This week on Those Weekend Golf Guys, John and Jeff dragged their buddy James Hong away from Harbor Links on Long Island — probably the only place in America where you can lose a golf ball and get a parking ticket at the same time — to talk about golf courses and the vacations we pretend are “family trips.”

We kicked things off with the Top 10 U.S. states for golf, which, shocker, starts with Florida. Because of course it does. If there’s a patch of grass in Florida bigger than a doormat, somebody’s already built a par‑3 on it.

Then we zoomed out to the global leaderboard. The United States leads the world in total golf courses (again, shocking), and Japan comes in second — which blows people’s minds until they realize the Japanese take golf as seriously as they take sushi knives.

From there, the show turned into three guys swapping war stories.
James talked about life at Bethpage State Park, home to five courses, including the Black — the only course in America that warns you at the first tee that you’re not good enough to be there.
Jeff and John reminisced about South Carolina, including hidden gems like Shira State Park, where the fairways are gorgeous, the greens are pure, and the mosquitoes are roughly the size of rescue helicopters.

And because we can’t resist a passport stamp, we headed overseas to places like Costa Rica, where the Iguana Course gives you ocean views, jungle vibes, and the occasional lizard who looks at your swing like he could do better.

We wrapped with some real‑world advice for planning a golf vacation:
Do your homework — the internet is full of lies and stock photos
Call the pros or staff directly — they’ll tell you what the website won’t
Use reciprocal club agreements — the secret handshake of golf travel
And be careful with tee‑time aggregators — some are great, some are… let’s say “optimistic” with availability

Another classic episode: part travel guide, part therapy session, part “three golf guys bragging about where they’ve played.”

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This week on Those Weekend Golf Guys, John Ashton and Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher Jeff Smith dove into one of the most misunderstood pieces of the golf swing: the grip. Not the “hold it like a baby bird” nonsense you’ve heard a thousand times — Jeff broke down the real way to find the grip that actually fits your body.

Jeff’s method is beautifully simple: Get into your golf posture, let your arms hang naturally, and look at how your hands want to sit. That natural orientation tells you exactly how the club should fit into your fingers. No twisting. No contorting. No trying to copy a tour pro’s hands from a magazine cover. Just match the club to your body and suddenly the clubface behaves, the tension disappears, and your swing stops fighting itself.

John, of course, pointed out that most amateurs spend years trying to “fix” a grip that was never right for them in the first place. Jeff agreed — if your grip doesn’t match your natural arm hang, you’re basically signing up for a lifetime of compensations.

After solving the world’s grip problems, the guys shifted gears to something just as important: golf leagues. Jeff and John both made the case that leagues are the secret weapon for golfers who want to get better and have more fun.

Weekly play builds consistency. A little friendly pressure sharpens your focus. And the social side? That’s where the real magic happens.

You show up, you play, you laugh, you meet people, and suddenly golf becomes more than a game — it becomes your community. As John put it, leagues are where golfers find their people.

Another fun, fast, useful episode — equal parts instruction, entertainment, and “why didn’t anyone tell me this sooner?”

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Practice Formats, Pressure, and Tech
The conversation shifts to practice formats that actually build skill under pressure — worst ball, best ball, and other creative ways to force better execution. Jeff also shares his experience with golf tech, explaining why he prefers Foresight over TrackMan. Spoiler: software accuracy and hardware reliability matter. The segment wraps when Jeff heads off to teach a lesson.

• Arrive 30–45 minutes early
• Warm up with practice swings
• Chip with attention to posture and club length
• Putt for distance control, not hole‑making The goal: build confidence, reduce pressure, and walk to the first tee already feeling sharp.

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