Disc golf in Finland explained

Disc golf in Finland
Union:FDGA
First:1980s[1]
Registered:2,815
National List:European Open

Disc golf (in Finnish: frisbeegolf) is a popular sport in Finland played at the recreational, club, and international competition levels.[2] [3]

Disc golf in Finland is governed by the Finnish Disc Golf Association (FDGA, Finnish: Suomen frisbeegolfliitto). Its mission is to promote the sport and to "organize disc golf activities in Finland together with its approximately 150 member organizations."[4]

Popularity

Disc golf is the fastest growing sport in Finland.[5] According to the Finnish Research Institute for Olympic Sports (KIHU), it is more popular among Finns than ball golf, volleyball, basketball and tennis.[6] The country is frequently called a model country for disc golf,[7] a Mecca,[8] and a hot bed.[9]

In June 2020, there were 2,815 active PDGA members and 2,985 expired memberships,[10] an increase from June 2015, when there were 1,434 and 686, respectively.[11]

The popularity of disc golf in Finland has been variously attributed to Jussi Meresmaa’s marketing know-how,[12] the fact that disc golf is taught in gym class curriculums, and that municipalities build courses to attract new taxpayers.[6] Finland's proximity to other disc golf hubs around the Baltic Sea, namely Estonia and Sweden, is also a factor.

Number of PDGA members at Year-End.[13]
  • Number of Courses at Year-End.[13]
  • Number of Events at Year-End.[13]

    • Courses

    Approximately 7% of the world's disc golf courses are located in Finland. Some of the most notable ones include Puijo DGP in Kuopio, Kaatis in Vihti, Pikkarala Frisbeegolf in Oulu.[14] In 2019, Helsinki topped UDisc's list of Top 5 Disc Golf Cities outside the United States.[15]

    Most courses in Finland are located in public parks or sporting areas and can be played for free. Commercial courses are generally found around sports complexes, ski resorts, spas and camping areas.[16]

    Market

    Finland is the disc golf market share leader in Europe. In 2014, Spin18 estimated the total value of the European disc golf industry to 16 million Euros, with Finland accounting for more than half of it, at around 9 million Euros.[11]

    Budget Sport, a large Finnish sports equipment retailer, sponsored the 2015 European Open and features disc golf equipment prominently in its retail stores.[11] [17]

    Manufacturers

    See also: List of disc golf brands and manufacturers. As a country, Finland has the second largest number of disc golf equipment manufacturers, second only to the United States. Major Finnish disc brands include Discmania, founded by Jussi Meresmaa in Tampere, Finland, Westside Discs, which is associated with Dynamic Discs and Latitude 64˚, Viking, Obsidian, and Prodiscus, which also manufacturers discs for Missouri-based Full Turn and Australian Fourth Circle Discs.

    Tourism

    Disc golf courses are marketed by Finnish municipalities and on tourism board websites.[18] [19] [20]

    Åland Islands

    In May 2020, Mats Adamczak [se], Åland’s Chairman for the Federation of Small Businesses, approached DiscGolfPark with the ambitious project of turning Åland into a "disc golf island" by building 16 new courses by the end of the summer, one for each municipality in the autonomous region. At the time of the press release, there were only two courses on Åland.

    [21] [22] [23] [24] [25]

    Mass media

    Coverage of disc golf tournaments is mainstream in Finland. It is not uncommon for major tournaments and local competitions to get coverage.[26] [27] [28]

    Television

    Disc golf gets frequent coverage on national television since the 2005 European Championships.[29] In 2013, the final round of the European Open aired for 90 minutes nationwide on YLE.[11]

