Upcoming Event: Men's Golf versus The Hayt on March 7, 2026
%20(1).png&width=24&height=24&type=webp)
Men's Golf
vs The Hayt
Perfect Fit
9/4/2025 7:30:00 AM | Men's Golf
Bob Heintz the new leader of Duke men's golf program
Bob Heintz may have the perfect pedigree to be the men's golf coach at Duke University. Great academic background as a Yale University grad…PGA TOUR background as a player…Solid career in the collegiate ranks as an assistant coach.
So, when he considered the Duke job he thought about all of those factors as he made his decision.
"This university is the epitome of how I have gone about my life," said Heintz, the son of two school teachers. "I was encouraged to pursue academics from a young age and attended Yale University. Then I decided to be the best golfer I could be and got to play golf professionally. When you think about what Duke means academically and athletically, a blending of the two things that I have pursued at the highest level, this was the right place for me."
Born in New York, Heintz grew up in Clearwater, Florida. Ironically, he went to Yale as a basketball player. But the point guard for Yale that came in with him was much better, according to Heintz, earning Ivy League freshman of the year. Heintz ended up playing basketball just his freshman year, then switched to the golf team.
As a collegiate golfer, Heintz played four seasons at Yale, where he graduated in 1992 with a degree in economics. He is the only player in Ivy League history to win three consecutive Ivy League individual titles, accomplishing the feat from 1990-92, including a 13-shot victory in the final leg of the threepeat. He was a three-time All-Ivy selection, one of just 27 players in Ivy League history to do so, and as a senior, Heintz served as team captain before being named an Academic All-America selection.
He turned pro in 1992 and highlighted his professional playing career with six full seasons on the PGA TOUR, headlined by a second-place finish at the Reno-Tahoe Open in 2010, which combined with six top-10 and 15 top-25 finishes, helped Heintz secure career earnings of more than $2.2 million as a PGA TOUR member. His best finish in the FedEx Cup came during the 2007 campaign, where he made 27 PGA TOUR starts and finished inside the top 10 in back-to-back weeks with ties for fifth at both the U.S. Bank Championship and the Canadian Open.
He also made nearly 200 starts on what is currently known as the Korn Ferry Tour, where he tallied two victories, two second-place finishes, seven top-fives, 14 top-10s and 42 top-25s, en route to just shy of $630,000 in earnings.
Overall as a professional, Heintz played in more than 300 events, earning nearly $3 million and recording 20 top-10 finishes. In 2000, he penned "Bob Heintz' PGA Tour Rookie Diary" for SportsIllustrated.com.
"Bob's the perfect choice," said Dan Brooks, who has seven national titles as the women's golf coach at Duke. "He's an excellent teacher and mentor. He's played professionally at the highest level; his vision includes all aspects of conducting an elite program and he's organized. Bob is also a pleasure to be around. His calm demeanor makes him well suited for coaching golf. Guys will want to play for him. Simply put, Bob gets it."
Heintz is well aware of the success of the men's program over the years and has been a large part of that success. He is also aware of the number of professional golfers that Duke has on tours all over the world and how they can be a major part of the success of his teams. With 14 former Blue Devils in the pro ranks and two PGA TOUR winners in Kevin Streelman and Adam Long still playing professionally, Heintz believes these pros can have an impact on his team's development.
"I will reach out to our alumni, especially our professional players, for their input," he explained. "They are the ones on the cutting edge of the sport right now. I may have a drill that I liked from 2012 when I was playing professionally, and I can call a Tour winner like Streelman or Long or Julian Suri to find out how can I make these drills more efficient and modern and measured for our players."
Heintz feels very strongly that even in the day of NIL and collectives paying players at the college level, the young people that are interested in Duke are also looking for an education combined with golf.
He points out the career of Joe Oglivie, who played for the Blue Devils, graduating in 1996, captured four Tour titles and is well known for his financial prowess as a great example for Duke golfers.
"Joe Ogilvie may be the poster boy for combining a great education with a successful PGA TOUR career," said Heintz. "He showed the world he had other interests while he was playing golf and I encourage our players who turn professional to have other hobbies and interests. When Joe was through playing golf people knew about his interest in the stock market and his interest in how the tour operated and he has been able to parlay that into a post golf career that has been very successful, and people respect him as a golfer and a businessman."
Heintz joined the Duke men's golf program as assistant coach in 2017. During his time as an assistant to Jamie Green, Duke men's golf claimed 15 team titles, including the 2017 ACC championship. In postseason play, Duke earned a berth to an NCAA regional in every possible season and advanced to the NCAA Championship four times as a team, including an appearance in the 2018 match-play semifinals. He was named a finalist for the Jan Strickland Outstanding Assistant Coach Award in 2020.
"Bob has poured so much of himself into this program over the past eight years, building deep, meaningful relationships with our student-athletes and helping them grow on and off the course," commented Vice President and King-Compton Families Director of Athletics Nina King. "His first-hand knowledge of Duke and our commitment to excellence, combined with his experience as both a head coach and a PGA TOUR player, made it clear that he is the right person to lead us forward."
Heintz always knew his love for the game would lead him to a coaching career. His first foray into the coaching ranks was a three-year stint as volunteer assistant golf coach at the University of South Florida (1992-94).
Following his retirement from the pro tour he served as head coach of the University of Pennsylvania men's golf program from 2012-2017. He was named the inaugural Ivy League Coach of the Year in 2015 after leading the Quakers to the team title, one of their five conference crowns under his direction.
