“It was a hobby that turned into a passion.”
That’s how Dick Schneider describes his lifelong involvement with golf: playing, repairing clubs, photographing tournaments, and, most notably, collecting memorabilia. This includes the roughly 1,500 putters he has amassed over the years.
Schneider, Longuevue Drive, retired from teaching phys ed in the Pittsburgh Public Schools in 1999 and began working in local golf shops, selling and repairing clubs. A passionate golfer, he was hired in 2003 as head starter at the Mt. Lebanon Golf Course, where he also assists Colin Agster, the course manager.
Agster has known “Dicky,” as he is called by regulars, most of his life. “Everyone remembers him. We get people in here all the time who had him for gym. He might be the most well-known person in Mt. Lebanon. He’s also probably the kindest, most helpful human I’ve ever met.”
Schneider, who is 81, says he began collecting putters in the late ‘60s, after he got out of college and discovered golf. “Golf is just a passion. You’re competing against the golf course. So when you par a hole, it’s exciting.”
He said the impetus for starting his collection is something of a mystery. “Some people collect stamps or coins; I found putters. Especially putters of big-time golfers. I have a lot of that stuff. Tiger Woods, Arnold Palmer, Seve Ballesteros. I probably have almost as much Arnold Palmer stuff as his museum does. Every time those guys won a tournament, there would be a limited-edition copy of their clubs. I have a lot of those. Plus, when I worked in the golf shops I got a discount.”
Schneider is a recycler of golf clubs. “I would never let a club go in the garbage,” he said, “Either I’d repair it, bring it home, sell it, or give it to kids. I’ve given truckloads to First Tee.” First Tee Pittsburgh is a nonprofit youth development organization at the Bob O’Connor Golf Course in Schenley Park.
He said his putter collection has numbered as many as 2,000 at times, but he’s sold off some of it. “That’s not even counting the hickories, which are old-time collectible stuff. Plus I have a whole double garage full of other clubs. A lot from the ‘50s and ‘60s.”
Schneider has many rare and unique putters, including roughly 165 made by well-known maker Scotty Cameron. He’s got the first putter Cameron ever made, plus rare tour prototypes. A replica of a Tiger Woods putter is on display in his office. His collection also includes hundreds of Cameron head covers, many of them also limited edition.
He has taken many memorable photographs of golfers, famous and not, at tournaments. A picture he snapped of Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus standing together in 1978 led to Palmer’s request for four copies.
There is also a golf library in Schneider’s home, with hundreds of books on the sport, as well as signed golf balls, tees, and many commemorative items.
How does Schneider’s non-golfing wife, Judy, feel about living in a house filled with memorabilia of the game?
“She’s a good sport! Although she has declared some places in our house a GFZ — golf-free zone.” Judy often accompanies her husband when he plays, riding in the cart and commenting on his drives. He confessed that he made time to play 18 holes of golf on their honeymoon.
Although he has cut back his days at the municipal course to two per week, Schneider still repairs clubs at Golf Specialtees, a shop in Castle Shannon. He also works with the Mt. Lebanon Junior Golf Association, a weekly league for ages 11-17, each summer.
“I give kids clubs all the time. New sets are expensive. And the golf balls don’t know the difference.”
Schneider still golfs nearly every warm-weather evening and checks on the course.
“It’s amazing that the most energetic man I know is also one of the oldest ones I know,” said Agster. “I hope he keeps working here as long as he can and wants to.”