    Podcasts

    YouTube channels

    Competitions

    Notable Finnish disc golfers

    See also

    External links

    Notes and References

    1. Web site: Tuomikoski . Mikko . Frisbeegolfin suosio kasvaa kuin nälkäinen teini – Suomi on lajin suurmaa . Yle Uutiset . 16 June 2020 . fi . 29 June 2018.
    2. Web site: Frisbeegolf-opas - Säännöt & Ohjeet Aloittelijalle . Veikkausbonukset.com . 16 June 2020 . fi.
    3. Web site: Disc Golf in Finland (2017) - The SpinTV . YouTube . 16 June 2020.
    4. Web site: Briefly in English . Suomen frisbeegolfliitto . 16 June 2020.
    5. Web site: Dahlström . Sebastian . Swish genom luften och klirr i kedjorna - frisbeegolf är Finlands snabbast växande idrottsgren . svenska.yle.fi . 16 June 2020 . sv-FI . 12 July 2019.
    6. Web site: Toivonen . Kari . Now it is Official – Disc Golf is Enormously Popular in Finland . Parked . 16 June 2020 . en . 12 August 2019.
    7. Web site: Suomi – frisbeegolfin mallimaa . Frisbeegolfradat.fi . 16 June 2020 . fi . 16 February 2015.
    8. Web site: Woods . Josh . The Nordic Anomaly: Finland as a Disc Golf World Leader . Parked . 16 June 2020 . en . 10 November 2017.
    9. Web site: Öhberg . Tony . Finland Is a Hotbed of Disc Golf . Finland Today News in English finlandtoday.fi . 16 June 2020.
    10. Web site: PDGA Player Search - Finland . Professional Disc Golf Association . 16 June 2020 . en.
    11. Web site: Parcell . Zach . Want disc golf to grow? Follow Finland's lead . All Things Disc Golf . 16 June 2020 . 16 June 2015.
    12. Web site: DiscGolfPark . Spin18 . 16 June 2020.
    13. Web site: PDGA and Disc Golf Demographics . Professional Disc Golf Association . 11 February 2009 . 20 June 2020 . en.
    14. Web site: Williamson . Alex. World's Best Disc Golf Courses: #1-#100. Release Point. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200616151057/https://udisc.com/blog/post/worlds-best-disc-golf-courses-1-100 . 2020-06-16 . 2020-02-08.
    15. Web site: Williamson . Alex . Top 5 Disc Golf Cities — International: #1 Helsinki, Finland . Release Point - The UDisc Blog . 16 June 2020.
    16. Web site: Case Finland . DiscGolfPark . 16 June 2020.
    17. Web site: Näin valitset frisbeegolfkiekon . Budget Sport . 16 June 2020 . fi.
    18. Web site: Frisbeegolf . www.salo.fi . 20 June 2020 . fi.
    19. Web site: Frisbeegolf . Oulun kaupunki - www.ouka.fi . 16 June 2020 . fi-FI . 20 April 2017.
    20. Web site: Exercise benefits everyone in Finland . thisisFINLAND . 16 June 2020 . 23 January 2014.
    21. Web site: Mäki . Ville . Åland Islands To Become Ambitious Disc Golf Destination Between Swedish And Finnish Coasts . Ultiworld Disc Golf . 16 June 2020 . 12 May 2020.
    22. Web site: Turning Åland into Disc Golf Island . Discmania Store . 16 June 2020 . 12 May 2020.
    23. Web site: 16 Courses. 4 Months. 1 Island Dream . PDGA . 11 March 2021 . 29 May 2020.
    24. Web site: All In On Disc Golf: Åland Islands' 16 Course Gamble . UDisc . 11 March 2021 . 15 July 2020.
    25. Web site: World-record Disc Golf Course Project (Åland Disc Golf Park) is live! . Discmania Youtube . 11 March 2021 . 28 July 2020.
    26. Web site: Toivonen . Timo . Suomeen voitto frisbeegolfin ammattilaiskiertueelta – nelinkertainen maailmanmestari kaatui Yhdysvalloissa . Ilta Sanomat . 16 June 2020 . fi . 4 March 2019.
    27. Web site: Niemeläinen . Jonne . Nyt tehtiin frisbeegolfin historiaa: Eveliina Salonen voitti ammattilaiskiertueen osakilpailun Yhdysvalloissa . yle.fi . 16 June 2020 . fi . 4 March 2019.
    28. Web site: Manner . Santtu . 19-vuotias suomalaislupaus otti historiallisen voiton suuressa frisbeegolf-turnauksessa – kaatoi nelinkertaisen maailmanmestarin . mtvuutiset.fi . 16 June 2020 . fi . 3 March 2019.
    29. Web site: Disc Golf European 2015 - Finnish YLE TV2 National TV Broadcast (International simulcast) . YouTube . 16 June 2020.
    30. Web site: Disc Golf Finland . YouTube . 16 June 2020 . en.
    31. Web site: YouTube . www.youtube.com . 16 June 2020 . fi.
    32. Web site: SkyBlue Disc Golf . YouTube . 16 June 2020 . en.
    33. Web site: Natural Born Disc Golfer . www.youtube.com . 16 June 2020 . fi.
    34. Web site: Frisbeegolf Ruka . YouTube . 16 June 2020 . en.
    35. Web site: frisbeegolfradat . YouTube . 16 June 2020 . en.
    36. Web site: Players - Disc Golf Metrix . Disc Golf World Tour . 16 June 2020.
    37. Web site: Williamson . Alex . Solid Finnish: Salonen & Stoor Are Big News In Finland . Release Point - The UDisc Blog . 16 June 2020 . 6 March 2019.

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