Equipment: Cleveland TFi 2135 putters released
Cleveland have unveiled the the new TFi 2135 blade putters as the latest addition to its TFi (True Feel Innovation) line.
The TFi 2135 putters, available in three models (8.0, 6.5 and 1.0) are Cleveland’s most advanced putters to date.
They feature a milled, copper-infused face cap over a copolymer insert for improved feel and consistency.
To help golfers line up properly over their putts, Cleveland have raised the alignment line to the exact radius of a golf ball (21.35 millimeters to be exact)
It works whether golfers line up with the eye directly over the ball or behind it.
We caught up with Cleveland brand manager Adam Sheldon at the 2016 PGA Show to find out more about the putter line-up.
How does the new insert in the TFi 2135 putter work?
The new TFi inserts look gold but they are aluminium infused with copper and then behind that you’ve got a co-polymer which is basically two low density materials. When you’ve got two low density materials that allows us to take 100g our of the face and move it to the perimeter of the putter. What that does it it gives a high MOI (resistance to twisting) in a small blade product. So when you hit it slightly off centre it will resist to twisting.
What about the new sight line?
There’s a pretty unique thought process behind the 2135. We’re looking at how we can improve people’s alignment with putters.
The cool thing here is that most blade putters have their sight-line on the base of the flange – and that’s fine if your eyes are directly over the sight line and the golf ball. But we find that 80 per cent of golfers actually have their eyes inside the ball.
So when you’re driving the car and you’ve got a passenger there and to you the speedometer is saying 50mph your passenger is seeing it and it’s actually saying 55mph.
If your eyes are inside then you have a different perspective. So there is only one place to have an alignment aid and that is 21.35mm with is the exact radius of a golf ball.
Fundamentally there is no other right place to have a sight line.
What’s the theory behind the Smart Square putters then?
Everybody knows the two-ball putters. We look what has been successful and see where we can improve on it just like what most other companies do.
So with the Smart Square, I think the easiest way to explain it is this:
If you think about the way you mark a golf ball you use a circular ball marker – you put your balls marker down and you take the ball away.
Then what you are really relying on is to put the back to a tangent. Now think about doing that with a square – it just makes sense, you can put your ball back a lot more accurately – that’s really where the premise of the Smart Square comes from. Straight lines are better than circles when it comes to putting.
We’ve had quite a few wins on tour with it. It just makes sense and that’s what we’re trying to do.
We’re not trying to re-invent the wheel when it comes to the putter category, we’re just doing things that make sense, looking at the basics and making them better.
How important is it to have Counter-balanced options?
We’re seeing 20 percent of golfers now using a counter-balanced putter. What we’ve done is use a heavier head and a heavier grips so we move the balance point further up the shaft.
What that does is it makes the overall weight of the putter heavier but because that balance point has been raised it feels like a normal swing weight. It engages your muscles differently to give that more stable stroke back and through the putter
Cleveland TFi 2135 putters
SRP: £99.00.
Available: February 1, 2016
To view the full product range, please visit www.clevelandgolf.com
READ MORE
- Cleveland SmartSquare TFi Putter
- Cleveland new 588 RTX 2.0 wedges
- Short-game clinic with Cleveland ambassador Andrew Murray
Cleveland TFi 2135 putters
James Savage
Former equipment editor of NCG. Inconsistent ball-striker and tea-maker.
