Pimeän ja kylmän ajan frisbeegolf vaatii varautumista erityisesti valaistuksen ja varusteiden osalta. Otsalamput ja LED-valot ovat hyödyllisiä kiekon ja maaston valaisemisessa, ja hehkuvat kiekot tuovat peliin oman ainutlaatuisen tunnelmansa sekä helpottavat kiekon löytämistä pimeässä. Lisäksi kiekkoihin voi kiinnittää esim. lahjapaketoinnissa käytettävää ohutta nauhaa, jonka avulla ne voi paikantaa helpommin, vaikka kiekko uppoaisi lumeen.

Valitse lämpimät, sääolosuhteisiin sopivat vaatteet ja kirkkaan värisiä kiekkoja, jotka erottuvat myös lumessa. Liukkailla radoilla turvallisuus korostuu, joten varmista hyvä pito kengillä, joilla vältyt liukastumisilta. Monet käyttävät keskitalvella nastakenkiä. Talvella on hyvä opetella heittämään paikaltaan, jos taito ei ole muuten hallussa.

Talvikaudella ratojen ylläpito voi olla puutteellisempaa, ja osa radoista saattaa olla jopa suljettuina. Joillakin paikkakunnilla on kuitenkin erityisiä talviolosuhteisiin sovitettuja ratoja, joissa pelaaminen voi jatkua myös kylminä kuukausina.

Pelituntumaa voi myös ylläpitää sisäharjoittelulla tai talven aikana järjestettävillä turnauksilla. Säännöllinen fyysinen aktiivisuus, kuten kävely tai muu liikunta, auttaa pysymään hyvässä kunnossa, mikä tekee kevätkauden aloittamisesta mukavampaa.

Hehkuvat glow-kiekot (vaatii UV-valon)

Glow-kiekkoja on paljon erilaisia eri valmistajilta. MVP:n, Axiomin ja Kastaplastin valmistamat glow-muovit ovat kokemuksemme mukaan kaikkein hehkuvimpia.

Tutustu valtavaan glow-kiekkovalikoimaanne!

UV-lamppu “lataa” glow-kiekon

Myös muut kuin rajoitetun saatavuuden MVP Disc Sports UV-taskulamppumme sopivat tarkoitukseen.

Hohtavat glow-kiekot pysyvät hohtavina pidempään kun ne lataa UV-lampulla. Paketissa tulee mukana 3 kpl AAA paristoja.

Koska varastomme on tällä hyvin rajallinen, laitoimme alle napin Google-hakuun, jolla voit etsiä vastaavia käyttötarkoitukseen soveltuvia UV-taskulamppuja.

Kiekon pohjaan teipattavat LED-valot (värit: sininen, vihreä, punainen ja valkoinen)

Yhdessä MVP:n lediliuskassa on kolme pientä lediä per liuska. Helposti kiekkoon kiinnitettävä ja erittäin kevyt, painaa vain n. 3 grammaa – ei vaikuta suuresti kiekon lentorataan. Liuskan voi sammuttaa ja kytkeä uudelleen päälle. Siinä on kolme toimintoa: vilkkuva, tiheämmin vilkkuva ja jatkuvasti palava valo.

Kokemuksemme mukaan kiinnitys kannattaa tehdä sisätiloissa käyttäen kirkasta pakkausteippiä puhtaan ja kuivan kiekon pintaan. Valo näkyy läpinäkyvästä kiekosta parhaiten.

Myyntipakkaus sisältää yhden lediliuskan.

Putterisetit talvikauden harjoitteluun

Puttaamista kannattaa harjoitella samanlaisilla kiekoilla. Tämä viiden kiekon setti on omiaan puttausharjoitteluun. Setin hinta on matalampi kuin ostamalla kiekot yksittäin.

Jos et löydä valikoimastamme mieleistäsi settiä, voit pyytää meiltä tarjouksen. 

Discmania säilytti paikkansa suosituimpana valmistajana vuoden 2024 ensimmäisellä neljänneksellä. Axiom Discs otti kovan rynnistyksen Eaglen ja Simonin nimikkokiekkojen julkaisun myötä. Jos Axiom Discsilla ja MVP Disc Sportsilla olisi enemmän tuotantokapasiteettia, myyntiä tulisi enemmänkin. Laukkuvalmistaja GRIPeq on vahvasti mukana kiekkovalmistajien joukossa ja otti kolmannen paikan suositumpien merkkien joukossa.

Suosituimmat frisbeegolfvalmistajat Q1/2024

Suosituimmat frisbeegolftuotteet Q1/2024

GRIPeq:n Chris Dickersonin AX5 ja hieman pienempi GRIPeq BX3 saavuttivat kaksi kärkipaikkaa eniten myytyjen tuotteiden joukossa. Eaglen ylivakaa putteri Prism Proto Envy Rebirth oli myydyin kiekkomme. Tämä oli Eaglen ensimmäinen signaturekiekko MVP Disc Sportsin talliin liityttyään. On mielenkiintoista, että toiseksi myydyin yksittäinen kiekko oli Eaglen viimeinen Discmania-kiekko Swirl S-line Cloud Breaker.

Katso suosituimmat draiverit, väylädraiverit, midarit ja putterit verkkokaupassamme.

