Those Weekend Golf Guys

Golf, Weather & Other Things Trying to Kill the Game
John and Scott kick things off talking about the kind of heat and humidity that makes Florida golf feel like you’re playing inside a crockpot. Scott mentions mold — actual mold — growing on courses, because apparently Florida grass has decided to become a biology experiment.
Jody Mudd, Mac O’Grady, Greg Maddux… the guys bounce through golf legends and oddballs until Jeff jumps in with a story about Maddux asking him for swing help at a tournament. Because of course Greg Maddux wants to get even better at something...

Lesson Tee vs. On‑Course Work
Jeff breaks down the difference:
Lesson tee = mechanics
On-course = thinking
Golfers get in trouble because they grab a club based solely on yardage. Jeff explains why 155 yards is NOT always a six‑iron—especially when there’s wind, elevation, trouble in front, or a lie that changes loft.

• Becoming Your Own Caddy
Jeff urges golfers to talk to themselves like a caddy would:
Is long better than short?
Is left better than right?
What’s the wind doing up there, not just at your ankles...

00:00 – Cold Open: “So… You Changed Teachers, Didn’t You?”
Jeff warms up with a couple of cautionary tales about students who wandered off and came back with swings that looked like they’d been assembled by IKEA.

03:12 – Why Picking the Right Instructor Matters
We dive into the big truth: golf instruction isn’t one‑size‑fits‑all. If your teacher thinks it is, run. Fast.

07:45 – The Franken‑Swing Files
Jeff breaks down how well‑meaning golfers get turned into confused pretzels when instructors force them into positions their bodies simply can’t do.

12:10 – Grip, Stanc...

John’s in the studio, holding down the fort like a man who hasn’t seen daylight since Tuesday, while Jeff is literally driving through the desert on his way back to Flagstaff — still high on the fumes of a three‑day golf binge on the Monterey Peninsula. And not just any golf binge. Oh no. Jeff went full “bucket‑list flex” and knocked out Pebble Beach, Clint Eastwood’s super‑secret Tehama, and the mythical unicorn of golf courses, Cypress Point.

Jeff breaks it all down with the excitement of a kid who just found out recess is now thre...

What Sandbagging Actually Looks Like
Jeff breaks down the most common sandbagging tactics he’s seen in the wild, including:

Forward‑tee manipulation — playing casual rounds from the up tees, then submitting those scores for handicap calculation.

Intentional bad lies — dropping balls into rough, roots, or hazards “just to see what happens,” conveniently inflating scores.

Penalty‑stroke amnesia — magically forgetting to count OB, water balls, or unplayable situations.

Casual‑round heroics, tournament miracles — mysteriously shooting 10–12 shots better only when prizes are on the line.

Jeff’s take: real low‑handicap players win...

John checks in fresh off a trip to Maine, where the lobster is great and the golf is classic New England. Jeff counters with his time teaching at the ultra‑exclusive Yellowstone Club in Montana — mountain golf, thin air, and views that make you forget you just chunked a wedge.

Donald Ross & The Art of Greens That Make You Cry
The guys dive into Donald Ross’s legendary greens — the ones that look innocent until your ball starts rolling like it’s late for a meeting. They compare Ross’s style with Pete Dye’s “I dare you” intimi...

0:00 – Cold Open / Welcome

2:00 – Abramson’s Background & Injury Story

6:00 – The Origin of the DNA Injury Test

What We Covered

Golf exposes your inner dialogue
Jim explains why your brain is louder than your driver — and how to quiet it.

One shot at a time (seriously)
Scorecards drag you into the past and future. Jim says stay here, now, with this shot.

Tension kills swings
A tight mind creates a tight body. We talk breathing, relaxing focus, and resetting your system.

Recovery > perfection
Jeff’s “spectator technique” helps you detach from bad shots instead of spiraling.

The orchestra of negativity
Too many swi...

This week on Those Weekend Golf Guys, the crew dove into the messy, hilarious, and occasionally heartbreaking world of golf performance — especially the mental circus happening between a golfer’s ears.

They kicked things off with a story about a player who had all the physical tools but confidence lower than a worm’s shoe size. Classic case: the swing was fine, the fundamentals were fine… but the brain? Oh boy. Total chaos. Jeff jumped in with the reminder every golfer needs tattooed on their forehead: range golf and real golf are not the same sport. You can stri...

This week on The Weekend Golf Guys, Tom and Jeff teamed up to remind golfers everywhere that your brain can wreck a round faster than a topped tee shot. They hammered home the idea that if you’re not having fun out there, you’re basically paying good money to be miserable — and that’s just bad economics. Frustration, fear, and those wild expectations we all carry around? Yeah, those are the real swing killers.

Tom talked mindset, Jeff talked mechanics, and together they made one thing crystal clear: your setup and your patterns matter way more...

