Rich Lerner, reporter for The Golf Channel, has traveled all over the country to interview the biggest stars of professional golf.

He has covered all major PGA Tour championships and Ryder Cup matches.

Rich is noted for his live interviews with golfing greats such as Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Greg Norman.

A gifted writer and interviewer, Rich Lerner won the Women's Sports Foundation Journalism Award for his documentary -- Se Ri Pak, A Champion's Journey. He also helped The Golf Channel land a Cable Ace Award, and his in-depth specials include "Tiger Woods: Millennium Man" and "Courage on the Fairways."

On Thursday, Nov. 15, Lerner added a new dimension to his golf beat reporting and a new name, Bobby Kilgus, to his interview list of golfing enthusiasts. When the filming session was over, Lerner's name was added to an honorary membership roster that will go down in history in Orangeburg County.

Lerner said, "We saw The Times and Democrat's article, "Pontoons and Glowsticks," on the Internet like everybody else, and we thought, let's go visit this crazy guy in South Carolina. We've had enough stories about Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, the big names in sports. Let's go to Kountryside Golf Course where golfers are obviously having great fun."

Lerner says The T&D's feature story about Kountryside caught his attention for a number of reasons.

"The night golf tournaments, Bobby's addition of a pontoon to ferry golfers to the back nine, and the idea of a farmer designing and building his own golf course were intriguing. I just had to film Bobby's story for The Golf Channel," Lerner said.

Kountryside's night golf tournament season usually ends in October, but when The Golf Channel telephoned Bobby about filming a game for Lerner's television show, Bobby and his wife, Len, enthusiastically agreed to host a special tournament.

While Lerner and cameraman Gunnar Garrity were in town to film a movie about Kountryside's night golf tournaments, the story about the little country golf course that is attracting national attention, began in 1999.

Len explained, "Sometimes God allows hardships to occur to open the door for his blessings. Looking at Kountryside today, it is difficult for people to imagine what the property looked like eight years ago. The rolling greens and fairways are situated on property that was once used to grow corn, cotton and soybeans.

Bobby's vision of building a golf course appeared after a severe drought destroyed most of the crops throughout Orangeburg County in 1999. One day, as Bobby was pondering his future as a farmer, the words, "If you build it, they will come," from the movie, Field of Dreams, echoed in his mind. When he told me about his vision, I gave him my blessing and Bobby put his heart and soul into the development of Kountryside Golf Course."

Prior to the teeing off for the night golf tournament filming, Lerner spoke to the group of 36 golfers assembled in the clubhouse.

Lerner said, "Bobby and Len just took me out to the spot where he had his hallucination eight years ago. All kidding aside, it is amazing what he has done. Kevin Costner's movie, Field of Dreams, is just that -- a movie, a fantasy. But this is real, and I think it's a bit of a lesson. I've been listening to what Bobby said, and I think he talked about it in terms of taking a little bit of a chance. I guess every now and then, we all need to jump over the edge of the 13th fairway -- jump right over.

"People talk about the 12th hole at Augusta National or the 17th at the Stadium Course of the Players Championship being a great par 3. This one at Kountryside is on the top of my list now. It's the toughest par 3 in America."

As fierce bursts of wind whipped sand from the traps and pathways, and temperatures began to drop to a cold shiver outside, the atmosphere in the clubhouse was embracing as Lerner joked with the crowd.

"I grew up in a place like this in Pennsylvania." Lerner said. "My Pop had a driving range, miniature golf and pitch and putt. My brothers and I worked there for a long time. That's where I learned to love the game of golf because of the stories and laughs and nothing but good times. I feel that same warmth right here at Kountryside, and I'm going to underline warmth, because we're all gonna' freeze while filming this night golf story."

As refreshments were being served, Lerner told the audience, "The Golf Channel started out approximately 13 years ago and we were like the 'little engine that could.' A lot of people said we weren't going to make it, but we have, and it's mostly because golfers are somewhat crazy, and I say that in the BEST possible way. And here we are tonight, a little bit crazy, going out in the cold and windy weather to play golf.

"We do it because we want to, and because we need a place to go where we can talk to people and poke fun.

"At The Golf Channel, we focus a lot on celebrities such as Tiger Woods, but we know who butters the bread -- it's people like you who support us and love the game of golf enough to watch our programs."

With glowsticks, flashlights and glowing golf balls in hand, 36 golfers headed out of the clubhouse, into the night to play a game of golf for The Golf Channel. After an exciting game, Marty Stroman and Robin Herron, both of Bamberg, were declared winners of the tournament.

When Kountryside's story airs (the date is to be announced), watch for the following local golfers: Gene Adams, Steven Antley, Luther Berry Sr., Leslie Bonnette, Ricky Brown, Donna Brown, Richard Craven, Rodney Daff, Greg Daugherty, Mark Felder, Cindy Felder, Ned Fogle, Mack Garrick, Lewis Givens, Rowdy Gleaton, Harold Hayden, Robin Herron, B.J. Hill, Rich Jeffcoat, Robbie Kilgus, Seth Layden, Matt Lovern, Matt Mixon, Mike O'Cain, Jim Tom Oliver, Michael Parheim, Chris Sandifer, Dean Spradley, Robbie Stevens, Tripp Stokes, Jim Strickland, Andy Strickland, Marty Stroman, Marty Troutman, Joe Varn and Homer Whetstone.

Now that Kountryside Golf Course has obtained celebrity status, Bobby Kilgus is reaching another milestone. On Nov. 24, Kountryside held the grand opening of its back nine.

"We are becoming a full-fledged 18-hole golf course. Our members joke that Bobby has just added nine more holes of fun at Kountryside," Len said. "One thing I can certainly see here at Kountryside," Lerner said, "is a great golf club. It is more than just a golf course, it's the people that make it special. I knew as soon as I set foot in here, I could feel it. I think it says a lot about Bobby and Len, and how they make everybody feel right at home. I feel honored to feature their story on The Golf Channel."

T&D Features Writer Sonja Gleaton can be reached by email at sgleaton@timesanddemocrat.com and by telephone at 533-5540. Discuss this and other stories on-line at TheTandD.com.

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