When you play with people who have been playing disc golf for a while, you hear the slang associated with the sport. Understable and overstable are key terms describing the flight of a disc golf disc. When a right-handed player throws a backhand shot, the disc tends to turn to the left before falling to the ground. The more the disc tends to turn to the left on a right-handed backhand throw, the more overstable it is said to be. If you are right-handed and throw a sidearm throw, the disc tends to turn to the right. The situation is the same for a left-handed backhand throw. These terms are by no means scientific, but they are well established in international usage.

Overstable Disc Golf Discs

Throwing an overstable disc requires good technique and a high speed, so they are best suited to skilled players who can throw hard. For them, the overstable disc offers greater reliability in varying weather conditions; it can even be thrown into strong headwinds with predictable behaviour. It should also be noted that if you throw hard enough, you can also turn the overstable disc over, i.e. to the right in the case of a right-handed backhand throw. For example, Simon Lizotte was able to turn over a Discmania PD2 while still playing for Discmania. Our general recommendation is that beginners do not need overstable disc golf discs.

Understable Disc Golf Discs

Understable discs are easier to throw, especially for beginners, because they do not turn to the left as strongly as overstable discs when thrown right-handed and therefore they fly further. It should also be noted that even the most understable discs will turn to the left in a right-handed backhand throw if thrown at a low enough speed. Understable discs are also suitable for more experienced and skilful players for choosing different throwing lines. Generally speaking, understable discs work better upwind than downwind, because the headwind makes the disc fly faster relative to the ground.

How to Identify Understable vs. Overstable Discs

The flight numbers on a disc golf disc are the numbers that are often printed on the top of the disc. If the stability value (turn) of the disc is low, the disc is understable. The lower the value of the turn is, the more understable the disc is said to be. At the time of writing, the most understable discs have the value -5 for turn. Similarly, a high turn value is associated with the term overstable.

Using the advanced search in our online shop, you can limit our product range to putters and approach reels suitable for beginners, for example, according to the store or online shop availability you choose.

Tip: read our article on flight numbers and characteristics of disc golf discs if you want to know more about flight numbers.

Innova, the developer of the modern disc golf disc and a major disc golf manufacturer, developed the disc golf flight numbers to define how disc golf discs roughly behave. Most other manufacturers have also adopted this way of defining disc golf discs. Although the flight number method developed by Innova is not a scientifically accurate way of telling the flight characteristics of a disc, it gives a fairly good idea of the flight and is well established practice in disc golf.

Disc golf flight numbers are divided into four categories: speed, glide, turn and fade. These numbers are used by most manufacturers to describe the flight of the disc. We explain the categories of flight numbers in more detail below. All our sales staff in our stores are experts in disc golf and will be happy to help you. So you don’t have to learn this theory to get the right disc golf discs for you. Of course, understanding the characteristics and differences between disc golf discs will help you to learn and improve in the sport.

Tip: you can use our advanced product search to browse frisbee golf discs by their flight numbers.

Disc Golf Flight Numbers: Speed, Glide, Turn, and Fade

Speed, Values 1-14

Disc golf discs are rated for speeds from 1 to 14. The higher the number, the faster the disc, i.e. in the lower and more air-penetrating it is. Putters are at the lower end of the flight range (1-3), mids or approach discs in the middle range (3-5), followed by fairway drivers (6-8) and finally drivers (9-14). The numbers, like the whole system, are indicative and should not be interpreted too closely.

It is worth noting that in order to throw the fastest drivers as described by their flight numbers, you have to be able to throw really hard. For this reason, we do not recommend the fastest discs for beginners. When thrown slowly, all fast drivers behave more overstable than their flight numbers indicate. Speed 14 drivers are very shallow and have the longest wing length allowed by PDGA technical rules. The fastest disc golf discs have less drag than the slower discs. Theoretically, faster discs are more likely to fly better into headwind, but they are also more prone to throwing angle errors. Slower discs need to be thrown harder, but are easier to control.

Glide, Values 1-7

Glide describes the ability of the disc to maintain altitude during flight. Well gliding discs are generally best for beginners, because they fly easier and also further. High glide discs are also more prone to wind. Discs with less glide are generally more controllable when there is a lot of wind.

Turn, Values -5-1

The stability number of a disc golf disc describes its tendency to turn over or tilt to the right (in the case of a right-handed backhand throw) at the beginning of the flight. Turn is also referred to as high-speed turn. For this reason, stability value is most crucial during the initial part of the disc’s flight.

A disc with a stability of +1 resists what is known as turning over the most, while a disc with a stability of -5 will turn over the most. Discs that turn more are easier for beginners to throw and are also called understable discs. If a disc turns over too much during a throw, it is an undesirable trait, and it’s advisable to try a disc with a higher stability value. Discs that turn less are more accurate in windy conditions and are also called overstable discs.

Skilled players can utilise the stability value of a disc for various throwing lines. Rollers are one way to easily utilise discs that turn over quickly. Discs with low stability values, ranging from -3 to -5, are well-suited for rollers.

Fade, Values 0-5

Fade describes the tendency of the disc to turn left (for a right-handed backhand thrower) at the end of its flight. A disc with a fade of 0 will fly the straightest. Especially for beginners, it’s easier to throw discs with low fade values straight. A disc with a fade of 5 will turn sharply at the end of its flight. Discs with high fade values fly more predictably into headwinds, and such discs can be more easily used for high hyzer shots.

How to Consider Disc Golf Flight Numbers When Buying a Disc?

Don’t focus too much on flight numbers. It’s best to try out a few different discs yourself and use the ones that feel best for you. If you ask our store experts, they will gladly assist you and recommend disc golf discs that are sure to be good choices. You can also call any of our stores for guidance.

Tip: Also, read our article on Understable and Overstable Disc Golf Discs.

Disc Golf Pro Tour (DGPT) on ammattilaistason frisbeegolfkiertue, joka perustettiin vuonna 2016. Se on lajin korkeatasoisin kiertue, ja se houkuttelee parhaita pelaajia ympäri maailmaa. Disc Golf Pro Tour on merkittävä tekijä frisbeegolfin suosion kasvussa. Kiertue tarjoaa korkeatasoisia kilpailuita ja houkuttelee parhaita pelaajia ympäri maailmaa. DGPT on myös nostanut frisbeegolfin ammattilaisuuden tasoa ja parantanut pelaajien palkintorahoja.

Suomalaisista kiertueelle on osallistunut useampi frisbeegolfia ammatikseen pelaava pelaaja. Esimerkiksi kauden 2024 alussa Eveliina Salonen voitti Chess.com Invitationalin Floridassa 23.-25.2.2024 ja Niklas Anttila sijoittui toiseksi Prodigy Presents Wacossa 7.-10.3.2024.

Kauden 2024 DGPT-kilpailukalenteri

Helmikuu:

• 16.-18.2.2024 All-Star Weekend, Brooksville, FL, USA
• 23.-25.2.2024 Chess.com Invitational, Brooksville, FL, USA

Maaliskuu:

• 7.-10.3.2024 Prodigy Presents WACO, Waco, TX, USA
• 15.-17.3.2024 The Open at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
• 21.-24.3.2024 United States Women’s Disc Golf Championships, Austin, TX, USA (Major)
• 29.-31.3.2024 Texas State Disc Golf Championships, Houston, TX, USA

Huhtikuu:

• 12.-14.4.2024 Play It Again Sports Jonesboro Open, Jonesboro, AR, USA
• 19.-21.4.2024 Music City Open, Nashville, TN, USA
• 25.-28.4.2024 PDGA Champions Cup, Morton, IL, USA (Major)

Toukokuu:

• 3.-5.2024 Dynamic Discs Open, Emporia, KS, USA
• 3.-5.5.2024 Belgian Open, Braine-l’Alleud, Belgia
• 10.-12.5.2024 Copenhagen Open, Tanska
• 17.-19.5.2024 OTB Open, Stockton, CA, USA
• 30.5.-2.6. Portland Open, Portland, OR, USA
• 31.5.-2.6. Norway Open, Tönsberg, Norja

Kesäkuu:

• 7.-9.6.2024 Beaver State Fling, Estacada, OR, USA
• 7.-9.6.2024 Heinola Open, Suomi
• 14.-16.6.2024 Turku Open, Suomi
• 21.-23.6.2024 Preserve Championship, Clearwater, MN, USA
• 21.-23.6.2024 Ale Open, Nol, Ruotsi
• 28.-30.6.2024 Swedish Open, Borås, Ruotsi

Heinäkuu:

• 5.-7.7.2024 Trubank Des Moines Challenge, Des Moines, IA, USA
• 12.-14.7.2024 Krokhol Open, Oslo, Norja
• 18.-21.7.2024 European Open, Nokia ja Tampere, Suomi (Major)
• 26.-28.7.2024 European Disc Golf Festival, Tallinna, Viro

Elokuu:

• 1.-4.8.2024 Ledgestone Open, Peoria, IL, USA
• 2.-4.8.2024 Järva Open x Tyyni, Tukholma, Ruotsi
• 9.-11.8.2024 LWS Open at Idlewild, Burlington, KY, USA
• 9.-11.8.2024 Baltic Disc Golf Championship, Vasavere, Viro
• 21.-25.8.2024 PDGA Professional Disc Golf World Championships eli MM-kisat, Lynchburg, VA, USA

Syyskuu:

• 5.-8.9.2024 Discraft Great Lakes Open, Milfor, MI, USA
• 19.-22.9.2024 Green Mountain Championship, Jeffersonville, VT, USA
• 26.-29.9.2024 MVP Open, Leicester, MA, USA

Lokakuu:

• 10.-13.10.2024 USDGC aka United States Disc Golf Championship & TPWDGC aka Throw Pink Women’s Disc Golf Championship, Rock Hill, SC, USA
• 17.-20.10.2024 DGPT Championship, Charlotte, NC, USA

Muutokset aikatauluun ovat mahdollisia. Tiedot lisätty 13.3.2024. Lähde: DGPT.

Pisteiden määräytyminen Disc Golf Pro Tourilla

Pelaajat saavat pisteitä sijoituksensa mukaan jokaisessa kilpailussa.

Miten voin seurata Disc Golf Pro Touria?

Voit seurata DGPT:tä suorina lähetyksinä maksullisesta Disc Golf Networkin palvelusta. Katso tilausvaihtoehdot tästä. Disc Golf Pro Tour päivittää myös ahkerasti ilmaisia sosiaalisen median sisältöjään.

Tulospalvelu: https://www.pdga.com/apps/tournament/live/events

Lisätietoa DGPT:stä löydät seuraavista lähteistä:

• Virallinen verkkosivusto: https://www.dgpt.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DiscGolfProTour/
• X: https://twitter.com/discgolfprotour?lang=fi
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/discgolfprotour/?hl=en
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/DiscGolfProTour

Powergrip on Disc Golf Pro Tourin yhteistyökumppani.

