Conceived in the mind of one man and brought to life through the efforts of many over a period of 15 years, Karsten Creek now serves as a daily reminder of the commitment to excellence of the OSU golf program.

Karsten Creek was built for the OSU golf teams, and its purpose is to aid in the recruitment and development of future OSU stars. It was designed by Tom Fazio and honored as the Best New Public Course for 1994 by Golf Digest Magazine. It stretches over 7,400 yards with SR1020 bent-grass greens and zoysia fairways. All of the holes were carved from the native oak trees surrounding Lake Louise.

Karsten Creek was so named to honor Karsten Solheim, the founder of Karsten Manufacturing, and Lake Louise honors his wife. Their support of OSU golf over the last 25 years has been instrumental in the success of the golf team. Without them, Karsten Creek would never have become a reality.

In the May 1998 edition of Golf Digest, Karsten Creek Golf Club was awarded its first five-star rating, making the course one of 10 in the nation to be so honored. The rating was not a surprise to those who have followed the course from its opening in May 1994, when the heralded Tom Fazio design received the Best New Public Course in the Nation award. Since that time, the course has gone on to receive numerous accolades. Karsten Creek joined the likes of Pebble Beach Golf Links, Spyglass Hill Golf Course and Pinehurst Resort and Country Club (No. 2). Four of these courses have hosted major championships, and most of the others maintain national prominence. While other courses are located in resort areas or near the coasts, Karsten Creek's surprising beauty is derived from an unsuspecting tract of land that is densely covered with black jack and pin oak trees and contains dramatic elevation changes that are not common to the heartland of America. As the course continues to mature, it steadily climbs all of the top 100 lists across the country and has been ranked as the best college course in the country by Travel & Leisure Golf magazine.

Karsten Creek was built to host championships and has done so on multiple occasions.

The golf course's first college event was the Karsten Creek Collegiate in 1996, only two years after its opening. Karsten Creek then played host to the NCAA Central Regional in May of 2001 before serving as the host of the 2002 Ping/Golfweek Preview. Each year, the top 15 teams in the country are invited to compete in the event, which is held at the site of the following spring's NCAA Championship.

The following May, the nation's top 30 teams arrived in Stillwater for the 103rd NCAA Championship. Clemson claimed the team title, while the host Cowboys finished as the runner-up at two shots off the pace of the Tigers. Interestingly enough, the top five teams heading into the tournament all finished in the order they were ranked, 1-5.

Karsten Creek once again hosted the NCAA Men's Golf Championship in 2011, and thousands of spectators gathered to watch the best collegiate golfers in the country.

Karsten Creek's clubhouse was completed in June of 2001 at a cost of around $4,500,000. Its beautiful views of the golf course, warm cozy rooms, and intricate architectural woodwork bring the course to a new level of recognition.

In addition to one of the country's finest golf courses, Cowboy Golf boasts an elaborate practice facility that is used exclusively by the men's and women's golf teams.

Cowboy golfers utilize a practice range which possesses tee boxes that surround the entire landing area to allow players to practice with any wind direction.

The players' short-game area comes complete with three tee boxes to hit 40 to 80-yard shots and three putting greens with varied grass types, allowing players to prepare for a wide range of courses.

An indoor practice facility was constructed in the fall of 1997 and is equipped with state-of-the-art video equipment for swing analysis. Reserved solely for team members, the players' practice facility at Karsten Creek allows OSU golfers to hone all facets of their game and continue the 60-year legacy that is Cowboy Golf.

Front Nine

Hole Donors:  Robbie & Mike Holder - Stillwater, Okla.; Virginia & Speck Holder - Stillwater, Okla.

This hole is a straightaway 540-yard par 5 that plays into the prevailing south wind. The tee shot must contend with a fairway bunker on the left and the second shot could be obstructed by a large tree that guards the approach to the green.

Hole Donors:  William K. Warren, Jr. - Tulsa, Okla. (In memory of Speck Holder)

A long tight par four that plays into a south wind. The tee shot must be placed between fairway bunkers in the landing area. The green is heavily bunkered and the left side is protected by a large oak tree.

Hole Donors:  Titleist and Foot-Joy Worldwide

This hole is a par three featuring multiple teeing areas. The back tees are 204 yards with a 30 foot vertical drop to the green. A small creek runs next to the green and continues on approximately 20 yards in front of the green. The green has two levels with bunkers on the front left and back right.

Hole Donors:  Boone Pickens - Dallas, Texas

This hole is a short dogleg left par four that plays into the south wind. The tee shot must cross a creek featuring a natural waterfall and also contends with a stream that borders the right side of the fairway. The small green is bunkered heavily.

