Expert Review: Cleveland HB Soft Milled #8 Putter
All photos courtesy of Ryan Tolentino
About this Review: This review is my honest opinion of the putter, which I tested for one day in April of 2023.
My take
The Cleveland HB Soft Milled #8 is a putter for a player that is looking for a putter with easy alignment, a soft feel, consistent roll, and a slight arc stroke.
About the club I tested
- Model: 2023 Cleveland HB Soft Milled #8 Plumbers Neck Putter
- Shape: Blade
- Hosel Neck: Plumbers Neck
- Balance Point: 12”
- Shaft Length: 35”
- Grip Type: Pistol Grip
- Finish: Chrome and Matte Black
About me
- Average Score: 78
- Handicap: 6
- Experience: 30+ years playing golf
- Right/Left-Handed: Right-Handed
- Stroke Type: Straight back and through
- Golf Ball Used: TaylorMade TP
- Height: 6’0”
Test conditions
- When I tested the putter: April 2023
- Days tested: 1
- Where I’ve used it: Practice Green
- Weather and Wind Conditions: Inside
- Green Speed: Medium-Slow
- Grass Type: Turf
How it performs
What I was looking for
I was looking for a putter that would give me confidence that I am lined up properly and help me make more putts from 20-25 feet and keep the three putts to a minimum.
Cleveland HB Soft Milled #8
Why I chose to test this club
I chose the Cleveland HB Soft Milled #8 putter to test as I am looking for one that lends itself to a slight arc stroke, a blade-style putter with a slightly larger footprint and soft feel that still provides consistent energy when coming off the face. This putter is at the top of the list of putters I am currently testing.
What I love about it
- Face Feel: The milled face design provides a soft feel coming off the face of the putter. The specific milled pattern helps with distance control on strikes that don’t hit the center of the face. This technology helps reduce skidding and promote a true roll, allowing golfers more confidence in their putting strokes.
- Forgiveness: The heavier weighting and milled face grooves provide a consistent roll and distance control even on off-center strikes, especially on putts of longer length.
- Weight: The head weight of the putter is 365g which is towards the heavier end of the HB Soft Milled lineup of putters and helps create more forgiveness on mishit putts.
- Alignment: The matte black finish and white center alignment line help frame the ball nicely, giving confidence that the putter is lined up properly. This is a great feature that helps align those super-long putts.
- Length: The 35” length is the ideal putter length for my putter setup. A player that tends to bend over a little more at address or is shorter in stature may look at a shorter length.
- Aesthetic Appeal: The putter has a traditional look with a chrome and matte black finish with a white sight line that frames the golf ball nicely. As mentioned, the look of this putter definitely inspires confidence at setup.
- Balance: This putter had a great balance to it. Not overly heavy or too light at 35”. The handle and head seemed to move quite nicely together, unlike other putters I tested that seemed to not move in unison. Now at other lengths, there could be a difference which is something to consider.
Issues I’ve encountered
- Grip Feel: The grip is a pistol grip that is smaller than most grips today. I lean towards larger grips to help keep my hands out of the stroke.
- Customization: This putter off the rack does not have any customization, such as a moveable weight system. However, you can customize the putter with four plus grip options, two shaft options, loft and lie adjustments +/- minus two degrees, and lengths from 32”-37”.
Best Putt or Round with this Putter
I was super consistent from 6-8 feet, making around two-thirds of my putts from that distance. I was impressed by the distance control and ease of alignment I had from 20-30 feet. The putts stayed close to their intended line, even with a few off-center strikes.
Value for the money vs. other options
Other putters that I tested were the Bettinardi BB-28 and the Odyssey Tri-Hot One. The Cleveland HB Soft Milled #8 putter is a great value compared to the putters I tried. Even though it has a simplistic design and features, it gives me the soft feel and consistency that I was looking for in a putter.
Final verdict
The Cleveland HB Soft Milled #8 putter gave me the ultra-soft feel I was looking for with the consistency on varying-length putts that most soft-feeling putters do not have. Overall, the Cleveland putter's precision-milled face, high-contrast alignment aid, and sleek design make it a great option for golfers of all skill levels who want to improve their putting.
