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Scottie Scheffler may have the wildest footwork when he swings, but Spain’s Jon Rahm has the wildest story on how he selected his footwear.
Last April, Rahm began wearing the Lux Hybrid, a lightweight, modern offering from True Linkswear, a lifestyle brand based in Washington. But part of what makes Rahm’s shoes unique is that his left foot requires a size 13 wide and the right is an 11 1/2 wide, which only begins to explain what makes his shoe selection process next level.
More: U.S. Open hub: Stories, videos and more
Rahm has spoken over the years about being born with a club foot and how it required doctors to break his right foot and ankle. No more than 20 minutes after he was born, he was placed in a cast from the knee down. The fact that Rahm’s right leg is slightly shorter than his left is the reason he has a very stable locked right ankle.
But it also explains why Rahm suffers from foot pain and fatigue, so he has gone to great lengths to find comfortable shoes. “There’s a reason I almost never wear dress shoes,” he said.
To find the right golf shoe, which had to be specially configured to fit his insert, he ordered somewhere between what he estimated as more than 60 and less than 100 pairs – various sizes and brands – and lined them up on the perimeter of an indoor-to-outdoor hitting bay at the Titleist Performance Institute in Oceanside, California. That's where they conducted intensive testing in a room equipped with 3-D technology and with AMTI Force Plates "to look at ground force kinetics and how the shoe can affect 3-D kinematics as well," said Dave Phillips, Rahm's longtime coach and a co-founder of TPI.
“I needed the most stable, wide base,” Rahm said. “The left shoe is normal, the right one is made to be wider and taller.”
Rahm spent two days going through the paces with biomechanical engineers and TPI specialists.
"You start with a movement screen to look at foot function and ankle mobility," Phillips wrote in a text. "The proper shoe can increase speed and reduce risk of injury. For Jon, this is key due to his lack of ankle mobility due to a club foot surgery as a child."
To determine the best pair, they created a point system to rank every shoe based on ground force reaction, traction and movement. The winner? Neither Travis Matthew, the Callaway-owned brand for whom Rahm is a longtime ambassador, nor FootJoy, the sister brand of Titleist. According to sources, True Linkswear sent by request two pairs for Rahm to test and they finished first and second. Rahm began wearing the Lux Hybrid and credits it with helping his posture and alignment.
True Linkswear declined to comment for this story because Rahm doesn't endorse their product but PGA Tour veteran Ryan Moore, who co-founded True with his brother Jason, spoke more generally on the importance of selecting the right golf shoe. “People don’t look at footwear as equipment, but I liken it to the golf ball,” Ryan said. “They are the only two things that are used on every shot. I really wish more people would test shoes the way they do with equipment because the right shoe can drastically change ground force reaction, rotational speed and stability.”
Added Phillips: "The current shoe has allowed us to create the comfort and stability he needs and maximize his ground force for power."
Adam Schupak is a senior writer for Golfweek, covering the PGA Tour.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Jon Rahm's club foot and golf shoe search
Continue reading...
Last April, Rahm began wearing the Lux Hybrid, a lightweight, modern offering from True Linkswear, a lifestyle brand based in Washington. But part of what makes Rahm’s shoes unique is that his left foot requires a size 13 wide and the right is an 11 1/2 wide, which only begins to explain what makes his shoe selection process next level.
More: U.S. Open hub: Stories, videos and more
Rahm has spoken over the years about being born with a club foot and how it required doctors to break his right foot and ankle. No more than 20 minutes after he was born, he was placed in a cast from the knee down. The fact that Rahm’s right leg is slightly shorter than his left is the reason he has a very stable locked right ankle.
But it also explains why Rahm suffers from foot pain and fatigue, so he has gone to great lengths to find comfortable shoes. “There’s a reason I almost never wear dress shoes,” he said.
To find the right golf shoe, which had to be specially configured to fit his insert, he ordered somewhere between what he estimated as more than 60 and less than 100 pairs – various sizes and brands – and lined them up on the perimeter of an indoor-to-outdoor hitting bay at the Titleist Performance Institute in Oceanside, California. That's where they conducted intensive testing in a room equipped with 3-D technology and with AMTI Force Plates "to look at ground force kinetics and how the shoe can affect 3-D kinematics as well," said Dave Phillips, Rahm's longtime coach and a co-founder of TPI.
“I needed the most stable, wide base,” Rahm said. “The left shoe is normal, the right one is made to be wider and taller.”
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Rahm spent two days going through the paces with biomechanical engineers and TPI specialists.
"You start with a movement screen to look at foot function and ankle mobility," Phillips wrote in a text. "The proper shoe can increase speed and reduce risk of injury. For Jon, this is key due to his lack of ankle mobility due to a club foot surgery as a child."
To determine the best pair, they created a point system to rank every shoe based on ground force reaction, traction and movement. The winner? Neither Travis Matthew, the Callaway-owned brand for whom Rahm is a longtime ambassador, nor FootJoy, the sister brand of Titleist. According to sources, True Linkswear sent by request two pairs for Rahm to test and they finished first and second. Rahm began wearing the Lux Hybrid and credits it with helping his posture and alignment.
True Linkswear declined to comment for this story because Rahm doesn't endorse their product but PGA Tour veteran Ryan Moore, who co-founded True with his brother Jason, spoke more generally on the importance of selecting the right golf shoe. “People don’t look at footwear as equipment, but I liken it to the golf ball,” Ryan said. “They are the only two things that are used on every shot. I really wish more people would test shoes the way they do with equipment because the right shoe can drastically change ground force reaction, rotational speed and stability.”
Added Phillips: "The current shoe has allowed us to create the comfort and stability he needs and maximize his ground force for power."
Adam Schupak is a senior writer for Golfweek, covering the PGA Tour.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Jon Rahm's club foot and golf shoe search
Continue reading...