What Jared Shared From His Book, “EVERYDAY GOLF PSYCHOLOGY”
1. Emotions aren’t random—they’re signals
• Anger, fear, embarrassment, overconfidence… none of these are “mental weaknesses.”
• They’re outputs of something deeper: expectations, flawed goals, poor preparation, or misjudged skill.
• Trying to “stay calm” without understanding why you’re upset is like trying to fix a slice by adjusting your grip every hole.

2. Overconfidence is a silent killer
Most golfers don’t realize they’re overconfident until they’re already playing poorly.
Overconfidence often comes from:
• A few good practice sessions
• A hot streak on the r...

This week on Those Weekend Golf Guys, John Ashton is joined by two of our favorite smart‑aleck swing whisperers, Scott Monroe and Jeff Smith, for a conversation that wanders all over the golf landscape — in the best possible way.

We kick things off with the U.S. Open, where the golf was great, the crowds were… enthusiastic, and the etiquette was somewhere between “country club polite” and “rock concert adjacent.” From there, we jump into the hot‑button topic of music on the golf course — does it help you groove or make you shank it harder? Depends on who you...

This week, John and Jeff dive headfirst into the part of golf that ruins more rounds than bad lies and slow groups combined: the mental circus inside your own head.

Pressure, Panic & Playing With People Who Scare You
Jeff kicks things off with a story about playing at his father‑in‑law’s club — the classic “I swear I’m better than this” round — where he tried so hard to impress everyone that he played like a man who’d never held a golf club before. John jumps in with how working with Jeff helped him stop trying to pro...

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.

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...

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:

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 though...

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‑...

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 pa...

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...

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 finge...

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.

How to Improve Without Practicing More

Topics Covered
Whether teaching pros can watch TV coverage and instantly spot what tour pros are doing wrong when they blow up — including Rory’s Masters unraveling

Whether amateur golfers can accurately diagnose their own swing faults when shots start flying offline

How being just 1–2 degrees open or closed at impact can produce huge misses, especially at higher swing speeds

Why you shouldn’t automatically assume it’s a swing problem — and why checking your setup (posture, alignment, ball position, grip, stance) should be your first move

Key Insights
Pros don’t l...

Understand the three specs that matter most when buying wedges

Learn how to build a wedge setup that fits your game and home course

Discover simple drills to improve contact, spin, and distance control

Know when to use high bounce vs. low bounce

Stop guessing yardages and start scoring inside 100 yards

Ball Position Tip
Hold the club with your normal, relaxed grip and make a few small, natural swings back and forth — nothing forced, just brushing the grass. Notice where the club consistently strikes the ground.
That sp...

Guests
Jeff Smith – Top 100 instructor, Golf Digest
James Hong – Renowned junior coach and teaching professional

Topics Covered
• Why indoor swings don’t always translate outdoors
• The biggest mistakes golfers make when leaving the simulator
• How to quickly recalibrate distance control on real grass
• Adjusting to outdoor variables: wind, temperature, turf interaction, and uneven lies
• The role of preshot routines in creating consistency
• How routines help manage nerves, tempo, and decision‑making
• Smart early‑season practice strategies
• Managing expectations during your first few rounds of spring

Key Takeaways
• Indo...

Golf Equipment and Club Fitting
John and Jeff discussed golf equipment, particularly focusing on driver technology and club fitting. Jeff shared his experience testing new Titleist drivers and getting fitted for the right combination of head and shaft. They also talked about John's consideration of replacing his 5 and 6 iron with hybrids, with John noting that Callaway clubs felt right to him despite not having decided on the brand yet. The conversation touched on how sound affects feel when playing different clubs, and they briefly discussed the potential for replacing an entire club set rather than just individual clubs.<...

You do it all. You stand behind your ball and get a bead on your target. Without taking your eyes from the target you place the club head behind the ball square to the target. Then you move your body into position and swing and the ball goes left of the target. You were aiming your body left but didn’t realize it. After this episode you will learn how to recognize where your body is aimed.

Is the club head square to the target? For many of us that is another element of aiming that we ha...

Todd Graves is a Golf Instructor who has studied Moe Norman's Single Plane Swing" in detail. He understands not only why it works so well for so many golfers (including himself), but also how to teach others how to use it. He can teach even those of us who have been playng many years using the swing that may not have served us very well.

Todd Graves is our guest this episode of Those Weekend Golf Guys and will describe the Single Plane Swing and how to use it in great detail

Hosted by...

When getting ready for the new golf season there are lots of things to do.

Not only do the guys talk about strategy on the course, but they also discuss some of the times when strategy is important. For example, if your normal distance would land the ball where there are lots of divots in the fairway, Scott suggests you maybe lay up short of there and hit a longer iron into the green. Jeff, of course, rales against the stupid rule that you cannot repair a divpt or drop your ball if you land in one

Adopt course-management habit of choosing shot locations that produce an easier next shot (e.g...

