Cleveland Huntington Beach Soft #11 Putter

High MOI Putter

Cleveland doesn't get talked about much in the putter conversation, and the Huntington Beach Soft #11 is a good example of why that's a mistake. This is a large mallet that costs a fraction of what the tour-brand mallets run, and it does the two things a game-improvement putter needs to do: it forgives mishits and it helps you aim.

The #11 is a face-balanced mallet with high MOI, which is a specific combination. Face balanced means the head wants to stay square through the stroke instead of rotating open and closed, so it fits a golfer whose putting stroke moves more or less straight back and straight through. High MOI means the head resists twisting when you catch a putt off the toe or heel, so a strike that's a groove or two off center still rolls close to the speed and line you intended.

The "Soft" in the name refers to the face. Cleveland uses a milled face here with a variable pattern, tighter grooves in the center and more open toward the edges, meant to even out ball speed across the face. Paired with the soft feel off the milling, it's a putter built for feedback and consistency rather than a firm, clicky roll.

Design

The head is a full mallet shape with a wide footprint, which is where the high MOI comes from. Cleveland positions weight low and back and toward the perimeter, so the resistance to twisting on off-center hits is baked into the geometry rather than added on as a gimmick. The alignment aid on the crown gives you clear reference lines to set the face square to your target, which matters on a mallet this size because there's a lot of surface to aim. The milled face is the signature piece. It's a soft carbon face with a machined pattern designed to standardize speed across the hitting area, so a putt struck slightly off center loses less pace than it would on a flat, untreated face. The finish and feel lean soft and muted, which is the point. This is a putter you read through your hands.

Who It's For

• You putt with a straight-back, straight-through stroke and want a head that stays square rather than one that rotates.
• You miss the center of the face often enough that forgiveness matters more to you than a tour-blade look.
• You aim better with lines and a larger head to frame the ball over the target.
• You want mallet performance without paying premium-brand mallet prices.
• You prefer a soft, muted feel off the face over a firm, fast roll.

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 Huntington Beach Soft #11 good for a straight putting stroke or an arc?

It's built for a straight stroke. The #11 is face balanced, meaning the face points up when you balance the shaft on your finger, and that setup fits a golfer whose stroke goes more or less straight back and through. If you have a strong arc where the face opens and closes a lot, a toe-hang putter usually suits you better than this one.

What does the soft milled face actually do?

The face is milled with a variable pattern, tighter in the center and more open toward the edges, so ball speed stays more consistent across the whole face. In practice, a putt you catch slightly off center rolls closer to the speed of a centered strike than it would on a flat face. The milling also gives it the soft feel the name points to.

How forgiving is the #11 compared to a blade?

Considerably more forgiving. It's a high-MOI mallet, so the wide, deep head resists twisting on toe and heel strikes far better than a compact blade does. If your misses are mostly about catching the face off center rather than reading the line wrong, this putter holds your speed and direction better than a blade would.

Does the alignment aid actually help with aim?

It helps if you're the type who aims better with lines. The crown has clear alignment references, and on a mallet this size that gives you a bigger visual frame to square the face to your target. Some golfers aim better with a clean, simple top and get distracted by lines, so it comes down to your eye, but most players who struggle with aim benefit from the guidance.

Is the Huntington Beach Soft #11 worth it at its price?

That's the main argument for it. You're getting a genuine high-MOI mallet with a milled face and alignment help for well under what the marquee-brand mallets cost. It won't have the badge or the resale value of a Scotty or an Odyssey, but the performance for a straight-stroke, forgiveness-first golfer is real, and the value is where it separates itself.

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