Ansley Golf Club director of agronomy Courtney Young believes in work-life balance. He believes in faith, family and agronomy. Young has spent his career instilling his philosophies in his maintenance team. The industry pro has spent the last 38 years at Ansley Golf Club in metro Atlanta. In that extended time, he has turned his focus to building up the next generation of superintendents.
Due to his dedication, Young is being honored with a 2026 Excellence in Mentorship Award presented by Golf Course Industry and The Aquatrols Company. The inaugural honoree class will be recognized during a GCSAA Conference & Trade Show ceremony beginning at 2:30 p.m., Feb. 4, at The Aquatrols Company booth #2341. Every mentor or mentee — and anybody looking to share a drink or story with the industry’s most giving people — is encouraged to attend.
Following the award presentations, Young will join Inverness Club’s John Zimmers and Aspire Golf’s Tim Moraghan for a panel discussion led by Golf Course Industry senior editor Matt LaWell. The industry pros will have an educational discussion on mentorship, discussing the ins and outs of guiding others. The panel will begin around 2:40 p.m. and conclude at 3:05 p.m. with a celebratory toast to mentors everywhere.
Jordan Bell, the director of agronomy at Old Town Club in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, is one of Young’s many mentees and nominated him for the mentorship award. Ansley Golf Club at Settindown Creek equipment manager Trent Manning and NanoOxygen Systems director of operations Ralph Kepple, CGCS, also reached out with passionate vows for Young. We spoke with Bell on the many ways Young has impacted his life and career. Bell worked for Young at Ansley Golf Club at Settindown Creek from 2009 to 2017. Bell no longer works for Young, but the legacy of mentorship endures.
Courtney Young, Ansley Golf Club
How rewarding is it for you to play such a large part in shaping others’ careers?
It’s the most satisfying part of my life. I can remember a time when my grandmother was in her early 90s, and I was the youngest of all the grandchildren. And I was with the adults at the adult table, her kids. And I could just see her at 90 at this table where her children were bantering back and forth at Thanksgiving. And just watching that joy on her face seeing that process and them talking about old times, just enjoying watching that. Those times when I get to get together with the people that have come through the program and you get to sit there and look at their lives and reflect on that — it’s very satisfying. It just makes me think of her and how satisfied she was looking at that table. And that’s kind of how it is for me when I look at the success of the people that have come through the program and how they’ve enjoyed their career and enjoyed their golf courses. Those relationships … that’s my treasure.
Who was your mentor and what did you learn from them?
I was at the University of Tennessee, and went and talked to David Stone, who was at Holston Hills. I accepted a summer position working for him and he became my mentor. So that mentor experience really changed my life. I started off working for him and I would clock out at the club at 3:30 — at that time, they couldn’t afford any overtime — and then I would spend the next couple of hours with David going around the golf course, learning how to how to become a golf course superintendent. He just taught me everything. He taught me everything about warm-season grasses, and how to grow grasses, not just for the health of the turf, but how to provide great playing surfaces for golf, and how to do research. We were doing all kinds of research back then, and it was just a great experience.
Jordan Bell, Old Town Club
How has Courtney impacted your life and career?
He certainly got me to where I am today. As an assistant for him, especially my first couple years, I was still mentally in college. I was still doing all the silly things that college kids do. And he was very patient with me and believed in me and saw my potential. And despite probably giving him a reason a time or two to part ways, he was very patient with me and understanding, and I always really enjoyed that about him. He understands that the kids will be kids, and you just got to roll with the punches and take the good with the bad. Impart your ways on them, and hopefully they’re listening and they’ll develop. As far as his impact, he has shaped how I do things. We would spend hours upon hours discussing practices. I think that’s one thing that makes Courtney so great, and why he’s been doing it at such a high level for so many years, is he’s always looking to make changes and to do things differently and for the better, and to experiment with things.
What is the biggest lesson you learned from Courtney?
He's a bona fide scientist, so we had plenty of wonderful conversations about agronomics. But I would say the biggest lesson that I learned from Courtney is how to be a polished professional. He does a great job of spending time with his assistants and mentoring them, encouraging them to invest in a 401(k), and how that works. I would say that would be the biggest lesson he taught me: what it means to be a professional.
Kelsie Horner is Golf Course Industry’s digital editor.
