We have some great news for the vast amateur disc golf scene – the European Amateur Open expands with one new course! The European Amateur open has built a reputation as the annual destination event for hundreds of amateur players. This summer, the event expands with another course to accommodate more players. After Covid-19, the Amateur Open field has filled in a record time, leaving a few hundred players without a spot in the event. Therefore, the Epilä disc golf course is added into the mix of the event venues to add capacity. For some, this will be a nostalgic experience, as the European Open started from Epilä back in 2006. This addition will increase the capacity to 672 players.
Legendary Epilä Disc Golf Course
European Open became the first European PDGA major in 2006. Back then, there were no 18-hole disc golf courses anywhere near Tampere. Epilä disc golf course, established in 1998, became the home of the inaugural event. For the bigger events, the course was extended to full 18 holes that challenged the pros at the time. What made the 2006 event really special was that it brought the top American pros to play in Finland for the very first time. Likes of Ken Climo, Dave Feldberg, Nate Doss, Avery Jenkins and Valarie Jenkins came over and put on a show was never seen before on Finnish soil. The first European Open was a success, and since then the event has been a permanent stop on the PDGA tour calendar.
Epilä disc golf course offers manicured fairways, rolling hills and relatively short holes. The newest layout, created some years ago, made it more verstatile by adding some more wooded holes to the course. Our goal is to create a few heritage holes to the upcoming Amateur Open layout, so players can experience the origins of the European Open. We are excited to offer this opportunity to visit the roots of the European Open to some of the amateur players!
More info about the Epilä course, and some minor upcoming changes & tweaks to the other three courses, will be published later in the spring, when the course layouts are finalized.
For a taste of what to expect, check out this historical video from the 2006 European Open, created by our German friends at HyzerTV.
Amateur Open in a Nutshell
Got excited? Great! Here’s a bit more info on the Amateur Open, including how you can get into the biggest amateur event in Finland this season.
- Dates: 3 days, 12.-14.7.2024 (3 rounds per player)
- Max capacity: 672 players
- 12 amateur divisions offered across 4 pools
- 4 courses: Beast (Nokia), Monster (Tampere Disc Golf Center), Beauty (Epilä, Tampere), Moon Valley (Ylöjärvi)
- PDGA B-tier, true amateur/trophy only
- Entry fee: 99€
- Winners of the MA1 and FA1 divisions get a ticket to the 2024 European Open
Registration is scheduled to open on April 24th on the Disc Golf Scene. For more detailed info, including the course schedules, pools & divisions, check the Amateur Open page.
