FDGA in Numbers
FDGA Member Club Membership 2009-2023
2009: 692
2010: 881
2011: 1204
2012: 1452
2013: 2116
2014: 3373
2015: 4647
2016: 5105
2017: 5358
2018: 4933 (switched to a new membership service)
2019: 5636
2020: 6518
2021: 10188
2022: 11100
2023: 11869
FDGA Membership Growth by Member Type 2018->
| 2018 | Male | 4146 |
| Female | 337 | |
| Boys | 416 | |
| Girls | 34 | |
| 2019 | Male | 4766 |
| Female | 375 | |
| Boys | 457 | |
| Girls | 38 | |
| 2020 | Male | 5283 |
| Female | 388 | |
| Boys | 806 | |
| Girls | 41 | |
| 2021 | Male | 7165 |
| Female | 507 | |
| Boys | 2468 | |
| Girls | 48 | |
| 2022 (the numbers don’t include all clubs) | Male | 7101 |
| Female | 513 | |
| Boys | 2306 | |
| Girls | 59 | |
| 2023 (the numbers don’t include all members) | Male | 7868 |
| Female | 576 | |
| Boys | 2242 | |
| Girls | 51 |
FDGA Member Clubs
2009: 14
2010: 19
2011: 24
2012: 35
2013: 53
2014: 78
2015: 95
2016: 119
2017: 139
2018: 150
2019: 163
2020: 170
2021: 179
2022: 206
2023: 207
FDGA Sanctioned Events
Note: There has been changes in Metrix in the way rounds are being calculated and in the structures of the events. There were severe restrictions for events due to covid-19 during 2020, and also some restrictions during 2021.
Finnish PDGA Members
1999: 8
2000: 4
2001: 14
2002: 11
2003: 8
2004: 12
2005: 58
2006: 107
2007: 208
2008: 284
2009: 354
2010: 428
2011: 509
2012: 579
2013: 718
2014: 1018
2015: 1620
2016: 2403
2017: 2754
2018: 2830
2019: 3096
2020: 3200
2021: 4310
2022: 4637
2023: 4562
Most Top Level Players in Finland
According to Ultiworld Disc Golf (2020), ”Finland is the leader in producing 1000+ rated players per capita”. Finland had clearly more male players with a rating of 1000+ and female players with a rating of 900+ per capita than any other nation.
Sources:
https://discgolf.ultiworld.com/2021/01/25/the-geography-of-mpo-player-ratings/
https://discgolf.ultiworld.com/2021/01/25/the-geography-of-fpo-player-ratings/
Recreational Disc Golf in Finland
Luke National outdoor survey: One-fifth of the adult population enjoys disc golf (12.5.2022)
Data was collected for the national inventory of recreational use of nature for the third time in 2019-2021. Disc golf was included in outdoor activities for the first time.
According to the study, several new outdoor activities have emerged alongside traditional outdoor activities. In addition to disc golf, the outdoor activities included in the study for the first time included, for example, cross-country or trail running and stand-up paddleboarding.
According to Luke’s study, disc golf is practiced by about 20%, or one in five of the Finnish adult population. Among 15-24-year-olds, the proportion is much higher, as much as 42%. An almost equally popular outdoor activity is cross-country or trail running (18% of the adult population).
Read the study rapport (in Finnish) here
Where Is Disc Golf Most Popular In The World? (March, 2022)
There has been an explosion in disc golf’s popularity over the last two years, and the sport’s rapid growth has been notable across the globe. UDisc took a look at which 30 nations played the most disc golf in 2021.
When ranking countries based on disc golf popularity, going solely off of total plays isn’t the best option because places with higher populations have a huge advantage. Instead, UDisc looked at which countries played the most rounds of disc golf per capita.
The outcome was that UDisc recorded most disc golf rounds per 1,000 people in Åland Islands (part of Finland) with 1,231 rounds and in Finland with 217 rounds. Third place took Norway with 198 rounds.
Ranked as the 2nd best disc golf country, Finland has 988 courses. Among these are 350 courses which have 18 or more holes.
Photo: https://udisc.com/blog/post/where-is-disc-golf-most-popular-world?fbclid=IwAR2p4_5xwIjv35e0AC_Jq9htNM3cf4rU-8FcLsIM6tLAIgfD5AQhbTQJdCQ
Research Institute for Olympic Sports – Recreational Sports in Adults (2018)
The 2018 showed that 263 000 Finnish adults play disc golf annually and 49 000 play on a weekly basis.
The average distance to a place of practice was 3,7 kilometers (2,3 miles). Nearly half of disc golfers (47 %) go to play disc golf on foot or by bicycle.
Source: https://www.urheilututkimukset.fi/web/publications/7422/
Disc Golf is a Favorite Sport in Schools
Source: Koululaiskysely 2020
Disc Golf is the Most Cost-Effective Sport for Communities
According to VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland report (2013) the overall costs per user are the lower in disc golf than in any other sport.
Source: https://issuu.com/turunliikunta/docs/liikuntapaikkasuunnitelma_2029/1?ff
Disc Golf Courses in Finland
Picture: DiscGolfPark
Source: Frisbeegolfradat.fi
A Million People are Interested in Disc Golf
According to the Sponsor Navigator 2021 survey, 700 000 adults in Finland are interested in disc golf. Combined with the school study, it is safe to say that a total of 1 million people are interested in disc golf (~20 % of the population). Out of 18-44 year olds surveyed 1 in 4 are interested in disc golf and of 18-29 year olds more than 1 in 3.