Geoff Keffer is joining some pretty heady company.
Tonight (Oct. 27), when the Colorado PGA holds its Special Awards Gala at Colorado Golf Club in Parker, the Lakewood resident will receive the Section’s Dow Finsterwald Player of the Year Award for the fourth straight season and for the fifth time in six years.
To put that into perspective, only one player has been the Colorado PGA’s Finsterwald Player of the Year more times than Keffer, with two others matching his total. And all of the other three members of the five-timers club have all been inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame.
Bob Hold owns the record for most CPGA Finsterwald Player of the Year Awards, with seven earned between 1966 and ’74, including six straight starting in ’66. Other five-time Players of the Year, in addition to Keffer, are Vic Kline (1975 to 1981) and Ron Vlosich (1986 to ’91).
Keffer (pictured), the Colorado PGA Professional Champion last year, was also the Section’s Apprentice Player of the Year three times from 2007 through ’11. He won or tied for the title in six Section tournaments in 2017 — the season-long Assistants Match Play and Four-Ball Match Play, a one-day pro-only event and three-pro-ams. He finished a stroke out of a playoff, in third place, at the Colorado PGA Professional Championship last month.
Keffer is part owner of the Denver-based Greater Golfer Development Center.
Earning the Colorado PGA’s Senior Player of the Year honors was 64-year-old Rick Cole, the head professional at Eaton Country Club, who finished second in a playoff to John Ogden at the Colorado PGA Professional Championship. Cole also placed sixth in the CoBank Colorado Senior Open, the best showing by a Coloradan this year.
Here are the other Colorado PGA award winners who will be honored tonight, including Golf Professional of the Year Mark Kelbel (READ MORE) from The Broadmoor Golf Club.
Golf Professional of the Year — Mark Kelbel, The Broadmoor Golf Club”¨”¨
Dow Finsterwald Player of the Year — Geoff Keffer, Greater Golf Development Center
Senior Player of the Year — Rick Cole, Eaton Country Club
Apprentice Player of the Year — Bryan Hackenberg, Riverdale GC
Teacher of the Year — Trent Wearner, Trent Wearner Golf Academy”¨”¨
Bill Strausbaugh Award (mentoring fellow PGA professionals) — Ty Walker, GolfTEC Denver Tech Center”¨”¨
Assistant Professional of the Year — Cy Twete, The Golf Club at Bear Dance”¨”¨
Horton Smith Award (exceptional contributions to promote and improve PGA educational programs) — Patrick Nuber, GolfTEC, national director of teaching quality and instruction”¨”¨
Player Development Award — Leighton Smith, The First Tee of Pikes Peak”¨”¨
Youth Player Development Award — Todd Laxson, Cherokee Ridge Golf Course”¨”¨
Warren Smith Award (special contributions to game of golf, the Colorado PGA, junior golf and their facility) — Barry Milstead, Valley Country Club”¨”¨
Private Merchandiser of the Year — Steve David, Denver Country Club”¨”¨
Resort Merchandiser of the Year — Phillip Tobias, River Course and Ranch Course at Keystone Resort”¨”¨
Public Merchandiser of the Year — Dale Smigelsky, Collindale Golf Course
Todd Phipers Media Award — Stan Fenn and Doug Perry (Morning Cup of Golf radio show)
President’s Award (promoting and enhancing PGA professionals, the PGA Section and the game of golf and contributing to the betterment of the golf professional vocation) — Eric Kenealy
(Updated Oct. 30) Vic Kline Award (to Section board of directors member for outstanding service and leadership for the Section) — Scott Erwin, Maroon Creek Club
Noble Chalfant Inductees (lifetime distinction for PGA members) — Don Fox, Lewis Lepore.
