CRESCENT People: Kelly Tilghman. 15 Years at Golf Channel, but Her Heart’s Still in Horry County.
Being part of Golf Channel’s original team, what were those first days like? Getting in on the ground floor. Launching a network. What did you see the network becoming and has it gotten there yet or are you still moving forward?
You know, it’s funny. When I started there, it was July of ‘96. I believe we were in 100,000 homes, and there was all this speculation of people starting to want to buy us out. We had private investors, and there were these larger corporations looking at us… like Fox was taking a peek. Who was going to buy the place out? The future was really undecided. Shaky at best. And then flash forward to today.
We’re in some 83 million homes. You can add millions to it if you want to go the international route. Worldwide, it’s 120 million. We went from 100,000 to 120 million in my span at the Golf Channel about 15 years I’ve been there now. Just celebrated by 15 year anniversary in July. So that’s a lot. And every time I thought we had hit the ceiling, somehow we busted through it. It’s always been a glass ceiling at Golf Channel and that’s one of the reasons I’ve never left.
I mean, I’ve had opportunities to go elsewhere. Sure, they’ve been tempting, but Golf Channel has always, always broadened its horizons and I love that about it. If I can stay close to golf, why would I want to leave? And Golf Channel keeps making it easier and easier to stay. It’s just a great place to work. I’m astounded at what they have been able to accomplish, but all the while, I believe in them.
But starting with such limited partnerships with the (PGA) Tour and now, it is an integral partner of the Tour.
Yeah, I mean it’s really mind-boggling when you really think about it. Back in ‘06 when all these negotiations were going on, you’d hear rumblings that maybe Golf Channel was in the mix for some tournaments on our air and you just weren’t really sure how much of the pie you were going to get. When I heard we had landed a 15 year deal, I was just shocked and amazed, excited, thrilled. There aren’t enough superlatives to describe what was going through all of our bodies. We were ecstatic. So that’s kind of where my break came along.
I remember a VP at the time, named Tony Tortorici, called me in his office. I was hosting a lot of studio shows, kind of the company mutt. “Versatile” is the word that I think is on my bio. It is kind of more glamorous version of the word “mutt.”
You mean “utility player?”
Yeah. Utility player. I had kind of done everything in the studio, and he called me in and said, “Kelly, we’ve been looking at potential names to do some play-by-play, and I thought about you. I thought you pretty much made a living by teeing guys up. And all the shows you’ve ever done and we’ve always thought you’ve done a nice job. What do you think? Would you like to do this?” I thought, “Wow, I never thought about it before, but, yeah, let’s do it.” That’s kind of how it started.
So now you’re sitting in the first chair. You’re the first female to do that in the history of PGA Tour broadcasts. What kind of pressure do you feel to perform in that role or do you feel pressure? Do you do things the way you want, or are there outside expectations you feel you need to tailor your style to meet?
That’s a great question. I think when I first got the news that I was in this role, there was the initial excitement. I’ve always been one to crave new challenges. Every day, new challenges. Still to this day. To me, that was an ultimate gift for a new challenge. Then the media started pouring in.
A female had never done what we were about to do, and I started becoming the subject of national attention and again, exciting, but I also began to feel that pressure. Saying to myself, “I’m going to have to perform.” I’d never called a tournament before in my life, and our company kind of wanted to save it for that moment. I’d gotten some practice in privately, but I hadn’t called one publicly for the television audience. Yeah, there were a lot of emotions churning in there, but when the day finally came, I was ready for it. I had studied a lot of people that were in that job for years. Mike Tirico, Jim Nantz, Dan Hicks. I’d studied people in other sports, outside of those boundaries of golf, as well. And, of course, I had practiced on my own. All that combined, I was ready to get that day over with. But I also wanted to embrace the moment along the way.
What’s your travel schedule like for the year?
You know, I haven’t counted ‘em up recently, but I traditionally do between 23 to 25 tournaments a year. That’s usually a pretty solid number for me. I’ll probably end up right around there this year, too. The bulk of it is tournament broadcasts and then I’ll do “live froms” like at the PGA Championship.
I’ll do 4 or 5 of those a year, actually maybe 6 a year including a Ryder Cup or a President’s Cup and The Players Championship. Yeah, there are quite a few of those as well.
My reporting days seem to be in the past right now. I’ll still do the occasional field report for Golf Channel if it is a special assignment and a special interview, if it pops up. I just love doing those, sitting down with players and getting the chance to dig in a little bit.
That’s a lot of travel every year. How do you maintain a personal life outside of that?
Take it with you at times. The good thing is, when I’m home, I’m home.
I do balance a life of tournament broadcasting and studio work, but I would say there are times when I have 7, 8, 9, 10 days off in a row. Just this year alone, I’m treating myself a little bit. I’m taking 2 baby hiatuses.
I’m taking a couple of weeks vacation here and there in the fall and just unclog, something I’ve really never done before. But after you celebrate a 15 year anniversary, you kind of owe it to yourself. I’m kind of a go, go, go person, I don’t like to sit still very much, but believe me, when my days off come, I don’t sleep in. I’ll shoot out of bed, but I will relax throughout the course of the day in different ways. Sometimes, relaxing for me is getting on a kayak or taking a long walk with my dog.
Chefs tend to stay far away from a kitchen when they aren’t cooking, and many will even admit that their favorite place to eat is Waffle House. When you’re not on camera, in the studio, or working a golf course, what are you doing for fun? What are those things that entertain you?
I’m running. I like to do races. Half marathons. Triathlons. I’m constantly participating in some type of road race to keep the competitive edge going.
I’m also a big water person. I do a lot of wake boarding, wake surfing, boating and I’m huge on that. A little surfing here and there. As I said, extremely outdoorsy.
My dermatologist is mad at me for that, but I love it. That’s how I get away.
Anything but golf.
People ask me how many rounds I play a year thinking I’m going to throw out something in the 50s or 60s, and I’m telling them 5 or 6 and it’s all charitable.
I don’t crave the sport like I used to because I eat, sleep and breathe it verbally and visually. I love it, I just don’t want to eat too much of it.
How often do you get home? To North Myrtle?
The goal is once or twice a year. There has been the occasional year when it has been brutally difficult to get back there.
My mother still lives there. I believe she’ll live there her entire life.
My father retired and got away to the east coast of Florida.
For me, I hope to get back once or twice a year. Don’t want to miss my mother’s cooking around the holidays, but because of my rigorous travel schedule, I’ll try to fly my Mom in to me on occasion to get her out of the city she’s always in. Get away from it and come visit me in Florida or I’ll take her on the road to a city she’s never been before.
One of my goals is to make sure she gets to go to places she hasn’t seen, and I have the unique ability to provide that for her, and I think that’s just fantastic. That’s a way for us to bond and do new things together.
To Read Part 1, Click HERE.
