Expert Review: Cleveland Huntington Beach Soft Premier #10.5C Putter
Published on 05/03/2023 · 4 min readThis review is my honest opinion of the putter, which I purchased with my own money in February of 2023.
Black Finish Shaft, Gray Satin finish club head, milled grind face! All photos courtesy of Michael V.
About this Review: This review is my honest opinion of the putter, which I purchased with my own money in February of 2023.
My take
The Cleveland Huntington Beach SOFT Premier #10.5C Putter is a great option for golfers who make consistent contact and want a heavier-feeling center-shaft mallet. Extremely easy to control speed and gain confidence with, this putter is made for straight back, straight-through putting strokes.
Comfort and Confident.
About the club I own
- Model: Cleveland Huntington Beach SOFT Premier #10.5C Putter
- Shape: Mallet
- Hosel Neck: Center Shaft
- Shaft Length: 37 inches
- Grip Type: Lamkin Cord
- Finish: Satin
About me
- Average Score: 74
- Handicap: 1.2 Handicap Index
- Experience: 10 years of golf
- Right/Left-Handed: Right-handed
- Stroke Type: Straight Back, Straight Through
- Golf Ball Used: Mizuno RB Tour X, Wilson Staff Model
- Height: 6’5”
Test conditions
- When I bought the putter: February 2023
- Days tested: 30
- Where I’ve used it: Course and practice greens
- Weather and Wind Conditions: Mostly sunny days
- Green Speed: Mostly faster greens
How it performs
What I was looking for
I was in search of the best deal on a quality center-shaft putter. I wanted a performance-based putter that could be my long-term backup.
Narrow but effective
Why I chose this club
I chose this club for the exceptional price, great looks, brand name, face milling, and black-finish shaft. I did consider other options, mostly in the new Cleveland line with shaft upgrades. Though I decided on this club since I already have a few other shaft-upgraded putters.
Face milling! Firm and responsive
What I love about it
- Face Feel: This club features an immaculate face feel, premium face milling, and is preferred for golfers who like a firmer and more responsive face. With some putters one can tell drastic changes between golf ball feel, not this one—the face feels great on every golf ball tested.
- Weight: With the weighted feel and easy-to-control speed, I can putt aggressively. I notice that difference the most on longer putts and putts within 10 feet. Though I did have the putter cut in length to achieve my ideal weight feel.
- Length: The 37-inch length fits me perfectly, allowing for a natural putting stroke. Though if ordered too long, the putter can feel quite heavy and need to be cut in length.
- Aesthetic Appeal: This putter looks fantastic: the black finish shaft, satin finish clubhead, face milling, and alignment line are all top-notch.
- Grip Feel: Great grip feel, absolutely love the Lamkin grips. This putter feels very traditional, and the cord grips help me because I have sweaty hands. They also perform well in any weather conditions.
- Customization: I like the flatter lie angle customization to be able to keep my hands lower while standing closer to the ball. This is only a comfort-based customization.
Issues I’ve encountered
- Forgiveness: This putter is not as forgiving as I expected. It features a bit smaller of a profile, which looks great but doesn’t offer as much forgiveness on toe and heel strikes. Being a mallet, I was expecting this putter to be a tad more forgiving.
- Alignment: This club is not my favorite to align. When putting the club down, the clubface tends to be open and needs to be closed a touch. It’s not ideal for a golfer like myself who tends to push their putts.
- Customization: Not being able to order custom loft putters is not ideal; I would have gone with a stronger loft so I don’t have to be aggressive with my putting style.
Headcover - designed perfectly
Your next putter? Reach out for help deciding!
Best Putt or Round with this Putter
My favorite round with the Cleveland Putter was a round at a tough course where I had no three-putts. All of my long putts were put close to the hole. I could not miss outside of 10 feet. Any confidence boost while putting is much appreciated.
Value for the money vs. other options
Cleveland’s Huntington line offers extreme value at a great price point. The only other line of putters that offer near the same value at the same price tag is the Odyssey DFX line. Odyssey’s face inserts are fantastic and feel much softer coming off the face. Though the Premier line from Cleveland offers that next step up in materials and looks. In my opinion, they’re the best value on the market.
Final verdict
The Cleveland Huntington Premiere Center Shaft putter is ideal for more skilled putters focused on speed control. It’s not the most forgiving mallet, but it does have some nice weight for a consistent stroke.
