LPGA says goodbye Ty Votaw, hello Carolyn Bivens

Jul 17

LPGA says goodbye Ty Votaw, hello Carolyn Bivens

Remember ?A League of Their Own?? The war was over, they were about to shut down women?s baseball, and commissioner Ira Lowenstein argued with league owner Walter Harvey, shouting, ?I sold your product when there was no product! Now there?s a product!?

Carolyn Bivens might know what he was talking about. Meet the LGPA?s new commissioner?its first female?replacing seven-year veteran Ty Votaw. Her background isn?t in golf, it?s in sales and marketing. She?s a savvy pick, then, because what?s lacking in the LPGA isn?t product, it?s product awareness.

With Annika Sorenstam up to nine majors (and gunning for another one in a couple of weeks), teen sensations Paula Creamer and Brittany Lang coming up the ranks, and amateurs Michelle Wie and Morgan Pressel creating new fans every day, Bivens has plenty of product to sell.

How she plans to sell it remains the interesting question. Based on what she?s said in interviews, one of her initiatives will be to ?get the message out that the LPGA Tour players are interesting people.? I assume that means lots of player profiles during televised events. Bring it on?I love vignettes. I?m one of those saps who gets all weepy during those heart-warming ?Olympic moments.?

I?m sure she?ll be getting plenty of input the next few weeks on ?what?s wrong with the LPGA.? Hopefully she?ll see what?s right and get to work selling it.

Sounds like she’s making a good start. She won’t actually begin in her new position until September, but she’s already thinking ahead. When asked about the fact that the LGPA is at an all-time high in terms of viewership and purse sizes, she said, “you don’t tinker with a brand when things are right. I’m going to take the foundation that Ty has laid. I do not disagree with it. I’m a huge supporter of the year-end playoffs and a supporter of the campaign. I’ll build on that campaign; I’m not going to change it.”

Good luck, Ms. Bivens. Here’s to taking the LPGA to the next level.

« Annika Sorenstam rocks at the ESPY awards and the Evian Masters

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8 comments

§ Ron Mon® said on : 07/19/05 @ 23:59
I'm gonna say that her first order of business is to eliminate people from the LPGA.Com website who are not currently hot. Grace Park has had a less-than-stellar 2005 campaign, yet her face appears quite frequently on rotation of ads. I also think that she should have a shockwave or flash game for young girls put on the site. My daughters go nuts for that type of thing. Finally, have an American-Girl style series of dolls created, based on distinct american female golfers.
§ roy brown said on : 07/20/05 @ 21:05
Her biggest obsticale to overcome will be main stream sports media's bias toward male sports. I have heard several ESPN radio "hosts" out and out say women sports are a big waste of time. Main stream sports reporting not only leans 90% toward male sports, it covers baseball, football and basketball 90% of the time and little else.
§ J. Donley said on : 07/22/05 @ 11:20
I wish Ms. Bivens a smooth transition to the LPGA and wish her the best. NASCAR has done well promoting it's drivers and teams and I think there is something to be learned from their success. Help us fans (the high handicappers and neophites especially) get to know these wonderful players. Make connections for us. Draw us in and grow the sport. Then the media coverage will follow. It's all about the $ when it comes to tv time and sponsorships. I bet Ms. Binvens knows that, though. Her business background will benefit the LPGA.
§ Sam Urban said on : 07/24/05 @ 21:40
It's all about TV. Ty didn't get it done. If Bivens can do it the tour will become the big time sport it ought to be. Note that the Evian Masters wasn't on any of the major networks!!!
§ Kathleen Schaefer said on : 07/26/05 @ 12:39
Michelle Wie should wear golf- appropriate outfits. Short pants such as she wears are not allowed in golf clubs during a round of golf.
§ toby c said on : 07/26/05 @ 14:42
What is wrong with people? Why cannot we have a Professional Golf Orgainzation which recognizes Men and Women players, Teachers and Golf Management Head Professionals much like the tennis association. It would help the whole of golf. It has worked for them for how many years?
§ Gary K said on : 08/31/05 @ 12:46
I believe she is walking into a phenominal opportunity. Women's golf has not had a future like this in quite awhile. There are a number of very good teenage Americans coming into the game that have a tremendous appeal to fans. I think her immediate goal should be to get these young superstars into the game.

I do have a suggestion regarding the age issue. i suggest that the LPGA allow these young players the opportunity of attending Q school (only if it does not interfere with their school schedule) to try to qualify. If they qualify they should be able to play tournaments if they don't, again if they don't interfere with school. After they are out of high school who should care.
§ john c said on : 06/28/06 @ 08:19
Bivens tenure so far has been an unmitigated disaster;

Whatever smoke Bivens used to get herself this job has quickly disappated.

If Michelle Wie is very smart, she will steer clear of this mess until Bivens is returned to some cutesy marketing group.

Bottom line: All smoke, no substance.

Hopefully, the members of the LPGA can figure this out before they go the way of professional women's bowling......