Let’s face it, Ai is changing the world and how we live our everyday lives. Long before Chat GPT was ever conceived Callaway were the early adopters in the golf space and purchased its first supercomputer in 2009. After a decade of testing we had the 2019 launch of the Epic Flash driver with its flash face mainly focused on COR enhancements for better ball speeds.
This growth in speed using Ai helped Callaway dominate tech stories since and we have seen driver technology advance hugely in the last 5 years. For 2024 Callaway designers used Ai to create different faces for each of the four Paradym Ai Smoke drivers so they are optimised to enhance distance and protect ball speed.
So how have they done this ?
Callaway focused their efforts into how real golfers of various abilities swing and hit the ball, then used its Ai supercomputers to create faces that maximise performance for every category of player. Putting it simply, there are four different heads but each face is Ai optimised to suit fast-swinging players, golfers who tend to slice the ball, slower-swinging players and golfers who need extra forgiveness.
Each face has a unique series of thick and thin areas in different places, creating what Callaway refers to as microdeflections that act like tiny sweet spots that help enhance face performance for specific players.
Think of it like a cheat code to the standard bulge and roll most golfers are familiar with.
Callaway data has shown that the microdeflections and customised faces in the standard Paradym Ai Smoke Max is 12 yards longer on mishits in the toe, 11 yards longer in the heel and 9 yards longer on shots hit high in the middle of the face over last season’s Paradym. And this is where their “Sweeter from every spot” marketing tag line comes from.
Like last season’s Paradym drivers, the Paradym Ai Smoke drivers feature a forged fibre crown that wraps around the toe and heel areas and forms the sole, removing significant weight from the middle of the head. Most of the models also come with an adjustable hosel that allows players and fitters to increase or decrease the loft by as many as 1.5 degrees and make the lie angle flatter or more upright.
Ai modelling also highlighted that there was no need for the familiar jailbreak technology in Ai Smoke and the 6g of weight savings from removing this bracing structure has been used differently in each of the four new Ai Smoke heads to help optimise the performance of each head.
Paradym Ai Smoke Max
The Paradym Ai Smoke Max likely will fit the broadest number of players and is the only Smoke driver with a sliding weight in the back of the head. The 14-gram weight allows golfers and fitters to shift the centre of gravity to create a draw or fade bias. The Smoke Max also has a weight behind the leading edge in the sole, allowing fitters to increase or decrease the club’s swing weight. It is available in 9-degree, 10.5-degree and 12-degree versions.
Paradym Ai Smoke Max D
The Paradym Ai Smoke Max D comes in the same lofts but lacks the moveable weight found in the standard Smoke Max. However, this club has a significant draw bias to help golfers who tend to swing from out to in and hit the ball with an open face. The Paradym Ai Smoke Max D can’t cure a slice, but its centre of gravity location can decrease the severity of the shot’s curvature, resulting in straighter shots that fly farther.
Paradym Ai Smoke Max Fast
The Paradym Ai Smoke Max Fast, which replaces the Paradym Star driver, only comes in 10.5-degree and 12-degree versions. It has been made for slower-swinging golfers who need to maximise carry distance and spin to increase overall distance. It comes standard with lighter components, such as a 40-gram Mitsubishi Tensei Silver shaft and Winn Dri-Tac Lite grip. To save weight from the upper portion of the head, Callaway opted to design the Paradym Ai Smoke Max Fast driver with a bonded hosel instead of an adjustable hosel.
Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond
The Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond has a forward weight and a back weight in the sole and comes in 8-degree, 9-degree and 10.5-degree heads. With the heavier weight forward, it has the most forward centre of gravity in the A.I. Smoke family, resulting in shots with the lowest spin and launch angle. This likely will be the most popular Paradym Ai Smoke driver on the PGA Tour.
All Callaway Paradym Smoke Ai driver models will be available from Jan 26th 2024 for an RRP of €679.
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