In 1980, Keith Schneider had worked his way up the ranks to assistant pro at Jack Nicklaus’ famed Muirfield Village Club in Dublin, Ohio. Nicklaus was putting finishing touches on Castle Pines Golf Club for Jack Vickers, who needed help setting up “Opening Day” ceremonies and the golf shop. Over-simplifying it, Nicklaus loaned Schneider to Vickers, and years later when Nicklaus invited Schneider back as head pro at Muirfield Village, Keith said what very few ever said to Nicklaus: no thanks, but politely.
Schneider has a couple of portfolios of other achievements that punctuate three decades in Colorado golf for a still very young man.
Keith’s remarkable rapport with the PGA Tour professionals during 21 sterling years of The International tournament as well as a solid relationship with the professionals of the Colorado PGA who assisted in the event was more than a plus. The consummate pro, Keith groomed and placed a number of sparkling assistants into head jobs, and his ability to navigate the personalities, staff, Founders, members and guests led him to become Castle Pines Golf Club’s general manager in 2006.
Keith, who grew up in the Columbus, Ohio, suburb of Westerville has bathed humbly in an impressive array of national and state honors in his adopted home state:
He was 1990 PGA of America Merchandiser of the Year-private category; Colorado PGA Private Merchandiser of the Year four straight years 1989-92; Top 100 Golf Shops in America 1988 through 2008; Colorado Golf Hall of Fame Person of the Year 1992; Colorado PGA Golf Professional of the Year 1993-1995; the Section’s Horton Smith Award in 1993 and the Warren Smith Award in 2006.
A Class A-13 PGA member, Keith has been incredibly active in professional affairs, serving the Colorado PGA as president 1993-94 after two years as vice-president; on the Section’s Executive Committee 1989-1996; serving on various PGA merchandising and playing seminars; the Descente America Advisory Board 1990 to present; coordinator of the E-Z-Golf Golf Cart Maintenance Workshop; advisory board Boys & Girls Club of Metro Denver and board member of the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame, serving one term as president.
1992 Golf Person of the Year
The Castle Pines Golf Club head PGA professional and president of the Colorado PGA Section had won the 1990 PGA of America Private Merchandiser of the Year award and four consecutive Colorado PGA awards in the same category.
