Sarah Schmelzel has quickly become one of the recognizable names on the LPGA Tour. It came especially after her role in the victorious 2024 Solheim Cup debut. But long before all these, before these brutal contentions on the world’s renowned courses, Schmelzel was a kid in Phoenix, Arizona, who loved spending her afternoons at Moon Valley Country Club. Little did she know she would see such a rise in her career. The credit of which goes to her parents, Dennis and Amy Schmelzel, who have been by their daughter’s side since day one. Here’s more about them.
Dennis Schmelzel – Father, caddie, and golf mentor
Dennis Schmelzel didn’t grow up as a golf pro himself, unlike many fathers on Tour. In fact, he didn’t take the game seriously until he was about 30! But once golf’s bug bit him, he went headfirst, studying hours after hours the swings of Ben Hogan and Jack Nicklaus. It might have been too late for him to start a career, but he turned to his two kids, naturally spilling his love for the game over his parenting. He introduced both Sarah and her older brother, John, to golf. Sarah often jokes that she was the “annoying little sister,” tagging along while her daddy and her elder brother played.
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But Dennis was not just introducing Sarah and John to the sport; he was also living his dream vicariously through them. Over the years, Dennis became Sarah’s caddie, her coach, and the mental voice she leaned into during the toughest moments. One of the most defining moments of Dennis’s influence came in 2001, when he pulled Sarah out of elementary school so she could watch the legendary Annika Sorenstam shoot her historic 59 at Moon Valley.
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He’s carried her bag at big events like Q School, and Sarah often makes him day by assigning him this duty. “He was pretty pumped when I told him. We vibe well together, and he is fun, so he kept it really light out there. He has a really similar demeanor to me, so it was really important to have him out there,” she said during the 2017 FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship.
Now, Dennis has taken his passion for the game in another direction. He now serves as head coach of the University of Arizona’s adaptive golf team. He’s only been in the role for about a year as of today, but for Sarah, it has been a proud moment to see her dad working with athletes with disabilities.
Amy Schmelzel – The steady hand behind the scenes
While Dennis handled the mentoring and coaching side, Amy Schmelzel provided just as much support in her own way. She’s spent countless hours travelling cross-country to tournaments. balancing the family’s life in Phoenix with Sarah’s growing career. She and Dennis became members at Moon Valley back in the late 1990s, and that course has since then played the dual role of a family playground and Sarah’s training ground.
Amy has always talked about the importance of showing up for her kids, even as they grew into adults. She’s been vocal about how much she and Dennis enjoy not only watching their daughter play, but also meeting her teammates and seeing her bloom in an environment she loves.
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A family built around golf
At the core of Sarah’s journey is a simple truth: golf was never just her sport; it was an activity that brought her family together. Some of her earliest memories are of building sandcastles in practice bunkers while Dennis practiced. Later, the three of them – Sarah, John, and Dennis – would head out after school to play. Living just five minutes from Moon Valley Country Club only made shared personal language easier.
Today, the Schmelzels still live in Phoenix, not far from where it all started. Their home base has remained the same since the mid-1990s, and it continues to anchor their tight-knit family.