John and Jeff spent this episode diving into the stuff golfers pretend they know how to handle but absolutely do not: dumb lies in thick rough, dumb decisions in thick rough, and the Dumb Ass penalties that come from both.

They kicked things off with the age‑old debate: the hand wedge. Does it count as a stroke? Depends on the group. Some guys call it “winter rules,” some call it “improving your lie,” and some call it “I’m not writing down a 9 today.” But the point stands — if you’re going to cheat, at least be consistent.

Jeff rolled out his “loop of control” — brain → hands → clubface → ball → brain — which is basically his polite way of saying, “If your grip is trash, everything else is going to be trash too.” Check the clubface before you swing. Seriously. It’s free.
Then they got into the real meat: hitting from the rough. Jeff explained how to read the grooves, steepen the swing, and for the love of all things holy, use a wedge. If you’re pulling a 5‑iron out of knee‑high rough, you’re not a hero — you’re auditioning for a DA penalty.

Speaking of which… Jeff told the story of a Big Ten Championship at French Lick where a college player made such a catastrophically bad decision on the 17th hole that it cost his team the entire tournament. Not a rulebook penalty. A Dumb Ass penalty. The kind you earn by ignoring every smart option available and choosing violence instead.

They broke down the unplayable lie rule, too — when to use it, how to use it, and why it exists to save you from yourself. You can take one unplayable. You can take two. You can take three. The Rules of Golf don’t judge you. Your buddies will, but the rules won’t.

And finally, they wrapped with the two kinds of penalties in golf:
• Rulebook penalties — the ones the USGA wrote
• Idiot penalties (DA penalties) — the ones you write yourself by doing something dumb

Most golfers worry about the first category. Most golfers suffer from the second.

Jeff and John reminded listeners that knowing the rules — and knowing when to stop being a Dumb Ass — will

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This week, John and Jeff take a friendly flamethrower to one of golf’s biggest myths: that all the fancy, high‑tech, tour‑speed gear is somehow going to magically fix the game of a golfer who swings like a normal human being. Spoiler alert — it won’t.

Jeff breaks down why so much of today’s “longer, faster, lower‑spin” equipment is built for people who swing 115 mph and have personal trainers, not for the senior golfer who just wants the ball to get up, go forward, and not disappear into the right rough. He shares real stories from his slower‑swing students and the gear that actually helped them hit better shots without needing a physics degree or a new chiropractor.

The guys dig into wedges that make life easier instead of harder — Wilson Harmonize, Cleveland CRS‑X, Callaway Sure A+2 — the kind of clubs that don’t care about your ego, just your scorecard. Then they talk golf balls, explaining why lower‑compression options like the Titleist TourSoft can give seniors more launch and carry, even if they don’t spin like a tour ball around the greens. And honestly, if you’re not delivering tour‑level speed, who cares.

They wrap it all up with the most important lesson of the episode: Stop buying the logo. Start buying what works. Get fit, test gear, ignore the hype, and play equipment that matches your swing — not the guy on TV.

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Golf Instruction & Slice‑Fixing Reality Check

John and Jeff kicked things off by tackling the world’s most popular golf shot: the slice. And instead of giving listeners the usual “just swing more inside‑out” nonsense, Jeff broke down how he actually fixes slices in real lessons. Turns out the problem usually isn’t the swing at all — it’s the hands:

• A left hand so weak it should be on the injured list
• A hand position that practically begs the clubface to stay open
• Or a wrist hinge that’s doing interpretive dance instead of squaring the face

Jeff hammered home the idea that your natural arm hang determines your proper grip — not what your favorite tour pro does, not what a YouTube thumbnail promises, and definitely not what your buddy Chad insists is “the only correct grip.”

Equipment Talk: Overhyped Clubs & Real Value

Then the boys dove into the equipment world, where marketing departments work harder than most golfers do on their short game.

They called out the brands that sell “revolutionary distance gains” every 15 minutes… and then pointed listeners toward the companies that actually deliver value without the circus tent:

• Mizuno — feel without the flex
• Cobra — tech without the tax
• Srixon — performance without the peacocking

Putter Talk & Status Symbol Madness

Next up: putters. Jeff admitted he’s a LAB guy, but gave nods to Scotty Cameron and Ping — the usual suspects in the “my putter cost more than my first car” category.

