“We get a lot of calls that sound too good to be real. One of the people Mats spoke with early on was Pasi Koivu, a Finnish DiscGolfPark designer who became the architect of many of Åland’s courses. For reference, it typically takes that amount of time to build just one course if the job is simple. Mats’ request was so unusual that it took our representatives a bit of time to realize he was really asking for 16 courses and not 16 holes within just a few months.
“The feeling I got when I looked at the website – I felt that these guys were professional,” Mats said. After some research, he decided to give us at DiscGolfPark a call. To get everything on his wishlist, Mats had to find a company specializing in disc golf course creation. His hope was for all 16 to be ready in just a few months – before the typical high time of Åland’s tourist season in late July and early August. Layouts that would be fun for players at various skill levels.High quality equipment and infrastructure.But he was certain Åland’s courses needed three things to make the impact he hoped for: Though Mats was championing disc golf tourism, he was no disc golf expert. Armed with his research and these arguments, Mats won the support of influential figures in Åland, and his disc golf project got the green light. That high number, he believed, would have numerous benefits: convincing disc golfers to stay multiple nights in Åland and thus spend more, creating buzz about the project in the disc golf community, and benefiting every Åland municipality by giving each one a course. Mats then created online surveys whose results suggested plenty of disc golfers would be happy to travel to Åland and stay there for multiple nights if it had enough courses to keep them busy.Ĭonvinced he had found the right activity, Mats settled on 16 courses as the total Åland should shoot for. It didn’t take much searching to figure out that nearby Finland, Sweden, and Estonia had large populations of disc golfers and that the sport’s popularity was growing rapidly worldwide – especially in Europe and North America. Next, he needed to learn whether there was much of a market for disc golf tourism. He saw an individual, outdoor sport that could be played by people of all ages and various fitness levels. Seeing groups of locals playing a disc golf course that had existed on Åland for decades was a lightbulb moment for Mats. However, the infrastructure would need to continue to benefit the Islands once the world went back to normal, too. Local businessman and data scientist Mats Adamczak believed that if the Islands created new infrastructure for an outdoor, COVID-friendly activity, it could help draw visitors to the Islands who were looking for a safe, fun getaway during the pandemic. Many Åland businesses rely heavily on tourism, and the disc golf plan emerged just as it was becoming clear how devastating the global pandemic could be to that industry. Turning your community into a disc golf tourism hot spot.Signs that Åland is and will continue benefiting from disc golf tourism.DiscGolfPark’s role in helping Åland reach its sky-high ambitions.Why Åland chose to go after disc golf tourists.For example, disc golf tourist spending covered the cost of the courses within just a few months in 2020 and disc golf was a million-euro industry for Åland in 2021. The plan first emerged in April 2020, and by late July, the Islands set a world record by opening 11 disc golf courses on the same day within just seven hours.Įven after just a year and a half, there’s plenty of evidence that shows Åland’s investment in disc golf was a great choice.
Once its mind was made up, Åland didn’t waste time.
being home to almost 70% of the world’s courses. with a similar number of residents – despite the U.S. They would also have more courses per capita than any country in the U.S. The total would give the Islands the most disc golf courses per capita of any nation in the world. The idea was that the Islands’ picturesque landscapes and near-constant sea views paired with a high density of courses would shoot the small archipelago right to the top of disc golfers’ bucket lists.
Good vibes happy little disc golf basket install#
Situated in the Baltic Sea between Sweden and Finland, Åland wanted to install 16 disc golf courses – one in each of its municipalities. In early 2020, the Åland Islands – an autonomous region of Finland with just under 30,000 residents – made a decision: They would become the world’s most attractive destination for disc golf tourists.
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