Using a TechDisc has already made a big difference to Iida Lehtomäki's game
April 17, 2026 by Alex Williamson in Sponsored
Disclosure: Ultiworld Disc Golf was compensated by TechDisc for publishing this article. All opinions are those of the author.
In the early afternoon of August 3, 2025, a Finnish teenager was on the cusp of giving the biggest Cinderella story in pro women’s disc golf history a happy ending. Just four days before, few in the disc golf world had heard of Iida Lehtomäki.
The 15-year-old was standing on the tee of hole 18 in Nokia, Finland, in a playoff to win the most coveted title in women’s disc golf: FPO world champion. Her entire country was rooting for her, hoping a Finnish player would take a world title on home turf – at the first Professional Disc Golf World Championship to ever take place outside North America, no less. There were thousands watching her on the course, thousands of others streaming the action online, and still more who would later view her round in post-production coverage.
After her first three throws on the par 5, it looked like Lehtomäki had the miraculous win locked up. But then the fourth throw happened. A normally simple shot. A slight error resulting in an out-of-bounds-penalty. And, just like that, the dream of a 2025 world title evaporated.
Considering what Iida could have accomplished with just a tiny difference in nose or release angle, there are few people who better recognize the importance small changes can have in disc golf. According to Lehtomäki and her coach, TechDisc is unmatched in its ability to help them recognize little imperfections that have a huge impact and work towards Iida unleashing her full potential.
How Iida Lehtomäki Found Disc Golf & TechDisc
Disc golf is one of the most popular sports in Finland, and the country is currently the only one other than the U.S. to boast over 1,000 disc golf courses. So it’s not surprising that Iida’s school sports class had a disc golf unit when she was around 10 years old.
“It was super fun, but I didn’t think it was so fun at first that I would actually play,” Lehtomäki said.
But when some of her friends started hitting the course regularly, she joined them.
Her interest in the sport grew, and it quickly turned into a normal part of her life. After she began participating in local competitions, her talent became obvious. She then joined training camps for young disc golfers that the Finnish Disc Golf Association runs specifically to support players with the potential to compete at a high level internationally.
It was at one of those camps where Iida met her current coach, Joonas Merelä, in late 2024. Not long after, a TechDisc appeared (somewhat) mysteriously in her life.
“I actually got it as a Christmas present, but I think Joonas had recommended it to my dad,” Iida said. “But I’m not totally sure.”
When we asked Joonas if Iida’s suspicion was correct, he said simply and with a small smile, “Yeah.”
How TechDisc Makes Disc Golf Training Better
Before getting a TechDisc, Iida had, like most players, developed her playing style largely from on-course experience and watching instructional videos on YouTube. Her feedback on whether any practice worked was limited to measuring distance in open fields and seeing if her round scores came down.
Once she had a TechDisc, that all changed.
Know Instantly If New Techniques Work
With a TechDisc, Iida could immediately see detailed stats from her throws like speed, spin rate, wobble, nose angle, and more – all of which have huge impacts on distance and accuracy but are impossible to determine with old-school training methods.
“If you have problems with the nose angle or the disc wobbling too much, you can get instant feedback if you try some new things,” Joonas said about using TechDisc.
Iida and Joonas have been using this capability in the most recent offseason to improve her forehand.
“My speed was pretty low and my wobble pretty high, and it’s been helping a lot with that,” Iida said.
Accurate, Reliable Data Helps Set Specific Goals
When we asked Joonas what aims he had for Iida’s game, he explained that he doesn’t set traditional competitive goals for the players he works with (as in “X number of wins or top 5s”). Instead, his focus is on helping players understand their limiting factors and more efficiently achieve their potential as players.
He uses information from multiple perspectives such as tournament statistics, testing, TechDisc data, and physical assessments to support the player’s development.
“The player has their goals, and I just support them reaching those goals,” Joonas said.
Since Iida’s personal ambition is to become an elite professional player, Joonas does his best to support that dream. Luckily for her, Joonas – who has a degree in orthopedic osteopathy but has done specialization studies in sports medicine and coaching – has closely examined freely available TechDisc stats from elite pros’ throws. This has helped him understand the relationship between TechDisc numbers and real-life performance, allowing him to set goals for Iida based on what he knows it will take for her to compete with the best.
“Seeing the numbers is cool, but if you don’t know what to do with the numbers, it’s not so cool anymore,” Joonas said.
For instance, one of the first areas Joonas and Iida concentrated on with the TechDisc was her backhand throwing speed. It started out around 85 kph (53 mph), but Joonas knew that for her to hang with the best FPO players, she’d need to reach closer to 100 kph (62 mph).
After a regimen of strength training, a few technique changes, and plenty of TechDisc work, Joonas said Iida now regularly reaches that benchmark.
“I think the max that I’ve thrown is 102 in kilometers per hour [63 mph],” Iida said. “I don’t think I would have ever expected that I would get it so much better.”
Stay On Point in the Offseason
Finnish winters are cold, dark, and snowy. If you’re practicing, throwing outdoors rarely provides effective feedback since slippery conditions and multiple layers make it hard to produce a “real” throw. Throwing in the still and compressed air of indoor sports areas isn’t perfect, either.
But you can throw a TechDisc into a net under the same conditions no matter what Mother Nature is up to. That means when you look at TechDisc stats from August and January side-by-side, any changes are real and not due to seasonal differences in throwing conditions.
Iida also said she’s started toying with TechDisc’s virtual hole simulations to have fun and keep all her skills sharp when playing outside isn’t an option.
See When It’s Break Time
Joonas said one of his favorite things about TechDisc as a coach is that it tells him exactly when his ambitious athletes like Iida should have some time off.
“If her numbers drop for one week, okay, two weeks, okay, but if they drop for more weeks in a row, we can use it as a sign of fatigue and that she needs to take a rest,” Joonas said.
So if you’re excited about progress you’re seeing with TechDisc and start throwing a lot to improve your speed, don’ t be surprised to see the stats take a sudden dip. It probably just means you need a break.
Iida Lehtomäki “Can Be as Good as She Wants”
This month, Iida is using her spring break to travel to the U.S. to play in two events that will feature the world’s top competitors.
She’s out to a great start, finishing in 5th at the PDGA Champions Cup, the first major of the season, immediately backing up her big showing at 2025 Worlds.
She was humble when asked about her ambitions for the tournaments in April, though. “I just want to perform as well as I can and have fun on the course,” Iida said.
Of course, “as well as I can” means something different for Iida than most of us. She showed the disc golf world last year that her peak game was enough to nearly win a World Championship at the highest level of the sport.
Thanks to Iida’s work ethic and natural skill as well as the reliable feedback on her progress over the offseason from TechDisc, Joonas sees no limit to what Iida can accomplish now and in future seasons.
“She’s really critical of her own training and her own career,” Joonas said. “I think she can be as good as she wants.”