He now has the opportunity to combine his academic background and golfing background to enhance the Duke men's golf team image across the country.
So, when he considered the Duke job he thought about all of those factors as he made his decision.
"This university is the epitome of how I have gone about my life," said Heintz, the son of two school teachers. "I was encouraged to pursue academics from a young age and attended Yale University. Then I decided to be the best golfer I could be and got to play golf professionally. When you think about what Duke means academically and athletically, a blending of the two things that I have pursued at the highest level, this was the right place for me."
Born in New York, Heintz grew up in Clearwater, Florida. Ironically, he went to Yale as a basketball player. But the point guard for Yale that came in with him was much better, according to Heintz, earning Ivy League freshman of the year. Heintz ended up playing basketball just his freshman year, then switched to the golf team.
As a collegiate golfer, Heintz played four seasons at Yale, where he graduated in 1992 with a degree in economics. He is the only player in Ivy League history to win three consecutive Ivy League individual titles, accomplishing the feat from 1990-92, including a 13-shot victory in the final leg of the threepeat. He was a three-time All-Ivy selection, one of just 27 players in Ivy League history to do so, and as a senior, Heintz served as team captain before being named an Academic All-America selection.
He turned pro in 1992 and highlighted his professional playing career with six full seasons on the PGA TOUR, headlined by a second-place finish at the Reno-Tahoe Open in 2010, which combined with six top-10 and 15 top-25 finishes, helped Heintz secure career earnings of more than $2.2 million as a PGA TOUR member. His best finish in the FedEx Cup came during the 2007 campaign, where he made 27 PGA TOUR starts and finished inside the top 10 in back-to-back weeks with ties for fifth at both the U.S. Bank Championship and the Canadian Open.
He also made nearly 200 starts on what is currently known as the Korn Ferry Tour, where he tallied two victories, two second-place finishes, seven top-fives, 14 top-10s and 42 top-25s, en route to just shy of $630,000 in earnings.
Overall as a professional, Heintz played in more than 300 events, earning nearly $3 million and recording 20 top-10 finishes. In 2000, he penned "Bob Heintz' PGA Tour Rookie Diary" for SportsIllustrated.com.
"Bob's the perfect choice," said Dan Brooks, who has seven national titles as the women's golf coach at Duke. "He's an excellent teacher and mentor. He's played professionally at the highest level; his vision includes all aspects of conducting an elite program and he's organized. Bob is also a pleasure to be around. His calm demeanor makes him well suited for coaching golf. Guys will want to play for him. Simply put, Bob gets it."
Heintz is well aware of the success of the men's program over the years and has been a large part of that success. He is also aware of the number of professional golfers that Duke has on tours all over the world and how they can be a major part of the success of his teams. With 14 former Blue Devils in the pro ranks and two PGA TOUR winners in Kevin Streelman and Adam Long still playing professionally, Heintz believes these pros can have an impact on his team's development.
"I will reach out to our alumni, especially our professional players, for their input," he explained. "They are the ones on the cutting edge of the sport right now. I may have a drill that I liked from 2012 when I was playing professionally, and I can call a Tour winner like Streelman or Long or Julian Suri to find out how can I make these drills more efficient and modern and measured for our players."
Heintz feels very strongly that even in the day of NIL and collectives paying players at the college level, the young people that are interested in Duke are also looking for an education combined with golf.
He points out the career of Joe Oglivie, who played for the Blue Devils, graduating in 1996, captured four Tour titles and is well known for his financial prowess as a great example for Duke golfers.
"Joe Ogilvie may be the poster boy for combining a great education with a successful PGA TOUR career," said Heintz. "He showed the world he had other interests while he was playing golf and I encourage our players who turn professional to have other hobbies and interests. When Joe was through playing golf people knew about his interest in the stock market and his interest in how the tour operated and he has been able to parlay that into a post golf career that has been very successful, and people respect him as a golfer and a businessman."
Heintz joined the Duke men's golf program as assistant coach in 2017. During his time as an assistant to Jamie Green, Duke men's golf claimed 15 team titles, including the 2017 ACC championship. In postseason play, Duke earned a berth to an NCAA regional in every possible season and advanced to the NCAA Championship four times as a team, including an appearance in the 2018 match-play semifinals. He was named a finalist for the Jan Strickland Outstanding Assistant Coach Award in 2020.
"Bob has poured so much of himself into this program over the past eight years, building deep, meaningful relationships with our student-athletes and helping them grow on and off the course," commented Vice President and King-Compton Families Director of Athletics Nina King. "His first-hand knowledge of Duke and our commitment to excellence, combined with his experience as both a head coach and a PGA TOUR player, made it clear that he is the right person to lead us forward."
Heintz always knew his love for the game would lead him to a coaching career. His first foray into the coaching ranks was a three-year stint as volunteer assistant golf coach at the University of South Florida (1992-94).
Following his retirement from the pro tour he served as head coach of the University of Pennsylvania men's golf program from 2012-2017. He was named the inaugural Ivy League Coach of the Year in 2015 after leading the Quakers to the team title, one of their five conference crowns under his direction.
He now has the opportunity to combine his academic background and golfing background to enhance the Duke men's golf team image across the country.
Favorite Animal? ft Duke Women's Golf
Tuesday, April 01
Duke Athletics: A Tour of Campus
Saturday, October 19
A Century of Blue Devil Brilliance
Saturday, October 19
ACC Championship Day 1
Friday, April 21
