It’s time to raise the curtain on Cleveland Golf’s new Huntington Beach SOFT Premier putters and its expansion of the successful Huntington Beach SOFT line. Cleveland Golf has consistently proven that you can make high-quality milled putters with absolute attention to detail and face technology at a really competitive price point. If you haven’t been paying attention to Cleveland putters, it may be time you perked up because you may just be surprised with what you learn.
Milling technology is the big story with both lines, as the new Huntington Beach SOFT Premier and the Huntington Beach SOFT putters are built on the same underlying technology, SOFT. SOFT, or Speed Optimized Face Technology, is face milling technology that is designed to help golfers with one of the biggest problems plaguing amateurs: speed and distance control. Cleveland Golf’s proprietary Speed Optimized Face Technology is designed to normalize ball speed across a larger portion of the face, including impacts that stray from the center.
According to Cleveland, SOFT works by creating a non-uniform milling pattern on the face. Specifically, SOFT putters feature a condensed and concentrated milling pattern in the center of the face, which effectively decreases the amount of direct contact between the face and the ball at impact, and a more spaced out milling pattern as you get further away from the center that increases direct contact with the ball. As a result, center strikes have less direct contact with the ball, and off center strikes have more direct contact with the ball, but with SOFT the inherent lower speeds caused by off-center strikes is effectively normalized with a center strike. All told, you get better, more consistent speed control regardless of impact location. If you are anything like me, having more consistent speed control will directly translate to more confidence on the greens, more aggressive strokes, and shorter second putts.
Another thing to love about SOFT is that it is technology you can see. And if you take a look at multiple different models, you will clearly see that Cleveland’s SOFT design is not once size fits all. Indeed, Cleveland has carefully optimized a SOFT milling design for each putter, so you will have an optimized milling regardless of which shape you use.
Huntington Beach SOFT Premier
The new Huntington Beach SOFT Premier putters are designed with a premium, sleek appearance as compared to the successful Huntington Beach SOFT line. Each putter in the Premier line features a Grey Satin finish that limits glare and adds a quality finish and high-end look. The dark Grey Satin finish is paired with a black shaft and an all-black grip, which gives the putter an aggressive and modern look. Although the darker finish won’t technically make you a better putter, there is something to the idea of “look good, feel good; feel good, putt good.”
As the photos above show, the face of the Huntington Beach SOFT Premier putters has a uniquely crafted, deep diamond-shaped CNC milled pattern in the 340 Stainless Steel head. This type of milling design produces a soft sound and feel at impact that Cleveland putters are known for.
Not only is the SOFT milling design unique to each head shape, the stock putter grip is also optimized depending on the shape of the putter. Face balanced Premier putters, which favor a straight back-straight through stroke, come standard with an all-black Lamkin SINKFIT Pistol grip. Toe Hang Premier putters, which favor a slight to strong arc, come stock with an all-black Lamkin SINKFIT Skinny Pistol. Matching your grip type to your stroke is a fantastic thing because a better fit means better performance.
The Huntington Beach SOFT Premier will be offered in lengths of 33, 34, and 35 inches and in the following eight shapes at launch:
Huntington Beach SOFT
In addition to the Premier line, Cleveland Golf is expanding its successful Huntington Beach SOFT line of putters to include the same shapes as the Premier line.
The new Huntington Beach SOFT putters feature the same SOFT technology described above with the same deep CNC milled diamond pattern in the same soft 304 Stainless Steel. As a result, the technology that is packed into the Premier line is also available in a Satin finish. The Huntington Beach SOFT putters that are face balanced come stock with the Cleveland Golf Huntington Beach SOFT Oversized Grip, whereas putters with a slight to strong arc come stock with a Huntington Beach SOFT Pistol Grip.
As was the case with the original Huntington Beach SOFT putters, Cleveland offers customization and paintfill for a very small fee on both lines of putters directly through its website. Plenty of golfers have already discovered the quality of Cleveland’s putters, and these new lines continue to show that just because it is one of the best deals on the market doesn’t mean it can’t dominate and stand out from the crowd, too.
You can learn more about these new putters and other club offerings by visiting their webstie at www.clevelandgolf.com.
The Details:
Huntington Beach SOFT Premier
Available: August 21, 2020
Price: $159.99
Heads: # 3, 4, 8, 10.5, 10.5C, 11, 11S, 14
Grips: SINKFIT Skinny Pistol or SINKFIT Pistol
Huntington Beach SOFT
Available: August 21, 2020
Price: $129.99
Heads: # 3, 4, 8, 10.5, 10.5C, 11, 11S, 14
Grip: Huntington Beach SOFT Oversized Grip or Huntington Beach SOFT Pistol Grip
I can imagine! Golf equipment sales are through the roof everywhere and it’s amazing!
