Travelers to the PDGA Professional Disc Golf World Championships in September will have an extra day to see if the iconic foliage of Vermont turns early.

The PDGA Board of Directors has decided to augment the Pro Worlds format for 2018 and beyond by extending the event to five rounds, it announced today. The move first takes effect when players descend upon Smugglers’ Notch Resort in Jeffersonville, Vermont, with singles play now running from Wednesday, Sept. 5 through Sunday, Sept. 9.

PDGA Director of Operations Mike Downes said the addition of an extra round will allow for more flexibility in dealing with inclement weather. He and the Board both pointed to 2017’s Pro Worlds in Augusta, Georgia, when a 92-minute lightning delay put the final round in peril. Without another day to complete competition, world champions would have been decided based on play in earlier rounds.

“It was right then that we realized there needed to be a change,” Downes said. “It was recognized almost right away by the players and organizers of the event.”

Downes also said that player feedback was integral to the decision. Pro Worlds had traditionally been comprised of five or six rounds prior to 2017 but shifted to last year’s four-round format after it became an Open and Open Women’s-only affair. With some competitors wanting more golf to decide a champion, a move back to five rounds finds some middle ground. There will be a cut to the field after round four.

The extended format should make the event more enticing to potential hosts as well, Downes said.

“Once we started to discuss it – the Majors and the NT committee – we recognized all of the other benefits of the extra day, which is providing extra exposure for the sponsors and another day of economic impact for the host community,” Downes said.

Pro Worlds Tournament Director Jeff Spring acknowledged that while some players might be disappointed in the quick change back to a longer format, others will rejoice as the “uniqueness” of the event returns.

Regardless, he said he’s excited at the prospect of a cut and final round, and that he and his staff at Smugglers’ Notch have big plans in store: The resort’s annual Fall Fest will take place in conjunction with the event and will feature live music, a craft beer and cider festival, glow rounds, a poker night, and a host of other recreational opportunities.

“The way we’re planning it is to be hopefully the climax of the season and a celebration of disc golf,” Spring said. “In my view, I like the position of Worlds in August or mid-August how it used to be – or even a little after...You’re building up to this. It’s not an early Major – this is a culmination of your season. I think people will be preparing for this event the whole year.”

Special lodging packages for the event are now available, and Spring encouraged both players and fans to plan their trips early before the resort sells out.

Reigning PDGA World Champion Ricky Wysocki said he welcomed the move back to a longer tournament. His 2016 title in Emporia, Kansas, spanned five rounds and a final nine, while his 2017 triumph fell under the four-round format. Extra rounds make training more intense, he said, while also keeping within the sport’s traditions.

“I think the fact that Worlds is at five rounds definitely makes it feel more like a world championship,” Wysocki said. “Even when I won when it was shortened, it just didn’t feel right because we were used to having a marathon of five, six rounds.”

The statement from the Board, which collaborated closely with the Majors/NT Committee in making the decision, reads as follows: