Heinola disc golf centre to add 770,000-euro colour lighting

A disc golf centre in Heinola is set to install what organisers describe as the world’s first permanent colour-lit course, in a project costing more than 770,000 euros, Yle reports.

Most of the investment, 725,000 euros, will fund programmable lighting for an 18-hole amateur course that is about three kilometres long. The lighting is expected to be switched on in winter 2027–28. A separate project will also improve lighting on the children’s course.

Public funding of about 470,000 euros has been awarded by the Southeast Finland Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment. Private financing accounts for more than 250,000 euros.

The system will allow the lighting to be changed for different themes, including an aurora-like display, Independence Day, the Pink Ribbon campaign and Halloween.

The Kippis disc golf centre has become one of Finland’s most highly regarded destinations for the sport. It has received the country’s highest ratings on the UDisc mobile app, according to Thomas Tuovinen, a spokesperson for the Finnish Disc Golf Association.

The centre has five courses, including three with 18 holes and two with nine, as well as practice areas. All its courses are free to use, and players complete an estimated 35,000 to 50,000 rounds there each year.

The centre hosted the Disc Golf Pro Tour’s Elite Series Heinola Open this year. The Southeast Finland Centre says the lighting project will support recreational opportunities and make Heinola and the wider Päijät-Häme region more attractive to visitors.