Cleveland TFi2135 Putter

Something strange has been happening to me recently. I am not sure if they were signals to me which meant anything. The birdies are coming to me!!! I am not talking about golf, not the one under-par birdie but real '"live ones". These are once in a lifetime experience. No, make once in many lifetimes. One morning, on the way to work, I saw something from a distance going up the windscreen of a parked car. As I got nearer, I saw that it was a beautiful bird. It would jump or fly a little and glide down the windscreen. 

Woodpeckers

It was a woodpecker! You know the cartoon version - Woody Woodpecker? I have seen woodpeckers pecking at trees during nature walk or at a golf course but never on a car. Maybe it was the reflection. 

Later I realise there were actually two birds, the other was at the front passenger door pecking at the glass! What an amazing sight and experience!

(Woody Woodpecker): My hero when I was a toddler - 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcJTSnBueO8

King Fisher

Then one day at golf. Just after completing hole one and moving on a buggy to the next and at a small bend, something hit our buggy top suddenly. It was a loud noise. We were momentarily stunned and I saw something but did not know what it was. my friend slowed down and stop driving. Looking around I saw nothing then lo and behold...there was a beautiful blue Kingfisher lying between both of us with its wings fully spread. I was stunned and was just thinking what I should do to save it as I thought it might have broke its neck. As I was thinking to hold it up by its wings, it suddenly moved and dropped onto the buggy floor and before I could pick it up, it flew away, first in a zig-zag manner and then straight. Thank goodness! It happened too quickly that I forgot to take a photo of it for one will never get so close to a kingfisher ever. On hindsight, fortunately I did not for if I were to post it, I may get accused of arranging the bird to pose for a photo. Some idiotic photographers do it these days from what I read from true nature lovers and photographers. 

Cleveland - Putter

Anyone owns a Cleveland putter? Well, Cleveland was once just a wedge specialist created by Roger Cleveland with some persimmon woods in the old days with the most famous being the 588 which is one of the best selling clubs of all time. 

We are in a modern world where everywhere and everyone copies one another for a quick buck or two. When one Bubble Tea shop opens and got popular everyone jumped in. Ditto all the cafe and coffee joints sprouting all over. Is this real creativity, enterprise or entrepreneurship? It is the same in the golf world. Once Ping came out with perimeter weighting, everybody did the same. Then stretching the centre of gravity, lengthening and lightening of shaft followed and changing of weights with lofts and flight patterns. I may experiment with clubs or any products by doing research and so on but I do not easily buy into any claims till I find a really good one that I could subscribe to. 

To me a lot of things have to do with ''bandwagon jumping''. At one time, everybody was selling Bubble Tea. Now everyone is opening a cafe or coffee joint because it is their passion and we may even call these entrepreneurs. I thought we should be calling them businessmen. Even in Hollywood, they have remnants of previous movies like ''Alien'' and ''Predator'' so someone came up with an idea and they gave us ''Alien v Predator''.

Now we have Batman v Superman. Next could be Catwoman v Wonderwoman or maybe Smurf v Avatar. So, what is a really good and innovative product? One man's meat is another man's poison. Have you been reading that brand-name retailers are pulling out of Singapore? More people buying online? High rental? Are we supporting local businesses? Will there come a time where you could only buy anything online and not from real shops? Not me. I will splash some cash to keep good traditions going.

TFi2135

What is TFi2135? TFi is short for True Feel Innovation. 2135 refers to the radius of a golf ball which is 21.35 mm. The sight line of this putter has been raised to the equator of the golf ball and that is exactly 21.35 mm. What you see here is the TFi2135 1.0. Cleveland has been designing putters since the 70s, that is almost twenty years before Scotty Cameron started making putters for Mizuno but it seems nobody talks about or uses a Cleveland putter. For starters, I like how they design the cover. Cleveland certainly make better covers than Odyssey. All my previous Odyssey putter covers peels and degenerate by itself after a while.

You could see the sight line of this putter has been elevated to the equator of the golf ball at exactly 21.35 mm. All other putters have theirs on the top line or on the flange. This is to help golfers consistently line up the golf ball with the sweet spot. You will realise that most experienced golfers are quite able to read lines and acquire distance control but very often things can go awry due to the sight line during alignment of a putt. With one degree wrong angle it could lead to disastrous result. 

We have been taught that when lining up a putt, our eyes should be directly over the ball or slightly behind during address. The problem is you do not always get it right. Most people set up either to far away or too close resulting in hitting more towards the heel or the toe ending up with a wayward putt. Traditional sight lines cause alignment changes when you look over the ball. When you eyes are on the inside of the ball, you are aligning it closer to the heel. When your eyes are on the outside of the ball, you are closer o the toe whereas this one points you to the centre of the ball.

Purists may frown at the various colours at address but I differ. This is not an error eraser but it will help eliminate a faulty set up by enhancing visual qualities. You will still have to put in a good roll. The face has quite an incredibly soft feel to it which is a prerequisite for a good putter. There is a copolymer layer of cushion behind the face with a milled copper infused face. I think that the white and gold layers makes it cool. 

This one is a standard heel-toe balance blade and the long plumber's neck gives it more toe hang and suitable for most strokes. I like the matte black that prevents glint. Those who often leaves putts short should look for the ones with heavier heads. 

This putter looks great even from the bottom up. 

It comes with a solid grip in terms of design...

... as well as function. One of the better grip among all putters. It is made from multi-density rubber meaning softer and firmer at different parts of the grip. 

Here you can see the beauty from another angle and also the raised alignment but does it really help? 

Another clear view of this alignment aid. It seems to have helped me improve on the putting during set up. There seems to be much less movement when your eyes shift position relative to the ball. I am also more aware during set up even when using other putters without the similar sight line. So the 2135 has served its purpose. At 345g, the heft is just nice and not over weight. 

All golfers have different style even when it comes to putting. Some have eyes looking on front of, behind or directly over the ball so this revolution allows you with correct alignment regardless of your set up. 

If you like me believe that alignment is key to great putts, then Cleveland has "raised the bar". In putting, you have to factor in the stroke, the breaks, the speed and distance control and one of the most important is the alignment. Alignment comes before everything else. With this weapon, you know that alignment is no longer a problem. So those who has alignment problems should try it. Some do not even know what they do not know. So since you do not know what you do not know, you may think you know. 80% of golfers do not stand with their eyes directly over the ball. 

Is this just a placebo effect? It will help me remove doubts and gain confidence. the 2135 putter is interesting and like no other. Do you wish to take one more stroke or listening to the sound of the tin cup and then picking your ball out of the hole? I give credit to Cleveland for coming up with a technology that is truly different. There is no gimmick. With this everyone sees the line at the same spot and it is stylish. I still love my Scotty Cameron but this one here is right up there with the best. I highly recommend that you check this out.

Golf as in life. Play as it lies.