Keith Ybanez was born in the Philippines and grew up in New York City and Chicago before spending several years in California for college and law school. He attended Pepperdine University School of Law, where he developed a deep appreciation for the game of golf—a sport that quickly became both a mental pursuit and a meaningful way to build community, discovering it as both a mental challenge and a meaningful way to connect with others. Keith and his wife, Katelin, moved to Denver in 2020, drawn by Colorado’s golf culture and proximity to her family. Off the course, Keith is a labor and employment attorney at Husch Blackwell, LLP, where he advises organizations of all sizes and represents them in complex litigation. His home course is CommonGround Golf Course, and he is actively involved with the CGA as a Board member and Chair of the DEI Committee.
KK: Could you start by telling me a little bit about yourself?
KY: I wasn’t a lifelong golfer. I didn’t grow up around the game, and I didn’t really know anyone who played. I was born in the Philippines where my dad was a fisherman. My mom is a nurse and when I was a baby, her career took her to several different countries before landing a job at a hospital in New York City that sponsored our family’s immigration visa. That’s how we moved to the U.S. when I was about four years old.
We settled in the Upper West Side of Manhattan, a world away from where we lived in the Philippines. A lot of my earliest memories are from those years, living in a tiny studio apartment as a family of four. That experience shaped me and made me a city person at heart.
After five years in New York, my family moved to Chicago so we could be closer to my mom’s sister so we could grow up with some of my cousins, and my parents are still there today. I’ll always consider Chicago to be home for me.
I went to boarding school in California for my senior year of high school, and I loved it. I’ve always had an adventurous spirit and wasn’t afraid to take a leap like that. I stayed in California for college and law school, then returned to Chicago, thinking I’d settle there for good.
Life had other plans. I met my wife, Katelin, in law school. She grew up in Colorado and eventually convinced me to move here so we could be closer to her family. We moved to Denver about five years ago, and that’s been an amazing chapter of our lives.
KK: How did you get into golf?
KY: I didn’t grow up playing and no one in my family played. But I worked at a country club in Hinsdale, Illinois, during high school. I didn’t really play then, but I watched a lot of members play, and that’s when the game first started to intrigue me.
In college, I worked at another golf course near campus. Again, I wasn’t really a golfer yet, but I was around the game a lot. I always thought golf would be something I picked up later in life because I grew up playing basketball like every kid from Chicago during the Jordan Bulls era.
I really started to get into golf at the end of law school. One of my roommates was a great golfer, and we’d go play when we had free time. We played courses like Rustic Canyon and Los Verdes GC, and that’s when the golf bug really bit me. I didn’t realize at the time how special some of those courses were, but the great ones really stick with you.
What drew me in was the challenge. Golf asks you different questions every time you play—mentally, strategically, emotionally. There are so many parallels to life. That’s what made me fall in love with the game.
KK: Did you play much once you moved back to Chicago?
KY: Yeah, Chicago has a great golf scene. When I started my career as a lawyer, a lot of my colleagues played, so we’d get out on weekends. I played a lot at Ravisloe Country Club, which became my home course. I’d also play Harborside and occasionally Cog Hill.
I was probably playing about 10 rounds a year at that point, which felt like a decent amount. Then COVID hit, and golf became one of the only things you could really do. That was the first year I played a lot of golf, and it really solidified my love for the game.
KK: What do you do for work now?
KY: I’m a labor and employment attorney at Husch Blackwell. I advise companies of all sizes—from large Fortune 50 companies to small businesses—on managing their workforce. People are often a company’s biggest asset and biggest risk, and I help them navigate that.
I’ve been practicing for more than 11 years and provide a mix of advice, counseling, and litigation across the country. Like golf, I enjoy the mental stimulation. I love solving problems. It never gets boring.
I don’t love every part of my job every day, and I don’t think it’s healthy to love 100 percent of your job so that it doesn’t consume your life. But I like it enough to keep doing it, and I’m glad I landed here.
KK: How did you hear about the CGA Board, and when did you join?
KY: I joined the CGA Board at the beginning of 2023. I was asked in late 2022, after meeting Ed Mate during caddie training at CommonGround.
Before we even moved to Colorado, I had heard of CommonGround through golf media like The Fried Egg and No Laying Up. The first time I played it, I took a caddie and immediately thought, “This is what public golf should be.” When we moved here, I made it a priority to live close to the course, and it quickly became my home.
Through caddie training and conversations with Ed, he learned about my background and professional experience, and I was asked to join the Board.
KK: What committees do you serve on, and what kind of work are you most proud of?
KY: I chair the DEI Committee and help with hiring-related matters. The work I’m most proud of is creating opportunities for non-traditional golfers and affinity groups to feel welcome in the game.
A lot of people, like me, don’t grow up playing golf or think of it as a recreational option that is available to them. Our goal as a committee has been to make golf accessible and welcoming in meaningful ways. I think we’ve been successful, especially through community partnerships and grassroots groups.
I want to give a lot of credit to Aaron Guereca and the CGA Staff for leading much of that work and building relationships with local communities. Seeing groups come out to CommonGround and experience golf in a supportive environment has been really exciting.
KK: What is your favorite golf memory?
KY: My favorite golf memory is from a trip to Bandon Dunes in March 2025. I’ve been lucky to go a few times, but this trip really stands out.
We were playing Bandon Dunes in brutal weather—40-mile-per-hour winds, rain, and the temperature was 40 degrees. Some friends decided not to play, which was completely reasonable. But a few of us went out with our caddie, Luke, and we were basically the only people on the course.
The conditions were objectively miserable, but I had the absolute time of my life. Every shot was a battle, and it felt like golf in its purest form. When we finished, people in the clubhouse couldn’t believe we played. That round will always stick with me.
KK: What advice would you give your younger self or younger generations?
KY: Give yourself grace. We’re all incredibly hard on ourselves, whether it’s in golf, work, or life. Adversity is always going to show up, and it’s easy to get frustrated when things don’t go your way.
Keeping grace at the center of everything you do helps you handle challenges with perspective. I fall short of that often, but it’s something I try to remind myself of constantly.
KK: Is there anything else you’d like people to know about the CGA?
KY: The CGA has awesome programs for kids. Take a Solich Academy caddie when you can. The interactions you have with those kids are incredible. They ask great questions and bring a different perspective.
I remember a round where our caddie was a high school freshman, and she couldn’t wrap her head around the idea that your friend group gets smaller as you get older. Those conversations are hilarious and meaningful, and I like to think the caddies take as much away from them as we do.
I encourage anyone who has the opportunity to take a caddie at CommonGround, The Broadmoor, or wherever they’re playing.
