Why Jon Rahm uses weaker lofts than his PGA TOUR peers

Jon Rahm, a six-time PGA TOUR winner and the reigning U.S. Open champion, is one of the premier ball strikers in the game. The second-ranked player in the world, Rahm leads the PGA TOUR in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee and Greens in Regulation (73.5%), is second in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green and 11th in Driving Distance (313.9 yards).

What separates Rahm from the competition is his uniquely short, consistent and powerful golf swing that’s partly the result of a physical limitation. He also swings the club with a bowed left wrist, which results in a slightly lower ball flight than other PGA TOUR players.

To help fit his golf swing, Rahm prefers to have a bit more loft on his clubs. For example, his 10.5-degree Callaway Rogue ST Triple Diamond LS driver head has 11.2 degrees of actual measured loft, which is much higher than most of his contemporaries.

When it comes to his fairway woods, Rahm uses Callaway Rogue ST Triple Diamond “T” prototype heads (16.5 and 18 degrees) that have slightly deeper faces and more rounded soles to help Rahm find more consistent turf interaction on his relatively steep impact conditions. The higher-lofted fairway woods help Rahm achieve the necessary height and spin to hold greens on his approach shots into par 5s.

When he isn’t relying on his 5-wood, Rahm keeps a custom Callaway X Forged UT raw driving iron (22 degrees) around for different course setups and conditions. If he needs an option that flies a bit lower to penetrate the wind, the driving iron comes in handy versus a 5-wood, which flies a bit higher with more spin.

Also, according to a recent WITB video with Callaway Golf, Rahm uses Apex TCB irons with relatively weak lofts. This allows Rahm to “deloft” the head through impact when he desires, and he doesn’t need to worry about hitting the ball too low, or long.

Another interesting way that Rahm keeps his ball striking consistent from year-to-year is that he doesn’t often change up his golf shafts. For example, Rahm has been using the same Aldila Tour Green shafts in his driver and 3-wood since around 2013, and Project X 6.5 steel iron shafts for more than a decade. This allows Rahm to eliminate variables, so even when he switches to a new head, he already has a level of familiarity with how the club performs.

As for his flatstick, Rahm has been using an Odyssey White Hot OG Rossie putter with no sightlines on the crown (although he did switch it out briefly in 2022). According to Rahm, he prefers no alignment lines or dots because he says he aligns it better that way “99 percent of the time,” per Callaway’s WITB video.

Below, we take a look at all the clubs in Rahm’s bag. It should be noted that Rahm carries 15 clubs, and he decides between his custom Callaway X Forged UT driving iron and Rogue ST Triple Diamond T 5-wood, depending on course conditions and layout.

Look out for Rahm in this week’s Mexico Open at Vidanta, where he’s the top-ranked player in the field.

Driver: Callaway Rogue ST Triple Diamond (10.5 degrees, 11.2 degrees of actual loft)
Shaft: Aldilda Tour Green 75TX (45.25 inches, tipped 1 inch)

3-wood: Callaway Rogue ST Triple Diamond T HL (16.5 degrees, 15.2 degrees of actual loft)
Shaft: Aldila Tour Green 85TX (43.25 inches, tipped 1.5 inches)

5-wood: Callaway Rogue ST Triple Diamond T (18 degrees, 17.9 degrees of actual loft)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD-DI Black 8X (42 inches, tipped 2 inches)

Irons: Callaway X Forged UT 2021 (22 degrees, 20.5 degrees of actual loft), Callaway Apex TCB (4-PW)
Shafts: Project X 6.5

Wedges: Callaway Jaws Forged (52, 56 and 60 degrees)
Shafts: Project X 6.5

Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG Rossie S (37 inches)

Ball: Callaway Chrome Soft X