Hole Donors:  Nancy Ellis, Kathy & Hal Brown, Bond Payne, Nan Payne & Angela Payne - All of Oklahoma City

This hole is a long 460 yard downhill par four that normally plays downwind. The tee box offers a beautiful view of the countryside. The fairway is very wide, but the green is shallow and protected in the front left by a deep bunker.

Hole Donors:  Mary Frances & Sherman Smith - Tulsa, Oklahoma

This hole is a short uphill par 4 with a prevailing right to left wind. There are no fairway bunkers, but the second shot is to a small elevated green that is heavily bunkered with a false front.

Hole Donors:  La Versa Holder - Blackwell, Oklahoma

This hole is a beautiful downhill par three that is normally played with a left to right wind. The green is angled to allow shots hit to the front left an opportunity to roll to the back right pin placement. The tee box features a panoramic view of the countryside for 15 miles.

Hole Donors:  Lisa and Mark Snell - Warsaw, Missouri; Virginia Snell - Altus, Oklahoma

This hole provides another panoramic view. A left to right shot is preferable on this wide fairway. Do not look for a bunker on this hole. Once you reach the green your work has just begun. The green is slightly elevated, and most of the putting surface can be seen from the fairway.

Hole Donors:  Bonne & Dennis Smith - Oklahoma City; Lisa & Rob Geresi - Stillwater, Oklahoma

The longest hole on the golf course, but does not play like 624 yards because it is downhill and normally downwind. The fairway slopes right to left and the second shot is dramatically downhill. The green, which is the smallest on the course, is bunkered to the left and right.

Back Nine

Hole Donors:  Leitner & Ken Greiner - Oklahoma City

This hole is a downhill par four that plays into the wind. The left side of the fairway is bordered by a rock outcropping and the right side by several large pecan trees. The green is bunkered on both sides but open in the front.

Hole Donors:  Bradley & Lonnie Lamprich

Notes: This is Karsten Creek's signature hole - the 209-yard par 3, requiring a tee shot over water to the longest green on the course.

This is one of the most unusual holes on any golf course. A par three of 218 yards that plays down the channel of a large ravine into the prevailing wind. The entire hole is tree-lined and the green is protected front and back by water. It is one of the most picturesque holes on the course.

Hole Donors:  Laurie & Bill Dobbs - Tulsa, Oklahoma

This hole is a downhill, downwind par four of modest length that will be drivable by a long hitter. The front of the small green is guarded by a severe left to right slope that will funnel most approach shots into a bunker on the right side of the green or a creek, which meanders along the back and right side of the green. Any shots long or right might get wet.

Hole Donors:  Marcheta & Jim Hays - Tulsa, Oklahoma

On this hole, the elevated tee gives a view of the entire length of this par four hole. A prevailing left to right breeze might carry a tee shot into the right fairway bunker, so a good drive here is a must for making birdie. The back tee requires a carry of over 200 yards to clear a water hazard, but the uphill second shot is to a green that is void of bunkers.

Hole Donors:  Louise & Ed Cobb - Tulsa, Oklahoma

This hole is a 560-yard par five that is normally downwind, and should be reachable in two shots. The dogleg right features fairway bunkers on both sides of the landing area. The green is framed by large blackjack trees to the left and right. The only bunker around the green is located on the front right.

Hole Donors:  Jean & Bob Scheutz - Tulsa, Oklahoma; Melissa & Paul Sorrentino - Stillwater, Oklahoma
Sue & John Taylor - Enid, Oklahoma

This hole plays east to west and is well bunkered. A new tee box on this hole not only adds length but also difficulty to the easiest of the par 3s. The green is probably the largest and most severely sloped on the golf course.

Hole Donors:  Bob Coleman - Oklahoma City

This hole is a par 4 that plays west to east and gives the player its first glimpse of the 100-acre Lake Louise located behind the green. This is a slight dogleg right with a sloping left to right fairway protected on the right by a large tree and a fairway bunker. The green is very large and well-bunkered.

Hole Donors:  Barbara & Tom Naugle - Tulsa, Oklahoma

This is probably the most difficult hole on the golf course at 467 yards into a prevailing south wind. The tee shot must carry 180 yards to clear the lake and the fairway is surrounded by trees. The green is guarded by a bunker on the front left. Lake Louise sits menacingly to the left to swallow any pulled shots.

Hole Donors:  Louise & Karsten Solheim - Phoenix, Arizona

At 555 yards, this downhill, normally downwind, par five might give up quite a few birdies and maybe some eagles. However, the tee shot must carry 241 yards to clear the lake and the entire length of the hole is bordered by Lake Louise to the left, so big numbers could be looming. This green could set the stage for a dramatic finish to a championship round.