How Finland Has Become a Hotbed for Disc Golf

Disc golf and woods, woods and disc golf. They were meant for each other. One such location where you can find an abundance of both of these things is Finland. They have seen a steady rise in course implementation, PDGA events, and PDGA membership since the early 2000s. Their numbers are so high that they currently hold the record for the most disc golf courses per capita. They have over 800 courses for nearly 5.5 million people (that’s one course for every 6,875 people). They also have more disc golf courses than ball golf. How did this little Nordic country become such a hotbed for disc golf? It’s multifaceted. But let’s start out with a chart compiled by DiscGolfPark.

While you can see disc golf has steadily grown throughout the 2000s, it has skyrocketed since the 2010s. Let’s take a journey back to see how we got here.

History and Jussi Meresmaa

Finland has had disc golf courses for decades. Players were typically recreational and the country viewed the sport as a leisurely hobby. The competitive side of the sport was centered in the USA and the Finnish population was mostly unaware of its existence.

Fast forward to the early 2000s and Finnish professional Timo Pursio becomes a big name on the international disc golf scene. He was a 10-time Finnish National Champion as well as having a top 15 world ranking during the prime of his career. He introduced a country to the world scene and paved the way for a Finnish disc golfer with business sense to step into the spotlight.

Enter Jussi Meresmaa. Meresmaa is the founder and current CEO of Discmania. He has dedicated himself to the growth of the company for years and has headquarters in Finland as well as the USA. His disc golf journey started in 1994 when Meresmaa was introduced to disc golf by a friend. He started playing daily and quickly improved his skills. By 2000 he was winning national and international titles but disc golf wasn’t paying the bills. He went to business school and then decided to combine his two passions. In 2001 he created his first disc golf company and in 2006 the Discmania brand was born. This brand has continued to grow with the sport as it has sponsored players all over Europe and the USA including Eagle McMahon and Simon Lizotte.

Beyond Discmania, Meresmaa’s biggest contribution to the sport may just be in course design. His company DiscGolfPark (by Discmania and headquartered in Finland) has implemented over 580 courses around the world including installations in Canada, the USA, Europe, and Australia. Meresmaa himself has designed over 80 courses around the globe since 1998. These range from easy tracks for beginners to championship-level courses for PDGA Major Events. One of his crowning achievements is designing the Tampere Disc Golf Center in Finland. Championship-level courses in Finland have a distinctive woods feel where decision making and shot-shaping are imperative.

In 2005, Finnish national television aired the final 9 of the European Championship (also created by Meresmaa). This marked a change in disc golf culture in Finland. Prior to this moment, disc golf was seen as an “activity.” After this moment disc golf was held up as a sport. People were taking notice.

Organization and the FDGA

One key aspect of growth in Finland is their organization and dedication to research. The Finnish Research Institute For Olympic Sports conducted a survey of participation rates amongst its population. They surveyed 3,241 people aged 15 to 74 and here is what they found:

• 4,120,906 adults live in Finland and 263,000 of those people play disc golf at least once a year (that’s more than 6% of the population)
• Of the 263,000 players who play at least once a year, 35.7% are women
• Of the 263,000 annual players, 18.6% play at least once a week

Finland has adopted disc golf to the point where it has its own governing body, the FDGA (Finnish Disc Golf Association). Its mission is to promote the sport and to “organize disc golf activities in Finland together with its approximately 150 member organizations.” The FDGA is very active in the country and strives to offer fun, engaging, and organized events to its population. According to an article from the PDGA:

“The Finnish Disc Golf Association (FDGA) has promoted disc golf as a professional competitive sport for two decades by taking step after step along with other established sports. A lot of effort has gone into ensuring quality at all tournaments from national championships all the way to local C-tiers. All official tournaments in Finland are sanctioned by the FDGA and by the PDGA, and all players require a national license (which includes a PDGA membership.)”

Location, Location, Location

Finland is home to roughly 49 million acres of forestland of which 26 million acres are privately owned. This leaves over 23 million acres of public land. Finland has a population of 5.5 million people in a space roughly the size of Montana. Finland encourages its people as well as visitors to get out and enjoy the great outdoors. They have adopted a moniker called “Jokamiehen oikeudet” or “The Everyman’s Rights.” The sentiment behind this is the general public’s right to roam the countryside, forage, fish with a line and rod, and enjoy the recreational use of natural areas. Finland has a will to spend time in the great outdoors and has the land to do so. This is the perfect combination for a disc golfing community.

Because of this land and over 800 courses in the country, people are never far away from a course. The average distance players have to travel to a course is only 2.3 miles.

School Curriculum

The youth are the future. If this moniker holds true then watch out for Finland in the future of competitive disc golf. Finland has a national action program entitled “Schools on the Move.” This is implemented in 90% of municipalities and in comprehensive schools. Disc golf has become a popular activity for schools adopting this program as disc golf courses are within close proximity to schools. The stated goal for this program is “to increase physical activity and decrease sedentary time among school-aged children.” This introduction of disc golf to youth has created a generation of incredible talent. Once COVID settles down, keep an eye out for some of these young touring players from Finland as they come stateside:

• MPO
  • Väinö Mäkelä #59635- 1036 Rating (22 years old)
  • Jesse Nieminen #58923- 1026 Rating (22 years old)
  • Niklas Anttila #91249- 1026 Rating (20 years old)
  • Lauri Lehtinen #82297- 1020 Rating (19 years old)
• FPO
  • Eveliina Salonen #64927- 973 Rating (22 years old)
  • Henna Blomroos #59227- 963 Rating (21 years old)

Conclusion

Finland is a prime example of what disc golf can become when adopted on a national level. Disc golf can be woven into the fabric of society and become a wealth of health and goodness for generations. We are seeing this in Finland. Finland has become a hotbed for disc golf for many reasons. These include location and access to natural areas, a will to spend time outdoors, the FDGA, key figures including Jussi Meresmaa, and teaching disc golf in schools. Kippis(“Cheers” in Finnish) to you and a bright future in disc golf Finland!