One of the most common challenges that disc golfers encounter is knowing how to tour, as the stress of logistics can sometimes make for a difficult experience. Instead of having a bad time or sitting out on the voyage altogether, there are a few tried and true tips to consider before making plans to hit the road.

Everyone’s tour schedule will look different depending on a variety of factors, so don’t necessarily think that these suggestions have to be implemented at all costs. Our aim is to offer insights that perhaps you haven’t thought of before with the hope that your next touring season runs more smoothly.

What Works For You

One of the primary things to think about when developing your tour schedule is if you need to touch base at home regularly or if your lifestyle allows you to be gone for months on end. In most cases, touring amateur players tend to work full time and can only venture out for two to three weeks at a time.

If you’re a professional competitor, there are several handfuls of events that are considered “must-haves”, including most of the National Tours, Majors, and Pro Tour events. Of course you can use your discretion to figure out which places look most appealing to you, but in general, pros all tend to visit the same events give or take.

Think about what’s feasible for you and your life back home, and develop a list of stops accordingly. It can take a few years before you find the right balance between being out on the road just enough while still taking care of other things in your life.

Other Considerations To Make

Some touring players think about their schedule from other perspectives, like trying to reduce their mileage as much as possible. Whether you use a car or an RV, the cost of gas and the time it takes driving from event to event can be extensive. Those of you with older vehicles might want to reduce your load time and this will naturally dictate where you tour.

If you live on the West or East coast, it might limit your schedule a bit, but having more of a home base in the Midwest, either at a friend’s or family member’s home, could provide more flexibility if needed.

Some players greatly despise playing in extreme weather, be it hot temperatures or cold and snowy conditions. If that’s the case, stay true to what suits your game the most and plan your schedule according to seasonal changes across the country.

Tools To Make It Easy

As simple as it sounds, using Google Maps or a spreadsheet can be a great way to get yourself organized and perfect your tour schedule. If you can plug each stop into one giant trip on Maps, you’ll see a nice visualization that shows you exactly what your tour looks like.

It might help to calculate costs for lodging, gas, and even food expenses per tour stop in a spreadsheet so that you can easily figure out how your budget looks after each planned event.

While we’d love to say that developing and perfecting your tour schedule is an exact science, it’s not. Each player is too unique to have one way of touring, so do what works for you and helps you to achieve your own personal disc golf goals!

Are you going on tour in 2019? We’d love to know how you prepare and what criteria you use to determine your schedule. Give us all the details in the comments below!