Disc golf in Denmark

Welcome to Disc Tree's overview of disc golf's development in Denmark. The article presents figures and facts based on data that the players in Denmark have registered themselves. The scope of the article is a backwards look on the development of disc golf from the beginning of 2022.  

outline of Denmark Disc golf courses outline of disc golf basket Played rounds outline of disc golf player throwing a backhand Disc golf players

Disc golf is a fun and challenging outdoor activity where everyone can participate. Over the last few years, the sport has exploded in popularity. The fact that disc golf experiences such significant growth may be due to the fact that it is a sport that can be played across age, gender and physical abilities. At the same time, new courses are popping up all over Denmark, making the sport more and more accessible. 

Getting started playing disc golf does not require great investments in memberships and equipment. Most courses in Denmark are free to play and you can find a starter set with 3 golf discs for less than DKK 200. You do not have to book time on the course to play, so all in all, disc golf is a very flexible sport that can suit the entire family. 

disc golf spiller kaster i skoven

This article is based on data that Disc Tree has received from uDisc, the world's leading disc golf app. 

Disc golf courses in Denmark

New disc golf courses are being build all the time. It helps to make the sport more accessible. Disc golf courses typically have 9 or 18 baskets that must be played to complete the course. Their location and level of difficulty can vary greatly and this influences the popularity of the course greatly. In 2021, 31 new disc golf courses were built in Denmark.

kort over disc golf baner i danmark

Map of disc golf courses in Denmark, March 2022

There are currently 114 disc golf courses in Denmark and the number has been steadily increasing since 2015. The courses are distributed all over the country and 56% of the existing courses have been built within the last 4 years. 

The number of disc golf courses in Denmark 

The location, maintenance and size of the courses have a big influence on how much they are used. Many disc golfers like to spend extra time on transportation to visit the very best courses. At the same time, it also matters a lot whether the course is free to play on or not. 

The distribution of free and non-free disc golf courses

Number of disc golf rounds played

Disc golf has become extremely popular and the development is clear when you look at the number of registered rounds. Playing a round of disc golf consists of completing all the holes on one of the Danish disc golf courses. Over 281,000 rounds of disc golf have been played in 2021.

Number of disc golf rounds played in Denmark

From 2015 to 2021 the number of registered rounds increased by over 7400%. At the same time, it is clear that the suburban courses in the larger Danish cities receive the most visits. The 5 most played in courses in 2021 are: 

Valbyparkens disc golf bane Valbyparken Copenhagen 42,651 rounds
Tilst bypark disc golf bane Tilst Bypark Aarhus 27,487 rounds
Eghjorten disc golf bane Eghjorten Hillerød 20,065 rounds
Bolbro disc golf bane Bolbro Odense 18,028 rounds
Fredtoften disc golf bane Fredtoften Kokkedal 14,272 rounds

 

Disc golf can be played all year round. Despite the fact that disc golf is an outdoor activity, there are also many who defy the weather during the winter. In 2021, over 40,000 rounds of disc golf were played in the 3 winter months: January, February and December. However, most people like to play in the warmer weather and the Danish courses are most frequently visited from April to September. 

Number of rounds played per month

The busiest months on the disc golf courses in Denmark are May and August, which indicates that most rounds in Denmark are registered just before and just after the summer holidays. 

To complete the 281,000 more than 17 million throws were registered in 2021. Based on a cautious assumption that it takes a minimum of 10 seconds from a player puts his or her bag down, selects a disc and completes a throw, it is equivalent to over 47,000 hours having been spent on throwing alone. In addition, the time just walking around the course while playing, will be significantly longer. 

Disc golf players in Denmark

Many people play a round of disc golf without registering their round and therefore the actual number of players in Denmark is difficult to get an overview of. Players who do not have a uDisc user are still counted in the statistics but they do constitute a shadow number. Of the 281,000 rounds in 2021, 25% of the rounds were played by anonymous uDisc users. These are users who have not created an account in the app. Depsite this consideration, over 8000 registered disc golf players has played at least one round with uDisc in 2021.

The number of disc golf players on the Danish courses with a user at uDisc is increasing significantly. At the same time, far from everyone uses uDisc during their trip on the course, the trend is clear. From 2017 to 2021 the number of registered players increased over 1600%.

Disc golf players in Denmark with a uDisc user

Assuming that the anonymous uDisc users play at least as much as the registered users, it shows that up to 11,000 players have registered a round of disc golf in 2021. In addition, a large number of players do not use the uDisc app leading to the conclusion that the actual number of people who have tried disc golf is potentially much higher.

uDisc - The world's leading disc golf app

uDisc is the world's leading disc golf app. With uDisc on your phone, you have access to a map of all courses around the world. You can also use the app to keep scores, keep statistics on your rounds, find your way around the various courses and much more. 

uDisc disc golf app illustration

For this article, Disc Tree has gained access to uDisc's data for all registered rounds on the Danish disc golf courses in the period from 2015 to early 2022. Data is of course anonymised and cleared of all personally identifiable information before it is provided by uDisc.  

All graphs and statistics in this article are based solely on the rounds recorded in the uDisc app. The actual figures may therefore be significantly higher. It is concluded that there are many players who do not use the app at all and further, that many uDisc users do not register all their rounds. On uDisc's own website you can find a disc golf course near you.

Read more about disc sports

If you have become curious about more, you can read more on our page: 

  • What is disc golf?
    In our guide to disc golf you will find an introduction to disc golf and here you can read much more about what the sport is all about. 
  • What is the ultimate frisbee?
    Unlike disc golf, ultimate frisbee is a team sport. The common feature is that both sports are played with a disc or a frisbee. You can read much more about ultimate frisbee in our guide to ultimate frisbee. 

References and questions

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