1980-1984:

Citiparks Regional Supervisor Vince Hurley runs Junior Frisbee Contests for kids sponsored by Wham-O.

October 1981:

PFDS begins as an informal group of frisbee enthusiasts and holds a tournament in Point State Park with Double Disc Court, Maximum Time Aloft, Distance and Freestyle competitions.

October 1982:

Pittsburgh Flying Disc tournament held at CMU and Flagstaff Hill with competitions in Ultimate, Disc Golf and Freestyle. Henry Thorne and Marcus Wittich are tournament directors.

August 1983:

Citiparks and Pittsburgh Flying Disc Society hosts Keystone State Flying Disc Championships at Schenley Park with Distance, MTA, Freestyle, and Golf competions. Dave Bikerman and Marcus Wittich are tournament directors.

Summer 1983:

Jay Cohen organizes the first season for the Pittsburgh Summer Ultimate League with 8 teams participating. PFDS continues to organize Pittsburgh Summer Ultimate with Todd Williams and Steve Neuman as Commissioners until 1989 when Ultimate spins off as its own club, eventually to become Community for Pittsburgh Ultimate.

1983 and 1985:

Steve Kohman, Henry Thorne and Marcus Wittich propose a disc golf course, first in Frick Park, then at Flagstaff Hill, to Citiparks' Vince Hurley.

April 1984:

Pittsburgh hosts its first Professional Disc Golf Association tournament on a temporary course in Frick Park. Steve Kohman is tournament director, and wins the tournament on a long downhill putt on the last hole.

July 1984:

PFDS works with Citiparks to put on the Hacky Sack and Frisbee Festival at Point State Park. Thousands participate in flying disc and footbag games including disc golf on a 6-pole hole demonstration course. J. Gary Dropcho is tournament director.

1985-1986:

Citiparks and PFDS run Junior Frisbee Contests and Hacky Sack and Frisbee Festivals at Point State Park and Schenley Park.

Fall 1986:

Vince Hurley gains Citiparks approval and $9,300 Hunt Foundation funding for a disc golf course in Schenley Park. Steve Kohman designs the layout with help from Keith Clark, Red Whittington and John David from the Disc Golf Association.

March 1988:

Pittsburgh Flying Disc Society officially founded. Founding Board members include Teri Breier, Keith Clark, Gary Dropcho, Joe Enck, Steve Kohman, Mark Licata, and Todd Williams.

April 1988:

Citiparks employees and PFDS volunteers install 18 Mach II poleholes and tee signs in Schenley Park.

July 1988:

Combined Junior Frisbee Contest, Hacky Sack and Frisbee Festival and Pittsburgh Flying Disc Open held at Schenley Park Disc Golf course to christen new facility. Keith Clark is tournament director.

October 1988:

PFDS hosts Ironwood Open disc golf tournament at Schenley Park. Keith Clark is tournament director.

November 1988:

PFDS hosts Ultimate Players Association Mid-Atlantic Regional tournament at sites around Pittsburgh and Hampton Township.

April 1989:

Pittsburgh Flying Disc Open held at Schenley Park. PFDO is part of Can-Am Series for the first time. Steve Kohman is tournament director.

June 1990:

PFDS raises $1034 for the American Diabetes Association with a "Throw for Diabetes" event at Schenley Park organized by Steve Kohman.

April 1990-1992:

PFDS sets up a temporary course at Hampton Community Park and hosts kick-off event of the Can-Am Series. Fields swell to 120 players. Keith Clark is tournament director.

April 1988:

PFDS hosts a World’s Biggest Disc Golf Weekend for the first time at Schenley Park. Curtis Spence gets CJ Barney’s/Hemmingways Cafe and Zelda’s Greenhouse in Oakland as title sponsors of the event in subsequent years. J. Gary Dropcho organizes the event annually until Rex Nordheimer takes it over in 2000.

August 1992:

PFDS president J. Gary Dropcho challenges the club to raise the money to buy a disc golf course and donate it to a park that is willing to be a partner/host for a disc golf facility. A committee including Chairman Steve Kohman, Keith Clark, Lynn Giroux, Michael Novara, Mark Daniels, Curtis Spence, Red Whittington, Bob Pollak, Henry and Karen Thorne and Scott Johnson send proposals to over 20 municipal and county parks and recreation departments, make follow-up phone calls and meet with parks representatives.

September 1992:

Marshall Township Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee votes to recommend to the Board of Supervisors that a disc golf course be made the top priority for 1993 capital improvement in the parks. Committee Chair Carolyn Volk champions the cause.

January 1994:

Marshall Township Manager Neil McFadden tours PFDS members around the grounds of Knob Hill Park in his SUV. Members show him the potential for a great course with throws on what would become Hole #9.

