Bethan Jones, the Director of Communications and Marketing at the Ladies European Tour, has a rich background rooted in both journalism and golf. She began her career as a multi-media journalist while discovering her passion for golf during her university years, where she would often practice at a floodlit driving range and enjoy twilight rounds of golf. Over time, her love for golf deepened, becoming a member of a golf club, solidifying her lifelong connection to the sport.
Bethan joined the LET in 2003 and has risen through the ranks to become a key member of the senior leadership team, reporting directly to the CEO. She is deeply passionate about advocating for greater recognition and rewards for women in sport.
What does the Director of Comms role at the LET entail?
Ultimately, I am responsible for driving communications for the LET with multifaceted responsibilities including oversight and management of the website and digital media, publications, public relations and brand.
My remit also covers marketing and I lead on several agency relationships. For example, we have just recently completed an audience analysis and are developing our strategy focusing on the key recommendations. We aim to engage a growing fanbase while amplifying exposure for our organisation’s talented athletes.
There is a huge amount of relationship and stakeholder management internally and externally with our tournament promoters across all 31 tournaments in 21 different counties on the schedule. We work closely with our promoters and partners to help them achieve their objectives. For example, working as part of the Olympic Golf communications committee on the delivery of the Olympic Games and also collaborating with our counterparts at the LPGA on several major events including the Solheim Cup, which the LET delivers when it is played in Europe.
What does a typical day in the life look like?
No day is the same and it is very different depending on where I am and what project I am working on. For example, when I was at the Solheim Cup in Virginia, I led the team and oversaw media operations for Team Europe.
When not travelling or attending tournaments, each week I have a day of planning with my team in the LET office at Buckinghamshire Golf Club, focusing on how we plan to deliver for our events and partners and what our strategy is. Planning is also well underway for the next Solheim Cup in 2026 at the fantastic Bernardus Golf Club in the Netherlands.
Generally, the split is around 50/50 in terms of planning and meetings versus event communications and media operations. It’s really important to keep strong relationships with the various stakeholders in golf from the players to the media, colleagues to the event organisers, and so it’s helpful to attend events on a regular basis.
How has the comms side of the LET developed (grown) over recent years?
The LET has invested in its content team and placed greater emphasis on content creation, better showcasing its players to current fans while expanding its reach to new audiences, thereby enhancing the visibility of the Tour’s golf professionals and the overall brand. We put the players at the centre of the brand, telling their personal stories and shining a light on their personalities. We also now have a full-time media official for the LET Access Series, which is becoming an increasingly important Tour and proving ground for the future stars.
What’s the biggest change you have seen during your time at the LET?
The media and digital landscape has transformed dramatically, which has given us a unique opportunity to talk to our fans directly and provide them with real-time highlights of the golf action on social media. Also, the London 2012 Olympic Games was a game changer for women’s sport in the UK and the support and respect for female athletes in general has strengthened since then, but there is still a long way to go in terms of true equality. Our partners are united in this mission, but it is a long game to change global culture.
What are your thoughts on the current state of the women’s professional game?
The women’s professional game is in a great place. There have been so many incredible storylines this year. More than half of the field in the Olympic golf competition were LET members. On the LET, we have had 20 winners from 16 countries, including two by rookies. Chiara Tamburlini from Switzerland, an LET Access Series graduate, is leading both the order of merit and the rookie rankings. On the LET Access Series, Helen Briem recently won her fourth title, which was unprecedented and now she has an LET title to her name too! Of course, the Solheim Cup always showcases the brilliance of the players. This is a golden time for women’s golf. The purses are up and the players are realising the rewards for their incredible talent.
What does the future hold for women’s golf?
The next generation of female golf stars will raise the game again, as we have seen at the recent successful Curtis Cup and PING Junior Solheim Cup. There is plenty of talent and opportunity. The LET offers a unique proposition with a 7 per cent higher female audience compared to the industry benchmark. Our average audience age is 25-34, and those fans are more likely to have children, so we have a unique opportunity to engage with this young female audience. We are ready to embrace the journey ahead and we will continue in our mission to raise the game for current and future female golfers.