Tämä artikkeli saattaa kiinnostaa sinua: Frisbeegolf SM – yksi frisbeegolfin päätapahtumista

Midrange discs, also known as approach discs, fall between putters and fairway drivers. They typically have a speed rating of 4, 5, or 6. Some mid-ranges are easier to throw due to their high glide rating, while there are significant differences in understability and overstability. You can find the midrange discs that suit you best by examining our selection, either based on the flight numbers of disc golf discs or, even better, by visiting our store and talking to our experts.

In the list below, Team Powergrip players share their favourite mids in February 2024.

Juho Parviainen: Z-Buzzz – Durable plastic, and a very straight flight path even when thrown with more power.
Janne Hirsimäki: DD Suspect
Jenni Engström: Origin – Slightly understable but very glidey disc.
Eveliina Salonen: Star Mako3 – Versatile disc
Eljas Saarinen: Midari – It’s hard to find a midrange disc straighter than Midari, and its flight is very reliable. It holds the given angle throughout the entire flight.
Onni Arminen: Grand Trust – As the name suggests. I can always trust this disc for a straight flight and comfortable glide.
Jesse Nieminen: Järn – Low profile and reliably overstable, especially good for forehand shots and windy conditions.
Joona Tuomela: Discraftin Buzzz – The most stable plastics are the best in Buzzz. Nice glide and a completely straight flight are the features of this disc that made me switch from other midrange discs to Buzzz.
Tapani Aulu: A2 400 for forehand shots, the perfect height for my throw. M Model S backhand shots, perfectly straight for my throw.
Niko Rättyä: Berry – Straight and versatile.
Tuukka Renkman: Royal Grand Trust
Silva Saarinen: Hex – Because it’s straight.
Henrik Johansen: First run Truth – I like its excellent glide combined with reliability and the fact that the disc is not sensitive to release angles. Easy to control.
Kari Vesala: Dx San Marino & Ontario Roc – I like the glide and stability of both versions.
Väinö Mäkelä: M2 – Overstable and reliable midrange.
Tuomas Hyytiäinen: C-line MD3 – Works for everything.
Robin Villman: M3 400 – Straight and stable midrange, with plenty of glide!
Iida Lehtomäki: Basic Midari – Holds angles perfectly.
Henna Blomroos: Champion Roc3 – Versatile all-around midrange.

Browse our complete mid selection here.

We recommend: Team Powergrip Favourite Disc Golf Putters

Frisbeegolf SM eli Frisbeegolfin Suomen mestaruuskilpailut ovat Suomen frisbeegolfliiton alaisia tapahtumia. Niissä määritellään viralliset Suomen mestaruudet. Vuonna 2024 eri Frisbeegolf SM -kisoja järjestetään kaikkiaan kahdeksat. Eri ikäluokille on omat kisansa ja lisäksi erilaisille pelimuodoille järjestetään omat kilpailut. Frisbeegolfin SM-kisoja järjestetään pitkin Suomea. Järjestäjinä toimivat seurat, välillä osittain myös alalla toimivat yritykset.

Suuren yleisön kannalta päätapahtuma eli avoimien luokkien Frisbeegolfin SM-kisat järjestetään 4.-7.7.2024 Sipoossa Sibbe Disc Golf -frisbeegolfradalla. Avoimien luokkien SM-titteleistä pelaavat avoin luokka ja avoin naisten luokka.

YLE näyttää Frisbeegolfin SM-kisat 2024 kokonaisuudessaan

Vuosi 2024 tuo herkkua frisbeegolfyleisölle myös vastaanottimien ääressä. Tämä on omiaan nostattamaan tunnelmaa ennen vuoden 2025 Frisbeegolfin MM-kisoja, jotka järjestetään ensimmäistä kertaa Yhdysvaltain ulkopuolella ja vieläpä Suomessa. Kaikki neljä avointen luokkien SM-kisakierrosta televisioidaan suorina lähetyksinä YLE Areenassa. Livelähetykset tuottaa Disc Golf Network, joka on tunnettu etenkin Disc Golf Pro Tourin virallisena kanavana. Lähteet: Suomen frisbeegolfliitto ja Frisbeegolfmedia

Frisbeegolfin SM-kisojen televisiointi edistää lajin kehitystä monin tavoin. Televisiolla on keskeinen rooli lajin näkyvyyden ja tietoisuuden kasvattamisessa. Se tarjoaa mahdollisuuden esitellä frisbeegolfia laajalle yleisölle, herättäen kiinnostusta ja houkutellen uusia pelaajia lajin pariin. Lisäksi televisiointi houkuttelee sponsoreita ja mainostajia, tuoden lisätuloja frisbeegolfille. Nämä varat mahdollistavat suurempien ja korkeatasoisempien tapahtumien järjestämisen, mikä nostaa kilpailullista tasoa ja houkuttelevat yhä enemmän yleisöä.

Frisbeegolf SM -kilpailut, aikataulu 2024

Vuoden 2024 kahdeksat SM-kilpailut kisataan kesäkuusta syyskuuhun. Suosittelemme ottamaan SM-kisojen yhteisen Instagram-tilin seurantaan jo nyt, jos haluat nähdä tunnelmia jokaisesta tapahtumasta. Tili säilyy vuodesta toiseen samana, ja tiliä käytetään tosiaan jokaisen eri SM-kilpailun tiedotuskanavana.

Masterien SM (40-vuotiaat ja yli) 27.-30.6.2024 Siilinjärvi

Vuorelan Veikot järjestää yli 40-vuotiaiden Frisbeegolfin SM-kilpailut Siilinjärvellä kesäkuun lopussa 2024. Kisaratana toimii Tarinalaakso Disc Golf. Pelattavat luokat ovat naisissa FP40 (naiset 40), FP50 (naiset 50) ja FP60 (naiset 60). Vastaaviin MP40-, MP50-, MP60- ja MP70-luokkiin voivat osallistua kaikki yli 40-vuotiaat ja 40 vuotta vuoden 2024 aikana täyttävät pelaajat.

Frisbeegolfin SM, avoimet luokat, 4.-7.7.2024 Sipoo

Joukkuefrisbeegolfin SM, 13.-14.7.2024 Hämeenlinna

Hämeenlinnan Discaajat järjestää tämän vuoden Joukkuefrisbeegolfin SM-kisat. Voit tutustua edellisen vuoden Oulussa pelatun joukkue-SM:n tuloksiin täällä.

Frisbeegolfin juniorien SM, 2.-4.8.2024 Kempele

Tulevaisuuden tähtien otteita pääsee seuraamaan tänä vuonna Kempeleessä Oulun etelänaapurissa. Järjestävä seura: Kempeleen frisbeeseura. Vuoden 2023 tulokset Heinolasta täällä.

Frisbeegolfin sekaparien SM, 7.-8.9.2024 Vaasa

Frisbeegolfin amatöörien SM, 13.-15.9.2024 Turku

Frisbeen pituusheiton SM, 22.9.2024 Keuruu

Parifrisbeegolfin SM, 28.-29.9.2024 Oulu

Team Powergripin näkymät kauden yksilö-SM-kisoihin

Vuoden 2024 SM-kisoissa Team Powergripin pelaajista avoimen luokan mestaruudesta tulevat kamppailemaan todennäköisesti ainakin Henna Blomroos, Eveliina Salonen ja Silva Saarinen FPO:ssa sekä Väinö Mäkelä ja Jesse Nieminen MPO:ssa. Monilla muillakin pelaajillamme on hyvät mahdollisuudet, kuten vaikkapa perheenlisäystä viime vuonna saaneella Jenni Engströmillä, jolla on mm. Euroopan mestaruus saavutuslistallaan. Iida Lehtomäellä lienee hyvä mahdollisuus mestaruuteen niin junioreissa kuin amatööreissä. Senioriluokissa Tapani Aululla, Janne Hirsimäellä ja Kari Vesalalla on hyvät mahdollisuudet nostaa suurinta pokaalia.

Hallitsevat Suomen mestarit frisbeegolfissa

Avoimen luokan hallitsevat Suomen mestarit ovat Niklas Anttila (MPO) ja Heidi Laine (FPO). Juniorien hallitsevat mestarit ovat Onni Ruusunen (MPO), Lotta Kivistö (FPO), Urho Nuutinen (MJ15) ja Team Powergripiäkin edustava Iida Lehtomäki (FJ15). Mastereissa mestaruudet korjasivat Joni Luumi (MP40), Heidi Helin-Harinen (FP40), Ville Piippo (MP50), Kirsi Kaikkonen (FP50), Jari Gröhn (MP60), Tuula-Liisa Alatalo-Hussein (FP60) ja Per-Erik Maukkonen (MP70). Amatööriluokissa hallitsevat mestarit ovat: Essi Hölsö (FA1), Miika Marin (MA1), Heidi Könssi (FA40), Mikko Luostarinen (MA40), Marina Koppinen (FA50) ja Mika Malin (MA50). Kuten tyypillistä kasvavalle lajille, kilpailu kovenee joka vuosi ja kilpailut ovat korkeatasoisempia.

Frisbeegolfin Suomen mestarit kautta aikojen (avoin luokka)

MPO – Mixed Pro Open

MPO tarkoittaa frisbeegolfissa avointa sekaluokkaa.

FPO – Female Pro Open

FPO on frisbeegolfissa naisten avoin luokka.

The impact of the star player Simon Lizotte on the sales of products manufactured by MVP Disc Sports was indisputable in 2023. This year, it will be interesting to see how Eagle McMahon’s joining Team MVP and presumably numerous Simon Line and Eagle products will affect sales figures. Silva Saarinen, who impressively switched to MVP and was selected as the standout rookie of the past DGPT season, is also expected to contribute to the sales of her own discs.

The new and innovative Clash Discs, operated from Finland, improved its position in relation to other brands.

The Power Dynamics Between Brands Over the Last Ten Years

The chart below illustrates the power dynamics between the most popular brands in our sales over the past decade. Despite increased competition, Innova has maintained a strong position. The disc golf market has grown immensely during this period, allowing for more money to be distributed among several brands.

Prodigy Disc gained the most market share during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, likely due to its better availability and the strong influence of Väinö Mäkelä and Seppo Paju in the Finnish market. However, Prodigy Disc’s share experienced a significant decline in our sales last year.

The impact of Paul McBeth’s move from Innova to Discraft at the end of 2018 is evident in the clear growth of Discraft sales in the years 2019-2020.

Bags, Box Products, Discmania’s New Releases, and Simon Products Lead the Sales Chart

The flagship model AX5 from GRIPeq dominated our sales statistics quite impressively. The refreshing new product for the 2023 season, a super glidey disc suitable for catching too, the Glitch (league number 7), sold well. Our collaboration with Simon Lizotte and MVP resulted in a well selling version of Glitch, known as the Glitsch. You can explore all our discs with the most glide here.

As the main partner of the European Pro Tour, we sold a significant number of the EPT Mystery Boxes containing Disc Golf Stream subscriptions and discs from EPT supporting manufacturers. The European Tour activities will be streamlined for the upcoming season as Disc Golf Pro Tour expands into Europe, putting an end to overlapping tours.

Our best-selling brand, Discmania, introduced its long-awaited updated Fanatic bag lineup to the market in the 2023 season. The Discmania Fanatic Sky Backpack, priced just under a hundred euros, sold the most among them. These new Discmania bags are now competitively priced, unlike the previous Fanatic bags. In addition to GRIPeq’s AX5, BX3, and CX1, and Discmania products, our top 20 product list also includes the Latitude 64’s DG Luxury Backpack, Prodigy Disc Backpack BP-2 V3, and Innova Excursion Pack in the bag category. You can explore our entire range of bags here.

Q4/2023 Sales Stats: Best-Selling Disc Golf Brands and Products

Tähtipelaaja Simon Lizotten vaikutus MVP Disc Sportsin valmistamien tuotteiden myyntiin oli vuonna 2023 kiistaton. Tänä vuonna on mielenkiintoista seurata, kuinka Eagle McMahonin liittyminen Team MVP:hen ja oletettavasti lukuisat Simon Line ja Eagle-tuotteet vaikuttavat myyntimääriin. Myös MVP:lle vaihtanut menneen DGPT-kauden tulokkaaksi upeasti valittu Silva Saarinen saanee omat kiekkonsa myyntiin.

Myös Joensuusta ponnistava innovatiivinen Clash Discs paransi asemiaan suhteessa toisiin brändeihin.

Brändien väliset voimasuhteet viimeisten kymmenen vuoden aikana

Alla oleva kuvaaja näyttää suosituimpien merkkien väliset voimasuhteet myynneissämme viimeisten kymmenen vuoden aikana. Innova on säilyttänyt vahvan asemansa huolimatta kilpailun merkittävästä kovenemisesta. Frisbeegolfmarkkina on kasvanut tässä ajassa valtavasti, joten kakusta riittää jaettavaa useammille. 

Prodigy Disc voitti markkinoita eniten korona-aikana todennäköisesti muita paremman saatavuutensa sekä Väinö Mäkelän ja Seppo Pajun vahvan kotimaisen vaikutuksen ansiosta. Viime vuonna Prodigy Discin osuus koki merkittävän laskun meidän myynneissämme.

Paul McBethin siirtyminen Innovalta Discraftille vuoden 2018 lopussa näkyy selvänä Discraft-myynnin kasvuna vuosina 2019-2020.

Laukut, laatikkotuotteet, Discmanian uutuudet ja Simon-tuotteet myyntitilaston kärjessä

GRIPeq:n lippulaivamalli AX5 voitti myyntitilastomme varsin ylivoimaisesti. Kauden 2023 virkistävä uutuustuote, koppailuunkin sopiva liitokone (liitonumero 7) Glitch myi hyvin. Meillä Simon Lizotten ja MVP:n kanssa yhteistyössä tehty Glitsch eli versio Glitchistä myi kiekoista parhaiten. Voit tutustua valikoimamme parhaimmin liitäviin tuotteisiimme täällä.

Olimme pääyhteistyökumppanina kauden päätteeksi Disc Golf Pro Tourin kanssa yhteistyön aloittaneessa European Pro Tourissa. Myimme katseluoikeuden ja kiertuetta tukeneiden valmistajien kiekkoja sisältävää EPT Mystery Boxia paljon. Euroopan kiertuetoiminta järkevöityy tulevaksi kaudeksi, kun Disc Golf Pro Tour laajenee Eurooppaan ja päällekkäiset kiertueet loppuvat. Ostamalla katseluoikeuksia niitä tarjoavilta palveluilta voimme tukea frisbeegolfin kehitystä tunnetummaksi lajiksi.

Eniten myynein merkkimme Discmania toi kauden 2023 kynnyksellä pitkään odotetun uudistuneen Fanatic-laukkuvalikoimansa markkinoille. Myimme suurta, mutta silti alle satasen maksavaa Discmania Fanatic Sky Backpackia niistä eniten. Nämä uudet Discmania-laukut ovat nyt hyvin kilpailukykyisiä myös hinnoiltaan, toisin kuin aiemmat Fanatic-laukut. GRIPeq:n AX5:n, BX3:n ja CX1:n sekä Discmanian lisäksi tuotteiden top 20 -listallemme ylsivät laukuista Latituden 64:n DG Luxury Backpack, Prodigy Disc Backpack BP-2 V3 ja Innova Excursion Pack. Voit tutustua koko laukkuvalikoimaamme tästä.

Q4/2023 eli viimeisen vuosineljänneksen parhaiten myyneet valmistajat ja kiekot

In this article, we’re telling the story of Powergrip, a pretty good disc golf shop. It’s about how we grew to become a disc golf specialty store operating in five cities in Finland and in the United States. We’re celebrating Powergrip’s 15-year journey in 2024.

