Bloodline Golf RG-1 Mallet Putter - THP Review

Makes sense, looking forward to reading your review on this one.
Thank you sir, I've been rolling it indoors a lot today, but I'm eager to get it on course soon.
 
This one will be outdoors on the practice green, and maybe the course, today!

Update this evening I hope.
 
This thing was like a magnet for the HS kids today at practice, and their minds melted when I walked away to talk to a parent and left it standing up hahahaha

Thoughts tonight after we get dinner cooked. My feelings are changed a bit on the feel, still firm, but I'll get into that more when I update.
 
The interchangeable hosel idea is a really cool one. As to the leightweight shaft/grip w/ heavier head, it seems like the guys who really liked the Bridgestone True Balance putters a few years back might like this one.

What about those of us that like a heavier head with a normal shaft and heavier grip with a 100g weight in the butt of the shaft? :(
 
I'd bet dollars to pesos that theyre there to help properly sole the club.

Mexican pesos or Philippines pesos?
 
Interested concept to a putter to say the least. Hope it works out well for you, will keep looking for updates

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So, update? Update.

FINALLY out on the greens outdoors with this yesterday at HS practice. So, here are the early thoughts.

1) The stand up thing is like that cool party trick that buddy you know does. I enjoyed immensely while working with players on the greens just standing it up and walking away to see their reactions. Most were pretty fascinated by it. I will say though, wind plays a role in its stand-up-ability (new scientific term) as the shaft and grip are so light, yet its so wide at the grip still that the stiff brees will knock it over. Why do I bring this up? Well, I do believe that for some golfers there is merit to the ability to line the putter up from behind, but if its windy, beware the putter toppling and striking the ball.

2) Visually, its a sizable mallet, but man this is what a red finish is supposed to look like. Better than ANY red finish putter I have seen, Odyssey, TM, and Cure included. The alignment lines POP and the color is such a stark contrast to the green grass that it works. Plus, the non-red neck looks pretty cool against the heads finish as well.

3) Its firm. Yes, its still WAY more firm than I anticipated an aluminum based head being, especially with such aggressive grooves, but its not as firm as I initially thought indoors. I do absolutely think it will be a love it or hate it factor though for people trying it.

4) The roll is quite good, it releases easily through the gait of the stroke and the ball is on a quick, tight, roll. Distance control has been the standout so far as I did some damage with the HS boys in some games of "putt" with them from dooooooooowntown.

5) The grip is weird. Its round, its thin, its the opposite of everything we are used to, and knowing that it is pretty much literally the shaft with a special tape wrap on it, takes the mind a bit to get used to.

6) The shaft is crazy, and I urge you to go back through the pictures and read the warning label. Seriously.

More soon! If you have questions, ASK! I'm here to help!
 
The firm part is interesting. They really seemed to think of every detail in how to promote what they were going for.
 
Question. Do you think the stand up and walk behind it feature will slow down golf? I mean if I played with someone who was doing that and tweaking the alignment it would get a little annoying I think. It would be like playing with a less confident Furyk.

The putter is gorgeous and the handle looks like it will be a polarizing feature for sure.


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It being firm with that face milling is a bit of a surprise to me as well. I'm glad to hear that it puts a tight roll on the ball quickly.

BTW: Is it wrong that I immediately thought of @MD441 aka Mr. Chutt when I read the warning?? :act-up:
 
Do you think the grip (or really, lack thereof) contributes to the firmness? I’d think the lack of dampening might give you some more physical feedback on top of the audible aspect.
 
Question. Do you think the stand up and walk behind it feature will slow down golf? I mean if I played with someone who was doing that and tweaking the alignment it would get a little annoying I think. It would be like playing with a less confident Furyk.

The putter is gorgeous and the handle looks like it will be a polarizing feature for sure.


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Could it? Of course. But so too could every single other aspect of the game, and for most it usually does.

I played 9 yesterday with it along with my HS #1 and soon to be #2 and started off the 9 lining it up from behind, two things were discussed on the greens with them during this. One, its no more time consuming IMO than setting up the line on the ball to your target, UNLESS the user makes it such and OCD's it to death, hahaha. Two, it is SO foreign and awkward feeling to be in a group and know they are watching you line this thing up like that, because it is in fact foreign to the "usual" ways of golf, but is it REALLY any moreso than Aimpoint? I don't think so.

