Cleveland Huntington Beach SOFT Putter

The new Cleveland Huntington Beach SOFT putter lineup offers a quality milled putter at a super affordable price.  SOFT stands for “Speed Optimized Face Technology” which is designed to deliver a very soft, yet responsive feel, that offers good forgiveness.  For the price, the level of feel and performance of the Huntington Beach SOFT putter line are tough to beat.

The Looks

The Cleveland Huntington Beach SOFT comes in nine different head shape options, ranging from your traditional Anser-style blade, a few mallet styles, and a “winged” mallet that has become more popular with golfers over the years.  Cleveland did a good job of making classic shapes look clean and fresh.  One thing I did notice with the number 11 head shape I reviewed is that it did have a smaller footprint than expected from a “winged” mallet design.  There aren’t a ton of unnecessary or gimmicky design characteristics, just simple well-designed heads.

The Speed Optimized Face Technology (SOFT) is going to be noticeable on the face of the putter.  The diamond milling pattern gets really tight near the center of the club face and gets slowly more spaced out as you move away from the center.  Not gonna lie, it looks pretty freaking sweet.  Overall, the new Cleveland Huntington Beach SOFT offers Tour-proven classic designs, with a cool twist on the face-milling pattern.

How Does it Feel?

Due to a deeper milling pattern with the SOFT face, the Cleveland Huntington Beach SOFT putter is exactly that – really, really soft.  I would definitely describe it as a muted feel.  However, the Huntington Beach SOFT lineup does come with a stock oversized grip, which could enhance that softer, more muted feel.  I do want to clarify, there’s a big difference between muted/soft and a “dead” putter feel.  The Huntington Beach SOFT lineup definitely doesn’t feel dead at all.  Though soft, the feedback is still responsive and the face awareness is strong.

How Does it Sound?

In the sound department, the Cleveland Huntington Beach SOFT putter line gives off a sound to match the feel.  When struck on the sweet spot, it lets off a more muted “tap” sound.  Contact more toward the toe, which I do quite frequently, becomes a bit louder and sharper, letting you know you missed the sweet spot.  Heel misses, however, will give off an “empty” sound.  The general sound definitely matches the feel of the putter, but I can appreciate the audible feedback from the SOFT lineup when you miss the center of the face.

On-Course Performance

The Cleveland Huntington Beach SOFT putters are designed to give you a more consistent roll, with more forgiveness across the face due to the SOFT face milling pattern.  Let me tell you, the SOFT line delivers exactly as described.  I found that when I hit putts off center (which, let’s be honest, is pretty often for me), I wasn’t losing a terrible amount of distance, leaving my “bad” putts much closer to the hole than with my current gamer.

That leads me to my next point – more consistent roll.  The ball seems to get rolling very quickly off of the face, and I didn’t experience a lot of “hopping” or “jumping” off of the face, which again, leads to more consistent distance control.  While most putters on the market claim to offer more forgiveness and consistent roll, the Huntington Beach SOFT actually delivers in both departments.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with the Cleveland Huntington Beach SOFT putter lineup.  If you’re looking for a really soft feel, coupled with the need for more forgiveness, they’re definitely worth a look.  The best part?  They’re at a price point that doesn’t break the bank.

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