Exhibition 2025

Welcome to the exhibition pages! Here is more information about the discs in the exhibition cases.

Showcase 6

This showcase has selected the most notable disc golf discs made with Finnish printing: Amexpo, Seppo Nieminen Classic, WFDF World Championships, Kauhajoki and Prodiscus. In addition, the discs will introduce you to the history of professional competitions in Tampere. Also included is Frisbie's Pies Tin, where Frisbee originated. 

Frisbie's Pies Tin

Maker: The Frisbie Pie Company 
Style: 
Date Introduced: The Frisbie Pie Company
Special Notes: The Frisbie Pie Company is an American pie company based in Bridgeport, Connecticut. It was founded by William Russell Frisbie in 1871. Frisbie supplied pies to many retailers and restaurants in Connecticut, including the campus of Middlebury College in nearby Vermont. Middlebury students complained that the pie pans would fly nicely when turned upside down. In 1957, the toy company Wham-O acquired the rights to the Pluto Platter, a plastic flying disc. To capitalize on the popularity of the pie pans, known colloquially as "Frisbies", they adopted the same name for their toy and changed the spelling of the name to "Frisbee" to avoid trademark infringement.

Owner: Sami Loukko

Amexpo Aviar

Maker: Innova-Champion
Style: 1st style
Date Introduced: 1984
Special Notes: Amexpo Oy was the first Finnish frisbee import company. It was founded by Seppo Nieminen on 5 January 1976 and the company's business was listed at that time as marketing of gifts, clothing and leisure products. The first Frisbees were ordered on October 24, 1977 from the Farusa factory in Denmark, which manufactures Wham-O frisbees. The first order included one box of Junior Frisbees (25 discs) and one box of All American Frisbees (24 discs).

Owner: Sami Loukko

Amexpo Aviar

Maker: Innova-Champion
Style: 1st style
Date Introduced: 1984
Special Notes: Amexpo disc golf discs are the first disc golf discs with Finnish printing. So far, the following Innova models with Amexpo printing have been found: Aero, Aviar, Aviar XD and Original Hammer.

Owner: Sami Loukko

Amexpo XD

Maker: Innova-Champion
Style: 1st style
Date Introduced: 1984
Special Notes: Amexpo discs are also rare because they are always from an early production run. For example, this XD has San Marino printing on the bottom of the disc.

Owner: Sami Loukko

Seppo Nieminen Disc Golf Classic 1993, dx Roc

Maker: Innova-Champion
Style: 1st style
Date Introduced: 1993
Special Notes: When the competition was first held, it was called "The Very First Annual International Seppo Nieminen Finnish Flying Disc Golf Classic". Of course, the name of the competition was intentionally misleading, because no event can be a classic before it has even been organized. However, the name of the first competition was a good prediction, because since then the competition has been organized every year. It is the second oldest continuously played annual disc golf competition in Europe, the oldest being the Stockholm Disc Golf Open, which has been organized since 1979. This disc golf disc is the first to feature Finnish competition printing.

Owner: Sami Loukko

Seppo Nieminen Disc Golf Classic 1993, dx Valkyrie

Maker: Innova-Champion
Style: 
Date Introduced: 2001
Special Notes: The competition has been international from the beginning and for a long time it was the most important pro disc golf competition in Finland.  The Seppo Nieminen Classic was also the only Euro Tour competition in Finland for a long time. The Finnish Frisbee Golf Championship has been decided in a competition for several years.  It was also a real classic when the competition was held at Suomenlinna. Suomenlinna was a unique venue due to its surroundings, and the course was challenging due to the constant wind and hills.

Owner: Sami Loukko

WFDF World Championships  1997, Cylone

Maker: Discraft
Style:
Date Introduced: 1997
Special Notes: WFDF 1997 World Overall Flying Disc Championships were held for the first time in Finland in 1997. The preliminary qualifying rounds were held at Kuortane Sports Centre and Vaasa Sports Park. The finals were held at Kaivopuisto and Tali Sports Park in Helsinki.

Owner: Sami Loukko

WFDF World Championships 1997, dx Roc

Maker: Innova-Champion
Style: Ontario
Date Introduced: 1997
Special Notes: The competition discs were Innova's Aviar P&A, Roc Ontario, Roc Rancho Cucamonga, Zephyr and Discraft's Cyclone and Ultra Star.  These are the last Rocs made in Ontario and at the same time these are the first Rocs made in Ranco Cucamonga.

