The famous Castle Pines milkshakes are back on the PGA Tour

When The International at Castle Pines Golf Club was a fixture on the PGA Tour from 1986 to 2006, tour pros always raved about the impeccable condition of the golf course and the way they were treated on and off the course.

Among her favorite foods were Castle Pines milkshakes, which quickly became part of the tournament legend.

This week, the legendary milkshakes will once again be available to professionals and spectators as part of the BMW Championship. If you have never enjoyed the creamy, cold delicacy, here's a tip: The word “ambrosia” springs to mind.

The shakes were so closely linked to The International's 20-year winning streak that a pro mentioned a famous “shake-off” between two tour pros in a 20-year review of the tournament in the Denver Post in 2005. A television network broadcast the shake showdown during a rain stoppage, in which the slender Mike Hulbert drank six shakes in 13 minutes. Charles Howell III managed just four.

“One of my favorite memories is when Mike Hulbert won the milkshake contest last year,” Duffy Waldorf told the Post. “It was a classic. I always thought the shakes were great there. But having a contest is what golf pros are supposed to do. He beat Charles Howell to the punch. Some little guy always wins hot dog eating contests.”

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 and became Castle Pines' head pro.

“They made them with soft serve ice cream,” recalls Schneider, now general manager of Castle Pines, in Muirfield. “When I came here, I said to Mr. Vickers, our head chef, 'We need to make milkshakes here.' The head chef had the idea that we could do Häagen-Dazs because Häagen-Dazs is so much better, and it is. The key is Häagen-Dazs.”

Castle Pines milkshakes come in chocolate, vanilla and strawberry flavors, but chocolate is probably the flavor they are best known for.

“When I was 130 pounds, I drank a lot of it,” said Schneider, who is retiring this year after 43 years at Castle Pines. “Now I drink a lot more. I drink one in the spring and one in the fall.”

Lisa Walker-Straten, who manages the dining hall and rehabilitation center at Castle Pines, has kept the milkshake tradition alive. She estimates that the club serves 200 to 300 milkshakes a week to its members and their guests.

“We don't add milk, we just keep our ice cream softer,” she said. “It's pretty much pure Haagen Dazs. It has to be the right consistency. It has to be just soft enough, kind of like a Frosty. You can eat it with a spoon. It's really delicious.”