June 1994:

J. Gary Dropcho works with Marshall Township crew to dig the holes and set the basket anchors and tee signs.

July 1994:

Keith Clark and Michael Novara assemble and install the baskets. PFDS volunteers dig tee boxes and set the tee boards. Nelson Bennett constructs and installs the tee signs.

August 1994:

Marshall Township Community Day, intended to showcase the new disc golf course, is cancelled because of torrential rains. The disc golfers, take shelter and wait optimistically. The sun reappears in the afternoon, and an official ribbon cutting ceremony his held with Parks committee members Arleen Lipsman and Mary Ann Salzman.

November 1994:

PFDS volunteers set B pin anchors and layout blue tees at Knob Hill.

June 1995:

PFDS hosts Pittsburgh Flying Disc Open at Knob Hill after a two year hiatus. Tournament layout uses A and B pins and White tees the first year.

June 1996-2000:

PFDO grows in popularity and stature on the PDGA tour as layout expands to 7300’. Keith Clark and J. Gary Dropcho are co-tournament directors.

May 1996:

Carrick High School teachers Dan Tyger, Russ Peters, Larry Jackson, and J. Gary Dropcho help students design, get approval for, construct and install baskets and tee markers for a nine hole course in Phillips Park. Mike Gable from Pittsburgh Public Works and Citiparks provided use of land and tools.

December 1997:

Based on presentations and groundwork done by Rex Nordheimer, Monroeville Township agrees to put in a nine hole disc golf course in Monroeville Park. Rex designs a layout and leads the fundraising effort to buy the course and tee signs.

March 1998:

Hunt Foundation funds $5000 grant written by J. Gary Dropcho to install concrete tee pads and tee signs on new Recreational (Red) tees, concrete tee pads on existing White tees at Schenley Park, and two park benches. Pittsburgh Citiparks and Public Works Directors Duane Ashley and Mike Gable support the project with a backhoe, construction materials and tools. Partners in Parks director Myrna Antonio-Hall provides administrative help.

April 1998:

On a day forever to be known as "Concrete Friday" (April 10, 1998), a crew of 16 PFDS members needed only eight hours to pour and finish 31 cubic yards of cement into 36 tee pads each big enough to park a VW Beetle on. PFDS members volunteered 500 hours to plan, coordinate, install and landscape the tees in a great example of a partnership that improved the quality and value of our public park.

August 1998:

Rex Nordheimer and PFDS volunteers install 10 Mach 5 baskets at Monroeville Park. Rex designs and constructs the tee signs.

August 1999:

Can-Am Cup team match play tournament is inaugurated at Knob Hill Park. TD J. Gary Dropcho initiates format for event that is intended to be contested each year by teams from around the Can Am region. Northern Virginia wins the Gold Medals and the possession of the perpetual trophy until the next year’s event. Pittsburgh, Columbus and Pittsburgh B teams compete.

April 2000:

Ironwood Open disc golf tournament is resurrected as a PDGA event and part of the Can-Am series. J. Gary Dropcho is tournament director.

April-November 2000:

After Allegheny County Department of Public Works denied disc golf course proposals in 1994, 1998, and 1999, Tom Moeller renews campaign for disc golf to be included in the county parks comprehensive master plan. Moeller implements a sign-in petition at Schenley and Knob Hill courses to document the number of people using the facilties and collects the signatures of over 200 "playing" members of PFDS. Moeller, J. Gary Dropcho and Rex Nordheimer testify at public meetings at North Park and Boyce Parks to advocate for the disc golf proposal.

October 2000-June 2001:

Marshall Township funds and installs concrete tee pads on Knob Hill’s White tees. Public Works Director Bruce Dickson and his crew work with J. Gary Dropcho, Keith Clark and PFDS volunteers to create 5’ x15’ grade level pads.

January 2001:

Tom Moeller and other PFDS members survey Deer Lakes Park as a possible disc golf course site.

April 2001-2002:

Ironwood Open continues at Schenley Park with Tom Moeller as tournament director.

June 2001:

Allegheny County consulting firm recommends a master development plan that includes a disc golf course in Deer Lakes Park, as well as establishing an independent recreation commission to oversee park development.

June 2002:

C pins and Recreational (Red) tees designed and installed by J. Gary Dropcho and Marcus Ranii-Dropcho.

June 2002:

PFDO field and tournament purse/value reaches Supertour status. Keith Clark and J. Gary Dropcho are co-tournament directors and are recognized by the Mid-Atlantic Disc Club (MADC) as Tournament Directors of the Year.

