Butler County is the place to be for the avid golfer.

The Butler County Golf Trail Card makes it that much better.

Offered by the Butler County Tourism & Convention Bureau, this card provides its bearer with a “buy one, get one free” round of golf at nine county courses.

“We want to show people the quality of golf we have here,” said Jack Cohen, Butler County Tourism & Convention Bureau president. “The idea is, they’ll come and play the course at the discounted rate, then like it enough to come back and play again at full price.”

Participating courses include Aubrey’s Dubbs Dred, Buffalo, Conley’s, Cranberry Highlands, Hiland, Lake Arthur, Oakview, St. Jude and Strawberry Ridge.

There are 25 golf courses in the county or just across the county line. Each participating course pays the bureau $165 a year to do so.

The Golf Trail Card program is in its fourth year.

“We distribute 3,500 of these cards each year,” Cohen said. “I’d say half of them go out to people who don’t live around here.

“The cards are available online and we distribute them at golf shows we go to in Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Toronto.”

The card is free to anyone allowing his or her contact information to be released to the participating courses.

“It’s a good marketingtool for those courses to relay information to customers pertaining to what’s going on the facility,” Cohen said.

Anyone not wishing his name to be released to the respective courses may buy the card for $20.

“It’s still quite a deal,” Cohen said.

He said the card has helped increase the number of golfers visiting the county from Canada.

“Our county is a popular stop for them,” Cohen said. “They can start playing golf a little earlier down here than they can up there.

“In general, this card serves as a means to get people from other areas to visit our county and see what we have here.”

It also encourages local golfers to play different courses in the area.

“It’s a winning deal for everybody,” Cohen said. “I’m surprised more golf courses in the area don’t get on board with this.”

The Golf Trail Card has been circulating since January. Anyone interested in obtaining the card may go to www.visitbutlercounty.com or call 724-234-4619.