Rachels was born, raised and lived his entire life in DeFuniak Springs, Florida.

Rachels played on the PGA Tour from 1975–1985, and had 11 top-10 finishes in 123 career events.

He also had a runner-up finish in the unofficial Magnolia State Classic that year.

[1] Four back operations forced him to leave the Tour and take a club pro job near his home in the Florida Panhandle.

Senior PGA Tour playoff record (1–0) Note: Rachels never played in the Masters Tournament or The Open Championship.