By neatly balancing power with forgiveness, Callaway’s Paradym driver has a truly broad appeal. Throw in some new, aspirational aesthetics and a lively feel and you have a serious contender at the premium end of the market.
For
- Premium, high tech aesthetics
- Lively feel through impact
- Impressive mix of speed and consistency
Against
- Not a huge leap forward over the previous generation
An excellent all-round performer in the premium driver category, wrapped up in a much improved aesthetic. The sliding weight on the back really does offer a broad range of flight customisation and I found the flight to be stronger and more penetrating than I anticipated.
For
- Great range of CG adjustability
- Love the rounded head shape
- Surprisingly low spin rate
Against
- Very close in performance to the Triple Diamond model
Callaway Paradym vs Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max Driver: Read Our Head-To-Head Verdict
The Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke range of drivers are new for 2024 and replace the highly popular Paradym drivers from last year. The Ai Smoke Max is the more ‘standard’ head of the range, sandwiched between the low-spin, tour-influenced Ai Smoke Triple Diamond driver and the spinnier, draw bias Max D driver, so would be most comparable to the standard Paradym from last year.
Whether you are seeking the most forgiving drivers or the best golf drivers for distance you won't go far wrong with Callaway. The standard Paradym and the Paradym Ai Smoke Max are the two that will suit the widest range of golfers, but which one would be best for your game?
Having been rigorously tested by Golf Monthly, we take a look at the performance head-to-head, with both certainly making an impact when it comes to distance, accuracy and forgiveness off the tee.
Technology
The key technology behind the original Paradym was a 360˚ carbon chassis. For the first time, Callaway's engineers did away with any trace of titanium in the body of the driver, saving weight to use elsewhere for more forgiveness. They retained the Jailbreak A.I. technology that was present in the Callaway Rogue ST drivers, but it had a new design for 2023, allowing for improved stability.
There's a lot packed into this driver, which also has an A.I. Optimized face to improve downrange dispersion, as well as a Face Cup for faster ball speeds. It was state of the art stuff a year ago and compares favourably with most drivers you will find on the shelves, but Callaway haven't rested on their laurels and they have improved things further by really utilising their A.I. technology with their 2024 offerings.
Callaway's tag line with the new Ai Smoke range is ‘Sweeter From Every Spot’. Essentially, this means a bigger effective hitting area, a concept it has created by advancing its Ai Smart Face technology, using swing dynamics from thousands of real golfers.
These swing dynamics include swing speed, club delivery, and face orientation just prior to impact. This information has then been inputted into its Ai system and has produced a whole new face which Callaway says creates micro deflections across various points of the striking area, essentially producing multiple sweet spots! In addition to this, the back of the Max features a slidable weight towards the rear which Callaway says offers 19 yards of flight adjustability.
Looks
The 2023 Paradym made quite a statement in the looks department as Callaway said goodbye to the matte black finish of the Rogue ST and replaced it with a gloss crown that has a dark blue carbon effect. It was different, to say the least.
The blue does subtly contrast with the black of the leading edge and the color scheme was very different to any other models released in 2023. What did stay the same though was the classic head shape, with the Paradym standing out on the shelf thanks to the carbon effect and gold flashes on the sole. It looked high tech and premium, with the blue crown providing something a little different, but it won't have been to everybody's taste and I must admit that it didn't quite suit my eye.
The 2024 Paradym Ai Smoke sees a return to a more understated finish on the crown with a sleek and stylish grey colorway.
The smokey graphic pattern from the original Paradym remains but has been sharpened up, and looks even better than before in grey. The bright blue that Callaway has selected for the logo and weights is the perfect accent to compliment the grey and has been utilised sparingly. The sole topography remains very similar to its predecessor with only slight alterations in this area. From a retail point of view, I think this driver will really stand out on the shelves.
Some people loved the navy, some didn't. It's entirely subjective but I have always been drawn to black or grey in drivers, so the new grey crown really hit the right notes with me. I just feel that it blends so much better with the grey banner strip, creating a really clean aesthetic that, from a visual perspective, places it among the best drivers on the market.
I much prefer the look of the new driver but others may disagree as it comes down to personal preference.
Feel
I tested the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max outdoors at Royal North Devon Golf Club using a SkyTrak+ launch monitor and Titleist Pro V1x golf balls, and subsequently indoors using Foresight Sports GCQuad with again the Pro V1x.
Sound and feel were not worlds apart from the original Paradym, which is no bad thing, but - if anything - I found the Ai Smoke felt a touch livelier off the face. Not harsh in any way, just maybe a touch more responsive, which again I have no problem with!
So I'd say there's a slight improvement in feel with the newer model but many golfers may not even notice a difference.
Performance
We loved the performance of the original Paradym driver so much that it was included in our Editor's Choice awards. It was long but it was easy to hit and that was the key point. The playability made it one of the best drivers of 2023 but I would say that the Paradym Ai Smoke Max has taken everything good about its predecessor and made it that little bit better.
Forgiveness was something that very much impressed me with the Ai Smoke Max driver. I hit an awful lot of balls with the Max so inevitably missed the center on occasion, but when I did, I was really pleased with the results. There was very little drop off in ball speed when I missed the center, whereas with the original Paradym I was seeing around a loss of anywhere between 4-6mph on heel and toe strikes. This suggests that the A.I. has indeed done what Callaway claim it has.
When it comes to distance, I saw a four yard increase in carry distance with the Paradym Ai Smoke, which is nice of course, but it's that extra forgiveness which is the real bonus for me.
In terms of any shape bias, I found the weight track of the Paradym Ai Smoke Max to be one of the most effective I have come across. I felt like I was delivering the club pretty well during testing and every weight alteration seemed to have the desired effect. In the neutral setting, ball flight was very stable with minimal perceptible curvature (other than the odd poor swing!). Shifting the weight towards the toe side immediately created a pretty sizeable fade bias and similarly, when I dragged that weight back across to the heel, I began to turn the ball pretty comfortably from right to left, which is usually a tall order for me.
The original Paradym also impressed in this area, just not quite as much as its successor.
Which one should you choose?
Choose the Paradym if..
- You want something a little less expensive
- You prefer the striking navy color
- You are wanting to get the ball airborne more easily off the tee
Choose the Paradym Ai Smoke Max if..
- You want the latest release
- You prefer a more co-ordinated look on the crown
- You are looking for more forgiveness