February 2003:

Western Pennsylvania Field Institute (later to be renamed Venture Outdoors) refers inquiries by Moraine State Park about a disc golf course to Pittsburgh Flying Disc Society. PFDS president Rex Nordheimer and board member Keith Clark meet with park Supervisor Obie Derr who tells PFDS they’d like to partner with PFDS on a course and to survey the park for a suitable site.

April 2003-2004:

Ironwood Open continues at Schenley Park with Rob Johnson as tournament director. Indiana Open inaugurated in April 2003, with Michael Dropcho as tournament director. Ironwood and Indiana held as two one-day events and nicknamed IO2.

June 2003:

Full field at PFDO reached for first time with a $10,000 purse. Keith Clark and J. Gary Dropcho are co-tournament directors and are again recognized by the Mid-Atlantic Disc Club (MADC) as Tournament Directors of the Year.

February-April 2004:

Leo Liller, Bryan Wright, and Tim Wright locate the eventual site for the Lakeview course at Moraine State Park. Chris Deitzel and Keith Clark join the survey. J. Gary Dropcho joins the design team after hip surgery rehabilitation.

May 2004-October 2004:

Volunteers work with DCNR and State Correctional Facility inmate crews to clear fairways and greens. Collaborative design work continues.

September 2004:

The A Team of PFDS members win the 6th annual Can Am Cup Team Match Play championship held at Brown’s Farm for the first time. KB Clark, J. Gary Dropcho, Greg Meitus, Tom Moeller, Mike Speaker and Tim Wright win tons of matches and defeat Buzzy Chains for the Gold Medals and possession of the Can Am Cup trophy. The trophy is displayed in the Ralph Kaiser Trophy Room at the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum for one year.

November 2004:

PFDS volunteers turn out on three successive weekends to install anchors, assemble baskets and put Mach 3 baskets in the ground at Moraine Lakeview course.

December 2004:

PFDS celebrates raising $8000 to pay for baskets at Moraine State park by holding the first tournament at Lakeview disc golf course. Carl Vesch wins the "Over the Top" event by shooting 60 from the White tees.

April 2005:

Club agrees to move Ironwood Open to Knob Hill Park to avoid conflicting use problems at Schenley, and to give amateurs opportunity to play Knob Hill in 2005, as the PFDO is planned to be a pro only warm up to the PDGA Pro Worlds to be held in Allentown, PA in July 2005.

August 2005:

Tom Moeller coordinates a meeting with Allegheny County Park officials at Deer Lakes Park to discuss the potential site for an 18-hole championship disc golf course. Andy Baechle, Clarence Hopson and Mike Dutch from Allegheny County Parks meet with Tom, Dan Sauers, Jason Plunkett, and J. Gary Dropcho. The group walk proposed areas around Blue Gill pavilion and the upper fishing lake and conclude a handshake agreement to proceed with a partnership in which Allegheny County will purchase the course hardware, and PFDS will donate design services and volunteer labor to clear and install the course. The project timeline is 2006.

September 2005:

Pittsburgh Flying Disc Society A Team becomes the first team to repeat as Can Am Cup winners with the exact same roster. KB Clark, J. Gary Dropcho, Greg Meitus, Tom Moeller, Mike Speaker and Tim Wright have their names engraved a second time on the perpetual trophy which returns to the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum trophy room for another year. Team Ohio wins the Silver medals. Pittsburgh B team narrowly misses playing for the Bronze medals with a strong performance that helps the A team get into the Gold medal match.

December 2005:

Original PFDS webmaster, Rex Nordheimer, who maintained the original club website, retired from his position as PFDS webmaster. With the coming of the New Year, the PFDS decided it was time to give the existing website a new look - a complete overhaul of the existing website was developed by Larry Gioia. Larry became the new PFDS webmaster and continues to maintain the club website.

December 2005:

PFDS members Tom Moeller, Dan Sauers, and J. Gary Dropcho meet with Andy Baechle at Deer Lakes to walk a proposed routing of 18 holes. Andy affirms that he wants "the best course" possible including whatever targets, tee signs, and tee pads the club recommends. Andy commits to ordering baskets early in 2006, and all agree to forge ahead with design and clearing work to commence early in Spring 2006.

August 2006:

PFDS decides to forego running a World’s Biggest Disc Golf Weekend and instead concentrates on two promotional opportunities at the Regatta at Lake Arthure and West Deer Community Days. Jerry and Marie Gotcher lead the effort at Moraine State Park, setting up a beginner course near the practice basket, giving lessons and info about the sport. Tom Moeller and Dan Sauers promote the new Deer Lakes course at West Deer Community Days with a temp course and info booth at Bairdford Park.