In an episode of Seinfeld titled “The Summer of George,” George Costanza gets a severance package from the New York Yankees that allows him to have three months of vacation. He has a long list of activities planned for his time off, but what’s near the top of it?

“Frolf, Jerry,” George says. “Golf with a Frisbee.”

After starting as a somewhat unknown sport in the 1960s, disc golf has since taken off and is now a popular sport and hobby nationwide. Ames joined the world of disc golf in 1997 and has had to expand because of its growing popularity.

“It’s cheap, gets you outside and gives you a chance to hang out with friends,” said Mark Sullivan, recent graduate in chemistry and 2007 intramural disc golf champion.

One of the reasons for disc golf’s rising popularity is the cost. Most courses, including the two in Ames, are free to play. The discs themselves are cheap compared to other sports’ equipment, ranging anywhere from $7.99 for a beginning disc to $24.99 for a top-of-the-line disc. ISU Outdoor Recreation also rents them out for a daily charge of $1.50.

“I’ve spent somewhere around $50 total in discs,” said Sullivan, who has been disc golfing since his senior year in high school.

Ash Burton, employee at Jax Outdoor Gear, 4723 Lincoln Way, said he has noticed a large increase in disc golf sales during his time at the store.

“We try to maintain a full stock of discs, because they’re so popular,” Burton said. “We sell a few thousand discs to folks of all ages each summer.”

The Carroll Marty Disc Golf Course in Gateway Hills Park was Ames’ first course, built in 1997 on largely unused land that used to house a regular golf course. Ames local Jeff Harper designed the 18-hole course which is still used heavily and has remained largely unchanged.

“We had some avid local disc golfers that simply approached us and asked if there was any chance to put in a disc golf course,” said Keith Abraham, recreation supervisor for the city of Ames. “Since the land was basically unused, we didn’t see a problem with it.”

Stable Run Disc Golf Course, located north of campus near Frederiksen Court, was constructed in 2004 and serves as the university disc golf course. The popularity and traffic created by the first course in Ames led golfers and officials alike to realize that the expanding sport needed more room.

Abraham said city officials approached Iowa State about any spare land. “We asked about a different location to spread out the use of the courses so Gateway Hills didn’t get worn out,” Abraham said. “On top of that, we had a lot of issues with parking.” Both courses are certified by the Professional Disc Golf Association and have received good reviews from the Web site dgreview.com. At this time, there are no plans to expand either course or add new ones in Ames.