Maui’s island vibes tend to be calming, but the chaos that will ensue in 2024 in the golf gear industry is a result of the gear madness in Maui.
To see what I could find, I went to the Kapulua Plantation Course to check out the new gear.
Here is a list of all the new things I’ve seen this week.
Happy New Year!
Callaway Smoke Drivers, Fairways and Utility
This week we got our first glimpse of the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke product line. There are four driver models, (Triple Diamond Max, Triple Diamond S, and Max), as well as two fairway woods (Triple Diamond Max and Max), plus a Triple Diamond utility club.
We confirmed that Si Woo Kim and Adam Hadwin will use the new Callaway Paradym ai Smoke Triple Diamond Driver. Hadwin’s new head has a large glob of tape at the heel.
View all the Callaway Ai Smoke product photos here
Callaway Chrome Tour X Golf Balls
Callaway is also expected to introduce new golf balls for Sam Burns, Akshay Bhatia and Hadwin (Chrome Tour Tour X). Schauffele will also debut a new ball this week.
Hadwin speaks in depth about the new golf driver and ball:
It was a simple switch from Paradym but it took me some time to find the right head. Most drivers are plug-and-play. Just match the model and you’ll be pretty close. It took us a while to get it right, but it was worth it once we did. The numbers are great.
“I am in the new ball as well. I would say that I’m probably about 1-2 mph quicker, with the combination. I don’t know if it’s the ball, the head, or both. But compared to the older golf ball with Paradym Head, maybe a couple of miles per hour quicker.
The feel was great. The sound and versatility. Patrick Rodgers commented on the sound when I played with him in a practice session. I’m really happy with it.
“I am in the Chrome Tour X and the Triple Diamond Head.
“[The ball] is new for this season, yeah. The biggest change is the new name. They went from Chrome Soft Tour to Chrome Tour. And then, I think, there’s something slightly different. The iron profiles have been great. I don’t notice much around the greens. Visually, the trajectory has been the same. Spin rates. The driver’s is actually 100 rpm more than the others. Launch window is the same. As I mentioned, the ball speed is a bit faster with this combination.
“I told my caddie that in crosswinds the mishits can still go as far as the better-struck shots. It’s not holding its line, but the mishits are flying a bit higher.
“I believe if I recall correctly, they said that was part of their actions. Aerodynamics has been changed so that it won’t fly off at you in the air. It holds its line. It could be flying a bit better in the wind .”
Collin Morikawa makes (finally!) a driver change
This week, Morikawa has a TaylorMade Qi10 max driver and a TaylorMade Qi10 v-steel 5-wood in his bag. On Tuesday I spoke to Morikawa in depth about his new SIM driver. This was the oldest driver model still used on the PGA TOUR before this change.
“Yeah I’m [switching to the Qi10 Max this week]. When I told the guys I wanted the Max, they gave me some crazy looks.
“Look, TaylorMade’s guys were amazing. They have obviously modified a lot of heads, added weights all over, and tried to match the CG. SIM has been a great experience for me. It’s shallower, not deep or long from front to rear. It’s quite shallow in comparison to the newer ones. It’s something I’ve always liked.
“Even though the face is identical to all of the others – QI10 LS and regular core versions – it appears shallower due to the length of the head. It took me a while to adjust to this, but I was given a variety of different heads. I tried it with a new shaft. I haven’t changed shafts for a very long time. Since Harding Park, a week prior to Harding Park becoming FedEx St. Jude I have been using the Diamana D-Plus 60-gram shaft. Since then, I haven’t changed. I switched to a lighter version of the Dimana profile, and have been finding my center.
“At the very end, the middle ones will always be good.” You look at Trackman and you think it’s good. Right, but I’m really concerned about the misses. What will I miss on my face? Is it good to miss?
It’s been fantastic. It’s really great. I’ve played it for a few weeks now, almost 3-4 weeks since Bahamas. I can’t wait to play it. You need to stay in the fairway on this course with the wind.
