The 2024 Gulf Coast Charity Open Presented by The Florida Real Estate Team

Cameron J. Harbachuk    Sticky January 31 at 12:44pm

Email sent to players on 1/29/2024:

Good Afternoon Players!

Less than 2 weeks before we get to see everyone come together for an amazing weekend of competition and charity!

There will only be one more update (next Monday) just to finalize a few items as we head into the big event.

Course Status

I am happy to announce that as of the sending of this email, all courses are currently in the GCCO layout with the exception of Azalea. There are 2 sleeves that are giving us fits that we ... more

Email sent to players on 1/29/2024:

Good Afternoon Players!

Less than 2 weeks before we get to see everyone come together for an amazing weekend of competition and charity!

There will only be one more update (next Monday) just to finalize a few items as we head into the big event.

Course Status

I am happy to announce that as of the sending of this email, all courses are currently in the GCCO layout with the exception of Azalea. There are 2 sleeves that are giving us fits that we are working to remedy this week.

Many thanks to our club partners and course professionals for assisting us in getting the baskets moved into our event specific locations. We do not take the development of our layouts lightly and they have been created after ~ 7 years of feedback from players. It is our opinion that our layouts provide a good balance between difficulty, safety and pace of play that allows everyone to have an enjoyable experience.

Rules Updates

We have made a few course/hole rules updates that will be implemented into the caddy book and PDGA live scoring before the event. These changes are to remove some ambiguity and make them more clear to the players, as well as get rid of a few "old school" rules that we have used in the past, that we believe are no longer necessary.

Taylor Park:

Hole 4: There is now a mando on the left side of the fairway. If this mando is missed, players will proceed to the marked drop zone with a one stroke penalty. The mando should not disrupt any intentional shot towards the basket, and was implemented by the club at the request of the county to keep discs away from the houses that line the course.

Cliff Stephens:

Hole 11: There is no longer a drop zone for tee shots that go OB on/beyond the path/bridge/painted line behind the basket. On/beyond the path/bridge/painted line is now standard OB rules on all shots and the drop zone will be removed entirely.

Cypress Point:

Hole 14: The "casual" zone behind the basket and the accompanying drop zone are being removed in favor for a "relief zone" any shot that lands in the relief zone, which will be the small creek and beyond as noted by flags and ground whiskers will take relief with no penalty as outlined in rule 806.04. This will allow the player to bring their shot in off the relief zone line up to 1 meter towards the basket with no penalty.

Refund Policy Typo:

The refund policy had a typo in it that has been updated. It initially showed that all waitlist players would be refunded on 2/5 and that was incorrect. All waitlist players will be refunded on 2/2. This has been updated in all areas.

Should anyone have any questions or need any additional information, let us know!

Cameron J. Harbachuk    Sticky January 23 at 12:42am

Email sent to players on 1/22/2024:

Good Evening Players!

We are less than 20 days away! Can you feel the excitement? If not, hopefully this email will spark something for ya.

Chess.com Invitational (DGPT) Partnership

We are proud to announce a partnership with the new Disc Golf Pro Tour season opening event, the Chess.com Invitational at the newly revamped Olympus Disc Golf Course in Brooksville, FL.

The top 2 MPO and FPO players who are not already qualified for the DGPT event, ... more

Email sent to players on 1/22/2024:

Good Evening Players!

We are less than 20 days away! Can you feel the excitement? If not, hopefully this email will spark something for ya.

Chess.com Invitational (DGPT) Partnership

We are proud to announce a partnership with the new Disc Golf Pro Tour season opening event, the Chess.com Invitational at the newly revamped Olympus Disc Golf Course in Brooksville, FL.

The top 2 MPO and FPO players who are not already qualified for the DGPT event, will receive an invitation to register. This is not a sponsored spot, and the individuals would still be responsible for paying the $350 entry fee to the event.

Thank you to the Chess.com Invitational staff and the Disc Golf Pro Tour!!

