please prepare your bid document according to the following guidelines, providing as detailed information as possible for each item in this section. These are the criteria for which DDGA evaluates and selects Championship event hosts. Incomplete information may delay timeliness of the DDGA decision-making process. It is also the intention of the DDGA Board of Directors to distribute tournament sites as equitably as possible on a geographic basis, while taking into account the distribution of DDGA members world-wide. If you are unable to respond to any section, please provide an explanation as to why this is not possible.

In a proposal to host the DDGA National Championships, the DDGA would like to see information on the following:

Proposed Date(s):

Please identify three potential dates for the event, listed in order of preference.

Host Organization:

• The name and year(s) of the DDGA National event you are proposing to host.
• The name of the host club or organization proposing to host the event, including its type of formal organization (sole proprietorship, non-profit, LLC, corporation, etc.), its basic history and its experience in running DDGA-sanctioned events.
• The name of the city or cities to host the competition.
• A listing or flow chart of the local organizing committee (LOC) including the name of the tournament director, assistant tournament director, and other key positions essential for the planning and management of the event.
• Name of the authorized signer of a contract with the DDGA if your bid is selected.
• The committed support of the host community involved with the event, including involvement of the local chamber of commerce, convention and visitor’s bureau, sports commission, the parks and recreation department, etc. to also include other support proposed by the host community, including financial commitments, volunteer support, course improvements, event marketing and publicity support.
• List of other disc golf events your organization has hosted in the past.
• A short paragraph or list of the aims and objectives of the LOC in hosting the event in your community.

Courses: 

• A list of the disc golf course(s) to be used in the event, including location, course layouts, length, par, number of holes, type of tees, type of targets, signage, parking, and other assets. Designate which course which will serve as the main showcase course and site of the finals, and which will serve as the satellite course. The courses will be inspected for suitability with final approval granted by DDGA. This may include a site visit, if necessary.
• The support infrastructure amenities surrounding the courses, such as buildings pavilions, parking, restrooms, nearby restaurants, gas, quickie-shops, etc.
• A list, including year, of previous disc golf events held on the proposed courses.
• Description of park security and/or plans for security during event for safety of event assets and competitors.
• Detailed description of Wi-Fi capabilities within the park (for media purposes). For Live Broadcasts, the DDGA selected production teams utilize bonded USB modems, while using the cell signal to upload, rather than Wi-Fi. AT&T and/or Verizon are preferred providers. Cell requirements for live broadcasts are an upload speed of 3-5 mbps at a minimum, while 6-8 mbps is preferred. Download speed is not important.

Venues:

• Proposed location(s) of the mixed doubles competition.
• Proposed location of player check-in typically held on the Monday and/or Tuesday preceding the event. Includes DDGA check-in, host check-in, distribution of player packages, and event branded merchandise sales.
• Proposed location of the field events competitions to be held on the Tuesday preceding the singles competition. Field events include long drive, putting, mini golf (if applicable), and E.D.G.E. Skillshot. The DDGA Tournament Director will be the primary director of the field events. A field events procedures document is available from the DDGA.
• Proposed location of the opening ceremonies/players meeting to be held on the Tuesday evening preceding the singles competition. List related amenities such as pavilion, amphitheater, auditorium, meeting room, P/A equipment, seating, etc.
• Proposed location of the Fly-mart (vendor marketplace) ideally held on Saturday during the Finals.
• Proposed location of any other evening ancillary events such as a player’s party, concert, demonstrations, or other planned social gatherings.
• Proposed location of the awards ceremony to be held immediately following the finals. List related amenities such as pavilion, amphitheater, auditorium, meeting room, P/A equipment, outdoor, etc.

Host Hotel: 

One hotel should be designated as the main host hotel. The host hotel should be centrally located between most of the courses, and should have enough rooms to accommodate all athletes, guests, and out of town staff and officials in addition to being able to provide meeting space for ancillary activities, if necessary. Please provide the following:

• Hotel name
• Hotel location
• Hotel contact person, email and phone number
• Hotel capacity
• Proposed room rate(s)
• Number of restaurants available in close proximity (walking distance) to the hotel
• Check-in and check-out times
• List of amenities including restaurant, lounge, pool, exercise room, etc.
• List of meeting rooms, meeting space, etc.

Room Block:

DDGA Executive Director will assist with hotel negotiations. Use the following formulas to Estimate your anticipated room block for bid purposes:

Event capacity [(# players)/2] x 0.30   = Daily room block

Daily room block x 5 days = Total room nights

Hotel Contract Terms:

• competitors will book their own rooms using code provided by hotel
• lowest advertised rate guarantee (hotel cannot offer lower rates online)
• block deadline 1 week before event
• group rate on shoulder dates (days before and after your event dates)
• credit applied to block for rooms booked on shoulder dates
• rooms at group rate after block filled or block deadline if available
• $5/night room rebate payable to DDGA
• no attrition (or) low attrition based upon cumulative rooms total w/ 20% slippage allowance
• discount on rooms paid for by event due to attrition
• free meeting space
• free high speed internet
• free parking
• complimentary breakfast if available
• comped rooms at 1:20 rate
• 3 room upgrades (suites) at group rate (for event staff and officials)
• Hotel guest list cross referenced with event list to ensure accurate pickup

*All agreed upon terms above should be written into the hotel contract. A contract is only necessary if the hotel is providing you with free meeting space or other services in return for the room block. The DDGA office staff should be involved with all hotel contract negotiations. All contracts should be sent to the DDGA office for review and approval before signing.