“It is a little more spinny than my SIM.” My SIM was on the lower end. It’s nice for someone who does not hit the ball that far to be able to optimize it. High launch, low spinning. With this one, however, I was able to use my different heights. It covers if I’m downwind, and need to be able carry it. When it’s directly into the wind I can keep it low and flat, without it spinning. It’s actually still on the high side of spin numbers. It could be spinning at 2500-2600rpm if it is a spinny model, but when it is in the middle, the results are amazing. They are spinning at 2300 rpm and stay in the air. It’s launching exactly where I want it to when I look upwards; it does what I want. It’s a very positive experience in that regard.
“Sound is important. This head is a hot mess. The Max is for those who need to spin the ball, get it up in the air. I’m always explaining to people that I’m using the amateur version. But I love it. The hot melt, the back and forth and all the other things in it have softened the ball a bit. And the mishits are great. I’m looking forward to putting .” into play.
The fact that Morikawa is playing the Max “game improvement model” of the Qi10 line gives amateurs all the evidence they need to get fit and test all models available from a driver company. Just saying!
View all the photos of Morikawa’s 5-wood driver in-hand here
Tom Kim & Cam Young unveil new Scotty Cameron prototypes
If you want to know more, please visit PGATOUR.com. You can scroll down to the bottom if you just want to look at photos.
Tom Kim’s Scotty Cameron Prototype GSS (with a Scotty Cameron Xperimental Shaft from UST Mamiya).
Yeah. Wow!
Cam Young Scotty Cameron T-5 tour only prototype
Hmm. Isn’t that a very intricate difference in shaping from the T-5 stock heads? Interesting.
Xander Schauffele’s updated 2024 WITB
Schauffele arrived in Hawaii this week with an impressive amount of new gear, including the Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond Driver, a Paradym Ai Smoke 3 wood, new Callaway Apex Irons (…, and a 10-wedge. ).
I asked Schauffele to explain all the changes at his press conference on Wednesday. This is his response:
“Yeah. A new line of Paradym woods [Ai Smoke] was released. They are kind of — I’d call them siblings of the old Paradym line. The irons are the same. Irons remain TCBs. It’s like they are siblings. It’s like I am looking at the same iron. It’s a single-piece construction, not a two-piece one. They sound more solid and pure.
“Then, the golf ball will be identical. I think that they simply stamped a different logo on it. There are a lot more things, but I think the woods will be the biggest addition. .”
View Xander’s complete 2024 WITB Here
Jordan Spieth switches from Titleist SM10 wedges to the full set
Spieth’s wedge setup is something he takes very seriously. He’s so precise, down to the half-degree on each wedge. It’s important to note that Spieth changed from one SM10 Wedges to four SM10 Wedges during the Titleist Tour Validation Process.
On Tuesday, I spoke with Spieith regarding the wedge switches.
“I think that the biggest difference comes when you reach the pitching wedge and gap wedge for full shots. The sweet spot has been moved. It’s now bigger and a bit further away, so that any over-hooking is virtually eliminated. With a left pin, you can be aggressive.
They look fantastic apart from that. I’m very particular about my 60. Sometimes it isn’t an SM but a separate version of a prototype. This time, I’m straight into the SM10. I think it looks great. Aaron Dill, [Vokey Tour representative] said that I would not get the odd outliers which overturn left .” as I started to hit the longer shots.
Click here to learn more about the SM10 wedges or visit our GolfWRX.com forum to see more photos of in-hand shots
Foresight launches the new GC Quad Max Launch Monitors
Foresight unveiled their new GC Quad Max Launch Monitor Units this week at The Sentry. They were dressed in Hawaiian-themed skins. Who knew launch monitors would look so cool!
In the next few weeks, we’ll be able to provide more details on the new units as they are set to arrive in stores in early February.
What a way to start the new year in the world golf equipment!
