By Mike May
When you watch the LPGA Tour on Golf Channel, one of the key cogs in the entire broadcast is a Hoosier native, Ariana Savich, born, raised, and educated in Carmel.
Savich is a graphics producer for all Golf Channel LPGA broadcasts. One of her jobs is to make sure that what appears on the television screen is timely, accurate, and spelled correctly. If she makes a mistake, it’s seen globally, but she and her associates don’t make mistakes. 
Savich graduated fromCarmel High School, in 2010 and played for four years on the girls’ varsity golf team. The team played their matches at Plum Creek Golf Club in Carmel and during two of her high school years, her sister, Milena was also on the golf team. The Lady Greyhounds tied for the 2009 Indiana State Championship, but had to settle for runner-up after a scorecard playoff.
“We lost on the fifth score,” recalls Savich.
After high school, Ariana continued to play competitive golf at Missouri University.
She graduated from college in 2014, with a degree in communications. She tried her hand briefly at professional golf, but was hired by the Golf Channel and has steadily risen through the ranks.
“I started as a production assistant in the studio in Orlando and then working the live (golf) tournaments and traveling on the road in 2016,”
If you looked at her travel schedule, you might think that she is covering a Presidential candidate. Her schedule takes her from New Jersey to Hawaii, plus involves international travel to Scotland, France, Mexico, and Canada.
In 2015 Ariana and her sister, Milena competed in Golf Channel’s “Altered Course” which involved two-man teams competing in a race against the clock. At the same time, trying to beat another team’s score on a course made of a compilation of holes into one monster hole.
The key to her success working in broadcasting is to be well prepared and alert. When you work in ‘live’ television, Savich and her associates are always ready for anything to take place at any time. Tournament days do not always go according to the script for a number of reasons, so she and her associates train for the unexpected.
“We spend a lot of time traveling, but each week is somewhat similar as far as the way things work. We arrive at the TV truck compound early in the week and set up our work stations and get things organized from a technical standpoint. We make sure everything is working properly and test all the equipment.”
Even though Savich wears a head-set during broadcasts and is focused on what appears on computer and television screens, the key is her ability to work efficiently with a large number of people both in person and through her headset. The Golf Channel production is a true team effort.
“We have (regular) meetings with the LPGA and our Golf Channel team. We do all of our research and figure out what things we want to show during our broadcast. Then on tournament/show days, we continue to build things in the morning, rehearse, and then the rest of the day, we are on the air.”
Savich is now based in Florida, but still visits family back home in Carmel, when she is not jetting off to places like Honolulu, Los Angeles, San Diego, Palm Springs, San Francisco, Portland, Dallas, Detroit, Orlando, Philadelphia, or Paris. As they say, it’s a tough job, but somebody has to do it.
The one thing that has suffered since working for Golf Channel is the quality of her golf game, despite the fact she lives in the Sunshine State.
“I try to play once or twice a month now, but it depends on how much I’m traveling. I’m happy to break 80 these days! I definitely spend more time covering golf than playing golf.”
Looking back, the roots of Savich’s journey in golf can be traced to her early years of elementary school back in Carmel.
“I was 5, or 6 years old when I first put a golf club in my hand. My dad introduced us to the game at a young age. He would take us out to the driving range and I always got excited about riding in the golf cart.”
When the LPGA Tour has a week off, Savich is assigned to work a PGA TOUR event in one of the production trucks. But then, she heads back to the LPGA Tour to continue her work as a key cog in those Golf Channel broadcasts.