Host Community Support:

• Letter of support of the event from the local Convention and/or Visitors Bureau, sports commission, or similar agency. In lieu of a bid fee, the DDGA requests guaranteed financial support of the event at a level commensurate with the number of hotel room nights booked. This support can be in the form of cash, in-kind, services, permitting costs, venue fees, other event specific fees, or a combination of the above.
• Letter of support from the local government acknowledging support
• Letter of support from the venue/course owners acknowledging support
• Course reservation fees (if any)
• Local permit fees (if any)
• Local advertising

The DDGA office staff is available to help with Host Community Support negotiations. All contracts should be sent to the DDGA office for review and approval before signing.

Schedule:

A proposed schedule of the weekly events is requested. The competition schedule of the singles event is fixed (Wednesday thru Saturday). The schedule for some evening ancillary events is somewhat flexible based upon the availability of venues. Event schedules for past National events can be provided to you by the DDGA office upon request. Awarding of a bid does not mean that the proposed schedule is accepted. The final schedule will be developed by the DDGA office in consultation with the tournament director. (See Appendix C).

Local Organizing Committee (LOC):

 A basic event organizational structure intended by the host LOC for running the event should be provided. This will include the overall lead Tournament Director(s) and their summary disc golf resumes, an Organizational Chart showing the intended support areas to be managed (Course TDs, Publicity, Merchandising, Financial, Sponsorship, Field Events, Mixed Doubles etc.),

The local organizing committee which is awarded the event will be required to sign an Event Agreement with the DDGA, identifying the responsibilities of both the Host LOC and the DDGA. A sample copy of this Event Agreement can be forwarded to proposed hosts upon request.

One or more key staff from the local organizing committee are also strongly encouraged to attend the event they are bidding on the year prior to their event in order to closely review and to be closely involved in the event production, as well as to learn from and experience how the event is run. These are contributing factors to the successful continuity of DDGA World Championships.

Budget:

The DDGA will manage the competition related finances of the event, including player registration. The LOC will manage a separate financial budget for the event, including anticipated income streams from sponsorship, merchandise sales, food and beverage, in-kind donations and services. This budget should also outline basic expenses expected, including course improvements, staff support (including any staff pay intended), event supplies, communications, misc. expenses and proposed payout. A proposed income statement should be included, including the profit/loss expected.

Marketing/Publicity:

A brief publicity and marketing plan, identifying how the event will “connect” with the local community, how the event will be publicized and promoted in the local and regional area, any possible or intended ties to local or regional charitable organizations, general plans for obtaining sponsorship including sponsorship levels intended, target sponsors, etc. It is suggested to include any additional events hosted by the LOC.

DDGA SANCTIONING

The DDGA will grant to the LOC a royalty free non-exclusive, worldwide right to use the attendant DDGA marks, i.e., DEAF DISC GOLF ASSOCIATION™, DDGA and DDGA logos (collectively, the “DDGA Marks”), as well as the DDGA copyrighted title “DDGA National Championships” in conjunction with the Event. HOST agrees that one or more of the DDGA Marks shall appear on all Event logos, discs, shirts, and promotional materials including electronic or printed information prepared by HOST in conjunction with the Event. DDGA shall retain the rights to control the nature and quality of the goods and/or services provided by HOST under DDGA Marks.

BROADCASTING, VIDEO, and PHOTOGRAPHY ARRANGEMENTS

DDGA has the right and responsibility, in working constructively with HOST, to award or limit broadcasting and videotaping rights and privileges at the Event. DDGA shall negotiate such rights on behalf of the Event with national, international or independent media organizations. The HOST is strongly encouraged by the DDGA to facilitate the capturing of still images from the EVENT by providing a photographer who will coordinate concerning publication of said images. The DDGA shall retain the rights to record the Event through still photography of any participants. Such photography may not be used for commercial purposes unless mutually agreed between the parties, but may be used for Event publicity, public information or any other non-commercial use that falls within HOST and DDGA activity. For more information please see the DDGA Media Agreement document located at: http://www.DDGA.com/media/policy. Current (2019) policy will be provided once it becomes available.

SPONSORSHIP

DDGA and HOST agree to maintain open communication about sponsorship contacts, in order to avoid the development of sponsorship conflicts. DDGA reserves the right to approve or disapprove any potential sponsor of the Event. Such approval shall not be unreasonably withheld and will be given within seven business days of DDGA’s confirmed receipt of such notification.

By agreement to participate in the DDGA National event, HOST agrees to full cooperation with all sponsorship and related arrangements that are established by the DDGA.