Ling took over the Gulls hotseat in the summer from Paul Buckle and Scott says the Torquay boss is still a great friend of his.
"I play golf with Martin in the summer and still speak to him quite a bit. He's a major part of my managerial career," he told Radio Sheffield.
"He gave me my first job in coaching and I'll always be grateful for what he did when I finished football - it was a tough spell in my personal life and he was a real big help to me.
"I'll always be grateful to him for that on a personal level rather than a football level."