Mine was supposed to arrive yesterday, but when Cleveland sent it, they somehow put a duplicate FedEx tracking number on it. So, it went to Tennessee for some reason instead of directly to me, and now tracking shows it should arrive tomorrow. I was wanting to get it yesterday so I could use it for the 9+ I plan to play this evening. But alas, guess I’ll have to put the new (to me) Elevado through its paces instead.
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That looks really light/grey in that lighting. I’ll be following your thoughts, particularly on how SOFT works on a blade.
I was thinking the same. Lighter grey finish than I expected.
Cleveland (left), Toulon (middle), Elevado (right)…
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Cleveland and Toulon up close…
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Man I wish they made that model for lefties.
1) Inventories of some models
2) Other manufacturers are like "what are you trying to do to us here?!"
Same materials, same grips, etc. Hundreds of $$$ difference in some instances.
3) Where to put "Putter of the Year" trophy.
The Cleveland Huntington Beach Soft Premier #10.5 looks incredible. The gray finish is dark enough, without verging on black, to look really good with the black shaft. The black sight line is visible, but doesn’t really stand out, so I’ll have to see how that works out when I get it out to the putting green. This grip feels fantastic, and looks great with the overall dark theme of the putter. I have nothing but praise for the looks, and I’ll be reporting on everything else as soon as I can get to the golf course (hopefully tomorrow).
I also have a Huntington Beach SOFT #11 that I plan on doing side-by-side comparisons with, and I’ll take my Odyssey EXO Seven Mini S along too. I’ve had the #11 for about a year and a half, so already have a lot of experience with the SOFT milled face, which absolutely works well for me. I’ll get some side-by-side photos with the other putters, and post first impressions and comparisons soon.
I see you have a frontline slant neck, as do I. Would love to hear your comparison of feel between the frontline and Premier even though head shape is different!
Happy to report back after I’ve had some time to compare them. I’ve been switching back and forth a bit on the putting mat today, but will circle back after some more time with them.
Well, I pulled the trigger today. Bought a (new) LH #4 on 2nd Swing. Let’s see how quickly it gets here. It’s my "yay, you’re getting a new hip and can only chip and put for 8 weeks," gift.
Hopefully it shows up before 11/9 surgery.
I have had the Huntington Beach Soft #11 since late last year so will be watching for your comparison/review. Performance for me has kept it in my garage bag more than on the course. Cleveland prices these right but they also get hit hard on value if you try to trade-in. Checked today and the HB Soft #11 worth 21.50.
More to follow when I get some real world testing but here are some initial impressions:
I received the 10.5 which came with a lambkin grip, black shaft and muted black club head.
First thing I have to say is that I love the grip. This grip feels perfect for my hand. I have a pretty good handspan and the size and shape of the grip feels comfortable and a good fit.
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The underside is embossed with the model name and particular version (10.5 in my case). The leading edge has an angled portion in which the model and "optimized milling" appears.
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The Cleveland Golf brand is embossed is recessed on the back side.
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More to follow!
The 10.5 turned out to be a popular choice.
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I got the inevitable email this morning…. out of stock and unable to provide and ETA. I pushed back a bit to see if I can get some more information.
Side note: has anyone ever used 2nd Swing’s chat feature? The rep I got was super rude and unhelpful. It was like pulling teeth to get info out of him. Help me help you take my money.
Awaiting back a response from their custom order team.
I would think the delay is because Cleveland is backed up with orders. I was on the Cleveland website earlier this week and they indicated an unavailability for most of the Soft Premier models. I’ll guess that you’ll have to be patient. That said, that doesn’t excuse the rudeness you received from the rep at 2nd Swing.
Delay is absolutely on Cleveland side. Still frustrating nonetheless as I have been trying to get my hands on one for a while now at one of the many proshops they list as vendors. I’m yet to see a putter from the premier line (even RH) at any of the 5 vendors I visited. They had to anticipated these putters would fly off the shelves, right? Or no? Seems to me like the supply is no where near what the demand is…
Blah.
Nobody anticipated what golf sales would be like the last 3 months. Inventory is low for every single brand.
Plus I’m pretty sure these are available from some online retailers… I may or may not have a #8 sitting in my Budget Golf cart.
EDIT: Scratch that. Site says expect delays.
