Finland
Åland Islands
About
Among the thousands of islands, rocks and skerries in this unique archipelago is the world’s largest disc golf park. Paddle to a course, island hop or simply go off grid and embrace the peace and tranquility.
Gallery
Why Visit?
Tourists have been coming to these islands for years to discover a slice of paradise that’s free of crowds. It’s a part of the world where you can unwind in relative solitude. Aside from disc golf, there's hiking, biking, kayaking and exploring this archipelago made up of 6700 islands. From medieval castles, microbreweries and of course saunas with a view, Åland offers up a special journey you may only do once in your lifetime. When disc golf began to take off globally after Covid, the Åland Islands seized upon a tourism opportunity and this unique park was born. Here you can play with no one else on the course, soak up the spectacular views across the archipelago but still be able to tee off late into a summer evening in the land of the midnight sun.
Things to Do
Exploring the islands using disc golf as your compass is a great way to organise your itinerary and journey around the Åland Islands. There's plenty of trails you can hike or bike and some are not far from a disc golf course. The Grottstigen Cave Trail is a round trip hike through caves and past tranquil bays. Because the islands are relatively flat, it’s a good place to get around on a bike and it’s one of the most popular ways to explore. There’s the Åland Archipelago Trail taking in bridges and flat red granite roads with ferry hopping. Kayaking these islands is a great way to see their true beauty from the water or try a Nordic cycle of cold plunging with a hot scene sauna in Mariehamn harbour. There’s plenty of history to discover in the Åland Islands, from the Pommern ship and Aland Maritime Museum through to the medieval castle Kastelholm Castle close to the cute and cosy capital of Mariehamn.
Sample the local ales at the Stallhagen microbrewery after a round at the Stallhagen DiscGolfPark course. In the last weekend of July, the islands host Europe’s largest Viking Markets with 10,000 people descending on Åland. There are viking reenactments, crafts, food and entertainment held over the weekend at the Saltvik Viking Market in Kvarnbo. Saltvik is about a 25-minute drive northeast of the main town of Mariehamn. In September there’s the annual Skördfesten Harvest Festival. It’s a chance to sample local produce and eat the island’s delicacies including Ålandspannkaka - a local pancake.
Where to Play
The creation of this park was to foster disc golf tourism. It was a case of build it and they will come from data scientist Mats Adamczak. When he pitched the idea of 16 disc golf courses across the Åland Islands, Discmania got confused and had to double check that he wasn’t talking about holes rather than courses because the idea sounded bonkers. But now his dream has seen the creation of the largest disc golf park in the world. And with so much choice, you can afford to be picky. Vesterkalmare Disc Golf Centre is reviewed as the hardest course and close to the main town of Mariehamn.
Lappo DiscGolfPark is the course that has the beautiful images of a basket sitting precariously on rocks beside the water. Lappo is a course and an island where you can ferry across and stay and eat and play disc golf not from where the boat docks.
Soltuna Disc Golf Park is ranked number two on UDisc for the Åland courses. Plus, camping nearby if you want to stay in the area. If you visit Kastelholm Castle, the Kastelholm DiscGolfPark, ranked number three on the UDisc, is nearby.