John and Jeff roasted the idea that golfers care more about fancy headcovers than actually making putts. Because at the end of the day:

• No one on the green cares what brand you’re holding
• They care whether you can roll it inside 3 feet without sweating

Performance > status. Always.

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Weather Golf: Mud, Rain & Misery
Jeff goes full meteorologist, explaining how weather absolutely wrecks your game — distance drops, mud adds side spin, and TV never shows how bad it really is because half the shots are pre‑recorded.
The guys talk about:
• Why mud on the ball is basically Mother Nature saying “good luck, buddy”
• How to stay safe when the course turns into a Slip ’N Slide
• Why rain golf is character‑building… or at least story‑building

Swing Thoughts & Mental Game Simplification
Jeff shares coaching wisdom from the trenches:
The fewer thoughts you have, the better you play.
They break down how simplifying your swing and ball position can turn a struggling golfer into someone who suddenly looks like they know what they’re doing.

Towels, Gloves & Staying Dry Without a Caddy
Rain round survival school is in session.
Jeff and John cover:
• The “weave your towel through the umbrella” trick
• The “stuff it inside your jacket” backup plan
• Rotating gloves like a Vegas blackjack dealer
• Why worn‑out gloves are basically a confession of bad grip habits
• And yes… buying gloves in bulk is not only allowed, it’s encouraged

Mountain Golf Destinations
Jeff goes on a tour of his favorite elevation‑heavy golf spots across the country, including:

• Pine Canyon (AZ)
• Cliffs at Glassie (SC)
• French Lick (IN)
• Wolf Creek (Mesquite, NV)

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Pros vs. Amateurs: Two Different Sports
The guys explore how the rollback highlights a bigger truth: professional golf and amateur golf are practically different sports. Jeff explains how equipment, swing speed, and course setup create two completely separate realities. John doubles down on the idea that amateurs shouldn’t be governed by rules designed for the 0.01%.

Jeff’s Equipment Talk & His Upcoming Par‑3 Outing
Jeff shares his personal experience testing the new Titleist balls and how they behave in real‑world conditions. He also previews an upcoming round with an 8th‑grade golfer at a local par‑3 course — a reminder that golf is still about fun, learning, and good company.
Who Should Govern What?
The conversation shifts to the USGA’s role in the game.
John argues that the USGA should focus on amateur golf — their actual domain — instead of influencing the professional game, which operates under entirely different conditions.

Jeff agrees that pros and amateurs essentially play two different sports, and applying the same equipment rules to both groups makes little sense.

Growing the Recreational Game: The “Sorta Golf Manifesto”
John and Jeff brainstorm ways to make golf more fun and accessible for the masses. Their tongue‑in‑cheek “golf manifesto” includes ideas like:

No penalty for lost balls — just pay a $5 “stupid tax” and move on.
Scramble putts for everyone — every player gets a chance to roll one in.
Relaxed rules that keep the game moving and keep players smiling.
The goal: grow the recreational market by making golf less intimidating and more enjoyable.

PGA Championship & Oddball Habits
They wrap up with a look at the recent PGA Championship, including a player whose quirky head‑cover routine caught their attention. John jokes that FanDuel still doesn’t offer odds on “most unusual equipment ritual,” though it probably should

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John Smoltz: From the Mound to the Senior Tees
The guys kicked things off talking about John Smoltz’s move into senior golf.
Jeff and Scott broke down how a Hall‑of‑Fame pitcher can suddenly become a legit threat on the Champions Tour — apparently elite hand‑eye coordination doesn’t disappear just because you stop throwing 97 mph.

Why Your Short Game Deserves More Love
Then Jeff went full professor mode, reminding everyone that if you want to score, you’d better learn to putt and chip like you mean it.
Scott chimed in with the painful truth: amateurs spend 90% of their time on the range and 10% on the putting green… when it should probably be the other way around.

PGA Tour Putting Stats: Prepare to Feel Bad
John pulled up some Tour putting numbers, and the room collectively sighed.
Tour pros make everything inside eight feet.
Amateurs?
We think we do… until someone actually measures it.

Jeff hammered home the point:
If you can’t aim your putter, you’re basically guessing.
And most golfers?
They’re guessing.

Why Club Fitting Isn’t Optional
Scott jumped in with a sermon on club fitting — especially putters.
Lie angle, loft, head shape, grip size… all the stuff amateurs ignore but complain about when they miss a four‑footer

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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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