Pete Bevacqua stood before a group of sports executives last month and lamented golf’s less-than-illustrious past when it comes to diversity and inclusion.
“If golf doesn’t get more diverse and more inclusive, golf is in trouble. We know that,” the PGA of America’s CEO told a gathering at the Sports Diversity & Inclusion Symposium.
Two days later, PGA President Ted Bishop fired a social media shot at English golfer Ian Poulter and, among other things, called him a “lil girl.” Bishop’s attempt at insult was in reaction to Poulter’s criticism of Nick Faldo and Tom Watson, a pair of former Ryder Cup captains.
The comments flew sharply in the face of the PGA’s efforts to make the game more welcoming to women and minorities, especially at a time when participation numbers have been declining. Bevacqua and Bishop championed many of the new initiatives, like the creation of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, along with the LPGA and NBC.
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PGA of America execs Pete Bevacqua, Derek Sprague, Ted Bishop and Paul Levy at the Ryder Cup in September. Sprague is interim president following Bishop’s removal.
Photo by: GETTY IMAGES
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On Oct. 24, just days removed from hosting one of sport’s largest diversity and inclusion conferences in sports, the PGA removed Bishop from his position as the association’s 38th president. The PGA specifically cited Bishop’s “insensitive gender-based statements.”
Bishop, who drew both criticism and praise during his tenure for being the kind of outspoken leader that golf isn’t accustomed to, had just one month left on his two-year term.
The unprecedented move was swift and decisive. The board asked for Bishop’s resignation roughly 20 hours after his name-calling episode, and when he didn’t immediately comply, the PGA removed him.
Bishop, the father of two women who also work in the golf industry, told Golf Channel that all of the work he did for inclusion is “flushed down the toilet.”
But Bevacqua, in an interview with SportsBusiness Journal last week, said he doesn’t think the PGA’s work for diversity and inclusion has suffered a setback in the wake of Bishop’s gaffe.
“I think it’s just the opposite,” Bevacqua said. “Something we take great pride in is being a leader in diversity and inclusion in golf. That had so much to do with [Bishop’s ouster]. Those very public comments really went in the face of that. … So much growth of golf is built on the pillar of having golf be as open, accessible and inclusive as possible.”
The Oct. 21-22 Diversity & Inclusion Symposium was a prime example of the PGA’s efforts in those areas, Bevacqua said. The PGA hosted the conference for hundreds of attendees at PGA National, just steps from PGA headquarters in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. Among the leagues represented were MLB, MLS, NASCAR, NBA/WNBA, NCAA, NFL, NHL and the U.S. Olympic Committee.
In his remarks to open the conference, Bevacqua prophetically said: “Golf has an interesting story when it comes to diversity and inclusion, and certainly there have been missteps along the way. But the good news is that golf is trying to change that, and we at the PGA are trying to change that.”
The backdrop of the symposium and the PGA’s overall determination in recent years to make the game look more like society in general made Bishop’s comment even more damning. While the golf media engaged in a national debate over whether Bishop’s punishment fit the crime — Bishop said it didn’t — the PGA didn’t hesitate to remove him.
“It’s unfortunate, but sometimes a situation like that does shine a light on the fact that we still have a lot of work to do,” said Val Skinner, a former LPGA golfer and Golf Channel analyst. “I still play golf with people who say, ‘Hit it, Alice.’ And I’m standing right there. Those kinds of negative messages are how people have been socialized.”
The tone of inclusion was so fresh with the PGA on Oct. 24 that there was no second-guessing Bishop’s removal on a conference call with the PGA’s 17-person board, Bevacqua and COO Darrell Crall.
“Ted did many wonderful things,” Bevacqua said. “He was a powerful and forceful president. … But the decision of the board should serve as a powerful statement that we’re steadfast about inclusion and diversity.”
The KPMG Women’s PGA, which launches next year, is the PGA’s most visible example because it will be an LPGA major, the first of its kind co-sanctioned by the PGA of America.
The event “was designed to elevate the exposure, opportunities, and awareness for women in the game,” LPGA Commissioner Michael Whan wrote in an email to SportsBusiness Journal. “When KPMG joined the partnership, they helped us expand the circle of impact to women in golf AND in business. While the initial concept was built/crafted between Pete Bevacqua’s team and mine, the entire leadership team at the PGA of America’s was critical to the final support and approval. … Clearly, they all understood the possible positive impacts this project could deliver.”
Bevacqua said some other PGA initiatives are just as vital.
During the week leading up to the Women’s PGA, the association and KPMG will host a women’s business summit for female chief executives and business leaders from around the country.
Get Golf Ready, a program that offers five lessons for the discounted rate of $99, has drawn 60 percent female participation.
Drive Chip & Putt, a youth program co-sponsored by the U.S. Golf Association and the Masters, generated 30 percent participation from minorities.
“All of those efforts are paramount to grow the game,” said Jeff Price, the PGA’s chief commercial officer. “The makeup of the golf audience doesn’t reflect society, and it should look more like society. Golf has to evolve; it can’t look the way it’s always looked in the past. That’s why it’s just good business and that’s one of the tenets that came out of the symposium. It isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s good business.”