Do you think the grip (or really, lack thereof) contributes to the firmness? I’d think the lack of dampening might give you some more physical feedback on top of the audible aspect.

I don't, but you know me, the sound in putters is 1000% the feel the user gets regardless of the vibrations sent to the hands. For others, it could be different, but my gauge of firmness is totally off the sound.
 
Could it? Of course. But so too could every single other aspect of the game, and for most it usually does.

I played 9 yesterday with it along with my HS #1 and soon to be #2 and started off the 9 lining it up from behind, two things were discussed on the greens with them during this. One, its no more time consuming IMO than setting up the line on the ball to your target, UNLESS the user makes it such and OCD's it to death, hahaha. Two, it is SO foreign and awkward feeling to be in a group and know they are watching you line this thing up like that, because it is in fact foreign to the "usual" ways of golf, but is it REALLY any moreso than Aimpoint? I don't think so.



I don't, but you know me, the sound in putters is 1000% the feel the user gets regardless of the vibrations sent to the hands. For others, it could be different, but my gauge of firmness is totally off the sound.

That's what I figured - sound tends to trump all. I was just wondering because that grip setup was SO different if it had any effect. That said, I'd imagine the carbon fiber shaft (with it's crazy warnings) takes care of some of that as well.
 
That's what I figured - sound tends to trump all. I was just wondering because that grip setup was SO different if it had any effect. That said, I'd imagine the carbon fiber shaft (with it's crazy warnings) takes care of some of that as well.

The shaft is so insanely wild to me. lol
 
An interesting note to the self standing putter is that its not new, but glad it is bringing attention to it.
Bridgestone released one that stood on its own a few years ago.
Prior to that back in the 90s, the Stand Up Putter was around.
 
An interesting note to the self standing putter is that its not new, but glad it is bringing attention to it.
Bridgestone released one that stood on its own a few years ago.
Prior to that back in the 90s, the Stand Up Putter was around.

To be fair, it took an act of congress to get the B'stone to stand up if there was the slightest undulation on the green, or any breeze at all. This, none of that issue unless the wind is way up. Now, could it be the mallet size? Maybe, but from what I have heard/seen/read most have found the same thing, the stand up aspect to this is much more reliable.

But, its still all strange, IMO.
 
To be fair, it took an act of congress to get the B'stone to stand up if there was the slightest undulation on the green, or any breeze at all. This, none of that issue unless the wind is way up. Now, could it be the mallet size? Maybe, but from what I have heard/seen/read most have found the same thing, the stand up aspect to this is much more reliable.

But, its still all strange, IMO.

it's funny you say that. At the PGA Show when those putters were shown, I was in kind of in awe at how easy they stood up. Fast forward to a demo day up here and was trying to show my father, and the darn thing wouldn't stay up for longer than 2 seconds. It was a big fail on my part lol
 
To be fair, it took an act of congress to get the B'stone to stand up if there was the slightest undulation on the green, or any breeze at all. This, none of that issue unless the wind is way up. Now, could it be the mallet size? Maybe, but from what I have heard/seen/read most have found the same thing, the stand up aspect to this is much more reliable.

But, its still all strange, IMO.

I didnt find it that hard with the larger models, and at the show they had them all standing up.
But just merely pointing out that that part of the design is not a new thing (nor was Bridgestone) and it didnt really slow the game down, although most people are fairly slow on the greens, so if it shows the angle it could even be quicker.
 
Now you guys are making me want to go buy an old Bridgestone putter. Thanks!
 
it's funny you say that. At the PGA Show when those putters were shown, I was in kind of in awe at how easy they stood up. Fast forward to a demo day up here and was trying to show my father, and the darn thing wouldn't stay up for longer than 2 seconds. It was a big fail on my part lol

Yeah, indoors they were great at it, outdoors on a non level surface, no bueno. I had both the blade and mid-mallet at one point trying to make it work for me, but too much I couldn't get beyond. The pool noodle grip was one, and wildly I would say this grip which is just a wider shaft diameter and grip tape feels better than that one did.

