The last name Schroeder can certainly turn some heads when mentioned around the golf course. Kaitlyn Schroeder is a familiar name not only around the FSGA but across the golf world. Kaitlyn is amidst the spring season of her freshman year as a member of the Women’s Golf team at the University of Alabama. She was named the 2022 AJGA Rolex Player of the year, competed in an LPGA event as an amateur in Evian, France, won the Girls’ Junior, and has competed in numerous USGA events. Kaitlyn has quite the impressive resume with still her entire college career ahead of her.
However, there is another Schroeder that has an equally impressive resume. Coaching resume, that is, and this person is her father, Scott. Scott Schroeder has been the head coach at the University of North Florida for eighteen years. He played college golf a UNF and when the coaching opportunity opened up in 2006, it was the perfect position for him. Schroeder explains that his dad was a high school coach so he had been around coaching his entire life, and he knew everything about the program at UNF. “In some ways, the opportunity was perfect timing for me.”
Schroeder has been named coach of the year seven times, in addition to being named GCAA Region Coach of the Year. His team has had fourteen NCAA Regional appearances, and thirteen were consecutive. In addition, he has led his team to six NCAA Championships and seven ASUN Championship titles. Finally, let us not overlook that his team has either earned the victory or secured a runner-up finish in the past twelve of seventeen ASUN Championships. He has coached players on his team such as Philip Knowles who plays on the PGA TOUR currently. Nick Gabrelcik, 2023 Team USA Walker Cup member, is another familiar name that is currently on the team at UNF.
And yet, this list does not even encompass all of Coach Schroeder’s accolades, but at least it paints a picture of the success he has had in his years as a college coach. Schroeder explains some keys to his success in coaching start with building a relationship with the players. He stated, “Let them know that you’re trying to help them and then build a really good line of communication back and forth.” He further explains that, “I always tell my players, I don’t have to be right. You can be right, but we need to communicate to be on the same page and working in the same direction.” Schroeder also likes to remind the young men that he has been watching golf longer than they have even been playing. Over time, Coach Schroeder notices that the players build a trust with him and they understand that he is knowledgeable in his advice as it comes from years of experience. He further explains that once a good relationship is formed through communication and trust, the players realize that their coach’s advice is not based in selfish motives. On the contrary, his advice on what they should and should not do comes purely from a place of support and they know that Coach Schroeder is trying to aid each individual player to be the best golfer they can be.
Schroeder enjoys various facets within his job. He describes that one enjoyable aspect to coaching is that it helps to scratch his competitive itch. He explains, “I am not a great player, but being able to get out there
with the guys and trying to help them chase their dreams and watch how well they play is incredible.” However, he circles back to building a relationship with the players as being his favorite and most rewarding part. “I think competition is what drives everybody. So for me, it’s the competitive edge as much as anything, but obviously, it is the relationship with the players and trying to help them that is so rewarding at the end of the day.”
It is obvious to wonder at this point if Coach Schroeder shared his wisdom with his daughter throughout her developmental years. Golf is a hard sport, and mixing in family emotional attachments can sometimes lead to challenges. However, Schroeder explained how he approaches the situation with his daughter, Kaitlyn. “I treat her relatively similar to my players. She has high expectations for herself as well and I just try to give her advice that is going to help her chase what she wants to accomplish. Numerous times I have told her, I am only telling you the same thing I would tell Philip Knowles or Nick Gabrelcik, or another former player. I am talking to her like I talk to them and it’s not personal, I just want to give good advice.” Coach Schroeder has had the opportunity of watching Kaitlyn compete in various USGA events, but he said his favorite event was when he was able to caddy for her at the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship played at Grand Reserve Golf Club in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico. Even though Kaitlyn and her partner, Bailey Shoemaker, fell short to Thienna Huynh and Sara Im in the Finals, Coach Schroeder still claims that is the most fun he has ever had caddying for his daughter. “As a caddy, you get to be a part of the process, and I am a coach, so I like being able to help make decisions and having a little bit of say in the outcome, positively or negatively.”
Playing on the National stage is quite the rush, however, Coach Schroeder is no stranger to attending and competing with the best players in the state of Florida here with the FSGA. Growing up in Florida, Schroeder played on the Florida Junior Tour, and as he moved past the junior 
phase of his life he played in the Amateur Championship and the Pub Links Championship. Now, Schroeder does not play as much as he used to, but he still attends our events to watch his daughter or to recruit for UNF. When asked which event he attends most regularly, he said, “The Boys’ Junior is as good as it gets. It’s the Boys’ Junior State Championship, the juniors that compete and play well, and certainly the players that win, are all really good competitors.” Schroeder continues to explain, “From a parental perspective, it is the Girls’ Junior. Watching Kaitlyn win her first Girls’ Junior in the 13-15 age division was really cool. That's the beauty of the FSGA, it provides so many people opportunities to compete. No matter what it is and what level you are, it gives each individual a chance to accomplish something which will give them more confidence as a golfer.”
That certainly is the beauty of the FSGA, the opportunity to not only see individuals compete and improve at the game they love, but also to watch families grow closer while embarking on this journey together. Coach Schroeder left some parting advice for individuals of any level of golf. He said, “It’s important to be honest with yourself. Try to find somebody that will give you advice that you can trust is telling you for the right reasons. It is also important to have a group of people that will help you identify the things that you need to work on, and then have a plan to get better, and sticking to that plan is really important.” He further explains that achieving goals and reaching an elite playing level in golf does not come easily. It takes good, old fashioned, hard work. “If you want to be really good, it can’t just be a hobby. The neat part for me is, in life, work ethic gets you somewhere. And if you want to be an elite golfer, you have to work for it.”
