Eligibility Standards for PDGA-Sanctioned Events

The PDGA’s mission statement, values, and vision of inclusion, emphasize our focus on growing the sport of disc golf through structured competition. It also prioritizes - along with values like integrity, professionalism, and fun - inclusivity and fairness. Disc golf, in short, is for everyone. The following announcement serves as a reminder of our policies on player eligibility at PDGA-sanctioned events.

The PDGA Board of Directors and staff regularly evaluate competition standards to ensure that they match these core values. In the case of gender-based divisions, we look to the experts: those best able to evaluate emerging data and evidence in the specific context of organized disc golf competition. Those experts are the PDGA Medical Committee and the forthcoming Subcommittee on Gender-Based Divisions. This subcommittee will evaluate our current standards under both the recently-released IOC Framework and all available peer-reviewed scientific research as applied to competitive disc golf. They will then make recommendations to the PDGA Board of Directors for standards based on that evidence.

During this review, our current standards and requirements - based on the 2015 IOC policy - remain in place. At PDGA-sanctioned events, disc golfers may play in any division where they meet the eligibility criteria. Furthermore, section 2.4 of the PDGA Bylaws prohibits discrimination on a number of grounds, including gender identity. Accordingly, we will not stand for any such discrimination against athletes or the targeting of athletes who meet the PDGA eligibility criteria for the division in which they are competing. PDGA Event Directors and members who discriminate against or target players who meet the eligibility requirements for the division in which they are competing can be disqualified from play and may face suspension from the PDGA. Events that attempt to circumvent or reject PDGA standards regarding divisional eligibility stand to lose PDGA sanctioning. 

The PDGA is the professional association for all disc golfers.

For more information on eligibility requirements, visit the links below.

• 2022 PDGA Tour Standards
• PDGA Bylaws
• Competition Manual for Disc Golf Events - 1.01 Player Eligibility
• PDGA Policy on Eligibility for Gender-Restricted Divisions
• PDGA Seeks Volunteers for Medical Subcommittees on Gender-Based-Divisions, Prohibited Substances

For further information or questions related to the Tour Standards, Bylaws, or Competition Manual, please contact [email protected]