Now you guys are making me want to go buy an old Bridgestone putter. Thanks!

If you like pool noodles, get it! lol

Seriously though, the steel shafted versions showed it was a really good putter head, but I'm way off track now, back the the Bloodline! lol
 
Interested in all feedback - good and bad!

Interested in all feedback - good and bad!

Jman,
This is Larry from Bloodline. Thanks for taking the time to walk everyone through what you are going through as you "get to know" the RG-1. As one of the founders of the company, it's hard for me to get unfiltered feedback about the putter. It's extremely helpful to read your thoughts and what other people are saying about the putter. I realize that people are most interested in what you think about the performance and design features vs. what someone from the company thinks... However, if you want me to comment about the touch points on the sole or the grip or whatever, just let me know.

The main reason for my post is that I would love it if you would do a little experiment some time when you are at the course.
The experiment is to learn your alignment tendency (if you have one...).
If you'd rather not do this, no problem. If you do want to try, here's how:

It's easy to do with 2 people.
One person lines up a putt and explains to the other person EXACTLY where they are intending to aim the putter.
Have the other person put a 2nd ball down on the green that is EXACTLY on that intended (starting) target line.
The person lining up the putter must be 100% sure that they have the putter dead square (balls lined up perfectly in line) before letting go of the putter.
Then, gently let go and see if you had it on target :)

It's important to do short med long putts and different breaks (L to R and up/down hill). I expect that at least some of the people you try this with will be very surprised at the results.

Looking forward to hearing from you. Thanks again for taking the time!








Though not in hand yet, there's no better time than the present to get the ball rolling. Coming into Oklahoma for review is the Bloodline RG-1 Mallet Putter.

Now, some of you are going "What's a Bloodline?", while others recognize the name because of the PGA Tour use they have gotten from the likes of the Big Easy himself. A key factor here, this isn't a brand started up by flash in the pan entrepreneurs, there is some serious industry history and clout behind Bloodline. The company was founded by Brad Adams and Larry Bischmann, Adams is the former Sr. VP at Odyssey Golf (credited for being in on the development of the famous Odyssey insert material design) and his father actually founded TaylorMade Golf, while Bischmann played a major role in the marketing team that brought TM to the #1 Driver in Golf status as well as spearheading the launch of the Diamana shaft brand. Like I said, these aren't rookies, these are heavy hitters.

The putters themselves stand out because of the bright red finish, hence the Bloodline name, that is contrasted by the unique hosel/neck design. The putters are made of CNC Anodized aluminum with a stainless steel sole insert along with the companies grooved face technology. The hosels/necks are machined aluminum as well and actually are interchangable allowing for quick changes and fitting tweaks. The real design difference though starts with the shaft and grip, in which the ultra light carbon fiber shaft and less than 50 gram oversized grip essentially meld into one another allowing the heavier 395 (in the case of the mallet) head weight to move the balance point much lower improving stability and giving it that oh so wild ability to stand up...on its own.

Different is the name of the game here, and it should be fun to get in for review. The following will be the information on the RG-1 Mallet model (they also have an RJ-1 Blade) from the company as well as some stock images until I get the putter in hand, and in the photo booth.

Bloodline on the RG-1 Mallet Putter:

Revolutionary technology in a familiar head shape

Bloodline's RG-1 Mallet features the potent performance benefit of being able to stand on its own behind the ball on the putting green. Select between:

32", 33", 34" (standard), 35", 36" and custom lengths
69.5°· (standard), 71.5° (upright), and 67.5° (flat) lie

This functionality allows a player to stand on the target line and more accurately line up the face behind the ball. Better alignment combined with improved confidence can free up players to make a more committed and constant stroke.

mallet-back-on-white_1024x1024.jpg


mallet-back-45-on-whirte_600x600.jpg
 
Jman,
This is Larry from Bloodline. Thanks for taking the time to walk everyone through what you are going through as you "get to know" the RG-1. As one of the founders of the company, it's hard for me to get unfiltered feedback about the putter. It's extremely helpful to read your thoughts and what other people are saying about the putter. I realize that people are most interested in what you think about the performance and design features vs. what someone from the company thinks... However, if you want me to comment about the touch points on the sole or the grip or whatever, just let me know.

