Finland, the Discgolf country

Every discgolfer knows that Finland and the USA are countries that are promised to discgolf. Discgolf has become very popular here, which is why these places are now very popular with discgolf enthusiasts and host some of the best tournaments in the world. Today we’ll take a look at what discgolf is like in Finland and where to go if you want to go on a discgolf road trip, for example. So let’s get to it.

To begin, when you arrive at a Finnish course, don’t expect it to be just a walk in the park. On the one hand, Finnish courses are beautiful, often located in beautiful countryside, but they can be very tricky and challenging. And that’s exactly why the Finns are also some of the best players in the world. They train on very difficult courses. 

A typical Finnish hole looks something like this: long par three that is about 130 meters long with trees everywhere. When I asked Kryštof Novák on our trip, he said that the hole looks like it was created by the Finns just going into the woods, cutting down a few trees to create a fairway, throwing in a tee shot and a basket, and boom, the hole is there. It has to be said that the fairway is often very narrow. It’s fun to play these holes, but you just can’t be angry of taking a big score sometimes.

If you happen to forget to bring your discs, it’s okay. Just go to a bigger grocery store and you’ll find this:

You can find Discgolf everywhere. You can even find discs in the sweets section of the grocery store. 

There are 850 courses in Finland (to 2022), and some cities have several. In comparison, there are over 100 in the Czech Republic. Despite the fact that there are so many courses in Finland, it often happens that you arrive at the course and have to wait in a line for throwing. Queues at the teepads are nothing new in Finland. Even in the middle of the working day. There are a lot of people playing disc golf here, especially young people. According to one study in 2020, 28% of Finnish students said discgolf is their hobby. 

Discgolf courses

Now, let’s take a look at a few of the courses Finland has to offer. When you click on the name of the course you will be redirected to the UDisc. 

Talin Frisbeegolfpuisto – Helsinki

This 18-hole course is located just outside the centre of Helsinki. It is quite challenging and technical and most of it is played in the woods. The very first hole is a 240m par five and the second is a 75m, triple mando for a change in accuracy. Both accuracy and distance come in handy on this course. It’s generally very entertaining, though it won’t let you sleep for a while.

Pirkkala DiscgolfPark – Pirkkala

Pirkkala DiscgolfPark is located near the city of Tampere. It is a forest eighteen-hole course that is rather shorter and technical. There are a lot of narrow holes and you definitely can’t play it without hitting a tree.

On this course, you could see that the Finns had put in the work. There were various walkways, stairs, elevated teepads, etc.

Vihiojan Frisbeepuisto – Tampere

It is a nine-hole course in a city park. The holes were rather shorter and open. When we played this course, it was really crowded and there was often a wait.

Tampere Discgolf Center

Tampere Discgolf Center could be considered as a discgolf paradise. It has perhaps only two drawbacks – in summer it is hard not to be eaten by mosquitoes and it is also hard not to get lost here. The course has multiple layouts and ways to play. There is also a discgolf shop next to the course, so you can buy some discs there as a souvenir.

The holes are often long, wooded, and difficult to fight the slope. Often the basket is placed on a hill, other times the fairway is quite uneven and drives tend to go off it. The holes are very challenging. Therefore, I would recommend the course to more experienced players, as beginners might struggle on it.

Jussi Meresmaa presented his vision at the meeting before the European Open 2022. He would like to see a World Championship played in Finland, on two courses – Tampere Discgolf Center and The Beast (Nokia, the course where the European Open major is played). I don’t think that would be bad at all, do you? We’ll see if it works out.

Nokia Discgolfpark

This is the place where the famous major – the European Open – takes place. It is a traditional tournament that attracts players from all over the world to compete against each other on a course called The Beast. You can already tell by the name that this is no easy course. The Beast will torment you with long, accurate throws in the open, as well as more technical and accurate ones in the tree line.

Many players claim that this is one of the best tournaments in the world and that it is usually better prepared than most major American tournaments. While it is difficult to get on the player list, there is usually a traditional amateur tournament about a week before the major. Alternatively, one can volunteer to help with the smooth running of the tournament. And if not even that, it can be a great vacation. Watching the best play live is quite different than watching a live stream online. You can directly breathe in the amazing atmosphere and the drama that this tournament brings.

Our Czech team also went to the European Open this year (2022). Four of us as players (Eliška Bártková, Bohdan Bílek, Jakub Semerád and Kryštof Novák), three of us as observers (Nikol Moravcová, Réza Kahudová and Jan studnička) and one volunteer and observer (Petr Mrázek).

But The Beast is only built once a year, for the European Open. If you went there today, you’d find a small nine-hole course.

Mukkula Discgolfpark – Lahti

The course contains 36 fixed holes (2×18 hole layout). It was built on a golf course, so some of the fairways are park-like and there are bunkers. There are long open holes as well as technical woodland holes.

Summary

Finland is simply beautiful and I believe that if you went there for discgolf, you would not be bored for a moment. The courses here are varied but also very challenging. If you have the opportunity to visit Finland, I wouldn’t hesitate for a second to be you. I myself hope to go back there again soon and regain the amazing discgolf atmosphere.