To continue our series of polls of items on the course and about the rules, we’re going to touch on a pretty interesting one here.

Booze.

It seems like this discussion has likely come up many times before. And in the end, the result is often the same — no alcohol during tournament play.

Let’s clarify this, though.

These questions are more about PDGA-sanctioned tournaments. After all, it’s tough to police the non-sanctioned tournaments, especially if it’s an extremely lax setup.

So having your cordials during an event is illegal by PDGA standards. Never mind that many courses are in public parks and might have already made it illegal for you to have alcohol on park premises.

But for here, we’ll stick with tournaments. In the player Code of Conduct, a part of the PDGA rulebook, Section 3.3.10 says:

“Possession of alcohol from the start of play until the player’s scorecard is submitted is not allowed. Such possession shall result in immediate disqualification at PDGA events sanctioned at B-Tier or higher. The Tournament Director may, at his sole discretion, elect to issue a warning to the offending player in lieu of disqualification solely at PDGA events sanctioned at C-tier and below. If a player has been previously issued a warning for alcohol possession at the same event, all subsequent violations shall result in immediate disqualification.”

That’s pretty implicit, no?

So let that stew for a bit. Before we get to the question and its merits, let’s go back and check last week’s question, which asked: Should people be allowed to smoke while playing in leagues and tournaments?

It was a lot closer than expected, that’s for sure.

Of the 287 people who votes, 152 (153 percent) said no. On the other side, 135 (47 percent) said yes.

As usual, we’ll go over some comments here. But you should definitely go back and check out the other comments as there were some good ones and a solid discussion.

Smoking is definitely looked at differently now than it was many years ago. Many parks don’t even allow it on premises, either, making discussion about this not necessary in some places. The sides were drawn decently on this one, so let’s see what some had to say.

Bill Nicholson said:

I’m a nonsmoker and don’t care to be around it. That being said, we are playing outside, and if the one smoking is courteous to the others in the group, then let ‘em smoke. It is important that they be careful not to litter – dropping butts on the course will probably gain more disapproval than the actual smoking itself.

It seems those are definitely key proponents — being courteous to others and not littering.

Downtown says:

So long as you are respectful of others and you take all your trash out with you, it should be allowed. Don’t get me wrong, when we get to the point where it is televised we should revisit the subject. While at the worlds last year they said we could not smoke because we want to grow our image. I play am. not pro. I never saw the first camera or spectator, oh and we are often in the woods where nobody is around. I have no problem with not smoking during a round, when you show up with cameras, journalist and spectators. Some people are a little over sensitive, especially ex-smokers.

If growing the image is the concern, then it probably should be uniform. Saying one can smoke here and not there will make it an even bigger argument. In reality, having cameras around shouldn’t be the deterrent. In other places, one could be puffing along and pass up two families or something. That can do damage, too — if one looks at it from that angle. Excellent thoughts here, though, especially from the standpoint of worlds.

Derek O’Neil says:

In reality I’m fine with people smoking during a round, I would prefer the were down wind from me and had the courtesy to assess the wind for their smoking as closely as they would for disc selection and line for their throw, but ultimately its not that bothersome. However, disc golf needs to grow, especially with youth. The more 10-16 year olds get hooked on disc golf the better, but if I were a parent I would be very cautious to allow my children into an environment that is so pervasively populated by substances such as tobacco, alcohol (which is prohibited during tourney rounds), and especially the illegal stuff. The first place to start is the sanctioned tourneys, this is where the public face of disc golf lies, if the PDGA prohibits all substances that cannot be consumed by all participants, then it would be a better environment. If children and young adults are to be shepherded into the sport for its growth and prolific future, then smoking and other forms of tobacco should be banned.

That definitely has to be a major concern — having the younger generation see how the sport is perceived.

J.Green said:

I’ll start off by saying I simply don’t like the smell of smoke. It’s unappealing and it sticks to you even if you don’t smoke. That being said, I still think smoking should be allowed in tournaments and leagues. The reason a lot of people get into disc golf is due to the relaxed atmosphere at the course and for smokers, that is part of their routine I guess. Of course, if someone in the group has a breathing problem or a legit reason as to why they don’t wanna be around smoke, I would hope the smokers would also respect that.

That’s probably the biggest thing — there needs to be the respect factor. There are people who physically get ill with the smell and if somebody is puffing away all round, it takes away the enjoyment from another. It’s one thing to smoke while playing, but if it interferes with others enjoyment, then this discussion definitely needs to be looked into even more.

Travis said:

Although I’m a non-smoker I think people should have the right to smoke as long as they A.) don’t throw their butts on the ground and B.) are respectful of others AND the surroundings. I know a few smokers and they generally smoke while they are not around the flight, which is fine with me. Now, if it’s a wooded course and in July when fire season is high, then please don’t smoke if it’s not safe.

They also need to make sure they are not breaking the law as some parks have adopted a smoke-free mentality. I don’t want to see a course pulled or shut down because some yahoo needed his fix.

Very good points here. It seems like this theme is being covered a lot in the responses!

Kevin King said: