The paths and tees of holes 2–18 of the disc golf course will be completed by the end of July. This will be followed by the completion of new signs for the area, the protection of the area’s trees and the building of fences by the end of August.
In addition to bringing disc golf baskets to Paloheinänhuippu, the project is also adding new benches and waste bins along pedestrian paths.
“We bid all disc golfers welcome to Paloheinä, even though the course is not fully completed yet. The course is really nice, offering players a chance to enjoy a variety of different terrains and landscapes while playing,” says Project Manager Minni Karjalainen from the City of Helsinki.
Disc golf requires space, but the new course does not compromise nature conservation
All of the disc golf course’s holes are located on an artificial hill instead of valuable nature sites, of which there are many around the sports park. The course features both meadows and forested areas, and the average width of the holes is 20 metres. The trees in their vicinity are protected. The forested sections of the course were designed around the naturally formed corridors between the trees.
The existing meadows will continue to be managed as meadows so as to preserve their biodiversity. Disc golfing in the meadow areas is restricted, and the areas of the course that see the most wear and tear feature paths covered with wood chips.
It is difficult to find locations suitable for full-sized disc golf courses in Helsinki, as disc golf requires a lot of space. The reason why the new course was constructed at Paloheinänhuippu is because the area was already reserved for sports and recreation.
Paloheinänhuippu was already being used for skiing, sledging and mountain biking before the construction of the new disc golf course. The disc golf course will only be open during the summer; in the winter, the disc golf baskets will be removed so that the area can continue to be used for skiing and sledging.
The artificial hill has designated areas for mountain biking; in the disc golf course, the sledging hill and ski tracks, biking is prohibited.
Course designed in collaboration with disc golfers and users of the sports park
The disc golf course was one of the proposals that received enough votes to be implemented in the 2021 round of OmaStadi, receiving a total of 583 votes. The City of Helsinki has also received numerous requests to build new disc golf courses via other channels besides OmaStadi.
In collaboration with disc golfers, the City designed a course consisting of 18 medium difficulty holes. During the design process, the City also consulted other users of the sports park, such as mountain bikers, and worked with mountain bikers to decide the areas that can continue to be used for biking.
The disc golf park plan draft was on public display in November 2022, and comments from city residents were also requested via a Kerrokantasi survey. The Urban Environment Committee decided on the implementation of the project at its meeting on 7 February 2023.