Equipment
Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke drivers — GolfWRX Launch Report
What you need to know: Artificial intelligence early adopter Callaway’s 2024 Paradym Ai Smoke drivers feature the company’s most substantial implementation of AI yet. Engineers continue to leverage artificial intelligence to refine the face of each driver model (Paradym Ai Smoke Max, Paradym Ai Smoke Max D, Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond), this time, drilling down on real player data with a particular focus on delivering improved ball speed on off-center strikes everywhere on the club face. Callaway calls this “Ai Smart Face.” Additionally, in contrast to previous years, Callaway is bringing the launch of its lightweight option, Paradym Ai Smoke Max Fast, in line with its family debut.
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Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke drivers: What’s new, key technology
- Ai Smart Face: Drawing on the swing dynamics of thousands of real golfers, Callaway developed an all-new Ai Smart Face for each driver model. Swing speed, club delivery, and face orientation prior to impact were considered to create club faces catered to optimal launch and tighter dispersion.
- Multiple sweet spots: Engineers targeted face design virtually everywhere across the face to leverage micro deflections for optimal spin on off-center shots struck anywhere on the face. This isn’t to say the “high toe” sweet spot produces a comparable result to a shot struck center face, but it’s an improved struck relative to the absence of the technology/previous face designs.
- Refined carbon chassis: As with Paradym, Paradym Ai Smoke again features a carbon chassis to allow for discretionary weight distribution. This time, it’s 15 percent lighter and equipped with a titanium support structure. Additionally, Jailbreak is no longer present.
Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke drivers: Additional model details
Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max: Aimed at the widest swath of the fitting bell curve, Paradym Ai Smoke Max is the only driver in the lineup with an adjustable perimeter weight. According to the company, this allows up to 19 yards of shot shape adjustment.
Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max D: For those needing help with slice correction, Max D features a stretched profile and rear weight for ease of launch.
Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond: Triple Diamond, Callaway’s tour/better player option is the most compact and neutral-to-fade biased in the lineup, as would be expected. A 14-gram weight can be moved from front to back for spin reduction and to the rear for workability.
Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max Fast: Targeting players needing a little help in the swing speed department, Ai Smoke Max Fast is coupled with a lightweight shaft and grip. High MOI and easy to launch.
What Callaway says
Brian Williams vice president of Research & Development…
Regarding the company and artificial intelligence:
“It’s been a 15-year journey for us and it’s been an investment in both people and in infrastructure. So we’ve been building this system and this engine around how golf design works and how we use AI to predict what’s possible in terms of golf ball launch trajectory. And when we first started talking about AI in terms of face performance, we were really using it for ball speed. We were looking for COR benefits and when we used it for Epic Flash that was a single focus for us. Now we’re using it in a much more sophisticated way, so we’ve built a platform around it that allows us to put more sophisticated data in to ask Ai to solve for more sophisticated outputs and outcomes.”
On designing the new lineup:
“It might not surprise you, but golf club companies for years have been out there, modeling and designing golf clubs in a neutral static environment. We’re looking at how a face flexes on effectively a neutral or perfect swing. We design them that way we test them that way on robots and we wanted to really break away from that. So now what we’ve done is we’ve created a new way of designing and modeling to more closely reflect how golfers deliver the club.”
“What we’ve done is we’ve taken all this data from out there and we’ve categorized it, so we’ve gone out looked at fittings of players and we’ve grouped them together to come up with unique designs and inputs for each model that we produce. And that’s the Swing Code for these players. So the components of a Swing Code, we’re looking at the clubhead speed that it’s delivered in. We’re looking at impact locations, we look at path, angle of attack, we look at face angle relative to path, we look at dynamic loft and lie.”
Club Junkie’s take
Callaway’s new Paradym Ai Smoke drivers should be another big hit as they pack some new technology under the hood. The big story, as you have probably read already, is about the all-new Ai Smart Face that not only adds ball speed on off-center shots, but also helps correct the direction of those shots. This tech is called micro deflections and can help a shot struck low on the heel from going as far right as a traditional face. This will be an exciting thing to test out over the next few weeks. It is also exciting to see that after 50,000 face iterations that we have different faces for each driver. The face on the Triple Diamond is designed differently than the Max D because the players who use them are going to strike them differently.
