The quick answer
At this budget the putters in our records come from two makers: Cleveland’s HB SOFT 2 Black line and Wilson’s Infinite line. Both offer blades and mallets, or mallets only in Wilson’s case, so the first choice is head shape.
If you want a maker to tell you which stroke a head suits, look at the Cleveland models: Cleveland names a stroke type for each one. Wilson does not, but it lists the Infinite Zero Torque Lakeview as face balanced. Every putter here comes in 34 and 35 inch stock lengths.
Who this is for
Golfers with up to about $200 to spend on a new putter, whether it is a first putter bought on its own or a replacement, who want to see what that money buys and how the models differ on paper.
How this list is built
The list is every putter in our records whose lowest new price was at or under $200 at the stores we check, at the latest check. Prices move, so the list updates as they change: a putter that rises above $200 leaves the list at the bottom of this page and is named separately.
The groups below come only from what each maker publishes about head shape, neck and stroke. Where a maker does not publish something, the tables say so.
Blades
| Specification | Cleveland GolfHB SOFT 2 Black Model 1 | Cleveland GolfHB SOFT 2 Black Model 8C |
|---|---|---|
| Price when checked | $199.99 (TGW) | $199.99 (2nd Swing Golf) |
| Head shape | Blade | Blade |
| Maker’s stroke fit | Slight arc | Straight |
| Neck | Plumber’s neck hosel | Center shafted hosel |
| Face | Milled Speed Optimized Face Technology | Milled Speed Optimized Face Technology |
| Lengths | 34", 35" | 34", 35" |
Both blades are Cleveland’s. Cleveland calls the Model 1 “a classic blade design” and “the most traditional shape of all the HB SOFT 2 Black Putters,” with a plumber’s neck hosel, and says it is “best suited for a slight arc stroke.” The Model 8C “uses a slightly enlarged blade design paired with a center shafted hosel and three-line alignment system—best suited for a straight stroke.”
So the two blades differ mainly in neck and stroke: a plumber’s neck for a slight arc, or a center shaft for a straight stroke. Cleveland publishes no toe-hang figure for either.
Mallets
| Specification | WilsonInfinite Buckingham | WilsonInfinite Bucktown | Cleveland GolfHB SOFT 2 Black Model 10.5P | Cleveland GolfHB SOFT 2 Black Model 11 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price when checked | $139.99 (Global Golf) | $139.99 (PGA TOUR Superstore) | $199.99 (TGW) | $199.99 (TGW) |
| Head shape | Mallet | Mallet | Mallet | Mallet |
| Maker’s stroke fit | Not recorded | Not recorded | Slight arc | Straight |
| Neck | Not recorded | Not recorded | Plumber’s neck hosel | Single bend hosel |
| Face | Double-milled face | Double-milled face | Milled Speed Optimized Face Technology | Milled Speed Optimized Face Technology |
| Lengths | 34", 35" | 34", 35" | 34", 35" | 34", 35" |
Cleveland’s two mallets follow the same stroke split as its blades. The Model 10.5P has a “sleek ovular design” with a plumber’s neck hosel and one-line alignment, and Cleveland says it is “best suited for a slight arc stroke.” Of the Model 11, Cleveland says its “winged mallet design is paired with a single bend hosel and three-line alignment—best suited for a straight stroke.”
Wilson’s two mallets differ in shape. Wilson calls the Buckingham “a large mallet in the deluxe Infinite putter collection” and the Bucktown “a fang style mallet in the deluxe Infinite putter collection.” Both use the same alignment lines, which Wilson describes this way: “A thick middle line, with two thinner support lines to either side, optimizes focus allowing you to get dialed in on every single putt.” Wilson does not publish a neck type, a balance or a stroke type for either, and says both come right- and left-handed.
A torque-reducing design
| Specification | WilsonInfinite Zero Torque Lakeview |
|---|---|
| Price when checked | $199.99 (Global Golf) |
| Head shape | Not recorded |
| Balance | Face balanced |
| Neck | Not recorded |
| Face | Double-milled face |
| Lengths | 34", 35" |
Wilson says the Lakeview’s Zero Torque technology “keeps the putter face square to the target longer, reducing unwanted rotation for pure, consistent rolls with every stroke.” Its specification table gives the toe hang as “Face balanced.” It is the only putter here with a published balance. Our record of Wilson’s page has no head shape or neck type for the Lakeview, so those show as not published.
Face and length
Face. Every putter here has a milled face. Cleveland lists Milled Speed Optimized Face Technology on each of its models here, and Wilson lists a double-milled face on each of its models here.
Length. Every putter here is listed in 34 and 35 inch stock lengths. Cleveland says custom builds of the HB SOFT 2 Black models list 32 to 36 inches. How to choose putter length explains how to check which length suits your posture.
