2026 Excellence in Mentorship Awards: Justin Sims

The Alotian Club director of grounds and facilities Justin Sims doesn’t stray from ribbing coworkers. He also doesn’t avoid showing deep interest in their professional and personal development. 

“Your people are by far and away the most important asset you have,” says Sims, who’s in his 14th season at the secluded and scenic Arkansas private club. “You’re going to spend more time with them than you probably do with your family. When you learn it’s people over things, it’s going to make everyone’s life better and it’s going to be better for the club in the long run.”

Sims’s penchant for guiding others while having fun along the way has earned him a 2026 Excellence in Mentorship Award presented by Golf Course Industry and The Aquatrols Company.

Sims and the other 2026 Excellence in Mentorship Awards recipients will be honored at 2:30 p.m., Feb. 4 at The Aquatrols Company booth #2341 during the GCSAA Conference & Trade Show in Orlando. Every mentor or mentee — and anybody looking to share a drink, story or laugh with the industry’s most giving people —is encouraged to attend. 

Following a brief ceremony of 2026 honorees, we’re conducting an educational panel discussion with Inverness Club’s John Zimmers, Ansley Golf Club’s Courtney Young and Aspire Golf’s Tim Moraghan about mentorship and guiding people led by Golf Course Industry senior editor Matt LaWell. The discussion will begin around 2:40 p.m. The event concludes at 3:05 p.m. with a celebratory toast to mentors everywhere. 

We received insight from Sims and Otter Creek Golf Club and Harrison Lake Country Club director of agronomy Brent Downs, who nominated Sims for an Excellence in Mentorship Award, about their relationship and the intricacies of guiding others. Sims and Downs worked together at Augusta National Golf Club from 2008 to 2010. They remain confidants — and still like to rib each other. During a conversation for this story they joked about musical tastes, Fatheads on walls and sports teams.  

Justin Sims, The Alotian Club

How do you balance developing people with regular job tasks?

As a director, it’s obviously changed over the years. I have learned to make it my primary focus. I think what helps is I have a very open-door policy, and I pull people in all the time to talk. It’s kind of that Sam Walton mentality. He would go around a Walmart and talk to people that were stocking shelves or the checkout people to get their feedback. People stop in a lot, and no matter what I’m doing, unless I’m talking to our owner or in the middle of something like figuring out a proposal, I will stop everything I’m doing and give somebody my undivided attention, because I want what’s best for them and also because I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer. I have a difficult job, but it’s a whole heck of a lot easier when you know we can build everybody up and have a really good team.

How rewarding is it to play a part in shaping somebody’s career and/or life?

It’s by far and away the best part of the job. It’s not even close. I have thought about this a lot this past year, because we’ve lost almost all of our assistants. We moved on a lot of guys this past year — and it was phenomenal. We were down to almost zero assistants, but it’s like I don’t really care. My wife even understands that’s the most rewarding part of my job, because these guys all have different dreams and aspirations, and to see someone reach that is the best thing ever.

Brent Downs, Otter Creek Golf Club and Harrison Lake Country Club

What’s the biggest lesson you learned from Justin?

Justin is a 12 on a scale of 1 to 10 in two things: emotional intelligence and authenticity. Justin is as authentic as it comes. He knows who he is and he is the same person no matter where he is. And that authenticity leads to his emotional intelligence. Justin is probably the best leader I’ve ever seen at being able to read what motivates a person. The way you motivate two people might be in two very different ways. That is where Justin just shines. By talking to a person and by getting to know them, he then knows what drives them, what motivates them, and that’s his management style. If I were to name it, I would call it individual-based management.

How do you apply what you learned from Justin in how you develop people in your current role?

I used to think with leadership you had to be this kind of captain of the ship and this tough, hard wall of stone. And Justin taught me that one of the things you can do is to get to know your team.  Once you get to know them, you can open up to them a little more and just have regular conversations. He helped me become somebody who builds connections with everybody on the team. Even if it might initially look like there’s not a whole lot in common, if you talk to somebody enough, you’ll eventually find something you can connect with them on.

Guy Cipriano is Golf Course Industry’s publisher + editor-in-chief.