MARSHALL TWP, Allegheny County - A player steps to the tee box, ready to let go a long drive into the fairway. But there is no driver, no clubs, nothing but an unusual looking Frisbee headed straight down the course at Knob Hill Park or Moraine State Park.

Flying disc golf, a variation of the sport of traditional golf, has gained popularity in Butler County and Western Pennsylvania in recent years, as evidenced by a host of local courses built in county parks. A local flying disc club has been working in recent years to increase awareness about the sport and garner new members.

Rules of the gameDisc golf mimics traditional golf, but instead of a tiny dimpled white ball and a set of clubs, players use a flying disc to complete the hole in the fewest strokes possible, which in the case of disc golf, is the fewest throws possible.The flying disc is thrown from a tee area to a "hole," usually an elevated basket.Just like in traditional golf, the player must make consecutive shots from where the previous shot landed.The sport was formalized in the 1970s and has grown in popularity, especially in the last few years with the sport going international and getting big name sponsors for its professional tour.According to the Professional Disc Golf Association, the national governing body for local flying disc clubs, membership growth has ranged between 8 and 12 percent annually. In 1996, the PDGA had 3,904 members compared to 8,575 in 2004. A breakdown of national player demographics as well as other informational materials is available at PDGA's Web site at www.pdga.com.The PDGA estimates that 7 to 10 million people have at least played disc golf once and more than 500,000 play the sport regularly.The number of disc golf courses in the United States have also increased, from a one in 1975 to 1,722 in 2004, with the majority of courses being located in Texas - 113.The majority of players range between the ages of 20 and 49. In this male-dominated sport, 92 percent of the membership is male, compared to 8 percent for females.

The sport is relatively inexpensive to play. None of the courses in the Pittsburgh area charge fees and the only equipment needed is the flying disc designed for the game.Players use a specially-designed golf disc, which flies farther than traditional Frisbees, and costs around $8.Cranberry Township resident Keith Clark, 54, has been involved with disc golf since its inception in the early 1970s and is a charter member of the Pittsburgh Flying Disc Society. He serves as course promoter for the Knob Hill Park course."When I first moved here, there were no disc golf courses in the Pittsburgh area," Clark recalled. In 1989, he worked with Pittsburgh Citiparks and the Hart Foundation to build the first disc golf course in Schenley Park.Now there are six courses in Western Pennsylvania, including nine-hole courses in Phillips Park in Carrick, Monroeville Park, Getty Heights and Indiana (Pa.) University College Lodge courses in Indiana County. Locally there are 18-hole courses at Knob Hill Park in Marshall Township and Moraine State Park's North Shore, which opened late last year.In 1994, the Pittsburgh Flying Disc Society was able to raise funds for the construction of the Knob Hill Park course. The 18-hole course has a length of 4,780 feet with 13 of the holes less than 300 feet, while five of the holes are between 300 and 400 feet.The PDGA describes the course as a mostly long, open grassy fairways with elevation changes and a water hazard, well-marked tee signs and putting basket. Just as in traditional golf, there are three tee placements per hole.

Last year, the society was able to raise enough money to establish a disc golf course on the north shore of Moraine State Park. The new 18-hole course is about 7,300 feet, with a par of 66.Although all the holes are open for play, society members are still looking for sponsors for their tee signs and have some minor cosmetic work to finish.The tee boxes are currently gravel, and the society hopes to have cement slabs installed in the near future. Some fallen trees and brush around the course still need to be cleaned up.The ongoing fitness boom finds more and more people in the U.S. taking up recreational activities in an effort to improve health and quality of life.Disc golf provides upper and lower body conditioning, aerobic exercise, and promotes a combination of physical and mental abilities that allow very little risk of physical injury. Concentration skills increase by mastering shots and negotiating obstacles, according to the PDGA."I just enjoy it for the general exercise and being able to get outdoors," Clark said of his experiences over the years. "I just got interested in it and stuck with it."<B>Local club</B>The Pittsburgh Flying Disc Society is a group of enthusiasts dedicated to the promotion of fun, fitness and flying disc sports.Since 1988, the club that includes members from the surrounding counties, including Butler, has been instrumental in installing and maintaining seven disc golf courses in Western Pennsylvania.The membership helps teach people how to play disc sports by holding clinics, tournaments and other events. Membership dues for the club are $10 per year or $50 for a lifetime. After five years, members become lifetime members. Membership in the PDGA is $40 annually for non-pros.Dave Olcott, the society's course promoter for Schenley Park, got into the sport and become a member of the club quite by accident. He said he was in a local sporting goods store buying golf balls when he noticed the "funny looking Frisbees on the wall." He asked the clerk what they were used for and learned they were used for "frolf" or Frisbee golf.

He and his brother later bought a set of discs and when out to a local course to try the discs out.The first time people try to play, Olcott said, they end up throwing the golf disc like a regular Frisbee in the park, which causes the specially-designed disc to go way off target.Through meeting some of the Pittsburgh Flying Disc Society members at the Knob Hill course, Olcott learned proper techniques and has been hooked on the sport ever since."I think I've played regular golf two times since," said Olcott, 36, of Pittsburgh's South Side, who has been disc golfing for more than three years."People don't have to have a lot of physical talent to be a success," he said, adding that many players smaller in stature than he is can through the golf disc much further than he can.Olcott said he hopes to start a drive next year to get more women involved with the sport, which is overwhelmingly male-dominated. He wants to set up a women-only event next year in the Pittsburgh area to help women learn about the outdoor game."I'm not sure why women in the past haven't participated," he said. "It's not like you need excessive physical strength. It's more about technique and finesse."

The World's Biggest Disc Golf Weekend is an event held annually to the Pittsburgh Flying Disc Society and other clubs across the U.S. to promote the sport and to give those who are unfamiliar with the game to come out to local courses and learn how to play.This year's event is scheduled for Knob Hill and Moraine State parks May 21 and 22.The event for the Knob Hill Park will run from about 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days, while details for the Moraine events are still being worked out. At those courses, for a $12 fee, those attending will receive a beginner's package that will include flying disc and T-shirt along with membership packets for the Pittsburgh society and the PDGA.Information for the all the events at all the courses will be available on the Pittsburgh Flying Disc Society's Web site at www.pfds.org."I encourage everybody to come out and see what this sport is all about," said Jeremiah Libby, who currently lives in Slippery Rock and recently graduated from Slippery Rock University.Libby, 24, also a member of the Pittsburgh Flying Disc Society, first got involved by just going to a course at his former residence in Maine. "You could rent the disc at the course and I just got hooked from there," he said."It's an outdoor sport. It keeps you active and allows you to stay competitive," he said. "It's an easy sport to play once you learn the fundamentals.""It's very easy for beginners to learn," Libby said.The big difference from throwing a regular Frisbee and throwing a golf disc is the angle at which the disc is thrown, he said The other subtleties and techniques can be learned and perfected as the player practices on the local courses."People first starting out are very hesitant about their abilities, but once they get past that, they really become enthusiastic about the sport and their game improves."