For Cleveland Golf TFI stands for True Feel Innovation and it’s the name of the latest in their range of Smart Square putters.
Those of you who are familiar with the Smart Square concept will remember it is all about ‘Dual Axis Alignment’ with the two parallel lines of the squares helping you frame the ball to the line of the putt, whilst the perpendicular lines offer instant visual feedback if the putter is misaligned at address.
According to Cleveland this makes the Smart Square system 23% more accurate than “one of the most popular putters of all time”, and no, there are no prizes for guessing which one they’re talking about.
This is something we thought worked really well when we reviewed the original Smart Square putter so it is no surprise that Cleveland are sticking with it.
So if the squares are old but good where does the innovation come in?
As the name suggests it is linked to the feel of the putter and for that we need to turn our attention to the face.
Cleveland have combined two elements to deliver what they are calling True Feel.
Firstly, and most strikingly, is the milled copper infused face cap. This distinctive layer gives the player immediate feedback for both sound and feel when they hit the ball.
This is backed up by a co-polymer insert that is stationed directly behind the metal face and which Cleveland says provides feel and consistency across the face.
The TFI Smart Square putter head jigsaw is completed by two pieces that increase the MOI to give greater stability and minimise distance loss on off-centre hits.
A low density aluminium body, that carries the Dual Axis Alignment aid, allows more weight to be distributed to what Cleveland call the High Density Stabilising Wing. This is a white horseshoe shaped frame made of a high density zinc alloy that is 4 times heavier than steel and comprises 39% of the total putter mass.
The raises the MOI to keep those off centre strikes more online and also provides a different look to the black mallet or blade shapes of the original Smart Square putters.
