I’ve probably switched out putters two or more times a season, for one reason or another. Why? I think it’s because we are always looking for that silver bullet to lower our scores. Buying a new putter can be expensive and a costly proposition, with a good putter starting at $149 and up. Luckily, you don’t have to break the bank to get a good putter anymore, thanks to the value line of Cleveland Classic Putters that debuted at the 2009 PGA Merchandise Show.
Look and Feel
The Cleveland Classic 1 putter like the name implies, is a classic inspired Anser style putter from Cleveland Golf made from 17-4 Stainless Steel with a hand polished satin finish. The classic red grip and plumbers neck shaft of the Cleveland Classic give this budget minded putter the look of a more expensive Scotty Cameron. The white alignment strip on top of the precision milled clubhead weighing 340g with 70*lie and 3* loft. Based on looks and setup, I don’t think most people would be able to tell that this putter sells for under $100.
Performance
All the Cleveland Classic putters come with a precision milled face made of 17-4 Stainless Steel that is surprisingly quite responsive and provides ample feedback for a no frills putter. You can tell immeadiately if a putt is well struck or not. A putt hit in the sweetspot of the Classic produces a soft like feel at impact of your putting stroke and the ball rolls very smoothly across the green.If you miss hit, you really can tell by not just the feel of the putter which is stiff, but by the sound which is very muted and dull.
The Cleveland Classic 1 doesn’t have any fancy polymer inserts or optical illusion type site lines, but it is heel-toe weighted for increased moment of inertia and less twisting on off-center hits. On off-center hits the ball gets rolling relatively smoothly across the green with little problem at all. While I did find the heel-toe weighting to provide reduced amount of twisting on my off-center hits, you could steel feel that you didn’t hit your putt in the sweetspot. I think the Cleveland Classic 1 performed just as well most other heel-toe weighted blade putters in off-center hits.
Overall, I was quite impressed by how well this sub $100 putter performed in terms of feel and responsiveness, comparable to more expensive Anser blade designed putters on the market.
Is this bag worthy of being in your putter rotation? Yes! Will it help you lower your score? Maybe. For the money, this is a nice line of consumer friendly putters that provide performance on a budget, and worth giving a shot.
Cleveland Classic 1 Putter $69.99
