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Oklahoma State golf has been a significant part of the Solheim family for decades, and Cowgirl golfer Jenna Solheim is the latest member of her family to take part in the tradition, yet is finding ways to leave a unique legacy of her own in Stillwater.
The lineage all started with Karsten Solheim, Jenna’s great-grandfather, who made his mark on golf and revolutionized the game when he founded the golf club company PING back in the 1960s.
Karsten was interested in designing the world’s first heel-toe-balanced putter, and in doing so, he changed the game of golf forever.
Over the years, one of Karsten’s most important principles was giving back to the game that meant so much to him. He supported collegiate golf and made it a priority within his company, making contributions to many athletic centers at universities, including Oklahoma State. After opening in 1994, Karsten Creek Golf Club, the home course for both the men’s and women’s programs, was named in Solheim’s honor for his generosity and commitment to Oklahoma State golf.
The legacy continued with Jenna’s father, Andrew, a successful golfer at Oklahoma State and teammate of current Cowgirl golf head coach Greg Robertson in the 1990s.
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Jenna was born in Stillwater while her dad was still finishing up his graduate degree at OSU. Soon after, however, her family moved to Phoenix, Arizona, where she spent the majority of her childhood and teenage years.
Despite the move, Jenna still stayed connected to Oklahoma State while growing up, supporting and cheering on her family’s university from afar. No amount of distance was going to hinder her loyalty to the school.
Her family took advantage of any chance they got to see the Cowboys and Cowgirls in person, even traveling to and from Stillwater over the years.
“Any time that OSU was in Arizona, we went and watched them play football or golf,” Jenna recalled. “We came to Stillwater at least once a year, but usually twice for both a basketball game and a football game. Then, in the last few years before I went to college we always went to Homecoming… So, I grew up always coming to Karsten Creek and being a part of OSU.”
Even though Jenna shared an affection for Oklahoma State with her parents, she did not always envision attending OSU or even playing golf competitively. Instead, she often considered creating a totally new journey for herself.
“For the longest time I didn’t want to come to OSU, because it was my parents’ place,” she explained. “It was fun, but it wasn’t really where I saw myself, especially coming from a big city.”
While growing up, Jenna played golf here and there, mainly just as a hobby for fun. She enjoyed playing rounds with her dad and took some lessons, but was also interested in experiencing other sports like basketball, swimming and track and field.
“My parents never forced me to play golf and it was always there if I wanted it, but to me it usually sounded boring as a kid,” Jenna said.
It wasn’t until Jenna’s freshman year of high school when her whole outlook on the future changed.
Jenna traveled to Stillwater to attend a golf camp with the Cowgirls, getting the chance to practice and hang out with the team. The camp was her first opportunity to truly envision what life could be like at Oklahoma State in her own way, rather than just as a fan or supporter.
She loved everything about the experience, and made her fall in love with the game that had always meant so much to her family.
“Getting to hang out with the college players and really see what it’s like to be in Stillwater on my own is when I really started to get the idea of wanting to play here and wanting to attend school here,” she stated. “After that summer, I was pretty set on coming here.”
From that point on, Jenna had her mind made on what she wanted her future to look like. She began to practice seriously and invested more time into golf, determined to make her new goal a reality.
Jenna’s high school did not have a women’s golf program, but she was able to join the men’s team as a junior, affording her extra experience and time on the course. As a senior, another girl from the school decided to play alongside Jenna, allowing the two to form their own women’s team and compete in tournaments, even if it was just as individuals.
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Following her graduation from high school in 2019, Jenna joined the Cowgirl golf team as a walk-on, adding yet another section to her family’s connection to the game that started over 60 years ago.
Throughout her life, Jenna had always felt proud of her family lineage and the monumental effect they had in Stillwater. When she joined the team, however, those feelings certainly hit home at a whole new level, experiencing that impact first hand every single day while playing at the course honoring her family.
That history still inspires her, even four years later now as a senior on the team.
“I’m very proud of the legacy that my great-grandfather has left,” Jenna explained. “It really motivates me and inspires me to be like them.
“This is a really special place and getting to come out [to Karsten Creek], it’s motivating to me to see my family’s name out here and know that we’ve invested here because my family believes in what’s happening here… That’s definitely motivating and inspiring, and a legacy that I want to help contribute to.”
During her time in Stillwater, Jenna has used that inspiration to add to her family’s legacy, while being confident enough to do so in her own personal way.
Since her freshman year in 2019, she has improved tremendously purely through hard work and an incredible commitment to getting better. Jenna has qualified to play in four different tournaments as an individual in her career, including one just this past fall at the Grace Shin Invitational.
It’s easy to see how far Jenna has come during her time in Stillwater, having shaved nearly 30 strokes off her scoring average since her arrival on campus four years ago.
Jenna has also made an impact off the course, getting involved with numerous leadership groups and organizations around campus. She has always been a standout in the classroom as well and graduated after the 2022 fall semester with degrees in marketing and management.
“I found a big community in Stillwater that I don’t think I would have found elsewhere,” said about her involvement throughout the university. “I have a lot of family roots here and that probably makes it feel like home in a lot of ways, but it’s the people here that really make it feel like home and part of a family.”
Along with her strong work ethic and successes off the course, Jenna’s chapter in her family legacy will be about the special relationships she has formed with her teammates and the immense impact she has had on them.
As a senior, Jenna is one of the most respected leaders on the team. She is committed to bettering both herself and the team, while also forming bonds that will last a lifetime with each of her teammates.
“I get to be a part of something bigger than myself,” Jenna said. “I get to play with all these girls and have an impact on them, and they have an impact on me too. We all have the same goals. We’re all trying to win, but we’re also just best friends, which is the best part.
“I’m proud to be a friend of my teammates. Obviously, I don’t play as much on the team, so I wanted to make sure that I am the best teammate I can be. I’ve always had a very positive attitude and outlook on life, and it helps that all my teammates are my best friends. It’s easy to be a teammate to them. It’s easy to cheer them on. I try to do everything I can to put them up and encourage them.”
Jenna’s constant positivity and encouragement is one of the things that makes her such a memorable teammate, whether she travels to tournaments or not.
“She’s a breath of fresh air,” Maddison Hinson-Tolchard said about her teammate. “She’s always positive around the course. She loves golf.
“When you go out and play with her it’s always a good time. Before we play tournaments, she always sends a message from back here in Stillwater saying ‘good luck and go get them today’ and stuff like that. It’s just a really positive and uplifting thing, which is part of why we do so well.”
The pre-round messages a perfect example of Jenna’s infectious attitude. In each text, she sends the girls a list of five affirmations to uplift them, ending every message with “You’re a winner.”
Regardless of her deep connections to the program, Jenna has no sense of an ego or entitlement. Instead, just a fiery passion to do everything in her power to help the team win and see those around her succeed.
“I want to do anything I can to serve them as a teammate,” Jenna stated. “Just trying to be the best that I can be for them is something that I’ve always strived for.”
The effect Jenna has had on the program did not go unnoticed by coach Robertson, as she was awarded a scholarship for her efforts at the beginning of the 2022-23 season. It was a special moment for Jenna to see how far she’d come both as a player and teammate.
When asked what her favorite part of her time at OSU has been, Jenna once again mentioned the relationships that have been the foundation of her Cowgirl career.
“My teammates for sure. It’s hard work to be a student-athlete, wake up for 6:30 a.m. workouts and be out [at the course] every single weekend. That’s a lot of hard work and discipline, but getting to do it with my teammates and having them to lean on throughout all of it makes it all worth it.”
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