After thirty-two years, LSU women’s golf coach Karen Bahnsen remains loyal to her team.
Under Bahnsen’s leadership, the Tigers have appeared in 21 NCAA regionals and 12 NCAA championship tournaments, with two third place appearances in 2011 and 2012. The Tigers also boast 39 team tournament titles with Bahnsen at the helm.
But Bahnsen’s path to becoming a household name in the LSU golf program had an unlikely beginning.
She first teed off as an 8-year-old in her hometown of Mobile, Alabama. She credits her mother, four-time Alabama state women’s golf champion and Mobile Sports Hall of Fame inductee June Buckholtz-Mayson, for piquing her interest in the sport.
As her golf skills progressed, she was given opportunities to play in tournaments with her mother, an experience Bahnsen said she relished while reminiscing on Tuesday. Her competitive spirit led to success at the next level.
“My drive to get better helped me grow as a player in high school,” Bahnsen said.
By her senior year, she was an All-American and the 1979 High School National Champion.
The University of Alabama and Auburn University women’s golf offered her scholarships to join their programs, respectively. Bahnsen said she also showed interest in the Universities of Miami and Florida.
But there was one school that caught Bahnsen’s attention.
In 1980, LSU had only recently started its golf program.
In fact, Bahnsen was the first women’s golf team recruit in program history.
To Bahnsen, LSU showed a lot of dedication to a program entering its first year, which made the Tigers stand out from the rest.
“I wanted to try something different,” Bahnsen said.
While at LSU, Bahnsen competed in the 1980 and 1981 AIAW Tournaments — the women’s equivalent to the NCAA before women were allowed to compete in the NCAA tournaments.
She also competed in the 1982 NCAA Tournament, which was the first year women were integrated into the association.
Bahnsen’s decision to choose Baton Rouge affected her family life, too.
During her time in school, she met her husband — now LSU Senior Associate Athletic Director David “Bo” Bahnsen — and has since raised two children in the purple and gold family.
When her eligibility as a player ended in 1983, then-coach Buddy Alexander offered Bahnsen the women’s head coaching job for the 1984 season.
She hasn’t looked back since.
The ideas of family and humility also lie at the center of her program’s success.
“I treat my golfers like they’re my own daughters,” Bahnsen said.
But she said she also wants her girls to see the big picture.
“I want them to know that there is more to life than just golf,” Bahnsen said.
Bahnsen also understands that while she is a teacher of the game, she is still a student.
“Every year, I have the mindset that I don’t know it all,” Bahnsen said. “I try to grow with the game and stay current, but I’m still learning too.”