Pro golfers have a 50% make percentage from 8 feet. For you and I it's more like 5 feet. Can you get a wedge shot from just off the green to 5 feet of the pin for a 50% chance at a 1 putt? You will afer listening to this episode. Find the best techniques to learn what your wedges can do for you and how to manipulate them correctly Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This chapter brings you into a lively conversation about golf and the unique experiences that come with playing in different regions. We start with a discussion on the contrasting weather conditions between Arizona and the low country, highlighting the stark differences in humidity. The conversation then shifts to memorable golfing experiences, particularly at the distinctive Calusa Pines in Florida, where the terrain mimics Pinehurst with its impressive elevation changes and lush pine settings. We share anecdotes from the U.S. Open at Pinehurst, emphasizing the challenging nature of Donald Ross-designed courses with their notoriously difficult greens. Additionally, we spotlight...

(00:01) Choosing the Right Golf Ball

This chapter takes us through the exciting time of year for sports fans, highlighting the upcoming March Madness, the Masters, the Kentucky Derby, and the Indy 500. We discuss the role of BetOnline as a resource for sports enthusiasts who want to engage in betting during this busy sports season. Additionally, we explore a listener's question about choosing the right golf ball, emphasizing the importance of selecting a ball based on short game performance rather than solely on driver speed. We touch on how golfers' equipment choices, including golf balls, evolve as they...

Jeff Smith returns from the PGA Merchandise Show with two new tools that can immediately help your putting. He reviews the “Genius Ball,” a smart golf ball with an internal chip that delivers detailed putting data, and an innovative octagonal‑sided grip designed to make finding the correct hand position easier and more consistent.

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(00:01) Golf Instruction and Filtering Information

This chapter features a discussion on the overwhelming amount of information available online, particularly in the realm of golf. I, John Ashton, am joined by Jeff Smith, a top 100 golf teacher, as we explore the challenges faced by golfers in navigating the plethora of advice and tips available. We emphasize the importance of filtering this information effectively, suggesting that if advice doesn't consider fundamental aspects like grip, stance, or posture, it might not be useful. We also highlight the need for personalized guidance rather than one-size-fits-all solutions, cautioning against following advice that...

(00:01) Aging Golfers and Hybrids

This chapter explores the unique challenges and adjustments that come with playing golf as we age. We highlight the irony that as we have more time to enjoy golf, our physical capabilities often diminish, leading to the need for different strategies and equipment choices. The discussion includes adapting to the realities of aging, such as reduced clubhead speed and the benefits of incorporating more hybrids into our golf bags. We also share anecdotes and insights on how many golfers overestimate their current abilities based on past performances, which can lead to on-course frustration...

John's New Years resolution is to break 80 on a consistent basis in 2026. In this episode, presented by Fanduel, America's number one sports book, 2 of Golf Magazine's Top100 Teachers give tips and techniques on how to easily accomplish that. Both Jeff Smith and Scott Monroe join the podcast for some in depth advice on how to break 80.

Jeff and Scott both talk about the importance of getting the basics right: i.e. primarily your grip. The wrong grip for your swing and body type can cause hooks and slices,

Ball position is another basic that must...

00:00 Introduction and Show Opening
00:18 FanDuel and Betting on Golf
00:59 Improving Your Golf Game in the New Year
02:47 Debate on Golf Equipment and USGA Rules
12:14 Upside App Advertisement
13:07 Introduction of Guest James Hong
13:57 Practical Golf Tips and Strategies
14:34 Breaking 90: Tips and Advice
23:18 Understanding Reasonable Expectations in Golf
24:32 Indoor Practice Techniques for Winter
27:14 Effective Drills for Indoor Golf Improvement
31:37 The Benefits of Using Ping Pong Balls for Practice
36:34 Phil Mickelson's New Coffee Supplement
42:10 Putting Drills to Improve Your Game
45:13 Final Tips for Breaking Your Golf Number

00:00 Introduction and Hosts
00:30 IU Football Excitement
02:23 National Championship Hopes
03:50 Heisman Trophy Talk
05:28 Notre Dame Controversy
07:48 Christmas Golf Gifts
08:34 Golf Lessons as Gifts
18:13 Golf Merchandise Tips
23:39 Wrapping Up Golf Gifts
24:00 Foreclosure Protection Services Ad
25:08 More Christmas Gift Ideas for Golfers
26:38 Golf Accessories and Comfort Items
31:45 Golf Attire and Apparel
37:30 The Importance of Getting Fitted for Clubs
42:29 Wedge Instruction and Tips
47:09 Final Thoughts and Holiday Wishes

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use...

00:00 Introduction and Hosts
00:30 IU Football Excitement
02:23 National Championship Hopes
03:50 Heisman Trophy Talk
05:28 Notre Dame Controversy
07:48 Christmas Golf Gifts
08:34 Golf Lessons as Gifts
18:13 Golf Merchandise Tips
23:39 Wrapping Up Golf Gifts
24:00 Foreclosure Protection Services Ad
25:08 More Christmas Gift Ideas for Golfers
26:38 Golf Accessories and Comfort Items
31:45 Golf Attire and Apparel
37:30 The Importance of Getting Fitted for Clubs
42:29 Wedge Instruction and Tips
47:09 Final Thoughts and Holiday Wishes

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use...