In early 2020, the \u00c5land Islands \u2013 an autonomous region of Finland with just under 30,000 residents \u2013 made a decision: They would become the world’s most attractive destination for disc golf tourists. Situated in the Baltic Sea between Sweden and Finland, \u00c5land wanted to install 16 disc golf courses \u2013 one in each of its municipalities. 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.<\/p>\n
The total would give the Islands the most disc golf courses per capita of any nation in the world. They would also have more courses per capita than any country in the U.S. with a similar number of residents \u2013 despite the U.S. being home to almost 70% of the world’s courses. <\/a>Once its mind was made up, \u00c5land didn’t waste time. 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.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n