Drunk Before the Turn: Inside Atlanta's Most Competitive Golf Group
Jason Lee went from a 28 handicap to winning his first season cup in Atlanta's DBT crew. He breaks down finding golf groups through Facebook, the 100-person Desert Mashie tournament in Arizona, rebuilding his swing after a car accident, and why 'Drunk Before the Turn' is way more competitive than it sounds.
- Guest
- Jason Lee
- Destination
- Atlanta, Georgia golf scene
- Location
- GA
The Setup
Jason Lee is a cybersecurity professional and former host of The Blind Spot podcast, which explored the communication gap between executive management and technical teams. Born and raised just outside Detroit, Michigan, he moved to the Atlanta area four years ago and rebuilt his entire golf life from scratch. With no local network, he turned to Facebook to find playing partners — and wound up in one of the most unexpectedly competitive weekly golf crews in the city.
The Format
Jason’s current group, DBT (short for “Drunk Before the Turn”), plays weekly gross and net competitions across Atlanta-area courses. They run a season-long points race called the Bankhead Cup, where weekly finishes accumulate toward a year-end payout. Despite the playful name, the golf is serious: every round counts, handicaps are tracked closely, and Jason went from a 28-handicap beginner to winning the cup in his rookie season.
The Hot Takes
- Finding an electrician on Thumbtack led to golf trips in Dubai and Mexico. Jason’s first golf group in Detroit started when a contractor saw his clubs in the garage. That crew later linked up with Desert Mashie, an Arizona collective that hosts an annual 100-plus-person tournament over three days.
- DBT is serious golf with a not-serious name. The group plays weekly gross and net, tracks points all season, and pays out at the end. Jason won the Bankhead Cup in year one by grinding from a 28 handicap into the teens.
- A Deloitte car accident forced a total swing rebuild. A bad crash eight years ago destroyed mobility in Jason’s neck and back. He spent nearly a decade regaining range of motion and had to flatten his swing to compensate — proof that you can still improve even when your body refuses to cooperate.
- Atlanta golf is 11 months a year — if you can handle the Joro spiders. Jason traded Michigan’s six-month offseason for nearly year-round golf in Georgia. The only catch: palm-sized invasive spiders that weave webs between trees on the course.
- The best golf investment is a cart cover and a heater. Jason’s secret to playing through Atlanta’s brief cold snap in January and February: a covered cart and a small heater. Coming from Detroit, 45 degrees feels like shorts weather.
- Flying with clubs is non-negotiable. Jason is a Delta loyalist who brings his clubs on every trip — whether it’s a tournament in Arizona, a work trip to Vegas, or a visit back to Detroit.
The Run-It-Back
Jason’s story is proof that you do not need a childhood golf pedigree or a local network to build a competitive golf life. A Facebook post, a friendly electrician, and a willingness to show up every week took him from solo range sessions to season cups, destination tournaments, and an international trip. For golfers in a new city wondering where to start, the answer might be as simple as hitting “post.”