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2024 UGA Woman Award: Darci Olsen

Not every example of the growth and improvement of girls and women’s golf in Utah hits quite this close to home for Darci Olsen. Yet a snapshot of the 2024 Siegfried & Jensen Utah Women’s Open captured her year nicely.

Randli Olsen, a ninth-grader, made the biggest jump of any golfer from the first to second day at Timpanogos Golf Club in Provo, while being paired with her mother. She beat more than half the field in the final round with a 79, fueled by a strong finish.

“The coolest thing ever,” Darci Olsen said.

She witnesses a lot of memorable scenes, simply by looking out the window of the clubhouse at Glenmoor Golf Club in South Jordan, where she’s the PGA Head Professional. Olsen sees more and more young girls playing and practicing. Just as important, they see her doing her job.

Glenmoor Golf Club PGA Head Professional, Darci Olsen.

Olsen’s promotional efforts have earned her the 2024 UGA Woman Award. The Utah Golf Association annually honors efforts of “giving back to women’s golf through her passion, love and respect for the game,” according to the award’s definition. “This award recognizes her as a leader, friend and inspiration to her peers.”

That’s an apt summary of Olsen’s role, with wide-ranging influence. Her award comes during a year when Glenmoor hosted the UGA’s Mary Lou Baker Open, a PGA Jr. Major tournament, PGA Jr. League competition and an American Junior Golf Association event for boys and girls. Next year, the UGA’s Junior State Amateur will be played in South Jordan.

UGA Vice President Marc Hardy, who nominated Olsen for the award, credited her with “creating a nurturing and inclusive environment that empowers young girls to participate and excel in golf.”

The numbers support that statement; so does the pro shop merchandise that Olsen can justify carrying, now that women make up a growing demographic at Glenmoor.

Olsen is thriving. Glenmoor is too, seven years after an ownership dispute raised the strong possibility that the property would be sold to developers. That was shortly after Olsen had returned home with her husband, Joey, working at the course where the Dehlin family’s love of the game took hold.

In 2025 Darci Olsen will be the PGA host Professional at the 2nd annual UGA Junior State Amateur Championship.

Devin Dehlin, the Utah Section PGA’s Executive Director, received the UGA’s Gold Club Award last year. His sister is being honored for having the same golf-promoting passion.

“I just love it so much,” Olsen said of her job. “I’m in such a great spot in my life and my career.”

And she wants other women to have the same opportunities, or at least know they’re available to them. Being a visible figure at a popular course is meaningful; so are conscious efforts to recruit women into the golf business, then supporting and mentoring them. Sirene Blair-Wheeler is one example, as a former Women’s State Amateur champion and pro golfer who worked at Glenmoor before joining the PGA of America staff.

“Her support and mentorship helped me learn and grow in a busy, changing environment,” Blair-Wheeler said. “Darci leads by example with her bright, enthusiastic disposition. She has always been an advocate for women and girls in golf. Her programs and influence at Glenmoor promote golf in a fun and welcoming setting to provide opportunities for women of any age to enjoy the game of golf.”

UGA Woman Award feature is written by Fairways Media senior writer Kurt Kragthorpe. Photography provided by Fairways Media/Randy Dodson and Garrit Johnson.