While there has been speculation brewing for some time now, today is the day when we can say that the Paradym name is indeed returning for Callaway in 2024 with the new Paradym Ai Smoke lineup of clubs. However, this is where I will caution you to be thinking this is in any way some sort of rehash from the brand.
Sure, with Paradym being the number one driver and fairway wood lineup in golf, both in global sales and wins for 2023, it would have made a lot of sense to just massage things and roll with it. After all, Paradym did live up to its name in shifting the paradigm of what club design could be.
The thing is, that wouldn’t live up to the mantra of Ely Callaway by ensuring everything they did would be “Pleasingly Different and Demonstrably Superior”.
The Paradym Shift Continues
Sure, that title might read as a bit cliché for some people’s tastes, but based on all the information we have from Callaway, it might be true. As mentioned already, with the success that the Paradym drivers had for the brand, no one would have faulted them for simply massaging the club heads with mass savings, maybe a change to the chassis or aero, and even adjusting the APW and then calling it a sequel. After all, that is exactly what some other brands have been doing for some time now.
We all know though, that isn’t how Callaway rolls. So, despite the initial reactions on the internet when images leaked of the new Paradym Ai Smoke drivers during the annual “race to be first” by amateur sleuths worldwide, this is not a sequel. No, this is indeed something bigger, essentially the latest culmination of the now fifteen year trailblazing journey Callaway has been on with AI. Make no mistake, it may be the trend now for brands to talk about AI, but Callaway is doing it differently.
Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Driver Review
Callaway is running with the tag line “Sweeter from Every Spot” this time around, and the engine behind that is indeed AI and the development of their new Ai Smart Face. But there is more to things than just that. Buckle up, we have a lot to cover.
The 360 Carbon Chassis is alive and well within the new Ai Smoke clubheads and the application of both Triaxial Carbon in the crown with Forged Carbon sole is present. This time though, it is 15% lighter thanks to the implementation of a titanium support structure. Naturally, this weight savings meant it could be redistributed elsewhere in each of the head designs.
Another big change is the absence of Jailbreak, yes, you read that correctly. What has been the flagship driver technology for Callaway since 2017 is no more, but that is for good reason, and leads us into a keynote development with Ai Smoke, a swing code. By taking “Real Player Swing Dynamics” of over 250,000 recorded swings from fitting centers and studios, Callaway has built a platform with over 80,000 lines of custom code to harness the data, run the tests, and create the most unique topography that the brand has ever developed.
This is where saying you are using AI in club designs and how Callaway is using AI differentiate themselves from one another. For years golf clubs have been designed slowly and in a static setting. A company was able to test only a handful of clubheads/faces each release and only with “perfect” swings via robot. Callaway has invested so much into AI because it has expedited and expanded the process to levels not thought possible. Where once they could test 7-10 face designs per cycle, they can now run 50,000+ thanks to virtual testing.
It goes further than that though, thanks to that swing code which they have compiled, they are now not only using AI to test a huge number of designs, but also with specific swing traits that are not perfect to create the Ai Smart Face. That means each and every face within the lineup is now being developed with the specific swing delivery of whom it is intended for, using real golf swings to create optimal face designs for real golfers.
This is where “Micro Deflections” come into play, and this whole design aspect could change the way clubheads are designed forever. Callaway wants it made clear, the micro deflection element is not bulge and roll. For those not familiar, bulge and roll is the shaping/bending of the face which attempts to alter the start line of strikes to the perimeter of the face in order to counter gear effect. With these micro deflections however, Callaway can now create a face which in certain areas actually resists the gear effect altogether. So a shot on the heel which typically sees a cut spin tendency can be met with a designed face deflection that pushes back and resists that spin.
What does it all mean? Exponentially better downrange dispersion. In fact, the micro deflections and Ai Smart Face designs are so effective that the AI simulations showed Callaway that the clubs would be more efficient without Jailbreak, saving 6.5 to 7 grams of weight in each shape. However, that isn’t just talk from them in an effort to fade out what has been a cornerstone technology, no, to test what AI was telling them Callaway created versions of Paradym Ai Smoke with Jailbreak and without, only to see that the simulation information that they were getting was accurate, they can do what Jailbreak did now more efficiently thanks to these new face design elements.
