New drivers receive all the hype at the beginning of the year, and for good reason: they are the most technology-packed clubs in the bag and the biggest investment for golfers. This year, Callaway is right there on technology with the new Paradym Ai Smoke lineup.
The big story is the Ai Smart Face with micro deflections for added ball speed and straighter ball flight. There is also a new 360-degree carbon chassis that is lighter and stronger than the previous model.
Callaway’s Paradym Ai Smoke lineup consists of four driver heads. I am going to take a look at the two most popular models for GolfWRX followers, the “bread and butter” Max, and the Triple Diamond head.
For a more in-depth review of these drivers check out the Club Junkie podcast below or on any podcast platform.
Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond
This head is aimed at the lower handicap golfer who is looking for lower spin, lower launch, and the ability to shape their shots. The shape is the most compact at address of the Ai Smoke drivers and the cleanest looking with the deletion of the chevron alignment mark on the top. The shape also looks to be a little shorter from heel to toe as well as from face to back. I like the forged carbon on the sole and love that no two drivers will ever look exactly the same.
Hitting the new Paradym Ai Smoke TD is a real pleasure as when I first hit it I thought it was louder than the previous Paradym. I was hitting indoors and the sound was greatly amplified because outdoors the TD has a very muted sound and nice soft feel. The new Ai Smart Face lets you feel the ball compress off the face when you strike it solid and the face overall just has a little softer feel than the Paradym.
While the launch number wasn’t that far off from the Ai Smoke Max driver, the overall ball flight was flatter and just slightly lower with the TD. My decent angle was also about one-degree shallower with the TD. The biggest surprise to me was how playable the TD was on poor shots. I expected the head to be a little more demanding and penalizing when you hit it off the toe or heel but was happily met with shots that didn’t venture too far off the fairway.
Keeping the heavy weight in the back makes the TD a driver playable by a wider range of handicaps. The Ai Smart Face also kept the ball speed numbers extremely consistent no matter where the ball made contact. With how well I hit the Triple Diamond, I am now a little more confident it will perform on even a poor driving day!
Paradym Ai Smoke Max
Callaway’s bread and butter driver is super adjustable to let fitters dial it into a wide range of golfers. While some will argue that the Triple Diamond driver is the best looking, I think Callaway did a nice job on the Max head. A touch longer from heel to toe and the face-to-back length is a little more stretched but it all works together for a larger but good-looking driver. I do like larger profile drivers as they tend to give you confidence that you don’t have to be perfect and they offer some help when you are off. I like the sound on the TD driver, but the Max might be even a touch quieter upon impact. It could be the weight track in the back with additional structure that diverts the sound waves, giving a low-pitched metallic sound.
The launch on the Max was just a little higher than the TD, but it tended to be consistently higher when I hit my low draw miss. That shot seemed to stay straighter and go a little higher with this Max head. Ball flight with the Max tended to be straighter with less curvature to draws and fades. You might miss the fairway on either side, but the ball was on a straight line right or left and didn’t stray that far offline.
Off-center strikes were helped by the Ai Smart Face and kept the ball speed higher than you would expect. Callaway hasn’t made any claims to MOI numbers but the Max is a very stable driver that doesn’t let the face flop open on toe contact and won’t snap shut when you hit it off the heel. This stability gives you a consistent and straight flight that you can count on when you need it.
Callaway has really brought some serious firepower to the driver game this year with the Ai Smoke models. There is the Triple Diamond for the player who needs lower spin and lower ball flight and the Max for the player who wants it all with added forgiveness. There are also two other models, Max D, and Max D Fast, for some added draw, higher launch, and lighter weight (Max D Fast). Overall, Callaway has a driver that should fit your swing!
