PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Golf always has had a bit of an International flair. Every year the world focuses on the United Kingdom for the Open Championship. This year the world will focus on Rome as the Ryder Cup comes to Italy for the first time.
But every year, golfers can get a bit of an international experience by visiting the International Club in Myrtle Beach.
Flags from scores of countries line the entry road and loom over the clubhouse at the International Club. That sets the stage for an exceptional experience – both on the golf course and in the pub-style clubhouse.
For all of those reasons, the International Club is the subject of the January episode of the award-winning Traveling Golfer television show.
“We feel the time is right to show off the International Club to the world,” says Jim Knaffle, director of agronomy at the International Club. “The last few years have been marked by a constant effort toward improvement. This course always has been known for good conditions and fast greens. Now it is better than ever.”
Knaffle should have a good handle on the progress that has been made at the International Club. He came on board in 1999, one year before the course opened.
The course was designed by Willard Byrd, who is credited with the creation of 42 golf courses, primarily in the southwest region of America, before his death in 2004. A number of those courses can be found in the Myrtle Beach area. Byrd opened his golf course architecture firm in 1956 and dedicated himself to building solid and basic golf courses that were playable, fair and easy to maintain. The International Club fits perfectly into that mold.
From opening day in 2000, the International Club was regarded at the top level of daily fee courses. It’s reputation has grown in recent years.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to play every golf course in Myrtle Beach’s Grand Strand region. Over the years a number have closed but, when I finally got to play the International Club in 2014, there were still 100 courses,” explains Tony Leodora, host of the Traveling Golfer television show. “My immediate reaction was – why did I wait so long?
“The International Club is a joy to play. And, of almost equal value, the pub is a joy to visit after a round of golf.”
In addition, due to its central location along the Grand Strand, viewers will see that there are a number of very convenient and affordable places to stay when visiting the International Club.
The January episode of the Traveling Golfer airs as a scheduled weekly feature show on NBC Sports and NBC Sports + throughout three markets in the Mid-Atlantic regions. NBC Sports airings are 10:30 a.m. on Sundays, 10 p.m. on Tuesdays and 11 a.m. on Thursdays. NBC Sports + airs the show at 8 p.m. Mondays and Fridays. In addition, the show airs nationally, two times every day, on the Fun Roads Network (funroads.tv/schedule) – in the San Francisco, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, Wichita, Detroit, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, Washington State, North Dakota, Raleigh, Orlando, San Jose, Albany and Boise markets.
Additionally, national and international expansion has taken place via the new wingding™ Network, which reaches more than 275 million households. It is available on Roku (50 Million), Amazon Fire TV (55 Million), Apple TV (40 million), Chromecast (56 million) and iTunes (28 million).
The Traveling Golfer also airs a number of times throughout the month on “Rivertalk” on HTC-4 in Myrtle Beach.
The show also airs on the Traveling Golfer network of websites, including The Golf Director Network and The Myrtle Beach Golf Channel (see full list of sites on travelinggolfervideo.com).
As part of every Traveling Golfer show there is the feature, “Tech Talk”, hosted by Tour Edge Golf experts, such as President Dave Glod. With years of experience as a club maker, Glod presents an inside look at the research and development of high-quality golf equipment.
Responding to golfers’ never-ending demands to learn more about interesting golf courses and golf resorts across the country and around the world, well-traveled host Tony Leodora created the Traveling Golfer so he could take viewers on video trips to some of the most exciting golf locations. In each of the last eight years, the show has been honored by the International Network of Golf with one of its prestigious awards. In four of those years the Traveling Golfer was named the No. 1 Golf Television Show in America.
The Traveling Golfer is a series of monthly shows hosted by Leodora and his partner, Jeff Gilder. Both have many years of experience in televised golf. The featured destination stays on the website for one month, before being replaced by a new show. Alternate shows also air in a two-month rotation. All old shows are archived for continued viewing on the YouTube Network and on the home website, www.travelinggolfer.tv.
For more information about the Traveling Golfer, or to find out how a property can be featured on the show, call TL Golf Services at (610) 721-8186 , Zeus Digital Marketing at 843-272-1919 or e-mail Tony Leodora at tony.leodora@TL-golfservices.com or Jeff Gilder at jeff@wingding.tv.
