Merry Forester is a one-day tournament that will be played on Saturday, December 20, consisting of two rounds of 14 holes each. The tournament is played in a festive holiday atmosphere, and it is also characterized by a final gathering and socializing with the traditional "Secret Santa" gift exchange.
This will be the eighth edition of the tournament, and at the previous, 7th edition, 51 players participated, arriving from Austria, Croatia, Slovenia, and Serbia.
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Registration
The competition will take place in the following categories and under the following participation conditions:
| Category | Additional information | Prizes for | Entry fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| MPO | Open | Top 3 | 20 € |
| FPO | Open women | Top 3 | 20 € |
| Red | Players with PDGA rating up to 900 | Winner | 20 € |
| Green | Players with PDGA rating up to 850 | Winner | 20 € |
| Purple | Players with PDGA rating up to 800 | Winner | 10 € |
| Juniors | Will be opened depending on received registrations. For categories under 12 years, only rounds 1 and 3 are played. | Winner | Free |
The number of participants is limited to 64, meaning the competition will be played in a maximum of 10 groups of 5 players and 4 groups of 4 players.
The entry fee for MPO, FPO, Red and Green categories includes tournament organization, the fee to the Croatian Flying Disc Federation, prizes for top players, and the final gathering banquet with Secret Santa gift exchange.
The entry fee should be paid to the bank account: Lagoda j.d.o.o., Varaždin, HR6323400091110550349
Exceptionally, if the fee is not paid in advance, payment will be possible in cash on the tournament day.
Players who pay the entry fee by December 12 via bank transfer earn the right to a tournament souvenir, and may choose between a mug with tournament print, lightweight fleece gloves, or a buff (neck warmer) with the tournament logo.
If a player pays the fee by December 12 but later cannot attend, they are entitled to a 10 € refund and may collect the souvenir they ordered.
Players in the Purple category who want a souvenir should pay an additional 10 €, meaning a total of 20 €.
Players in the Junior category who want a souvenir should pay 10 €.
Tournament results and live scoring will be posted on the PDGA page.
Results will be entered through the PDGA live scorecard system.
Players who are not PDGA members and do not have a rating may only play Purple if they have never played a PDGA event, or if they have played and their last 6 rounds (or fewer if they have fewer recorded rounds) average no more than 800 rating points. If those rounds exceed 800, they may play Green, Red, or MPO/FPO. A player without a rating whose last 6 rounds exceed 850 rating points cannot play Green and may only play Red or MPO/FPO.
Schedule
Tournament working schedule (minor changes possible in the coming days):
| Saturday 20.12. | |
|---|---|
| 8:00 | meet up at the course, practice |
| 8:40 | players meeting, Arena (1st floor) |
| 9:05 | start of round 1 (expected duration approx. 2 hours) |
| 11:30 | lunch (self-organized or food order with extra charge) |
| 12:30 | start of round 2 |
| 14:30 | winners ceremony |
| - end-of-season disc golf banquet (sweet and savory snacks, mulled wine ...) | |
| - Secret Santa gift exchange | |
In the evening hours, there is the possibility of continuing the socializing at the Varaždin Advent (proclaimed as the best in Croatia by many).
Game format
The competition will take place in the following format:
| Round | Group formation |
|---|---|
| 1 | Groups will be formed with mixed categories and skill levels determined according to PDGA rating. We will try not to put players from the same clubs/countries together in round 1, so they can socialize through play with players they do not meet regularly. |
| 2 | Groups formed by score, without mixing categories |
Course
The 14-hole course will be set up in the forest area next to Arena Varaždin.
Temporary Disc Golf Park targets will be used.
Tee pads on all holes will be set with artificial turf carpets.
The course map will be available on this page before the tournament. For now, you can download the course map from the tournament played in 2024.
For 2025 only minor changes are planned, depending on changes in terrain (fallen trees) or updates to PDGA rules.
Since some holes usually played at Merry Forester have not been played or maintained for a year since the last tournament, it is possible that the course layout will not be identical to last year's. This depends on how demanding it will be to restore those parts of the course (holes 7 and 8 around the “island” in the farmers field, as well as the long version of hole 11 and hole 13).
Other information
Communication with participants
A WhatsApp group will be opened for communication with participants, accessible via a link sent by email.
Joining the WhatsApp group is not mandatory, but during the tournament all announcements (schedule changes, round 1 and 2 groups, etc.) will be communicated exclusively through this group.
Through this group players can also report if they are late for the players meeting, or if they lost/found something on the course.
Parking
If you are arriving by car, you can park at the Arena Varaždin parking lot (Google Maps location).
WC
Restrooms are located at several spots in the sports hall and tournament center.
Weather
You can follow the Varaždin weather forecast on Yr.no. Based on previous years, we hope for dry and cold weather, with temperatures above freezing and pleasant for play.
Photos and social media
All photos taken at the tournament will be added to a Google Photos album at the end of each day, and you may download and use them for social media.
When posting on Instagram, please use #merryforester #varazdin @lagoda_disc_golf @volim.varazdin
Additional activities
Ace Pool
All players who wish can pay 1 € in cash, which is placed in a special box.
A player who scores an ace during the tournament wins the entire Ace Pool fund. If two or more players score an ace, they share the pool. If no one scores an ace, the pool carries over to the next Lagoda tournament, and continues accumulating until paid out.
A player must pay the 1 € before the start of round 1 to participate. If a player hits an ace but did not pay before the round started, they are not eligible for the prize.
This box is filled at all Lagoda tournaments, but since an ace was scored at the last event, the box is currently empty.
Overachiever
Awarded to the player whose tournament performance is on average the most above their PDGA rating (based on current ratings on the PDGA website).
All participants with a PDGA number and active membership and at least 20 rounds included in their rating compete in this category.
Secret Santa
Registered participants will be invited to join the Secret Santa gift exchange. All who opt in will be “in the hat,” and five days before the tournament we will draw one person for each participant to bring a gift worth around 7–10 €. More details will be sent via email.
We introduced this tradition at Merry Forester 2021 and it was very well received as a fun detail to close the disc golf season.
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Tournament history
This will be the eighth edition of the tournament.
We organized Merry Forester for the first time as a series of two one-day tournaments played on 23.12.2017. and 7.1.2018., with 18 and 27 participants.
The second series was played on 8.12. and 22.12. 2018 with 20 players at both events.
The third and last time the tournament was played as two linked events was on 14.12., when world champion Paige Pierce participated, and 28.12. 2019.
After a one-year break due to Covid-19, Merry Forester returned as a standalone one-day event on 18.12.2021. with 43 participants from Croatia, Slovenia, and Austria.
The fifth edition was played on 17.12.2022. with 35 participants from Croatia, Austria, and Slovenia.
At the sixth edition in 2023, 29 players competed, coming from Austria, Croatia, and Slovenia.
At the latest, 7th edition in 2024, 51 players participated, arriving from Austria, Croatia, Slovenia, and Serbia.