Owner: Sami Loukko

SkÅpa Å Åpen, Kauhajoki, Z Putt'r

Maker: Discraft
Style:
Date Introduced: 2002
Special Notes: Kauhajoki has hosted Finnish Championship competitions for several years, under different names such as: Kauhajoki Open, Seppo Nieminen Classic and Gorilla Golf. In 2002–2003, the competitions were held under the name Skåpa Å Åpen. Kauhajoki is a significant frisbee location in Finland because the Finnish Frisbee Golf Association was founded there on February 14, 1998 and Finland's first 18-hole course was completed there.

Owner: Sami Loukko

Respecti

Maker: Prodiscus
Style: First run
Date Introduced: 2010
Special Notes: Prodiscus is the first Finnish disc manufacturer to manufacture discs in Finland. Kai Vesa founded Prodiscus in 2006 and initially operated as an importer of disc golf products. 

Respecti was the first disc manufactured by Prodiscus. Kai Vesa remembers the disc like this:  "The first test discs were received for the Turku Finnish Championship in 2010, and the top Finnish players threw them there in the warm-up area. It was quite a disappointment when no one could throw the disc straight over 100m. I had to start wondering what could have gone wrong. It soon became clear when I started measuring the disc. The rim was over a millimeter higher than it should have been. Many years went by melting it down and wondering if I should modify the mold and make what I had been planning, an easy-to-throw straight flying disc. Then the changes just didn't happen and today it is a trusted disc for many players. The Respecti got its name from its properties. In other words, you can "trust" it. It doesn't flip, it always comes back."

Owner: Kai Vesa

Jokeri

Maker: Prodiscus
Style: First run
Date Introduced: 2010
Special Notes: Jokeri was the first mass-produced Prodiscus disc. This was due to hesitation about whether the Respect mold should be changed. Jokeri was originally intended to be a low and easy to throw putter. The hardest part in the beginning was finding the best plastic blends. The first blend was an old basic plastic. The blend was durable, slightly rubbery and very grippy. But this plastic happened to be a little lighter, so the discs did not weigh more than 160 grams. To increase the weight, mass had to be added to the outer rim of the disc. Jokeri did not turn out to be the disc that was planned, but rather a better disc, but for a different purpose.  Even during the first field tests, it was noticed that the Jokeri was more than suitable for approach throws and various difficult situations.

Owner: Kai Vesa

Midsummer Disc Golf Festival 1999, dx Eagle

Maker: Innova-Champion
Style:
Date Introduced: 1999
Special Notes: Tampere has hosted professional disc golf competitions since 1998. The first competitions were organized under the name Midsummer Disc Golf Festival.  The competitions were held in 1998–2001. The competitions were held in Epilä and Vihioja. The competitions were also part of the Finnish Frisbee Golf Championship and the Euro-Tour North. In 1998, the player package included a Disc GOlf Tampere mini disc. In 1999, the MDGF tournament disc was the Innova dx Eagle and the Seppo Nieminen Classic Innova dx Gazelle. In 2000 and 2001, the player package included the Finnish Championship Omega SS. The Tampere competitions were organized by Jussi Meresmaa.

Owner: Sami Loukko

Finnish Open 2003, dx Roc

Maker: Innova-Champion
Style:
Date Introduced: 2003
Special Notes: The name of the Midsummer Disc Golf Festival was changed to the Finnish Open. The first Finnish Open was played in 2002 and the last in 2004. All Finnish Opens were played in Epilä, Tampere. The 2004 competition was also part of the newly founded Nordic Tour, which replaced the EuroTour North. The tournament was organized by Jussi Meresmaa.

Owner: Sami Loukko

European Disc Golf Championships 2005, dx Beast

Maker: Innova-Champion
Style:
Date Introduced: 2005
Special Notes: In 2005, the European Frisbee Golf Championship was held in Tampere. The competitions were held in Epilä, Tampere.  The European Championship was played in Finland for the first time. The organizer of the championship was Jussi Meresmaa. Later in 2016, the European champions were decided in Oulu.

Owner: Sami Loukko

European Open 2024, Strive

Maker: Innova-Champion
Style:
Date Introduced: 2024
Special Notes: The first European Open was held in 2006. The first two tournaments were held in Epilä. Since 2009, the tournament has been held in Nokia. A total of 12 European Opens have been held. The tournament is organized by Jussi Meresmaa.

Owner: Filpi Karonen

PDGA World Disc Golf Champions 2025, MD3

Maker: Innova-Champion
Style:
Date Introduced: 2025
Special Notes: The 2025 World Disc Golf Championships will be held in Tampere and Nokia, Finland – the first time outside of North America. The World Championships will be played on two courses: the Tampere Disc Golf Center and the Nokia DiscGolfPark.

Owner: Jussi Meresmaa