Ace or NOT!

Quote:
Originally Posted by garublador
Quote:
Originally Posted by cc0049
Seriously,
is there an official definition out there? ...from the PDGA or something like that?

No and there probably never will be. Becauuse it's only bragging rights and because there isn't any real reason to keep track of that statistic, there probably will never be a formal definition, nor should there be.

But there is a legit reason for defining what an ace is when it comes to paying out an ace pot. I can easily see the scenario where a player re-tees for an OB and throws the re-teed disc directly into the basket and expects to be paid on the ace pot. That could get ugly if the TD hasn't previously defined the payout criteria or "what is an ace".


IMO it seems logical that an "ace" was originally meant to mean throwing the disc into the basket with only one throw. Combined with the use of terms like "birdie", "bogie", etc. all of which start counting from a tee shot, it is again logical that an "ace" means throwing the disc from the tee to the basket in one throw.

Disc golf is a game and with most games there is an element of scoring by which measure the winners and losers.

"Birdies", "pars", "bogies" all deal with the score you logged on a given hole. As such it's logical that the term "ace" should also be relative to a score on a hole.

Keeping score implies the playing of the game.

It's generally accepted that an "ace" is better than a "birdie", "eagle", or "albatross", which must mean that it's a lower score. That drives the required score for an "ace" down to a single stroke and eliminates the possibility of an "ace" on a re-tee for any reason.

Through all this logical progression it makes sense to me that the purest form of an "ace" is the first and only throw from a tee into a basket as part of a game of disc golf (as defined by the standard rules).

Websters seems to generally agree:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ace


But clearly the term "ace" has evolved as many people use phrases like "fairway ace", "practice ace", "warm-up ace", and even "empty your bag ace". IMO these are terms invented or used by those wanting to feel better about certain throws, some of which may be fantastic, but are not "real aces". "Fairway ace" is probably the most liberally egregious [mis]use of the the term "ace", as the user has determined that a second or greater throw of some random distance from the basket qualifies for memebership in the "ace" club. Given that usage example I have so many "10-meter circle aces" I've lost track.

I think a good rule of thumb is that if it didn't happen in a round of disc golf or you have to qualify your "ace" with some other word in front of it... like "practice" or "fairway", then it's not a "real" ace.