Professor of Turf Management and Head Golf Coach
What is your educational background?
1991 BS in Agronomy from DelVal, 1993 MS from Penn State, 1996 PhD from Penn State in Agronomy/Turfgrass.
What brought you to DelVal?
My father graduated in 1960 and introduced me to DelVal. In high school, I wanted to play golf and basketball in college and DelVal was a good fit for my athletic skill level. I also wanted to study agronomy to become a golf superintendent like my father. And, the campus was only 40 minutes from home which was on Wedgewood Golf Course, the course where my father was superintendent.
How do you harness the experiential learning pillar of Delaware Valley University and apply that to your everyday teaching?
Experiential learning is embedded in every course I teach. Students love to learn that way, so I try to include as many in-class experiences as I can into each course. I am a heavy user of field trips, walking the campus to assess the turfgrass, and class projects growing grass, calibrating equipment, designing a golf course on paper, and developing a management plan. Over the past few years I committed to teach my Friday labs without using a screen and have named it “Screen Free Fridays” for social media purposes.
What brings you the most satisfaction in your job?
When a student says “thank you Doc for your help”. It’s also rewarding to follow the careers of my graduates to see the things they accomplish professionally. Plus I love to visit my graduates on their jobs and usually work a few in while traveling for vacation or a conference.
Do you have any student success stories that stand out to you?
Steve McDonald ’03. He has become the top golf course consultant in the Mid-Atlantic region. We are friends and now he teaches the capstone turf class here at DelVal.
Joel Foreman ’09. Joel is the head superintendent at Pikewood National Golf Club in West Virginia. He was an average student academically while at DelVal but has landed a job at one of the top 100 courses in the US because he worked hard and was wise to ask for advice throughout his career. As of now, he has had about 10 DelVal students intern with him at his course.
What are the characteristics of a successful student at DelVal?
I encourage my students to show up to class, complete the assignments, ask for help when needed, get involved with at least one extracurricular activity to get to know others, and do something every day to blow-off steam.
How do you describe DelVal and the DelVal student from your perspective?
DelVal is a small university where students learn a lot of skills through hands-on and experiential learning. These skills, along with the required work experience, are why our students have full-time jobs upon graduation. DelVal has been committed to this style of teaching and learning since 1896 and the faculty and students love it.
Are there any specific activities or initiatives you prioritize when mentoring DelVal students?
I strongly recommend students all work three summers in turf management while attending DelVal. This gives them many of the skills employers are desiring, helps them discover their niche in the industry, and makes them $10,000 to $12,000 in 3 months.
If you were a YouTube or TikTok influencer, what would the subject of your channel or content be about? (specific hobby? Knowledgeable about a topic? travel, food, gardening, exercising, etc.)
New Zealand travel guide. I’ve been there four times and lived there for extended periods and was fortunate to be able to travel the entire country multiple times working on golf courses along with doing all the tourist stuff along the way. There would be plenty of videos about hiking, biking, fishing spending time with Kiwi friends, and Kiwi slang.
About Dr. Doug Linde
Dr. Doug Linde is our resident expert on agronomy and turf grass. You will find Linde and his students on campus assessing turf, calibrating equipment, designing golf courses on paper, or on field trips evaluating grass and turf in different environments. Linde specializes in preparing students for successful careers in the turf industry. Outside of class, he coaches the Golf Team, advises the Turf Club, and supervises the turf research facility and putting green on campus.