Cleveland HB Soft 2 #11 Putter

Mallet Putter

Cleveland built the HB Soft line for golfers who don't want to think much about their putter, and the #11 fits that brief. It's a mallet, so weight sits back and out behind the face and the head resists twisting when you catch one off the toe. What separates it from a shelf full of similar looking mallets is the face. Cleveland mills the striking surface with a pattern that varies in depth, deeper through the middle where most contact happens and shallower toward the edges. The point of that is speed. A putt struck slightly out of the heel shouldn't come up four feet short.

Mid toe hang tells you most of what you need to know about who this 2026 model is for. Balance the shaft on your finger and the toe drops partway toward the ground, which means the head wants to rotate through the stroke. If your putter travels on a slight arc, that rotation is free help. If you're a genuine straight back and straight through putter, you'll be working against the head instead of with it.

One thing to sort out before you buy: there's no sightline on the crown. Golfers tend to love that or hate it with very little in between. You aim off the leading edge and the outline of the head, and a fair number of players actually aim better that way because they stop trusting a painted line that never matched their eyes.

Design

High Bounce is what the HB stands for, and it's the part most golfers skip past. Cleveland angles the sole so the leading edge sits up slightly off the turf at address. On shaggy afternoon greens or a putt from the collar, the head glides rather than catching, and you can lean the shaft forward at setup, which most golfers do without realizing it, and still not dig the front edge into the grass. Small detail, but it removes a specific mishit from your day. The rest is standard mallet logic done well. Mass pushed to the perimeter keeps the face from twisting on strikes away from center, and the variable depth milling works on the same problem from the other direction by evening out ball speed across the face. Clean crown, no alignment aid, nothing to look at but the shape. Mid toe hang comes from the shaft position, putting this squarely in slight arc territory instead of face balanced.

Who It's For

• You putt with a slight arc and want a mallet that won't fight the natural rotation in your stroke.
• Heel and toe strikes leave you short, and better speed on those misses would erase a few three putts a round.
• Alignment lines on the crown have never helped you aim, or they actively pull your eye the wrong way.
• Slower, bumpier, less than perfect greens are your normal, which is exactly where the high bounce sole earns its keep.
• Soft feel at impact matters to you and a firm, clicky putter makes you decelerate.

Technology

About Cleveland

Cleveland brings their wedge expertise to putters, focusing on feel and short-game scoring. Their Speed Optimized Face Technology creates consistent ball speed across the face.

Specifications

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the HB Soft 2 #11 face balanced?

No. It has mid toe hang, so the toe drops partway toward the ground when you balance the shaft on your finger. That suits a stroke with some arc in it. Face balanced putters are the ones that resist rotation through the stroke, and if you move the putter straight back and straight through, you'd be better served by one of those.

What does a high bounce sole actually do on a putter?

It lifts the leading edge slightly off the turf at address. Two things come out of that. The head doesn't snag on longer grass or on a putt from the fringe, and you can press your hands forward at setup without the front edge digging in. On fast, tightly cut greens you'll barely notice. On a muni green at four in the afternoon, you will.

Can I putt well without an alignment line?

Plenty of good putters do. You aim off the leading edge and the shape of the head instead of a painted line. Give it two or three rounds before you judge it. If you notice a pattern of pulls, check your aim with a putting mirror or have someone lay a shaft down behind your line. Some golfers find their aim gets more accurate once the line is gone, because a line that sits even slightly off your eye position quietly steers you offline.

How does the HB Soft 2 compare to Cleveland's milled putters?

The milled models feel firmer and give you more feedback on where you struck it, and they cost more. The HB Soft 2 goes the other direction with a softer, quieter impact at a friendlier price. Neither is the better putter. It comes down to whether you want to feel every strike or you'd rather not know.

Does a soft face hurt distance control on long putts?

Soft doesn't have to mean slow, but it does change your calibration. The variable depth milling exists to keep off center strikes from losing speed, which is where most lag putting goes wrong. Coming from a firm faced putter, expect to make a slightly longer stroke on 40 footers for the first session or two, then it stops being something you think about.

Alternatives to the Cleveland HB Soft 2 #11

Other mallet putter models from different brands, closest to its model year.

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