What you give up at this price
Fewer published specs. None of these makers publishes a loft, a head weight or a toe-hang figure for the putters here, and Wilson publishes no neck type. If balance matters to you, the Lakeview is the only one with a stated balance.
Fewer stock lengths. Each putter here is listed in two stock lengths, 34 and 35 inches. Cleveland lists other lengths only as custom builds, and our records of Wilson’s pages list only those two.
Fewer torque-reducing options. The Lakeview is the only putter here whose maker describes it as reducing rotation. The torque-reducing putters from L.A.B. Golf and Evnroll in our records, such as the L.A.B. Golf DF3, are priced above this budget.
Two makers. Every putter here is a Cleveland or a Wilson. Cleveland describes the HB SOFT 2 Black line as “a finely tuned, near-custom Putter for a practical price.”
All of them
Wilson says the Infinite Buckingham “is a sleek, balanced mallet putter optimized for ultimate precision, consistency and control.”
- Head shape
- Mallet
- Maker’s stroke fit
- Not recorded
- Lengths
- 34", 35"
$139.99
New, right-handed, 34 in (the page’s default build)
See at Global Golf: Wilson Infinite BuckinghamAffiliate linkWilson says the Infinite Bucktown “is a sleek, balanced fang mallet putter optimized for ultimate precision, consistency and control.”
- Head shape
- Mallet
- Maker’s stroke fit
- Not recorded
- Lengths
- 34", 35"
$139.99
Cleveland says the Model 1 is “the most traditional shape of all the HB SOFT 2 Black Putters.”
- Head shape
- Blade
- Maker’s stroke fit
- Slight arc
- Lengths
- 34", 35"
$199.99
See at TGW: Cleveland Golf HB SOFT 2 Black Model 1Affiliate linkCleveland says model 10.5P’s “sleek ovular design” with a plumber’s neck hosel and one-line alignment is “best suited for a slight arc stroke.”
- Head shape
- Mallet
- Maker’s stroke fit
- Slight arc
- Lengths
- 34", 35"
$199.99
See at TGW: Cleveland Golf HB SOFT 2 Black Model 10.5PAffiliate linkCleveland says model 11’s “winged mallet design is paired with a single bend hosel and three-line alignment—best suited for a straight stroke.”
- Head shape
- Mallet
- Maker’s stroke fit
- Straight
- Lengths
- 34", 35"
$199.99
TGW lists it as “HB Soft 2 #11 OS Black” (model 11 with Cleveland’s stock HB SOFT 2 Oversize grip)
See at TGW: Cleveland Golf HB SOFT 2 Black Model 11Affiliate linkCleveland Golf
HB SOFT 2 Black Model 8C
Cleveland says model 8C “uses a slightly enlarged blade design paired with a center shafted hosel and three-line alignment system—best suited for a straight stroke.”
- Head shape
- Blade
- Maker’s stroke fit
- Straight
- Lengths
- 34", 35"
$199.99
New, at the “Starting At” price 2nd Swing shows for the standard build
Wilson says the Lakeview’s Zero Torque technology “keeps the putter face square to the target longer, reducing unwanted rotation for pure, consistent rolls with every stroke.”
- Head shape
- Not recorded
- Maker’s stroke fit
- Not recorded
- Lengths
- 34", 35"
$199.99
See at Global Golf: Wilson Infinite Zero Torque LakeviewAffiliate link
Where to go next
- Putter Finder: choose your stroke and the head shape you like.
- Blade or mallet? Choosing a putter, for what head shape, toe hang and neck design do.
- How to choose putter length
- All putters we have researched, including the ones above $200.
- Putter comparisons: L.A.B. Golf DF3 vs Odyssey Square 2 Square TRI-HOT Rossie, Scotty Cameron Phantom 7 vs Odyssey Ai-DUAL #7 S and Scotty Cameron Newport 2 vs Ping Scottsdale Anser.
Sources
- Evidence: Verified
Wilson publishes the Infinite Buckingham putter head shape, lengths, face and alignment features and a $139.99 price.
- Evidence: Verified
Wilson publishes the Infinite Bucktown head style, lengths, face milling, alignment lines, finish, grip, shaft and price.
- Evidence: Verified
Cleveland publishes the HB SOFT 2 Black Model 1 head design, hosel, stroke fit, face technology, stock lengths and list price.
- Evidence: Verified
Cleveland publishes the HB SOFT 2 Black Model 10.5P head design, hosel, stroke fit, face technology, stock lengths and list price.
- Evidence: Verified
Cleveland publishes the HB SOFT 2 Black Model 11 head design, hosel, stroke fit, face technology, stock lengths and list price.
- Evidence: Verified
Cleveland publishes the HB SOFT 2 Black Model 8C head design, hosel, stock lengths, face technology and a $199.99 price, and says it is best suited for a straight stroke.
- Evidence: Verified
Wilson publishes the Infinite Zero Torque Lakeview toe hang, lengths, face milling, construction and list price, and describes Zero Torque technology.