Exclusive Preview: Cleveland VP Putter

Cleveland Golf is poised to launch an intriguing new putter—and PutterZone.com is excited to offer an exclusive insider’s preview into how it might raise your game.

PutterZone.com spoke with two Cleveland Golf representatives on Friday afternoon, who confirmed that Cleveland Golf’s Visual Performance (VP) putters are set to hit retail outlets and online shipping availability on July 1. Two blade versions will be offered at a suggested price of $155 ($109 minimum street price). A mallet model will be offered for a suggested retail price of $180 ($129 minimum).

When it comes to putters, Cleveland Golf is perhaps best known as the parent company of the high-end Never Compromise putter brand. But with the new Visual Performance putters, Cleveland Golf itself appears ready to make its own mark in putting technology while still offering relative value.

Cleveland Golf’s Visual Performance putters are engineered as a solution to the common putting problem of misalignment, which often resides at the crossroads of optical and physical malfunction. Misalignment can be visually subtle, yet the consequences can be very overt as your ball sails wide of the hole.

VP putters, therefore, are designed to get your alignment on track by providing visual cues that aid both your setup and your eye position. These cues fall under the banner of Dual Axis Alignment technology. The stated result is improved aim and ultimately better distance control.

The toe-down blade models (one with c-neck hosel, the other with a plumber’s neck hosel) feature an elliptical injection-molded polymer back insert that juts slightly beyond the top border of the blade. The insert features a notch at its center, and an orange sightline crosses the upper heel of the blade. With a correct setup, and with your eyes over, and in line, with the ball, the insert’s notch will embrace the orange sightline to communicate proper alignment.

The face balanced mallet features a dual injection-molded sightline with three horizontal white-rimmed holes encased in black. With a correct setup, and with your eyes over, and in line, with the ball, the holes are hidden to communicate proper alignment.

Every VP putter features a soft elastomer face insert for enhanced feel. The blades are called VP1 and VP2, and the mallet is called VP5. The alignment system on the blade models, as described above, is somewhat similar to the LieAline feature seen on Rife’s 2 Bar putters.

According to Cleveland Golf: “With the Visual Performance putters, Cleveland Golf has produced a series of putters that will aid players by getting them into the correct address position every time…Using Dual Axis Alignment technology, golfers are now able to determine when their hands move out of position as well as detect when their eyes are not directly over the ball. These are the two major contributors to pushed and pulled putts. By addressing both of these issues, VP putters increase impact consistency.”

As an added level of customization, all three VP putter models are available in standard, flat and upright lie angle configurations. Cleveland Golf is installing in-store POP stations with mirrors that will enable you to fit yourself to the correct lie angle.

Special thanks to Cleveland Golf for offering PutterZone.com readers this exclusive preview of its Visual Performance putters.