The main reason for my post is that I would love it if you would do a little experiment some time when you are at the course.
The experiment is to learn your alignment tendency (if you have one...).
If you'd rather not do this, no problem. If you do want to try, here's how:

It's easy to do with 2 people.
One person lines up a putt and explains to the other person EXACTLY where they are intending to aim the putter.
Have the other person put a 2nd ball down on the green that is EXACTLY on that intended (starting) target line.
The person lining up the putter must be 100% sure that they have the putter dead square (balls lined up perfectly in line) before letting go of the putter.
Then, gently let go and see if you had it on target :)

It's important to do short med long putts and different breaks (L to R and up/down hill). I expect that at least some of the people you try this with will be very surprised at the results.

Looking forward to hearing from you. Thanks again for taking the time!

Larry! Great to see you jump in here, excited you've been following along.

Funnily enough I put it into the hands of a lot of different skill level putters today and we were lining up traditional my versus literally aligning the putter, it's something I'm going to get into tomorrow when I don't have sick twins on my hands!

But, I think I can speak for everyone when I say we would love to hear more about the grip straight from the source!
 
Larry! Great to see you jump in here, excited you've been following along.

Funnily enough I put it into the hands of a lot of different skill level putters today and we were lining up traditional my versus literally aligning the putter, it's something I'm going to get into tomorrow when I don't have sick twins on my hands!

But, I think I can speak for everyone when I say we would love to hear more about the grip straight from the source!

JMan here is spot on, I’d love to hear the reasoning behind the grip.
 
Great!

The trick to checking alignment is to get set over the ball (before letting go) with a precise target in mind (and way to evaluate accuracy).
It seems that many people make the mistake of trying the Bloodline putter by making a half-hearted attempt to line up a 6' straight putt and then taking a look from behind to find that they are "close enough". There are 2 problems with this: 1) lining up EXACTLY on target is critical. there is NOTHING more important than starting the ball on the precise target line that gives you the best chance of making the putt. Obviously this gets more complicated with break. However, if a putt is dead straight and you are not starting the ball at the dead center of the cup you are making it more possible for the rub of the green or a slight mishit to result in a miss. 2) 6' straight putts are only a tiny subset of what you have to line up when you play. on the course, you have all different length putts with different breaks. a player might be pretty good on 6' straight putts and be (unknowingly) lousy at lining up others. Stand behind 10 people on a long breaking putt and ask them where they are trying to aim and you will be shocked at how many people line up wayyyyy off and have NO IDEA that they are compensating during the stroke.
Anyway, I will be very interested to see what happens if you try the "Ball on Ball" experiment I suggested to understand your alignment tendency.
 
Re: the Bloodline grip

Yes it's round. We realize that 99.9% of the putter grips that major suppliers sell have a flat on the top for your thumbs.
Yes it's less durable. We realize that most people are used to being able to jam their putter into their bag without worrying about the grip.
Yes, many people agree that it doesn't feel as luxurious/comfy as what comes standard on the most popular premium putters (that are less expensive than Bloodline).

However, the Bloodline grip AND shaft AND butt cap have a combined weight that (in most cases) is less than the weight of only the grip that is on these other putters... This dramatic reduction in weight is a key piece of why the Bloodline putter has performance characteristics that can provide a meaningful difference.
So, during development, we had to choose what was more important:
perfect alignment of the putter face + added confidence + consistent hand position
OR
a flat spot for your thumbs + a more durable grip + a more luxurious looking/feeling grip

The tennis wrap style is easily replaceable, relatively inexpensive, and (despite all its differences) it doesn't seem to be impeding anyone with an open mind from making a ton of putts. Now, I am not saying that this is the only grip you will ever see on Bloodline putters. However, for now, the grip that we are using provides the functionality we need to provide breakthrough performance for the putter as a whole.
 
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