With no tee times or green fees, club members say city-owned courses offer a fun, cheap alternative to golf — one that promises interaction with wildlife, beautiful vistas, technical challenges, water hazards and friendships.

"It's something people of all ages can enjoy," said Craig Forstner, 44, a Clearwater resident who has been playing for 22 years. "If you've thrown a Frisbee, you'll catch on pretty fast."

New and used discs in all colors of the rainbow are for sale in specialty stores and on eBay for just a few dollars, he said.

"It's really inexpensive to get started and good exercise for the whole family," Forstner said.

Want to give disc golf a whirl? Here's what you need to know.

About the game

Players begin at a designated tee area, typically a concrete pad, where they try to sink discs into "pole holes," or metal baskets. The number of throws is counted, and the lowest score wins.

Disc golf started in the 1960s. Frisbee throwers would use trees and other objects as targets. After the invention of the metal baskets to catch the discs, the sport became officially organized in 1976, said Brian Graham, executive director of the Professional Disc Golf Association.

Gear

Disc golfers use 9-inch discs that vary in thickness, rim size, weight and type of plastic. Much like traditional golf, discs include drivers, putters and those used for mid-range throws. Drivers are thinner and have sharp edges to slice through the air at high speed, so be careful. Putters are the thickest and are designed to be lobbed short distances. Many beginners start with just a disc or two.

Techniques

There are a variety of throwing techniques for getting the disc where you want it to go. Names include the tomahawk, the Scooby and the turbo putt. Experienced disc golfers begin each hole with a drive, the longest and most powerful throw. Visualize them winding up, snapping their wrist and finishing the throw with a pose that looks like a ballerina on a tiptoe.

Who plays?

Mostly young and middle-aged men, but women, children and senior citizens play, too. Around here, disc golf celebrity Ken Climo, the sport's 12-time world champion and five-time U.S. Champion, is often seen playing on his home course, Cliff Stephens Park in Clearwater.

Cautions

Pedestrians have the right of way, so be careful with the flying discs. Watch out for alligators and snakes, especially water moccasins prone to hanging out on the banks of lakes and streams.