Cleveland makes some of the best value putters you will find. The brand is better known for the excellence of its wedges so its putters often fly under the radar, but over recent years Cleveland has consistently produced some of the best putters out there.
Whether you prefer a blade putter or if you need that extra forgiveness you get with a mallet putter, the Cleveland HB SOFT 2 range covers all bases with its nine head shapes that include the Model 1 putter.
SOFT (Speed Optimised Face Technology) is a unique face-milling pattern which is designed to preserve ball speed even on those strikes that don’t hit the sweet spot. The milling pattern is more intense in the center of the face and less aggressive towards the sides. So there is less groove and more face on the heel and toe which evens out the speed difference.
A lot of research has gone into this and each putter in the HB SOFT 2 range has its own unique milling pattern which is based on that specific putter’s center of gravity and MOI properties.
As you might expect, they have a soft feel, although some in the range are softer than others. More on that shortly. There are nine SOFT 2 models and I was fortunate enough to get my hands on four of them. Eight of the nine are shapes we’ve seen before from Cleveland, but the ninth, the subject of this review, is something entirely new.
The Retreve is Cleveland’s first putter with the ability to pick the ball out of the hole. For those who struggle to bend down this makes life so much easier. Cleveland hasn’t done this before but Ping has been producing putters of this nature for years, like on the Sigma 2 Fetch from 2018, so there is certainly a market for them.
It might scream out “gimmick” but of the four HB SOFT 2 putters I tested this was my clear favorite, and not because it picked the ball out of the hole for me! Well not just because of that.
The HB SOFT 2 putters do not have the appearance of something you would expect to find in the price range in which they sit. With the milling on the face and the luxurious Pistol Grips they look every inch a premium product and that look is matched by the sound and feel when you strike a putt.
I loved the feel from the milled face although interestingly the feel was not the same across the HB SOFT 2 range. Each one I tried felt a little different, and the Retreve was a little firmer than the others (perhaps because of the gaping ball shaped hole behind the face) but it still gave a pleasant sensation out of the sweet spot.
The custom-made pistol grips are excellent and vary in thickness depending on the style of putter. The 'slight arc' models have a standard Pistol grip to encourage natural hand turn during the stroke, whereas with a 'straight back' motion you want to keep your hands quieter, which is assisted by the oversized Pistol grip.
The Pistol Oversize grip is ideal for me and even before I struck a putt with it I knew I was going to enjoy using the Retrieve just because of how it felt in my hands.
I tested it extensively at home on my artificial turf putting green and also on the practice green at Hurlston Hall Golf Club in West Lancashire.
There is a lot to be said for not having to keep bending down to pick the ball out of the hole. This certainly counts for something, although it would mean nothing if the putter was rubbish. If there’s little to choose between two putters, however, then this little extra feature may sway it for some golfers, especially senior players, although it does mean it won't look as pristine for as long as other putters that don't have this feature.
The Retreve really suited my eye as well as my stroke. I liked how it sat behind the ball and my takeaway was nice and smooth. I don’t have much arc on my stroke but I’m not completely straight back and through either, but I found that this putter fitted my game nicely it felt nicely balanced in my hands, which gave me confidence over the ball. The distance control I had was the thing that impressed me the most and because of the comfort level I had I was able to repeat my stroke consistently.
I found all four HB SOFT 2 putters to be quite fast off the face and I didn't leave many short. I wouldn’t say it was the most forgiving putter I have used but it can certainly hold its own. On mishits the ball was still reaching the hole most times.
So to summarise, the performance was excellent and when you also factor in the low price then I would say the Cleveland HB SOFT 2 range represent some of the best value for money putters on the market this year and are well worth a look, especially the all new Retreve model.
- The HB SOFT 2 range is now available in the US ($149.99) and is set for release in the UK & Ireland from February 24th, with an RRP of £139.99.
