I'm in the UK so we get it a lot less, and I'm usually hosting friends of friends from the US, and I've never had a bad experience doing that. In fact, I've met some absolutely wonderful people.
Weirdest one I've had was an Australian friend of a friend of a friend. Background was I'd been introduced to a lovely guy who very kindly hosted me in Australia a few years ago. He then asked if I'd be willing to host a friend of his, which of course I was happy to and we had a great time.
Fast forward a few months and I get an email from someone I've never met asking if I'd propose him for membership as he was friends with the guy I had hosted. I explained that this couldn't be done as I was already proposing someone but the way it was approached (by a member at a very good club) surprised me. A lot.
Like many on here, I've been incredibly lucky with the places I have played and indeed my home course. More importantly, the people I have met both visiting and hosting have pretty much exclusively been top notch. I'm always happy to host whenever I can. I've also arranged for some friends to play at places in the US but I'll only do that if I know them well and that they will be a good guest - in terms of golf, etiquette and personality. Ultimately when you do that, you're putting your reputation on the line as well.