“Man, I love Geno,” said Joel Dahmen two weeks after splitting with his long-time caddie, Geno Bonnalie. It was a shock split, and a new addition to the recent player-caddie splits we have seen on the Tour. Yet, Dahmen’s and Bonnalie’s cases were a little different. They were best friends, after all. Following the shock split, Dahmen reassured the golf community, confessing at the 2025 Wyndham Championship that they “still text almost daily,” and that Bonnalie is “doing well.”

But, as per recent sightings, it’s time to move on from this particular discourse, because Dahmen most certainly has (at least, on the course). As per visuals from the first round of the Wyndham Championship, Dahmen’s longtime coach, Rob Rashell, is caddying for this PGA Tour pro for this week. Is he going to stick with Dahmen as both his caddie and coach? It’s hard to say, but here’s everything you need to know about Rob Rashell, Dahmen’s coach of more than a decade.

Rob Rashell was born on 30 December 1975, and his love affair with golf began in the Pacific Northwest, where he grew up just 45 minutes north of Seattle. As a kid, he was always active, trying his hand at various sports before settling on golf and basketball in high school. Caddying at the Everett Country Club during the summers not only honed his skills but also deepened his passion for the game. He graduated from Lake Stevens High School in 1994.

The hard work paid off when Rashell earned an Evans Scholarship to the University of Washington – his dream school – and pursued a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from 1994 to 1999. Despite not being a recruited player, his determination earned him a spot on the Men’s Golf Team after a grueling two-week tryout, where he beat out seven other players with daily nine-hole rounds. That marked the start of his competitive golfing journey, as his official website states.

After completing his studies in 1999, Rashell took a leap of faith, skipping his graduation ceremony to play in his first professional event in South Florida, where he earned a modest $41 – the smallest check of his career. Undeterred, he spent the next five years climbing the ranks, starting with mini-tours in the US.

His perseverance paid off in 2004 when he reached the European PGA Tour. The following year, Rashell secured one of the coveted 34 cards for the 2005 PGA Tour after advancing through the qualifying stages, marking a major milestone in his professional golf journey. But a lot more came in his career in the following years, even if his golfing career was rather short-lived.

Rob Rashell’s professional career included participation in prestigious events, such as the U.S. Open at Pinehurst in 2005 and Torrey Pines in 2008. He hasn’t played in any event since the 2008 U.S. Open, where he missed the cut. After 14 years of playing professionally, the TPC Scottsdale’s director of instruction, Rashell, transitioned into coaching in 2014. It was then that he entered the 37-year-old Joel Dahmen’s life.

When Rob Rashell speaks, Joel Dahmen listens, and it helps him a lot

In 2024, when Geno Bonnalie took time off to celebrate his wife’s birthday during the 2024 Procore Championship, Rob Rashell filled in as Joel Dahmen’s caddie. After his solid 5-under 67 in the first round, Dahmen said of his swing instructor, “Rob [Rashell] says stay patient. When Geno tells me to stay patient, I tell him to be quiet. When Rob tells me to be patient, I listen.” He eventually finished T50 at the event.

“Rob’s been my coach for nine-plus years, he played on Tour in the early 2000s, played the European Tour, he coaches at a high level, he knows my game as well as anyone. And just a different voice sometimes is OK,” said Dahmen of Rashell. And the thing is, Dahmen’s words for his coach and caddie are made in great faith, simply given his long history with golf.

Indeed, that is certainly helping Joel Dahmen at the 2025 Wyndham Championship, where he currently sits at the top of the leaderboard, ahead of pros like Adam Scott and Jordan Spieth.

On the other side of his golfing history, Rob Rashell’s coaching approach also leverages cutting-edge technology, including video analysis, Trackman, Boditrak, and the Blast Putting Sensor. These tools help golfers grasp their swings, craft improvement plans, and track progress. His philosophy focuses on inclusivity, working with diverse players from various tours like the PGA and Champions Tour, as well as top junior and high school golfers. So, even if you’re not paying attention to Joel Dahmen’s songs of praise for Rashell, you certainly know he’s the kind of instructor you keep your faith in.