I do believe Budget has them in stock. Not sure if THP Coupon works on them.
Budget is shipping direct from the manufacturer and said discounts don’t apply to these. PGA Superstore appears to have the #8 in stock at least.
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I understand. While frustrated, I tried to remain patient and polite throughout my conversations. I just spoke w/ a 2nd Swing rep who did his very best to sell me every other putter under the sun. The cliff notes of it all is that I am not going to see this putter any time soon. I am going to keep my order placed and hope that one of these days I am going to have a package show up and surprise me.
It will be like an early Christmas — I’m just not sure if it’s going to be Christmas 2020 or Christmas 2021 yet.
Were you asking them to make you one from scratch? I don’t understand
I can’t find any Soft putters for lefties except the #1 and #11, I have seen this before with other brands. They have very limited models for lefties. So, I’m guessing they’d have to modify a jig or have a tech hand weld or whatever a shaft to the left side of a #14 putter head.
I felt I played pretty well with this putter for the first time out, better than the first couple of rounds with my Odyssyey EXO Seven Mini S.
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I hit putts from all ranges, uphill, downhill, straight, and some big breakers.
Alignment for my eye, and from what I am so used to, goes to the #11 and the 7. I am just so used to that shape that alignment is pretty automatic. As I’ve mentioned before, the black site line on the #10.5 doesn’t provide enough contrast for my eye, although I think I’ll get used to it.
Sound and feel go to the Cleveland putters. I guess I’m just partial to milled faces over inserts. The #10,5 and #11 really give me a more natural feel, and center impact gives a pleasingly solid "toc" sound, getting slightly higher in pitch on off-center hits.
Consistency goes to the Clevelands too. Again, I think the milled face gets a lot of credit here, as my distance control is way better with these over the Odyssey.
Looks is a tough call, but I have to admit I gotta give the Edge to the Odyssey here. The Black and Red head, with white site lines, and the Stroke Lab shaft, are just a great looking package. The new HB SOFT Premier comes in a very close second though, and it isn’t that far ahead of the HB SOFT #11.
The only other thing of note, and I’ll probably be stating this one again and again, is that the Lamkin SINKFIT grip on the Premier putters is fantastic. This one is the Pistol, not the Skinny Pistol, and might just be my favorite putter grip ever!
I like the 11, but I might like this one even more! What a beaut!
First impression, love the way it looks when I’m over the ball. The grip is great. I like a pistol grip for my putter and this Lamkin is perfect for my hands. The weight is spot on. I like a heavier putter. I have a Odyssey Stroke Lab Double Wide in the bag now and this comes off the face way different, to me. I have only used Odyssey putters. This is my first milled face one. There is a bit of difference. Not use to it popping off face like it does with this #11. I have rolled about 25 or so putts inside. I have a Puttout, really like it. I am planning on hitting the course up the road tomorrow and/or Friday to hit some on their practice green. I’m taking both to the course as well. Ill be rolling more off and on all day tomorrow and Friday. Aw hell, probably all weekend as well. So, ill give more info probably every night if not every other.
This was exactly how I felt!
@Dude_Abiding I ordered from PGA Super Store yesterday and they’re delivering tomorrow. Just food for thought if you don’t want to wait.
Mine showed up at 8pm last night. I haven’t been able to open it yet but I will be tonight! Very, very exciting.
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Appreciate the heads-up — they don’t have the 33"I need. I’m short, man
How did you feel about the alignment aid being the same color?
It is actually dark enough to see clearly. I thought it might be an issue because it doesn’t extend all the way to the face, but it’s fine.
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PS – whatever you guys do, don’t tell @ddec and @Jman that I really like the shape. They talked me into it and I will NEVER HEAR THE END OF IT!
glad i got in early with the SOFT 11 and Elevado
It’s official this is the best looking in the line… Well that 11 with fangs is nice too…
For those that day alignment is dark, is it painted dark or just a hollowed out in design.
I used a non painted in silver and obviously there is contrast there, here seems a bit less. I would be very tempted to paint fill.
It appears to be hollowed out. I’ve given the fill some thought too. The hollowed portion is clear enough to see but for me I think the bright contrast on my Spider X helps me subconsciously.
Definitely grown accustomed to the big white alignments… Thinking white would look classy.
I know putters.
The alignment is a groove with black paint fill. I’m also considering doing a paint fill of a different color, white being the first thought, but possibly some other high contrast color. I’ll probably play around with some ideas with PhotoShop, and post some possibilities when I do.
That’s a great idea. I don’t mind that it’s completely blank canvas.