What Happened to Rahm in Golf Today?

Jon Rahm’s move to LIV Golf sent shockwaves through the sport, leaving many fans asking not just about his tournament scores, but about the state of his entire game. This article will look past the headlines to analyze the core components that make Rahm a generational talent - his unique swing, his masterful short game, and his fiery mental approach - and provide clear, simple lessons you can apply to your own game.

The Biggest Shift: Rahm's Move to LIV Golf

First, let’s talk about the biggest story. In late 2023, Jon Rahm, the reigning Masters champion and former World No. 1, announced he was leaving the PGA Tour to join LIV Golf. This was a monumental shift that instantly changed the landscape of professional golf. For the average fan, the immediate questions were about his access to majors, his future in the Ryder Cup, and how his legacy would be shaped.

While the politics of professional tours can be complicated, what hasn't changed is the phenomenal skill set that got him to the top. His playing schedule and the logo on his hat may be different, but the player himself remains a fascinating case study in power, precision, and passion. Forget the outside noise for a moment, let's break down the repeatable fundamentals that any amateur golfer can learn from.

Deconstructing the Rahm Swing: Power in Simplicity

One of the first things anyone notices about Jon Rahm's swing is his backswing. It’s noticeably short, especially for a player who generates so much clubhead speed. Many coaches would try to "fix" this in a young player, but for Rahm, it's the secret to his consistency and power. It’s not a flaw, it's a feature.

This "short" swing was born from necessity. Rahm was born with a clubfoot, and after corrective surgery as an infant, his right ankle has limited flexibility and mobility. He physically cannot have a long, flowing backswing like Adam Scott or Freddie Couples. Instead, he found a different power source.

How He Creates So Much Power

The magic in Rahm's swing isn't the length of the backswing, but the incredible speed and force of his body's rotation. Think of the golf swing not as an up-and-down arm motion, but as a rotational action, circled around your body. Rahm is a master of this concept.

• Epic Rotation: Watch him closely. His hips and torso are the engine. He makes a powerful, coiled turn away from the ball and then unwinds with lightning speed through impact. His arms are just along for the ride, transferring the immense energy created by his core.
• Bowed Wrist at the Top: At the peak of his short backswing, Rahm has a pronounced "bowed" left wrist (similar to Dustin Johnson). This position effectively closes the clubface, so he doesn't have to manipulate it on the downswing. For him, this creates an extremely stable and powerful impact position, leading to that penetrating, anti-slice ball flight he's famous for.
• Staying Centered: A common mistake for amateurs trying to create power is swaying off the ball. Rahm rotates, he doesn’t sway. Imagine you are swinging inside a narrow cylinder. As you turn back, you stay within the confines of that cylinder, loading your weight onto your back foot without sliding sideways. Rahm does this perfectly, allowing him to push off the ground powerfully in the downswing.

What You Can Learn From Rahm's Swing

You don’t need to shorten your backswing to a few feet, but you can borrow his core principles.

Actionable Tip: Feel the Rotation with the "Feet-Together" Drill

Trying to rip it with your arms is a recipe for disaster. To feel your body as the true engine, try this simple drill at the range:

1. Take a 7-iron and set up with your feet completely together.
2. Make some smooth, 70% swings, focusing on turning your shoulders and hips away from the target, and then unwinding them through the ball.
3. Because your base is so narrow, you’ll be forced to stay balanced and use your core to generate speed. Swinging with just your arms will cause you to lose balance immediately.
4. After 5-10 shots, take your normal stance. Try to replicate that same feeling of your torso driving the swing. This will remind you that power comes from rotation, not from lifting your arms.

The Short Game of a Matador: Imagination and Touch

A powerful swing gets you near the green, but a world-class short game wins tournaments. Rahm possesses what can only be described as surgical precision and boundless imagination inside 50 yards. His hands are exceptionally soft, allowing him to hit any type of shot the situation demands, from a low, skidding chip that checks up by the hole to a high, soft flop shot that lands like a butterfly.

This is where he truly separates himself. He assesses the lie, the grain, and the slope, and then picks the highest-percentage shot. Often, this isn't the sexy flop shot, but a simple bump-and-run with an 8-iron or pitching wedge. His putting is equally impressive - aggressive yet controlled. He’s not afraid to ram putts into the back of the cup, a display of ultimate confidence in his line.

What You Can Learn From Rahm's Short Game

The biggest lesson from Rahm's short game is to expand your toolbox. Don't be a one-trick pony with the same 56-degree wedge for every shot around the green.

Actionable Tip: Practice Chipping with Three Different Clubs

Next time you're at the practice green, take three balls and three clubs: a sand wedge, a 9-iron, and a 7-iron.

1. Pick a hole about 15-20 feet away.
2. First, hit a shot with your sand wedge. This will be mostly air-time and little roll.
3. Next, hit the 9-iron. Use your putting stroke to make a small chip that flies a few feet onto the green and rolls out the rest of the way. Notice how much less effort it requires.
4. Finally, do the same with the 7-iron. This will be a tiny chip that runs like a putt.

Doing this simple exercise teaches you "feel" and shows you that there are multiple ways to get the ball close. It encourages you to see the green like Rahm does - as a canvas with endless shot-making possibilities.

The "Rahmbo" Mentality: Fueling a Competitive Fire

Jon Rahm's passion is palpable. We’ve all seen him slam a club or mutter passionately to himself after a poor shot. While breaking clubs is never advisable, the fiery spirit behind it is something to understand. His frustration comes from exceptionally high standards. He expects perfection and gets mad when he doesn't deliver.

The more important part is what happens next. More often than not, he harnesses that anger into intense focus for the following shot. He has an incredible ability to bounce back, to follow a bogey with a birdie. This isn’t temper, it’s resilience. It's a deep-seated belief that he can pull off any shot at any time, and a refusal to let one bad swing derail his entire round.

What You Can Learn From Rahm's Mentality

Allowing one bad shot to turn into three is a handicap-killer. The key is how you reset. You can’t control the last shot, but you can control your reaction to it.

Actionable Tip: Use the "10-Yard Rule"

Adopt a simple mental process for handling mistakes, like the "10-Yard Rule".

From the moment you hit a bad shot, you have 10 full yards of walking to be angry. Be frustrated, vent, (quietly) call yourself a name - get it all out. But the moment your foot crosses that imaginary 10-yard line, it’s over. The anger stays behind you. Your entire focus shifts to the next shot. What’s the lie? What’s the distance? What’s the smart play to recover?

This little mental trick acts as a circuit breaker. It gives you a moment to release emotion but forces you to transition back to a productive, strategic mindset. It keeps one mistake from bleeding into the next one, which is how you avoid the dreaded blow-up hole.

Final Thoughts

While Jon Rahm's career path has taken a surprising turn, the core elements of his greatness are constant. His unique, powerful swing based on rotation, his creative and reliable short game, and his tough mental approach are all qualities that have made him a champion, no matter which tour he plays on - and provide a fantastic blueprint for any golfer looking to get better.

Building that kind of on-course strategy or deeply understanding your own swing tendencies at any moment can be tough to do alone. This is exactly why I've been so passionate about building Caddie AI. It gives you immediate access to objective, expert-level advice, whether you need a strategy for a tricky par-5 or have a question about your swing at home. It’s like having a 24/7 coach in your pocket to help you navigate the course with more confidence and make smarter decisions on every shot.