Erlenbach's impact far-reaching

You might be as surprised as I was a few years ago at the reach of the Links Illustrated syndicated golf show. It was John Erlenbach's beloved project that turned into a legacy lasting 25 years and more than 300 episodes. We lost Erlenbach on Monday at the age of 52 following his two-year battle with cancer, but his show and its reach will live on in the coming years.

About five years ago I was in Guatemala visiting some friends I met during the World Amateur Handicap Championship. One of my friends had two friends from Costa Rica who were visiting, and we were all riding in a car together. When the Costa Rican gentlemen were informed I was from Myrtle Beach, they immediately asked, "Do you know Mike Schroder?"

I was wondering how in the heck two guys who live in Costa Rica knew Mike Schroder, a golf instructor from Conway. Turns out, they regularly watched him on the Links Illustrated show at their homes on satellite TV. Schroder gave instruction on the majority of episodes. If they watched the show enough to know Schroder by name, who knows how many people became familiar with Myrtle Beach golf courses through the show Erlenbach filmed and produced for 25 years? Erlenbach said it was available in 60 million homes, and it was possibly more than that.

About a month before his death, Erlenbach recalled his introduction to the Grand Strand golf scene when he first moved here 32 years ago. The Strand was still a mecca for high-stakes gambling on the golf course at the time. When Erlenbach arrived, he was a solid golfer who played mini-tours. He said his first match was for $10,000 at Arcadian Shores Golf Club.

“We got to the first tee and the [my partner] asked me how much of it I wanted, and I only had 73 dollars,” Erlenbach said. “They were all laughing at me. I birdied three of the final five holes to help us win. The guy tipped me $600 and said, ‘If you continue to play like that there’s a lot more where that came from.’ ”

Erlenbach saw and experienced a lot in his 32 years on the Strand, and he shared a lot of it with viewers around the world.