Delaware, San Francisco Headline Additions To 2018 Pro Schedule

Great Lakes Open heads to Disc Golf Pro Tour, while Disc Golf World Tour shrinks by one event

September 26, 2017 by Steve Hill in News with 0 comments

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes.

That’s the name of the game for the 2018 schedule the Professional Disc Golf Association released today, as a handful of significant additions were made to the upcoming season’s professional slate. The organization has again balanced its National Tour events with those of the Disc Golf Pro Tour and Disc Golf World Tour, making for a smoothly aligned calendar that should allow touring disc golfers to hit the road as much, or as little, as they want to.

Here’s a look at each tour’s big moves. The full schedule appears below.

PDGA National Tour

Number of events: 6

In: Delaware Disc Golf Challenge

Out: Pittsburgh Flying Disc Open

What’s Changed? The National Tour elite series remained the most stable of the three tours for 2018, only swapping out one of its previous events. The Delaware Disc Golf Challenge, held at the famed Iron Hill course in Newark, graduates to the NT circuit and takes the place of the Pittsburgh Flying Disc Open as this year’s eastern regional offering.

In addition, the Gentlemen’s Club Challenge has a new name: The Las Vegas Challenge.

Disc Golf Pro Tour

Number of events: 10

In: San Francisco Open, Great Lakes Open

Out: Nick Hyde Memorial, Green Mountain Championship

What’s changed? The Pro Tour stays at 10 events in its third season, but its schedule deviates a fair amount from 2017. Sure, it kicks off again with the Memorial Championships and the Waco Annual Charity Open, but the Nick Hyde Memorial — which was ended early this year due to storms — does not return, making the early-season Southwest swing a bit shorter. The Utah Open comes after the Beaver State Fling this year, while the Vibram Open scooches back a week to make way for Pro Worlds.

Additionally, the Pro Tour is keeping up its tradition of introducing a brand new event: The San Francisco Open was granted A-Tier status and will take place at a yet to be determined venue in the city by the bay. Combined with the National Tour’s Masters Cup just two weeks prior, that makes for a cozy trip near the shores of the Pacific Ocean.

The Pro Tour also swept up the Great Lakes Open, held at the hallowed Toboggan Championship course in Milford, Michigan. The Green Mountain Championship is replaced by Pro Worlds this year, hence why it is not on the 2018 slate.

Disc Golf World Tour

Number of events: 3

In: Tallin Open

Out: Aussie Open, European Open

What’s changed? The World Tour has subtracted an event for the second year in a row. The Konopiste Open serves as 2018’s European Major, though, giving the circuit an added air of prestige. The Tallin Open in Estonia — not to be confused with the Tali Open in Finland — comes over from the EuroProTour.