Establishment of a disc golf course in Tuusula

Disc golf is one of the fastest growing sports worldwide, and there is high demand for new places to play. In relation to population growth, it has been by far the fastest growing sport over the past decade, and there are already hundreds of thousands of active players in Finland. The sport attracts people of all ages and skill levels, including many young people and adults who often fall outside the scope of more traditional sports.

Tuusula has two disc golf courses: the competition-level (AA1 classification) Ford Discgolfpark at the Sports Centre and the Ford Amateur Discgolfpark (A1 classification) disc golf course in Ristikivi. The number of enthusiasts grew significantly during the coronavirus pandemic, and both courses are busy every day. Many enthusiasts come from Helsinki and other parts of the capital region.

Physical activity is promoted more effectively in Tuusula than in Finland on average, which is reflected in the fact that people in our municipality engage in more physical activity in their free time than in Central Uusimaa or Finland as a whole, and the proportion of people who do not engage in physical activity is the lowest among the municipalities in Central Uusimaa (Finsote 2018). The latest Tuusula municipal well-being report for 2017–2021 promises to develop opportunities for physical activity and hobbies in Tuusula. The well-being report also outlines that the Tuusula Sports Centre will be developed into the best environment and venue for independent recreation and active sports in the Helsinki region. However, the highly popular Ford Discgolfpark frisbee golf course, built in 2017 at the Sports Centre, is now being dismantled due to the expansion of Rykmentinpuisto Park.

The role of municipal leadership is crucial if physical activity is to become a key strategic choice for the municipality. Tuusula should take on an ambitious role, with the goal of becoming the number one municipality for disc golf in Finland. As a disc golf course is an easy and relatively inexpensive sports facility to acquire, our municipality should build an AA1 or AAA1-rated course when the existing course at the Sports Centre is demolished.

A new competition-level course would enable the organisation of major competitions and attract players and potential residents to visit our municipality from further afield in Finland. Disc golf tourists bring income to the area in the form of accommodation and restaurant services and strengthen the area’s position as a venue for national and international competitions. For example, the Disc Golf European Open competition held in Nokia attracts tens of thousands of spectators to the city every year and is Nokia’s largest annual public event in terms of visitor numbers.

Based on the above, I propose that steps be taken to establish a new competition-level disc golf course in the municipality.

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