How to Fund a Disc Golf Hobby?

A group of volunteers sits at the Toppila Teboil gas station, enjoying coffee and pastries after the volunteering efforts for the upcoming disc golf course in Meri-Toppila in early summer 2007. This time, active members of the Oulun frisbeeseura and BSC Disc Golf Team (local clubs) cleared paths through the forest and installed tee signs made of pieces of former lamp posts. Conversation flows, and laughter fills the small café of the gas station. The backs of their track jackets are soaked in sweat. In the talks of a few, the dream of harnessing the hundreds of volunteer hours spent in disc golf into something even mildly financially productive becomes more frequent.

After dozens of volunteer efforts, competitions, and shared coffee breaks, in June 2009, Fritid Finland Oy and its subsidiary, Powergrip, were officially listed in the Finnish Patent and Registration Office. We attempted to name the company Ab Fritid Oy (free time in Swedish), a playful suggestion often joked about during our volunteer work. Understandably, this did not meet the requirements of the PRH (Patent and Registration Office). Therefore, we chose the name Fritid Finland Oy for our company. Harnessing our leisure time into business related to disc golf was at hand. The founding members of Powergrip—Pasi Laukkanen, Petteri Turunen, Janne Länsitie, Jussi Viirelä, and Erno Väyrynen—were excited because the intense planning phase that had lasted the entire early part of the year was completed, and the actual work could finally commence.

Let’s Try and See What Will Happen!

We ended up with the name Powergrip in the early spring of 2009. During several of our meetings, we listed over a hundred different name suggestions in a Google document. Powergrip was chosen as our name because it’s a firm-sounding term known in the world of disc golf. Additionally, Powergrip fits fairly well with the Finnish language and also works internationally. However, we didn’t emphasize internationality too much because we primarily planned Powergrip’s activities to fund our disc golf hobby and for fun as a joint project. Each of us had our day jobs in the IT and education sectors, and we didn’t envision the situation changing. For instance, Erno remarked at one meeting: “What’s the point of us selling frisbees in the ‘tundra,’ where the ground is covered in ice half the year?” Fortunately, Pasi, who was then working as a purchasing manager at Nokia and has an entrepreneurial spirit, responded, “Erno, don’t always be so analytical. Let’s try it out and see what comes of it!”

In the founding year of Powergrip in 2009, there were approximately 150 disc golf courses in Finland. The number of disc golf courses had increased about tenfold over the previous decade. Despite Erno’s skeptical comment, we believed that with the growth of disc golf courses and the number of enthusiasts, opportunities for business would also expand. We commenced our disc sales trials by setting up a sales point at the Hiironen and Meri-Toppila weekly events, transporting the sales booth to the location with a trailer.

We quickly noticed a strong demand for disc golf discs. Disc golf equipment wasn’t readily available; purchases had to be made either by phone or from a couple of domestic online stores, and from several abroad, especially in the United States. We established our first brick-and-mortar store in the city center of Oulu on Mäkelininkatu, in Janne’s father’s garage. Prior to this, our stock was housed in Pasi and his partner’s laundry room. The garage wasn’t a bright or clean space, but people began to find their way there. Our store was open on specific weekday evenings and weekends.

Pretty Good Disc Golf Shop

We established our first online store at our familiar address, powergrip.fi, right in the summer of 2009. Our multitasker, Petteri, coded it just as he has coded every online store we’ve had to this day. The initial version of our online store was quite lightweight in structure; for instance, it didn’t have online payments. We used to send invoices to customers via email shortly after they placed their orders. Despite this somewhat clumsy method, we decided from the beginning to process incoming orders as quickly as we can. If someone devoted their time and money to us, it was our obligation to do our part swiftly and meticulously. This mindset will remain the guiding principle of our operations for as long as we continue doing this.

While settling on the name Powergrip, we decided to dub ourselves a pretty good frisbee shop. Certainly, we aimed to be as good a disc golf shop as we possibly could, but we wanted to remain humble and inject a bit of humour into it. After all, the driving force behind our entire disc golf hobby was humour and friendships. We were allergic to the exaggerations typical for marketing. We wanted to do things differently—preferably through actions rather than words. In 2020, we changed our slogan to “Pretty good disc golf shop”. Our nickname, PG, conveniently also stands for Pretty Good.

Powergrip Expands from Oulu to Four Other Cities

We moved from Mäkelininkatu in the center of Oulu to the Rusko district, to a rented garage in the summer of 2010. We transformed the space into a Powergrip store. We built shelves, tables, and a sales counter and designated a part of the area for storage. All of our stores, too, are Petteri’s handiwork, from Finland to the United States. Since the space wasn’t insulated, during winter, customers had to wear winter clothing in the store. We served customers on specific weekday evenings and weekends, all year round.

We relocated our current Oulu store to Höyhtyä shopping center in April 2012. Initially, we operated across from the current location until we acquired the larger premises we have now.

Sales continued their steady growth as disc golf expanded as a sport. We hired our first employee, Joni Taipaleenmäki, in 2013. Joni is still with us and remains one of the cornerstones of our company. Successful entrepreneurship is a long-term commitment. Early on, we recognized that we needed to reach the million-euro mark in sales before being able to pay ourselves even an average salary. However, the freedom to build our own future and contribute to the growth of the disc golf scene weighed most on the scale. Despite entrepreneurship consuming most of our time and energy, we greatly enjoy working within the realm of disc golf, although it has shifted our focus away from actually playing the sport. This is a typical phenomenon among those involved in the sport, excluding professional players of course.