Am Player Package Shipping Option

We know a lot of you are traveling from all across the country to play and that our player package, while awesome, is not convenient for air travel. As such, we can offer a concierge service of sorts, of packing up your player package and shipping it to your house. It's important to note, all shipping of player packages will occur after the event is completed and comes at the cost of $26.

Should you be interested in having your player package shipped, please use the below link to remit payment and provide your shipping address:

https://square.link/u/NPIiL1fq

Course Updates

Taylor Park can now be added to the list of courses that are officially in the GCCO layout along with Cypress Point Park, Picnic Island Park and PureLine Practice 9. We are working with our course ambassadors to update the remaining courses in short order.

Thanks yall!

Cameron J. Harbachuk    Sticky January 18 at 1:24am

Email sent to players on 1/15/2024:

Good Morning Players!

For this week's update I wanted to remind everyone of our well documented refund policy that was communicated when you registered and is also posted on the registration website as well as clarify our layout assignments for Picnic Island.

Layouts at Picnic Island:

There are 2 sets of baskets on every hole at Picnic Island, a blue colored basket that is most certainly in the long pin of the hole, and an orange colored baske ... more

Email sent to players on 1/15/2024:

Good Morning Players!

For this week's update I wanted to remind everyone of our well documented refund policy that was communicated when you registered and is also posted on the registration website as well as clarify our layout assignments for Picnic Island.

Layouts at Picnic Island:

There are 2 sets of baskets on every hole at Picnic Island, a blue colored basket that is most certainly in the long pin of the hole, and an orange colored basket that is somewhere else. We will only utilize 1 basket on each hole. That is, regardless of your division or your pad assignment, everyone will throw to the same basket. Your pad assignment will show either Short or Long. That is the indication of the pad that you are throwing from. The basket you are throwing from will differ from hole to hole, and is noted in the pictures section of the registration page. In an attempt to make it as easy as possible, in the 'Pin' column we have noted the letter that corresponds to the pin and the color of the basket you are throwing to. As an example, for hole #1, regardless of your pad assignment, everyone will throw to the A - Orange pin. On hole #2, regardless of your pad assignment, everyone will throw to the C - Blue pin. To avoid any confusion, the unused basket will be covered with a gorgeous garbage bag for the event.

We understand that other courses will handle this differently, but in 7+ years of running events at Picnic Island, the baskets you are playing give the best combination of difficulty and pace of play, in this TDs humble opinion.

Refund Policy:

Everything outlined in this policy aligns with the PDGAs rules on handling refunds. Those rules can be found here: https://www.pdga.com/rules/competition-manual/103

Any drop request will incur a $2 processing fee.

Event registration will close on 1/26/2024. All drop requests submitted prior to 1/26/2024 will be given a 100% monetary refund.

All drop requests between 1/26/204 and 2/5/2024 will be given a 100% monetary refund ONLY if their spot can be backfilled from the waitlist. Should a player not be backfilled from the waitlist, the player has the choice between a 25% monetary refund or the player package they would have received. Should the player select the player package option, the player will be responsible for either arranging pickup at the event, or pay for shipping of their player package. All shipments of player packages will be completed AFTER the event has concluded. Your player package is valued at over $170 so I would highly recommend picking this option.

All waitlisted players will be refunded on the evening of 2/5/2024.

Any drop requests after 2/5/2024 will be given the player package they would have received. The player will be responsible for either arranging pickup at the event, or pay for shipping of their player package.

After 2/5/2024, no additional players will be added to the event even if drops create the space to allow it. Our event is incredibly complex with customized player packages spanning 7 different courses. Last minute additions create a level of complexity that is unsustainable for our event staff.

Should anyone have any questions or need any additional information, please let us know!

Cameron J. Harbachuk    Sticky January 10 at 12:12am

Email sent to players on 1/9/2024:

Good Evening Players!
We are yet another week closer to the 2024 Gulf Coast Charity Open Presented by The Florida Real Estate Team. As promised, I have another weekly update for you all. 
This week I wanted to provide you all an update on how we handled player rating updates as well as give an update on the current status of the courses. 

