The Cleveland HB Soft 2 Black Retreve finished at -5.7 PuttView Handicap in our 2026 mallet test. That ties it for third overall.
For $199? That’s not where you expect to find it.
The more interesting part isn’t just where it finished; it’s how it got there.
No weak distance
The Cleveland doesn’t rely on one standout category. It’s steady across the board.
From short range, it posted a -5.8 which keeps it right in line with the better performers in the test. From long distance, it was even stronger at -9.3, showing the kind of speed control you typically see near the top of the leaderboard.
The middle is where things usually fall apart. That didn’t happen here. At -1.8 from mid-range, it’s not leading the test but it avoids the drop-off we saw from a number of otherwise strong putters. That’s a big part of why the total score holds up.
Top 5 mallet putters (2026 test)
| Rank | Putter | PV HCP | PV Short | PV Medium | PV Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bettinardi BB 6.0 | -6.3 | -6.5 | -1.6 | -10.4 |
| 2 | Bettinardi BB 7.0 | -5.9 | -7.4 | -0.1 | -8.5 |
| T-3 | Ben Hogan BHM02 | -5.7 | -5.0 | -4.0 | -8.9 |
| T-3 | Ben Hogan BHM03 | -5.7 | -5.2 | -5.9 | -6.6 |
| T-3 | Cleveland HB Soft 2 Black Retreve | -5.7 | -5.8 | -1.8 | -9.3 |
Misses stay manageable
Just as important as what happens on a good putt is what happens on a poor putt.
The Cleveland finished with a 44.3 percent make rate and an average miss of 16.9 inches. That’s in line with the top of the field.
In addition, to finish with a -9.3 from long range, it had an average miss at that length of only 18.7 inches. That’s four inches closer to the hole than some of the worst putters for long distances.
This isn’t a one-year result
Cleveland showed a very similar profile in 2025. The Cleveland HB Soft 2 Model 10.5 finished at -6.8 overall, with:
- -5.7 (short)
- -7.0 (medium)
- -8.9 (long)
That’s a slightly different shape than the 2026 result but the outcome is the same: strong performance across all three distances without a category pulling the score down. Most importantly for many golfers, their price is a bit easier to wrap your mind around.
Final thoughts
If you’re in the market for a putter that’s proven itself in a test with models more than three times its price point, the Cleveland HB Soft 2 Black Retreve is one to consider.
Ellsworth Pilie
1 month ago
My first putter cost me $5.00 in 1964 kept it until 1999 when I won a Ping Anser in a tournament in 1999. My dad took my $5 putter and used it until he stopped playing in 2022 when he was 92. It isn’t the putter, it’s the hands holding the putter and the brain working the hands. Look at the putter Bobby Jones used his entire golfing career.