As mentioned earlier, the putter heads themselves in both the standard and premium lines are exactly the same. The most obvious difference is cosmetic. I would urge golfers to try the UST ALL-IN for themselves,” says Shultz. “The feel is noticeably different so it may take a few putts to get used to the added stiffness. But you can really tell the increase in control and consistency with a side-by-side comparison.”

Cleveland HB Soft 4 Putter - Golfonline Cleveland HB Soft 4 Putter - Golfonline

It must be some of the proportions that had me convinced from the start that the Huntington Beach 4 was longer heel to toe than other similar models. That turned out to not be the case, but it does have a generous sweet spot. With a 345 gram head weight, I was able to put a confident, flowing stroke on both long and short putts. Cleveland Golf claims that the deep face grooves “increase friction for a truer, more consistent roll.” Very true – my putts started tumbling end over end immediately. Conclusion

One obvious question: does the introduction of the Huntington Beach SOFT line mean the end of the standard Huntington Beach line? Oakley says Cleveland isn’t really sure yet. It’s pretty easy to execute and is pretty cost-effective for golfers,” says Schielke. “Within 30 seconds to a minute, you can personalize your paint-fill colors. It’s a pretty simple way to make the putter more your own.” From a “volume of offering” standpoint, that would be an emphatic yes. Cleveland considers the HB SOFT Milled line to be an extension of the existing Huntington Beach SOFT putter family. And the innovative Frontline series is still current but is being discounted, which is a sign that it’s due for an update.

Putters: 17 new putters that can transform your game Best Putters: 17 new putters that can transform your game

Moving on.. I've been petitioning for MGS and Ralph Maltby to get together for a little while now. I'm currently playing 3 different models that I feel could all make a best wanted top candidate. DBM Irons, TS-1 irons, and TSW Wedges. I've concluded that there has to be more of a reason than no reason. One would think that the whole foundation upon which MGS is built on would only welcome the opportunity to showcase what Maltby is about. In other words, Cleveland will give you enough information to help you fit yourself into something that fits you better than if you went eeny-meeny-miny-moe. It’s no SAM PuttLab but I suppose it’s better than guessing. Stop! Hey! What’s That Sound? I’d argue from a performance standpoint, with Speed Optimization Face Technology, these are better,” says Schielke. “I would say our putters are premium in terms of performance; they’re just priced lower. If you put our putters up against any other putter, ours do just as well, if not better. We want to give our golfers performance and save them a little money as well.” If you’re a member of groups 3 or 4, Cleveland Golf’s recent release of the Huntington Beach SOFT putter line might just make you want to Twist and Shout like Ferris Bueller. If you’re a proud, card-carrying member of groups 1 or 2, well, ignore technology at your own peril, and if the SOFT line isn’t expensive enough for you, well, Cleveland is sorry.The soft 304 Stainless Steel and deep CNC face milling on each Huntington Beach Premier putter provides exceptional feel for more confidence on the greens. Cleveland Golf's tensile strength testing confirms that 304 Stainless Steel is 51% softer than 17-4 Stainless Steel.

Cleveland Huntington Beach Soft Premier 11S Golf Putter

The difference is hard to miss. The lines on the new HB SOFT Milled putters are much sharper and the overall look is much more premium and much less department store.

What a center-shafted putter does is it’s the most face-balanced putter you can get,” says Oakley. “That center of gravity and the shaft angle match up perfectly.” And while there are 10 heads for righties to choose from, only the 4 blade and the 10.5S and 11 mallets are offered for lefties. The 10.5S is also offered in a lighter and shorter women’s model. Traditionally, the HB SOFT line, like every other value-priced putter line, has featured a cast body with a milled face. The upside, compared to a 100-percent milled putter, is lower cost. The downside, however, is a finished product that looks like it’d be more at home in a department store. Regardless of performance, they looked cheap. And right or wrong, the “ I gotta love the looks” crowd believes a better-looking putter will be a better-performing putter. A Sharper Image In Cleveland-speak, SOFT stands for Speed Optimized Face Technology – a unique, model-specific milling pattern designed to preserve ball speed on slightly off-center hits. It’s Cleveland’s version of what both PING and Evnroll do – use putter face technology to help make sure you get the ball to the hole when you don’t hit it dead center. With a traditional milling pattern, if you catch it on the heel or toe, you’ll likely leave that putt a little short,” says Oakley. “By how much really depends on the MOI and CG properties of that particular putter head.”