It would be difficult to imagine anyone becoming so immersed in the Utah golf community as Kareen Larson, in such a short time.
As the General Manager of TalonsCove Golf Club, Larson is the first female winner in the nearly four-decade history of the Utah Section PGA’s Wesley Ruff Golf Citizen of the Year Award.
She fits the award’s definition well. It goes to “the person who best promotes the game of golf in Utah by sacrificing their own time and efforts with the goal of growing the game” and salutes “professional service in a style and demeanor that reflects well on the entire Utah golf community by exemplifying the attributes of kindness, courtesy, unselfish service and integrity.”
This honor follows Larson’s 2023 recognition by the UGA Woman Award. So within barely 12 months, she was honored by the Utah Golf Association and the Utah PGA, besides earning Senior Women’s Player of the Year honors in the UGA.
Whether the criterion is points in the UGA Player Performance Rankings or subjective in other awards, Larson is both thriving and contributing in the golf business lately, after a career in health care. She deservedly received credit for TalonsCove’s hosting of the Women’s State Amateur in July. Just as impressively, if less noticeably, she spent the next week at Soldier Hollow Golf Course, coaching Utah’s girls in the Junior America’s Cup as a member of the Utah Junior Golf Association’s Board of Trustees.
Much of Larson’s promotional effort in golf benefits TalonsCove; that’s her job. Yet she clearly is motivated to help beyond Saratoga Springs, in the larger golf community. She’s thankful that course owner Doug Horne gives her that forum.
“It’s just a passion I have for this wonderful game and the places it’s taken me, and just giving back to the game,” said Larson, a native Canadian who previously was oriented to hockey (her left-handed swing with a short backswing is evidence) and basketball.
With golf, she hopes to “spark that same interest in somebody and make it meaningful,” she said.
Larson bonds easily with golfers at all levels. Lila Galea’i, the 2021 Women’s State Amateur champion, has won three Utah Women’s Four-Ball titles with Larson and enjoyed it all.
“I’ve always noticed the amount of effort she puts into not only her role on the course, but also her role as a friend,” Galea’i said. “For me personally, she’s always made sure I’m taken care of and I know she’s always doing the same for others.”
Feature written by Fairways Media senior writer Kurt Kragthorpe. Photography by Fairways Media.