Frisbee golf courses under test
- The popularity of disc golf in Finland has grown tremendously in recent years, and courses have been slowly built in our area as well. Have you already checked out the frisbee golf courses in the Uusikaupunki area? The courses offer enjoyable exercise for people of all ages amidst beautiful nature.
Swimming Hall
Koulupolku 5
The first course built in the Uusikaupunki area starts behind the swimming hall. Due to some minor changes, the course now has eight fairways instead of the original nine. The course was intentionally built near schools and is naturally used by schoolchildren in the fall and spring.
The first two fairways are located behind the swimming hall right next to the fitness trail. After that, you need to walk along the fitness trail towards the city center. After about 400 meters, a gate appears on the left-hand side, which leads to a sandy field in the middle of the ski tunnel. The remaining six fairways are around the field. Immediately after the gate, turn left and you’ll find the third fairway.
All fairways are relatively short, less than a hundred meters long. The abundant foliage presents its own challenges in many places. All fairways are of the par 3 type, and the sixth fairway is so short that those dreaming of a hole-in-one will stop here for a longer period. The most difficult fairway is the eighth, where you throw uphill, and the basket is on top of a small hill.
Lokalahti
Tuppiluodontie 94
Frisbee golf courses under test. Lokalahti frisbee golf course is located just over a kilometer from the center of Lokalahti. You can find the map of the course in the parking lot. This is a full-length 18-fairway course where an open cliff dominates the landscape up to the halfway point. The start is uphill, and there are some elevation changes on a few faisways from here on. There are relatively few trees at the beginning, and the terrain changes more after the halfway point. The course has a nice variety, with the longest hole being 135 meters.
Jasper Heino, the best frisbee golfer in our area, comes from Lokalahti. The blue baskets blend in with the terrain in late summer. You should take advantage of the abundant blueberry patches, especially after the halfway point. If you make a bad throw, you can drown your frustration in a handful of delicious berries. The course ends near the parking lot, so the start and end are only a few tens of meters apart, as on almost all other courses.
Rairanta
Vanhakartanontie 216
Rairanta camping area has perhaps the least known frisbee golf course in our area. When you arrive at the camping area, the parking spaces for frisbee golfers are immediately on the right. After that, you have to walk across the area to the beach. A blue sign directs you to the top of the exercise stairs, where the 18-fairway course starts. The fairways are made comfortably short for regular hobbyists, but the abundant trees bring their own challenges. The shortest fairway is just over 30 meters, and the longest is exactly 100 meters.
The Mando signs with arrows show from which side the disc must pass the sign, adding a nice challenge to the game. Hole 11 even has two of these signs, and the disc must pass between them. It takes skill, of course, but they are nice additional challenges. Most of the fairways turn right, so right-handed players should master the “forehand” throw.
Pyhämaa
Mäkitarhantie 22
The Pyhämaa schoolyard is probably a landmark worth marking when looking for the Pyhämaa frisbee golf course. It starts right next to the school, on the edge of the sandpit. The starting point has beautiful sea views, and the first fairway is one that many dream of finishing under par, that is, with two throws. The first three fairways are close to each other, and there is a good chance of success right from the start. Or not.
There is a nice variation on the course when sometimes you go towards the denser forest along the running track, and in another place, you proceed on a lush meadow and can throw as far as you can and your technique allows. As with the Lokalahti course, the blueberry patches are abundant as summer turns to fall. This phenomenon is especially noticeable at the beginning; then you can focus more on the game itself. There are a few difficult fairways on the course, but mostly, even a less experienced player can get a pretty good result on a good day and with the right amount of luck.
Kalanti
Urheilutie 2
There are two courses in Kalanti, and the course near the school is called the ‘ordinary throwers’ course.’ Due to the renovation of the school, the starting point has been moved. The Frisbeegolfradat.fi website has not been updated with the new starting point. The first hole starts behind the temporary school buildings, and there are several similar fairways with a distance of less than one hundred meters and a clear fairway. The challenges get tougher around the halfway mark, with a few fairways requiring some serious throwing.
The longest fairways is 164 meters, and several turning fairways over one hundred meters are in the middle.
The course goes through the forests behind Kalanti school. The starting point is on the left side of the school, and the ending point is on the right. This was the only course where the tester threw a mid-range disc so beautifully onto a branch that it couldn’t be retrieved. Thus, a red decoration was left in a tall pine tree on the third hole.
Green Disc Golf, Kalanti
Sahantie 193
This course is called the Green Disc Golf, and it can be compared in difficulty level and aesthetics with the best courses in the country. It is a paid course, and the five-euro fee can be easily paid via MobilePay. The instructions are available online and upon arrival.
When coming from Uusikaupunki, you need to pass Kalanti’s center and the next long straight. After a small bump, there is a large sign that directs you to the left. Then it’s about a kilometer on a dirt road, and you will arrive. The course’s level is evident as soon as you step out of the car. There are a few fairways and a range, which is the only practice area in the Uusikaupunki area, on a relatively large grassy area. Practice baskets are available in several places.
If the opening throw does not carry far, many fairways can be frustrating. Here, you have to pull with all your body’s strength several times. Of course, there are fairways of about one hundred meters along the way, where the direction of the throw is more important than the length. Many fairways are longer compared to other courses in Uusikaupunki, and there is even a rarity here, such as a par 5. A fairway over 200 meters long winds in a wonderfully annoying way and requires skill to adapt to the challenges of the fairway.
Perhaps the funniest fairway is number 13, where the starting point is almost like throwing from a bird tower. You can see that this course has been invested in, and, for example, there is woodchip around the baskets to adapt the terrain. Of course, there is quite a lot of walking as the fairways are long, but the transitions between the fairways are short except for one exception. After the first fairway, you go to the right, and after hole 11, you have to walk several hundred meters to get back to the grassy area and hole 12. The remaining fairways start again on the left side of the grassy area. In total, there are 21 holes fairways, which is slightly more than the average course.
Sorvakko
Veneranta 4
The city’s own full-size disc golf course was finally opened to the delight of enthusiasts a few years ago, located in Sorvakko. The best landmark when driving is the Salmeri boat dock intersection, where there are parking spots on the left intended for those going to the fitness stairs and disc golfers. The first hole gives a hint of what’s to come. The tee pad often requires a shot between two narrow trees. The trees have taken so many hits that they are protected by boards on many fairways.
This course has perhaps the most elevation changes, which brings its own challenges. The fourth fairways descends sharply and ends up with beautiful views right by the sea. The fairways mostly bend more to the right, so lefties or those who favor a forehand shot will enjoy themselves.
Most of the course is played in the woods, with occasional forays near the golf course. Fans of open spaces will get their chance on the final holes. Walking between fairways may require more effort than usual, so expect to take plenty of steps. On the sixth hole, be careful not to go straight to the adjacent tee pad. That’s actually fairway nine, and you’ll miss a couple of fairways in between.
The course can be damp in the spring compared to others, so wear good shoes or wait for the course to dry out. There are several reasonably short fairways, but they are often sharply turning and have elevation changes. The longest hole is 143 meters, and only a few holes are over a hundred meters long.