Golf is a family affair for Dormie Network ambassador Scott Gutschewski

Dormie Network ambassador Scott Gutschewski not only represents one of golf’s most inspiring stories of perseverance, he is also becoming known as one of the game’s best family men.

On the golf course, “Gootch” famously went 10 years — 3,626 days to be exact — between starts as a PGA Tour member. But late last year, at the age of 45 — competing on the Korn Ferry Tour against players half his age, despite enduring injuries and a trio of foot surgeries — he earned his card back.

Away from the course, Scott and his wife, Amy, are the parents of four children. Their oldest, Luke, was one of the top high school golfers in Nebraska, winning the Nebraska Junior Amateur in 2020. He is a rising sophomore on the Iowa State golf team, having logged 30 rounds as a freshman for the Cyclones.

Luke Gutschewski with John Hudson — Luke Gutschewski at the US Amateur, with friend John Hudson caddying. Photo credit: USGA

In March, Luke fired an Iowa State-freshman-record 63 in the final round of the Colleton River Collegiate, the second-lowest 18-hole score overall in the history of Iowa State golf. “He really enjoys Ames [Iowa] and they’ve done an excellent job of providing them world-class facilities to take care of his body, train, and work on his game,” Scott said of Luke’s first year at Iowa State. “He learned a lot about how to travel and manage his schedule and everything else that goes into giving yourself the best chance to perform well.”

This summer Luke was one of six first-round co-leaders and one of four co-medalists at the 122nd U.S. Amateur Championship. The four co-medalists were the highest total in U.S. Amateur history.

During the prestigious USGA national championship, Luke recalled joining his dad and Scott’s caddie for practice rounds out on Tour when he was just 5 years old. “I didn’t think it was cool back then because it was just my life,” Luke told The Golf Channel, “but looking back on it, it was a pretty neat experience. I was learning how to be a professional, even then.”

Through the years, Luke has caddied for Scott on occasion, including several years ago at a Korn Ferry event in North Carolina. Luke was fresh off winning a state championship during his sophomore year of high school. Being so close to Pinehurst, father and son made a quick trip to play a round. It was the first time that Luke, tied his dad. “We headed out for an emergency nine and he beat me by one,” Luke told The Golf Channel. “I think it was 31 to 32.”

“More than anything,” Luke said of his dad, “seeing him be competitive with the best players in the world, and then him coming home, playing with him and realizing that my good is good enough – my bad might not be good enough, but my good is good enough to be wherever I want to be in golf – it helps the self-belief knowing that I can compete against him and he’s out there every week playing against the best in the world.”

Meanwhile, Scott and Amy’s daughter, Isabelle, is a senior standout on the Duchesne Academy (Omaha) squad. “She’s looking forward to one last go around high school golf,” said Scott, who played golf collegiately at Nebraska. “She works in the summers for the First Tee of Omaha and plays one or two tournaments a month in the summer. She is ratcheting her game up in preparation for the girls’ high school golf season in the fall.”

The Gutschewski’s middle son, Trevor, is 15 years old and, “he rivals Luke for the biggest golf fanatic in our family,” Scott said.

In July, Trevor ran away with the Nebraska Junior Amateur Championship, winning by five strokes. It returned the tournament trophy to the Gutschewski family mantle after Luke won the same event in 2020. “It was a big accomplishment,” Trevor said. “It’s one of the best junior golf tournaments in Nebraska. It feels really good to have my name on that trophy.”

“He’s becoming quite the player,” Scott said of Trevor. “He had a really nice freshman golf season with several wins in here in the spring. He’s had some nice finishes in some men’s amateur events this summer.”

Not to be outdone, the “baby” of the family, Isaiah, is just 6 years old, but has inherited the family’s passion for golf. In late August, Amy posted on Twitter after Isaiah made a birdie on his first hole of his first tournament. “And just like that, another one is hooked,” Amy (@Gootchmom) tweeted.

“He’s really taken to the game this summer and is extremely entertaining with an endless supply of energy,” Scott said. “We’ll see where the game takes him, but like all of our children, fun will be the No. 1 priority when it comes to golf.”

Scott said his children share similar characteristics.

“They’re extremely hard workers and for the most part, pretty smart at working on their games,” he said. “It’s interesting to see how each kid approaches their game and how they work on it and when they reach out for help. They’re all unique. It’s fun to watch and help them try to figure out this silly game!”

Scott gives an abundance of credit to Amy. “My wife is amazing at handling everything at home while I’m gone,” he said. “I guess we consider ourselves a pretty normal family. I try to get home as soon as possible after I’m done playing so I can take the kids to school or watch one of their games, tournaments or whatever is going on.

“I usually head out for a tournament week on Monday night or Tuesday morning, just depending on what the flights look like and what’s going on at home. I’ve never been a guy who can just head out for three or four weeks in a row. The family will come out every once in a while, also, whether it’s to caddie or just hang out.”

On this particular summer morning, the Gutschewski family is at ArborLinks in Nebraska City, just a short drive from their home near Omaha, enjoying a few days of golf and fellowship. “We are truly fortunate to have such a great escape just down the road from home, where we can all have fun together and be in our own little world,” Scott said.

“At this point in our lives, we just consider it a win when everybody is where they are supposed to be,” he said. “We’ve got six people with very busy schedules. Our biggest win is probably when the stars align and we all get to sit down and eat dinner together at home.”

After an up-and-down season on the PGA Tour, finishing 177th in the FedExCup points, Scott is prepping to compete at the Korn Ferry Tour Championship at Victoria National, hoping to improve his playing status for the 2022-23 season.

“It’s really a treat to get to play in any PGA Tour event and this year has been a lot of fun, even if my play hasn’t been great as of late,” he said. “It’s a tough grind out here, little things go a long way and you don’t have to be off very much to not see the results you’re looking for.

“I’m optimistic,” he said. “I’ve been very close to some very good golf for a while, but as they say, ‘Close only counts in hand grenades and horseshoes.’ The PGA Tour is the ultimate testing ground for your golf game. I love and look forward to the challenge of showing what I can do.”