John Smoltz: What’s up with that self-standing Bloodline putter?

Former major league All-Star pitcher John Smoltz has a serious golf game. But what’s the deal with the putter he’s using at the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions?

John Smoltz has made a strong transition from the pitcher’s mound to the links, basically becoming a ringer in every celebrity pro-am he plays, as well as qualifying for the 2018 U.S. Senior Open. Lots of athletes have game, but Smoltz is essentially in a class of his own.

This week, he finds himself securely in the lead of the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions celebrity field, four shots clear of former tennis pro Mardy Fish. The defending champion from 2019, the eight-time All-Star made some noise this week thanks to one unique club in his bag…and questions about whether or not it’s actually legal.

The club in question is his putter, from a company called Bloodline. As putters go, it’s simple enough, except for one differentiating factor. It’s counter-balanced to stand on its own, meaning a player can place it next to the ball as they would in their stance, then walk away from it to check the alignment.

To answer Luke’s comment in the tweet above: both, really. While it seems like the type of thing you’d see on a late-night infomercial – think diamond-faced drivers and chippers to cure the yips – the Bloodline putter isn’t just useful, it’s 100 percent legal per the USGA. In a statement to Golfweek, the governing body stated that they are allowed to stand freely next to the ball (as they’re intended to be used), in order to “assist the player in taking a stance or to point out the line of play”.

Smoltz has taken a ton of heat on Twitter for the putter this week from golf “purists”, and says that many of the people he plays with in casual games claim that the club has to be illegal…before they go look for it online themselves.

"“People are always looking to see where to get it online,” said Smoltz. “Because honestly if you can trust the line – you’re not always going to have the right line – but if you can trust it, that’s half the battle.”"

If you’re like me and don’t feel like making putting any harder than it already is, you can check out the company’s official website for more details. The claim behind the name is that they come from the “bloodline” of some of the leading names in golf, specifically former Odyssey senior VP Brad Adams, TaylorMade and Diamana marketing and engineering expert Larry Bischman. Ernie Els began using the putters in 2017, and became an investor and brand ambassador in early 2018.

The flat sticks aren’t cheap, coming in at about $500 new, but considering the return most casual golfers would get on improving their putting, I think that’s a far more reasonable investment than dropping that much – or more – on the newest driver that claims you’ll get 10 yards every year.

At the end of the day, as much as rules concerns are en vogue, this looks like more than just a good idea, but a pretty clear-cut case of using a tool that makes the game at least a little bit easier. So much of putting is in just finding and trusting a line, but you’ve still got to make the stroke. Considering that Smoltz already has that part grooving, this is a total win.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to go find one of these. Got a few scramble partners to get all worked up when this winter ends.