Frisbeepoint, located in Helsinki in Finland, started its operations in 2009, the same year as Powergrip. In 2017, we sealed a deal with Frisbeepoint to acquire their entire shareholding, marking our expansion beyond Oulu for the first time. Renowned figure in the sport, Kari Vesala, joined us as a shareholder, while the other two founders of Frisbeepoint, Toni Asikainen and Markus Stigzelius, pursued a different path. Frisbeepoint, much like us, had built its operations with great passion, making the integration of our activities straightforward. With momentum gained, Powergrip also inaugurated its third store in Turku that same year.

The Tampere Disc Golf Center was a long-awaited full-scale top-tier disc golf course in Tampere area, established in 2018. Another disc golf legend, Jussi Meresmaa, hinted to us about a commercial space in the immediate vicinity of “Sentteri”. Which after various stages, we managed to open as our Tampere store in 2018. By now, there were already four stores: in Oulu, Helsinki, Turku, and Tampere.

The business of Powergrip continued its growth, accelerated by the coronavirus pandemic, driving the sales of disc golf. In 2021, discussions with Frisbeemarket, based in Kuopio, progressed to the point where a business acquisition was agreed upon to take place in 2022. Jukka Matula founded Frisbeemarket specializing in custom products in 2015. We were delighted that Jukka joined Powergrip to oversee the custom product business, and we also got Juho and Tuukka to support Jukka in Kuopio.

Erno Moves to the United States with Discmania

Alongside the growth story of Powergrip, Erno made a difficult decision in 2013 to leave the full-time entrepreneurship recently initiated with Powergrip not to mention family and friends. He moved to California to establish Discmania’s operations in the USA, with the assistance of Jussi Meresmaa and then Innova Europe Oy (now Spin18 Oy). Erno thought that opportunities like these don’t come by often in life and decided to seize the chance. He spent a total of just over seven years with Discmania, gathering valuable experience in entrepreneurship and operating within the main market of the sport in the United States. Erno returned to Powergrip in 2021, a couple of years after his return to Finland. The change was once again painful as the people at Discmania had become close to him. However, the Discmania USA operation had been his primary motivation for transitioning to Discmania, and this task had already been accomplished. This made his return to Powergrip easier. Also, the feeling that the journey with Powergrip had been left unfinished.

Establishing Powergrip USA In Illinois

Upon returning to Powergrip, Erno glanced at maps with internationalization in mind. Although Finland is a strong disc golf country, the sport continues to grow wherever disc golf is played. Considering the recent past and the size of the market, the United States seemed like a natural direction, and Erno began preparing a business plan. It didn’t take long before the board of Powergrip gave the green light for the Powergrip USA operation. However, this time, Erno intended to stay within the home country and seek out local talents.

In early summer of 2021, Erno began mapping potential Powergrip USA employees from his acquaintances. One of the first individuals was Zach Parcell, a trusted man residing in Illinois. Zach, for instance, is behind the disc golf website All Things Disc Golf and had previously worked in marketing at Discmania USA. Initially, Erno didn’t even believe that Zach would seize the opportunity, but still floated the idea during a catch-up call. Zach had a demanding job and family commitments. Erno and Zach stayed in touch for weeks, and the concept of Powergrip USA as a joint venture started to captivate Zach more and more. We decided to embark on this joint venture at the end of June 2021. Zach became a partner and CEO of Powergrip USA. We established Powergrip Inc. in the state of Illinois on October 15, 2021.

Establishing a company in the United States was a familiar operation for Erno due to his experience with Discmania USA. This task can be accomplished quite easily by using a specialized law firm. The most challenging phase for a small and medium-sized enterprise like ours, however, was likely the opening of a bank account from outside the United States. We managed to tackle the challenges of establishing the business one by one while simultaneously progressing with the implementation of the online store. Petteri had his hands full again, this time in a new operational environment. “PeraStore” seamlessly integrated into the US e-commerce interfaces, and we launched powergripusa.com on June 9, 2022. We opened our first brick-and-mortar store in the United States, alongside the online store inventory, in April 2023. Naturally, Petteri was involved in building the store in the United States as well.

Towards a More Customer-friendly Powergrip

Like many other outdoor sports, disc golf enjoyed a significant surge in sales due to the COVID-19 pandemic between 2020 and 2022. The demand far exceeded the supply; our shelves were occasionally nearly empty, for instance, in September 2021. Naturally, disc golf manufacturers ramped up their production as much as possible. It was expected that at some point, supply would surpass demand. However, no one knew how the markets would behave. The Russian invasion of Ukraine caused, among many other unfortunate consequences, an energy crisis. The diminishing hype effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, society’s return to normalcy, rising energy prices, and inflation led to a significant decline in sales starting around October 2022.

Although we are the market leader in Europe in the field of disc golf specialty stores, we cannot afford to stand still. We are working diligently to primarily improve our customer experience. When engrossed in running the business, it’s easy to “run alongside the bicycle,” as Pasi often says. The metaphor means it’s easy to get stuck in old ways without seeing the activity from an outside perspective. As of writing this in December 2023, we have a project underway aimed at implementing a new e-commerce platform. At its core are the customers and their needs.