Chasing Sparrows 2025

Chasing Sparrows is a one-day tournament that will be played on Sunday, February 9, 2025, in Varaždin, in a two-round format with 18 holes per round.
This tournament will be run in a "light mode", or more simple event production concept with smaller entry fee charge.

This tournament is a perfect opportunity for all beginners in disc golf to experience a "serious" competition, as the holes are relatively short (45 to 65 meters), there are practically no bushes where discs could get lost, and in each round, the same 9 holes are played twice, making it easier to master the course or correct mistakes. One competition round lasts about 90 minutes.

This tournament will be the 5th edition of Chasing Sparrows. The first tournament was played on June 27, 2021, with 19 players from Croatia participating.

Registration
The competition will be held in the following categories:
 • MPO (open for male and female players)
 • FPO (female open)
 • Red (players of both genders with a PDGA rating up to 900)
 • Green (players of both genders with a PDGA rating up to 850)
 • Purple (players of both genders with a PDGA rating up to 800)
 • Junior categories will be opened upon request for each registered junior

The entry fee for the MPO, FPO, Red, and Green categories is €10, while the entry fee for the Purple category is €5.
There is no entry fee for junior categories.
Junior categories are female or open, and for players up to 6 years, up to 8 years, up to 10 years, up to 12 years, up to 15 years, and up to 18 years. 
If a junior turns 11 during 2025, their PDGA age for the entire year remains 11, meaning they compete in the under-12 category.

The number of participants is limited to 45, meaning the competition will be played in a maximum of 9 groups of 5 players.

Players who are not PDGA members and do not have a rating can play in the Purple category only if they have not played PDGA tournaments before, or if they have played PDGA tournaments and their last 6 rounds (or fewer if they have played less than 6 rounds) average no more than 800 rating points. If their rounds average more than 800, they can play in the Green, Red, or MPO / FPO categories. A player without a rating whose last 6 rounds (or fewer if they have played less than 6 rounds) average more than 850 rating points cannot play in the Green category but can play in Red or MPO / FPO.

The entry fee includes tournament organization, a fee for the Croatian Flying Disc Federation, certificates for the top three players in each category, and modest prizes.
In the Red, Green, and Purple categories, only the winner receives a trophy and a small prize.

The participation fee must be paid to the bank account before or after the tournament:
Lagoda j.d.o.o., Varaždin, HR6323400091110550349

If you do not pay the entry fee in advance, payment will also be possible in cash at the tournament venue.

To register for the competition, open the dedicated registration page.
The competition results and live scoring will be published on the PDGA website.

Weather
You can check the weather forecast for Varaždin on the Yr.no website. In case of bad weather, you can also monitor the lightning radar or the precipitation radar.

In the case of an extremely bad weather forecast (very cold weather, strong wind combined with rain), there is a possibility of changing the tournament date. If that happens, players who have already paid the entry fee but cannot participate on the new date are entitled to a refund, reduced by bank fees.

Communication with Participants
During the tournament, a WhatsApp group will be created for communication, where all updates will be posted throughout the event. Participants can also use the group to communicate with each other (e.g., to arrange joint practice, dinner, or similar activities).

Parking
Participants can use the parking lot at Varaždin City Cemetery, which is about 350 meters from the meeting point. Please avoid parking on Vodovodna Street to prevent potential issues with local residents.
GPS location of the parking lot: 46.308110, 16.327241 (Google Maps)

Restrooms
Since there are no restrooms on the course, we suggest using one of the two nearby cafés located on the opposite side of the parking lot: Strauss Tree or Gossip Bar (400-500 meters on foot).

Game Format
The competition will be played in the following format:
Round 1 - Groups will be formed with mixed categories and skill-based groups according to PDGA ratings. We will aim to place players from the same clubs/countries in different groups for the first round, encouraging interaction with new players.
Round 2 - Groups will be formed based on results, without mixing categories.

Course
The 9-hole course is set up near Vodovodna Street, and all 9 holes will be played twice per round. The course is beginner-friendly, with hole distances ranging from 45 to 65 meters.
You can download the course map in PDF format from this page.

This course has been played in 9 PDGA tournaments so far. The current course records are:
- Men's: 37 (-17, rated 1,050), played by Bato Sudžuković at Chasing Crows 2023.
- Women's: 42 (-12), played twice by Wiebke Jahn at "The Wedding of Tina & Dinko" (round ratings of 976 and 968).
You can find a list of the best scores on the course in a PDF document.

Ace Pool
All players who wish to participate can contribute €1 in cash, which will be collected in a special fund.
The player who hits an ace during the tournament will win the entire Ace Pool prize. If two or more players hit an ace, they will share the Ace Pool equally. If no player hits an ace, the pool carries over to the next Lagoda tournament and continues accumulating until an ace is made.
A player must pay €1 before the first round begins to be eligible for the Ace Pool prize. If a player hits an ace but has not paid before the first round, they are not entitled to the prize.
Since no ace was made in the last few Lagoda tournaments, the Ace Pool fund before Chasing Sparrows stands at €100.