Comments on Grouchy Golf Blog: Is Carolyn Bivens Running the LPGA into the Ground...

It might be time to look at more than just the Com...

2009-07-11T14:09:13.825-07:00

It might be time to look at more than just the Commissioner's Office at the LPGA. Starting with the Finance Department. Currently, the department is run by a Director of Finance who holds a BBA; whose only relevant experience, in the industry, is the 8 years they have spent at the LPGA; and, who has not been able to keep a staff member longer than two years. Just a thought, but a multi-million dollar company, in tough economic times, might want to have a CFO. If you are going to clean house, you need to sweep in all the corners....

What do you think now?

2007-11-22T12:11:00.000-08:00

What do you think now?

Something that wasn't mentioned about the LPGA Cha...

2006-10-26T07:06:00.000-07:00

Something that wasn't mentioned about the LPGA Championship being aired on TGC as opposed to ABC. Yes, ABC wanted a MAJOR to END by 3pm on Sunday. Who do you know that gets up at the crack of dawn on Sunday to watch television? Bivens told Mr.Lotman to work a deal with TGC if he could, I guess she thought he couldn't or wouldn't. So to say she was only informed of it is a lie. She was the one that told him to go for it. He's only been in this business for a couple of decades and her, a little over a year. A very destructive year.

Dump Bivens before there is no LPGA at all. One na...

2006-06-19T17:24:00.000-07:00

Dump Bivens before there is no LPGA at all. One name comes to mind for a great commish, Nancy Lopez. Nuff said?

Here is the fact about the LPGA Championship leavi...

2006-06-16T06:30:00.000-07:00

Here is the fact about the LPGA Championship leaving CBS and finding a willing television partner: the LPGA does not, repeat NOT, own the television rights to its own championship so when CBS wanted Sunday's round to end by 3 p.m. so it could air something else, the owner of the rights and the tournament, Herb Lotman, told CBS to shove it! Bivens had no role in this decision, except to be informed about it. Herb then sought an affordable television partner - TGC charged $300k while NBC wanted over $1mm. Easy choice! This situation of the LPGA not owning its own tv rights is one of the things Bivens is trying to change. if you'll recall the PGA Tour recently negotiated a tv rights package worth hundreds of millions for the next 4 years. And it funds over 65% of the prize money its players win. Bivens would love to add a few million to player's earnings.

I would love to see Dottie Pepper run the LPGA. S...

2006-06-14T18:40:00.000-07:00

I would love to see Dottie Pepper run the LPGA. She is likable, and maybe has an understanding of what it takes from a players standpoint.

Bivens has been a disaster so far...and worst of a...

2006-06-12T19:52:00.000-07:00

Bivens has been a disaster so far...and worst of all is that her failures will reflect badly on other women who are more qualified and better equipped to run the LPGA. This is unfair...Bivens' shortcoming is not that she's a woman, but that she is not maximizing LPGA's visibility by forming a consensus among today's players, the greats of the game, past and present, the media (including TV) and the sponsors. She was a golf industry outsider. The LPGA should hire an industry insider and preferably a woman. Aren't there any good, smart, senior women in the golf industry with experience in "golf" TV/Media, sponsor relations, rules, marketing & PR, trademark protections, legal & labor issues, relationships with major players in the business of golf and with the other golf organizations around the globe? Any women with the PGA TOUR, past and present?

Agreed. TGC doesn't have anywhere near as many vi...

2006-06-11T14:42:00.000-07:00

Agreed. TGC doesn't have anywhere near as many viewers as the major networks. Why would you want to lose viewers? It just doesn't make any sense, especially when the LPGA needs viewers. Now is the most ideal time to get them with players like you mentioned earlier: Wie, Morgan and Paula.

Hopefully something will be done to fix this mess.

And you didn't even mention the massive number of ...

2006-06-11T07:26:00.000-07:00

And you didn't even mention the massive number of people leaving the LPGA under protest of bad leadership. We talked about this in our podcast (and linked to an article that talks about the resignations in our podcast show notes).

She's doing a HORRIBLE job.