Player Ratings:
Per our published policy and in accordance with PDGA rules, we are using the January 9th ... more

Email sent to players on 1/9/2024:

Good Evening Players!
We are yet another week closer to the 2024 Gulf Coast Charity Open Presented by The Florida Real Estate Team. As promised, I have another weekly update for you all. 
This week I wanted to provide you all an update on how we handled player rating updates as well as give an update on the current status of the courses. 

Player Ratings:
Per our published policy and in accordance with PDGA rules, we are using the January 9th PDGA Ratings update to determine division eligibility for this event. The ratings were produced today and there were only a few folks who needed to move divisions. As a policy, we save 7 spots per pool for this very reason to ensure that if someone does rate out of a division, they have a spot to take and are not forced to the waitlist. This is why our event registration was initially capped at 65 per pool instead of the traditional 72. After the few movements that we needed to make were completed, the remaining spots in each pool were opened to the waitlist based on order in the waitlist by pool. So if you were on the waitlist, you should see some substantial movement in your progress up the list. 

Course Updates:
We are actively working on all the courses for the event and will continue to do so right up to the event. As of today 1/9/2024, the only courses that are setup in the tournament layout are PureLine Practice 9, Picnic Island and Cypress Point Park. We have agreements with the clubs that manage the remaining courses to transition them over to the GCCO layouts in the coming weeks and I will continue to update you all on that progress. In the meantime, the layouts, rules, pad assignments and pin locations for every course can be found in the pictures section of the registration page https://www.discgolfscene.com/tournaments/The_2024_Gulf_Coast_Charity_Open_Presented/pictures. 
I know throwing to an empty pin with a PVC pipe in the ground isn't the most fun, but if you are interested in practicing the layouts for the other courses now, you can do so by following those documents. 

Additionally, we are running many course cleanups over the next few weeks to ensure the courses are as beautiful as we can make them, but please note the weather is not on our side. Everytime we do a cleanup, another big storm seems to come through and make them a bit messy again. Just imagine a large "pardon our dust" sign at the courses should you come down for practice over the next couple of weeks. 
Finally, we are almost done with a project to install brand new tee signs at Cypress Point Park. This will include signs at all the brand new short pads we installed last year. I fully expect this to be completed prior to GCCO. 

In the meantime, please use me as your resource and friend. Should you have any questions or need any additional information, please let me know.

Otherwise, I will talk with you all next week!

Cameron J. Harbachuk    Sticky January 1 at 1:34pm

Email sent to players on 1/1/2024:

Good Morning Players and Happy New Year!
Let this be a formal introduction of sorts to myself. My name is Cameron J. Harbachuk and I am elated to be your event director for the 2024 Gulf Coast Charity Open Presented by The Florida Real Estate Team. 

One of the core pillars of our event is communication and the setting of proper expectations. As such, expect a weekly update email from me as we approach the GCCO with updates and news on course c ... more

Email sent to players on 1/1/2024:

Good Morning Players and Happy New Year!
Let this be a formal introduction of sorts to myself. My name is Cameron J. Harbachuk and I am elated to be your event director for the 2024 Gulf Coast Charity Open Presented by The Florida Real Estate Team. 

One of the core pillars of our event is communication and the setting of proper expectations. As such, expect a weekly update email from me as we approach the GCCO with updates and news on course conditions, event updates ect. If at any point, anyone has any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me directly. 

For our first update, I wanted to send out a reminder that the Gulf Coast Charity Open is a full service experience with plenty to do outside of the tournament itself. 
It starts on Friday at Maximo Park with early check in starting at 7:30am and running to 2:00pm. This is a great opportunity to get checked in, get your player package and avoid having to check in before your round on Saturday. 

