Cleveland HB Soft Milled Putter
The new Cleveland Golf HB Soft Milled putter is the latest in the Huntington Beach (HB) family of putters. HB Soft Milled combines premium materials, a milled head, and some new technology all in a super affordable package. Being impressed with the original HB Soft putters, I was excited to learn more about the upgraded design and see how it performs.
The Looks
The first thing I noticed when I unboxed the new Cleveland Golf HB Soft Milled putter is the shiny chrome finish. Don’t worry, however, it’s not distracting as it’s just on the sole. While the sole has a polished chrome finish, the entire top of the putter has a more matte finish. This prevents any glare from the putter at address. The model we reviewed was the #11 shape, which is a fanged mallet. The lines on the #11 are super crisp and clean, which is appealing to the eye. The entire HB Soft Milled lineup is CNC Milled so all shapes will have crispy, sharp lines with tight tolerances.
The mallets feature a black insert for an alignment aid with sharp white lines to contrast that matte silver finish. The blades feature a traditional, single white alignment line. Regardless of which head shape you choose, the finish and look of the Cleveland Golf HB Soft Milled is extremely clean and looks amazing in the bag.
How Does it Feel?
The Cleveland Golf HB Soft Milled is exactly what it’s name describes: it’s SOFT. Think of the softest putter you’ve ever felt, be it carbon steel, etc… The HB Soft Milled is probably softer than that. On center strikes, it’s definitely the softest milled putter I have ever hit. Off center hits are still soft, but do provide a tad more feedback in the hands. For someone like myself, who has grown to like a little firmer response from the putter, it may not be the feel you’re looking for. But if you want that buttery soft feel on the greens, the HB Soft Milled needs to be your first look.
How Does it Sound?
I always say the sound typically matches the feel and this holds true with the Cleveland Golf HB Soft Milled. With the super soft feel off of the face comes a more muted, deep “tock” sound. I would describe it as a deep-sounding click of your tongue. Again, if you like a soft putter and muted sound, the HB Soft Milled delivers. If you prefer a higher pitched “ting”, this isn’t going to be it.
On-Course Performance
For our testing, I enlisted the help of a friend who happens to hit the ball from the wrong side (hence the lefty putter in the pics). His feedback on the Cleveland HB Soft Milled matched everything from the above. He loved the soft feel and the soft sound. He was, however, coming from a firmer feeling putter, so his distance control took some getting used to. With such a soft feeling putter, he felt he needed to put more power behind the ball to get it to the hole. However, once he got the distance control figured out on the front 9, it was smooth sailing.
The main things of note from him during his maiden voyage with the HB Soft Milled were all very positive. He felt the putter was extremely balanced and was easy to get started on line, which especially helped on his short putting (best short putting I’ve seen from him, to be honest). Lastly, he felt the HB Soft Milled was much more forgiving that his previous putters. Distance control on off-center hits was vastly improved, which is attributed to the Speed Optimized Face Technology from Cleveland, which helps with speed and distance control across the face on mishits. Overall, he made it very clear that the Cleveland HB Soft Milled has a firm spot in his bag going forward.
Final Thoughts – Cleveland Golf HB Soft Milled Putter
If you’re looking for a great looking putter with soft feel, but also delivers the latest technology in terms of materials and forgiveness, take a look at the Cleveland Golf HB Soft Milled lineup. Cleveland offers a variety of head shapes, neck and offset options to fit any golfer’s preferences. Oh yeah, and it’s at a killer price point for what you get. They range from $199 for the standard steel shaft and $249 for the UST All-In graphite putter shaft. Great putter looks, great putter performance, great price. Golf clap on the HB Soft Milled putter, Cleveland Golf.
