He was born on June 28, 1952, in Roslyn, NY, the son of the late Jerimiah and Patricia Doyle.
After working as a caddy from the age of 14, he dedicated his professional life to the golf business. He scored in the top 5 percent of his Business School II class at Callaway Gardens, GA, in 1983, and was consequently elected into the Professional Golfers Association (PGA) of America.
He served as the assistant professional at Plandome Country Club in Plandome Manor, NY; the assistant professional at Mount Snow Golf Club in Dover, VT; the pro shop manager and assistant professional at Douglaston Park Golf Club in Douglaston, NY; the head professional at Lake Sunapee Country Club in New London, NH; and the head golf professional and general manager at Brunswick Golf Club in Brunswick, ME, where the flag was flown at half-staff in the week following his death.
Chris was appointed as golf coach at Fordham University in 1984, served as secretary of the New Hampshire PGA from 1987-1990, qualified for the New Hampshire PGA Challenge Cup in 1988, served as a vice president of the New England PGA from 1991-1994, and was a panelist on the Golf Digest Selection Committee from 1990 to 2001.
He became a member of the PGA Quarter Century Club in 2008, and from 2005 to 2010 was a member of the PGA President’s Council on Growing the Game.
In 2004, he moved to Las Vegas and worked as a teaching professional at the John Jacobs Golf School at Stallion Mountain, and since 2006 he had been the teaching professional at the Sienna Golf Academy, which he coowned and operated.
Though his professional highlights were many, Chris’s greatest passion was mentoring others, both in the pro shop and in life, with the two most profound examples being his son, Joe, and daughter, Meghan. He died after 29 years as a golf professional and 31 years of continued sobriety. He preached, and practiced, “One day at a time,” and did his best to live in accordance with the Serenity Prayer.
Chris was the personification of gratitude, and even in the face of recent illness, he often referred to himself as “the luckiest guy in the world.”
He is survived by his wife of 32 years, Terry, along with their pride and joy, Joe and Meghan, all of Las Vegas. He is also survived by a brother, Jerry; three sisters, Nancy, Shauna and Suzie; and many nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Doyle family at any US Bank: http://bit.ly/NezM4W; or by mailing to US Bank, 9801 West Charleston Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89117, account No. 253752831987.
A celebration of his life will be held at Lake Sunapee Country Club in New London, NH, on Wednesday, July 25 from 6-8 p.m..
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