Running alongside that, Tyler Searle of Latitude 64 will have the Lat RV rocking with the GCCO Tee Time Toss: a low cost C - Tier event at Maximo Park using the GCCO rules, pad assignments and layouts. This is a great opportunity to add some additional experience to your weekend and get a great value for your dollar. This year, to abide by the PDGAs new rules on course availability, we have switched this event to a tee time event with tee times starting at 7:30am and running until 12:30am with 4 packs teeing off every 8 minutes. This means this event will be limited to 150 participants so early registration is HIGHLY ENCOURAGED. Registration opens TODAY @ 4:00pm EST. 

https://www.discgolfscene.com/tournaments/GCCO_Tee_Time_Toss_presented_by_Latitude_64_2024

We will be in touch again next week to outline the rest of our player experience, including our 2 player parties that are planned for this year's event. 

Happy New Year!!

Cameron J. Harbachuk    Sticky November 20 at 12:42pm

Projected trophy earning positions based on 11/20/2023 registration. These are determined based on registration levels by division and are subject to change, though in my experience they tend not to:

1st - 5th | MA1, MA2, MA3, & MA50
1st - 4th | MPO & MA40
1st - 3rd | FA2, MP50, FA3, MP40, FA50, FPO
1st - 2nd | FA60, MA4, FA1, MA60
1st | All remaining divisions

Adam Eaken    February 10 at 1:10am

Is F pool only throwing 27 holes for their 3 rounds?

Jonathan Hokes    February 9 at 10:33pm

Only about half of the hole assignments are posted on pdga. Sorry if I missed something

Cindy Taylor    February 9 at 1:24am

Hey Cam I think there is a mistake on Joanne Taylor hole assignment. She is on 15 but didn't see any other ladies on hole 15. Is that correct or a mistake.

Shelley Carden    February 8 at 4:38am

Vinny Montanari I FB msged you, please check.

David Galvin    February 7 at 3:08am

Does Cliff or Cypress have a flyover video like Picnic? If so, could a link be shared. Assuming longs and golds aren't the same at Cliff? Thank you!

Robin Licitra    February 6 at 11:43pm

Is hole 3 at Maximo being played as Island ? Looking at OB rules doesn't look as it is Please clarify

Adam Eaken    February 6 at 6:47pm

Is there anyway to move to ma3 from ma4? If not I'd understand.

Bart Butler    February 4 at 11:17pm

Will Maximo be available for practice rounds Friday?

CJ Webb    January 29 at 11:02pm

I'm wait-list #8 and will most likely miss this tournament. Can I go ahead and setup and pay for my players pack to be shipped?

DJ Edward    January 29 at 1:41am

If any players Don't want there disc storage bin that we are receiving in our player pack, I'm interested in a few of them..( I have discs or $$ for trade) feel free to contact me directly (423)297-2194 , Thanks

Jeff Ruberg    January 26 at 10:14pm

Any update on Maximo or cliff basket relocations?

Juan Sebastian Perez    January 12 at 1:16pm

Cameron, can you please move me to MA1? 90251

Cameron Messerschmidt    November 16 at 5:57pm

How is only 20% of the fields spots predicated to Open divisions? If 80% of the field are amateurs just run an amateur event, why waste the time raising money for A-tier status to have 19 open players? On top of that you’re using a myriad of courses so there actually is no reason to have such a small percentage of the field allocated to the pros, I think just running an Amateur A-tier would suit this event better and free up the weekend for an A-tier to be ran in Florida elsewhere so peopl ... more

How is only 20% of the fields spots predicated to Open divisions? If 80% of the field are amateurs just run an amateur event, why waste the time raising money for A-tier status to have 19 open players? On top of that you’re using a myriad of courses so there actually is no reason to have such a small percentage of the field allocated to the pros, I think just running an Amateur A-tier would suit this event better and free up the weekend for an A-tier to be ran in Florida elsewhere so people can start there season off, as Florida is becoming a popular disc golf destination in the off-season no reason to monopolize the weekends.

Lynda L Stevens    October 29 at 2:59am

TOURNAMENTS
The 2024 Gulf Coast Charity Open Presented by The Florida Real Estate Team
Singles tournament · Feb 2024 · Largo, FL
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Lynda L Stevens
My name is John Stevens, my wife Lynda competes in FA-60. She has worked hard to get were She is at. FA stands for female amateur, not someone who identifies as female.