ODU Names Chris Deibel as New Golf Coach

July 7, 2003

COLUMBUS, OH - Ohio Dominican University has chosen Chris Deibel to head its new golf program as Golf Coach.

Deibel came to Ohio Dominican from The Willows Golf Club in Groveport, Ohio, where he was the head PGA pro for the last four years, overseeing all golf operations for the private club. He was with the club for nine years, serving as assistant golf pro prior to becoming head pro.

He received a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Capital University, and played on Capital's golf team as an undergraduate. He is a graduate of the PGA Golf Professional Training Program, where he received the Titleist/Footjoy Scholarship for exceptional performance.

Ohio Dominican's new intercollegiate golf program, offering both men's and women's golf, will begin this fall. The teams will have an abbreviated fall schedule, beginning tournament play in Spring '04.

Deibel said his goal is to recruit 10 to 12 male and female golfers for each team by this fall. "We're looking for students who played golf in high school and want to continue to play. They'll get the playing time with our program that they may not be able to get at larger schools," he said. The teams will play at the Columbus Country Club and Champions Golf Course, and practice at Bridgeview Golf Course & Range.

Like many other intercollegiate sports, the golf teams will not be limited to playing NAIA schools. It is Deibel's intention for Ohio Dominican to also play NCAA Division III teams such as Capital, Otterbein College and Muskingum College. "Competing against a variety of schools gives you an opportunity to advance in the rankings and if your team is good, eventually you'll be invited to play in a national tournament," he said.

Because Deibel's background is teaching golf, he feels he'll be an asset to student golfers. "In most cases, a smaller university's golf coach is also the football or basketball coach - bigger sports that occupy much of his or her time. Because college coaches are spread so thin, golf often doesn't get the attention that it should. Few -more- Ohio Dominican Names Golf Coach/2 colleges and universities, like ODU, have dedicated golf coaches who can actually instruct the players. Our players will get the one-on-one instruction. I'm looking forward to bringing students in as freshman golfers and seeing them develop golf skills into their senior year," he said.

For more information about ODU's Golf program, contact Chris Deibel at 614.253-3481 or deibelc@ohiodominican.edu