Back when The International at Castle Pines Golf Club was a PGA Tour fixture from 1986 to 2006, touring pros always raved about the impeccable condition of the golf course and the way they were treated on and off the course.
Among their favorite treats were the Castle Pines milkshakes, which quickly became part of tournament lore.
The legendary milkshakes will be available again this week for pros and spectators during the BMW Championship. For those who have never savored their creamy cold goodness, here’s a tip: The word “ambrosia” comes to mind.
The shakes were so tied to The International’s two-decade run that one pro cited a famous “Shake-Off” between two tour pros when The Denver Post did a 20-year retrospective of the tournament in 2005. A TV network covered the shake showdown during a rain delay, which saw slender Mike Hulbert drink six in 13 minutes. Charles Howell III managed only four.
“One of my favorite memories is Mike Hulbert winning the milkshake contest last year,” Duffy Waldorf told The Post. “That was a classic. I always thought the shakes were great there. But to have a competition, that’s what golf pros should be doing. He put Charles Howell right under the table. It’s always some little guy that wins the hot-dog-eating contest.”
The idea for Castle Pines milkshakes came from The Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club near Columbus, Ohio. Jack Nicklaus designed Muirfield Village and Castle Pines, and The Memorial is known as “Jack’s tournament.” Castle Pines founder Jack Vickers lured Memorial tournament director Larry Thiel from Muirfield to take that position at Castle Pines. Keith Schneider came with him, becoming Castle Pines’ head pro.
“They did them with soft-serve (ice cream),” at Muirfield, recalled Schneider, now the general manager at Castle Pines. “When I came out here, I remember saying to Mr. Vickers, or our chef, ‘We need to do milkshakes out here.’ The chef came up with the idea that we could do Häagen-Dazs, because Häagen-Dazs is so much better, which it is. The key is the Häagen-Dazs.”
Castle Pines milkshakes come in chocolate, vanilla and strawberry, but chocolate is probably the flavor for which they are best known.
“I used to drink a lot of them when I weighed 140 pounds,” said Schneider, who is retiring this year after 43 years at Castle Pines. “Now I’m a lot more than that. I have one in the spring and one in the fall.”
Lisa Walker-Straten, who manages the dining room and halfway house at Castle Pines, has kept the milkshake tradition going. She estimates the club serves 200 to 300 per week for members and their guests.
“We don’t add any milk, we just keep our ice cream softer,” she said. “It’s pretty much just straight Haagen Dazs. It’s got to be the right consistency. You want it just soft enough, kind of like a Frosty. You can eat it with a spoon. They are really tasty.”
Part of the secret, Walker-Straten said, is how they are made. They don’t use blenders because the consistency wouldn’t be right. They use commercial Hamilton Beach milkshake machines with “agitators” that mix them to the ideal consistency. She has provided technical expertise to those who will be making the shakes out on the course this week.
“Months ago they asked me for the recipe,” she said. “I didn’t tell them every single thing, because I can’t give them all my information. I’m curious to see if they really and truly are following my recipe. I want to see if they are doing it correctly.”
She’s flattered, of course, that the shakes will be part of the show this week.
“Absolutely,” she said. “It’s just part of who we are.”
Shakes are available at select concession areas on the course for $9. Toppings are available for an additional $2.50.