Speaking of the Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond, I think most of us GolfWRX members will want to test out the neutral-to-fade bias that this head offers. You also get the ability to lower spin by moving the heavy weight on the sole forward. The Paradym Ai Smoke Max driver will be the “bread and butter” option that will give us the best combo of distance, spin, and forgiveness. I can see this model played on professional tours and all the way up to newer golfers or high handicap players. The added adjustable sliding weight will also make this head attractive to us tinkerers who want to dial in the driver to our swing. The Paradym Ai Smoke Max D driver will offer the most forgiveness out of all the models. The draw moniker will turn some people off, but for most players, it could be the best option. A rear weight helps add some launch and stability to the driver head which could make it one of the straightest we see this year. With all the options Callaway is giving us this year with the Paradym Ai Smoke drivers, there should be a model to fit your swing.
On Tour
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Additionally, Xander Schauffele has switched into the 10.5-degree Ai Smoke Triple Diamond (with a Mitsubishi Diamana PD 70 TX) shaft. A look at his build, below.
2024 Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke drivers: Pricing, specs, availability
Lofts
- Max: 9, 10.5, 12 degrees
- Max D: 9, 10.5, 12 degrees
- Triple Diamond: 8 (RH only), 9, 10.5 degrees
- Max Fast: 10.5, 12 degrees (RH only)
Standard shafts: Project X Cypher 2.0, Mitsubishi Tensei AV Blue, Project X Denali Black, Mitsubishi Eldio, Mitsubishi Tensei Silver
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360, Winn Dri-Tac Lite (Max Fast)
Pricing: $599.99
Pre-sale/at retail: 1/12, 1/26
More photos of 2024 Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke drivers
Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max
Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max D
Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond
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Whats in the Bag
Steve Stricker WITB 2024 (April)
- Steve Stricker WITB accurate as of the Zurich Classic. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Titleist TSR3 (9 degrees, C4 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Motore Speeder VC 7.2 X
3-wood: Titleist 915F (13.5 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 80 TX
Hybrid: Titleist 816 H1 (17 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Motore Speeder VC 9.2 X
Irons: Titleist T200 (3, 4), Titleist T100 (5-9)
Shafts: Project X 6.5
Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM8 (46-10F @55), Titleist Vokey SM10 (54-10S @53), Titleist Vokey SM4 (60 @59)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 w/Sensicore
Putter: Odyssey White Hot No. 2
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Grip Rite
Check out more in-hand photos of Steve Stricker’s clubs here.
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Whats in the Bag
Alex Fitzpatrick WITB 2024 (April)
- Alex Fitzpatrick what’s in the bag accurate as of the Zurich Classic.
Driver: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Black 7 X
Hybrid: Ping G430 (19 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black HB 10 TX
Irons: Ping iCrossover (2), Titleist T100 (4-PW)
Shafts: Fujikura Ventus Black HB 9 TX (2), Nippon N.S. Pro Modus 3 Tour 120 X (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (50-12F, 56-12D, 60-08M)
Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus 3 Tour 120 X
Putter: Bettinardi SS16 Dass
Grips: Golf Pride MCC
Check out more in-hand photos of Alex Fitzpatrick’s clubs here.
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Equipment
What’s the perfect mini-driver/shaft combo? – GolfWRXers discuss
In our forums, our members have been discussing Mini-Drivers and accompanying shafts. WRXer ‘JamesFisher1990’ is about to purchase a BRNR Mini and is torn on what shaft weight to use, and our members have been sharing their thoughts and set ups in our forum.
Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.
- PARETO: “New BRNR at 13.5. Took it over to TXG (Club Champ but TXG will always rule) in Calgary for a fit. Took the head down to 12, stuck in a Graphite Design AD at 3 wood length and 60g. Presto- numbers that rivaled my G430Max but with waaaaay tighter dispersion. Win.”
- driveandputtmachine: “Still playing a MIni 300. The head was only 208, so I ordered a heavier weight and play it at 3 wood length. I am playing a Ventus Red 70. I play 70 grams in my fairways. I use it mainly to hit draws off the tee. When I combine me, a driver, and trying to hit a draw it does not work out well most of the time. So the MIni is for that. As an aside, I have not hit the newest BRNR, but the previous model wasn’t great off the deck. The 300 Mini is very good off the deck.”
- JAM01: “Ok, just put the BRNR in the bag along side a QI10 max and a QI10 3 wood. A load of top end redundancy. But, I have several holes at my two home courses where the flight and accuracy of the mini driver helps immensely. Mine is stock Proforce 65 at 13.5, I could see a heavier shaft, but to normal flex, as a nice alternative.”
Entire Thread: “What’s the perfect Mini-Driver/Shaft combo? – GolfWRXers discuss”
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Jake
Jan 7, 2024 at 10:23 pm
Is a $600 driver really what we need? Find something used that fits your spin profile until golf mfgs reign it in with cost.