So you see, this is anything but a sequel, this is another revolution brought to golf courtesy of Callaway’s AI. Unique and radical topographies which allow for drivers to react and deflect in ways never seen before. To hammer it home, their main testing was done against Paradym, and the results have lead them to believe that this new Ai Smart Face is every bit as revolutionary as Paradym itself was. Think about that, we are talking about a potential leap on a driver that just last year was the #1 in golf.
Each driver in the lineup has a unique face, with a unique “Swing Code” applied to it, at release there will be four models available.
Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke MAX Driver
This is the core model within the Ai Smoke set of offerings which should appeal to the lion’s share of golfers according to Callaway. The MAX has a forgiving 460cc shape which has been tuned for the golfer with a mid-level swing speed who manages an upward attack angle but slightly out-to-in path at times still. They are the average golfer who uses most of the face but has a more consistent pattern on their strike locations.
The Ai Smoke Max driver does utilize an improved APW in the rear of the clubhead that combined with Callaway’s adapter has them claiming 19 yards of fitting capability. There is also even more dialing in possible with the addition of a forward weight made possible thanks to the savings seen with the removal of Jailbreak. The MAX will be available in both RH and LH, with 9.0, 10.5, and 12.0 degree loft options.
Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Driver Review – MAX D
While the naming always raises some eyebrows, the MAX D provides a clear delineation of what this driver is, a true draw model driver. The Ai Smoke MAX D provides 7 more yards of draw bias than the Paradym X did and uses a unique swing code aimed at slower swing speed golfers who are out-to-in with a negative angle of attack and an open clubface at impact. The Ai Smart Face here is created for someone who uses all the face and doesn’t have as consistent of a pattern.
There is a single weight screw in the rear of the head which can be used to further dial in the driver by fitters, and of course the adapter can add to or reduce some of that draw bias depending on the settings. The MAX D is also available in RH and LH, with loft options of 9.0, 10.5, and 12.0 degrees.
Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Driver Review – MAX FAST
This is a fun one to see enter the main release for Callaway. In the past this is a design that they have had in Japan, and stateside they have done similar with the various STAR releases. Now, we are seeing some standardization by bringing this one to market at the same time as the rest of the driver lineup for 2024.
The MAX FAST is all about easy speed and launch, like the MAX D it uses the swing code aimed at golfers who have a slower natural speed with a downward attack angle and out-to-in path. It utilizes lighter weight shafts and grips than the other models and is a RH only model. This one will be available in 10.5 and 12.0 degree options and is the only bonded hosel in the lineup.
Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Driver Review – Triple Diamond Driver
The follow up to the winningest driver model on Tour in 2023, this Triple Diamond is a 450cc head with a more player driven profile and deeper face. This model is aimed at the better players and faster swingers who have a much more consistent strike pattern with a positive angle of attack and much more neutral swing path overall.
Last year, the Triple Diamond was one of the most stable downrange drivers on the market and according to Callaway this version has improved that exponentially. The clubhead still features front and back weight ports which can alter spin anywhere from 200-300 rpm depending on their placement. The Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond will come in 8.0, 9.0, and 10.5 degree lofts with the 8.0 being RH only.
The Details Ai Smoke Driver Review
As you can see, they may carry the Paradym name, but the Ai Smoke drivers are their own beasts looking to show just how much farther Callaway’s AI capabilities have improved in just one cycle. The ability to test so many variations through simulations to create unique faces that are designed using actual golfers swing data is certainly an intriguing prospect.
Standard shaft options will consist of the Mitsubishi Eldio and Tensei Silver for the MAX FAST drivers as well as the Mitsubishi Tensei AV Series Blue, Project X Cypher 2.0, and Project X Denali Black for the rest of the clubheads. The entire driver lineup will be available for pre-sale on 1/14/24 with product hitting retail on 1/26/24 and will be priced at $599.99
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