PARADYM Ai SMOKE DRIVER REVIEW // Callaway's Best Driver Ever?

[@ianfrasergolf]

At the time of doing this testing I hadn’t hit any of the other 2024 Drivers. Now that I’ve hit them all individually I can’t wait for the Big Test head to head!!

[@Mizman76]

Can you please explain to me how any driver goes any farther than any other driver when the .830 COR has been maxed for decades? I understand slight improvements on mis-hits depending on weighting,etc. but really, isn't this all just a big game of smoke(no pun intended) and mirrors at this point? Genuinely curious to your thoughts here.

[@ianfrasergolf]

@@Mizman76 I’ll go one better and make a video about it for you!! We’ll get that made on the channel very soon. It’s a very important topic and I don’t want to do it a disservice with a short reply.

[@GC-mm8qy]

The 2024 model looks and sounds fantastic. the ball seems to come off the face "heavier/denser" than the 2023 model. Glad to see real differences rather than a whole extra 3-5 mph gains that was forged into testings

[@Eqnotalent]

@@Mizman76lower spin, more aerodynamic for faster club head speed, MOI more towards the face. But if is swing by a robot, same swing speed and hit the sweet spot every time, then every driver is the same. That’s why every yr the driver tech is improve by 1-3yds. As physics go, there is “max optimal” chart driver launch condition. With perfect launch angle, spin, and matching swing speed. Everything else is just marketing and “feel”. That’s why getting the right custom shaft is 10x more important than the driver head. U want your launch condition to be closest as possible to the chart. The driver head is more the sound, the look at address and how it lies at setup.

[@mashedpotatoes5276]

When’s the big test vid launching?

[@Loui_Vizcarra]

You boys are the gold standard when it comes to golf equipment. Bar none. Keep it up!!👍🏼

[@ArmyGolfBC]

Forgot to add, I LOVE how you guys are incorporating last years head into the video. Such a great vid.

[@hack.nicklaus]

to have a Max model with that kind of adjustability is probably the killer feature here

[@smr9239]

Just got fitted today for an AI smoke triple diamond in Ventus Black 7X, tried a bunch of head and shaft combos and it was by far the best for me. Highly recommend.

[@06silvershoes]

Had a chance to watch a lot of different channels with this driver… you guys are the first choice. Always top of the class boys.

[@richmcclure9715]

Played the Smoke Max on course Tuesday. Hit some solid drives as well as several mishits. Never got out of play on any mis hit. Tried to bend a couple around the corner and hit it really straight. This is a game changer.

[@ekinjtizll]

Just got fitted for mine. I can’t wait to see the difference on the course. Complete game changer for me

[@RobertFlynn-i4h]

Down here in Australia as you know we can play all year, but the difference is due to you guys playing less, it's turned you fellows into exceptional club fitters with the time availability in front of the screen. The numerous shaft options and the depth of data you can produce with all products, and various swing speeds is highly valuable when purchasing. We don't really have people like yourselves, as capable, and with depth of expertise. I love watching all of your posts. Well done boys

[@rorygallagher1026]

Ian is in Scottsdale, golf here is year round. The prime season is winter.

[@gardner4718]

just watched the Qi review and came back to this. night and day wow

[@richardlow867]

Loved the shout out to the "Heel Bangers"! 🙌

[@thetaylorfamilyexcitingfun1822]

Got fitted at Club Champion in Columbus Ohio today. Went in with an open mind to replace my game…a Cobra LTDx. Got fit in a Paradym AI Smoke triple diamond. Lost 2,000 rpm’s of spin and gained 8mph of club head speed around 50yds of total distance. Was surprised with the triple diamond but it was definitely the best.

[@brb7421]

How was your fitting experience? Who did your fitting? Doing one there tomorrow!

[@thetaylorfamilyexcitingfun1822]

@@brb7421 it was a really fun experience. I hit 74 shots, as he worked towards my best setup. My fitters name was Alex from Club Champion in Columbus Ohio. Good luck tomorrow!!!

[@scotthansen4692]

you guys are the barometer of all the reviews, everyone dropped you guys are always my first stop. Great job as always boys.

[@kevinjones4976]

I’d love to see a Callaway AI Smoke vs. Callaway Mavrik head to head. Does the latest and greatest really make that much of a difference?

[@tylerkulhanek7270]

Would love to see this

[@golfcoursereviewsTV]

Fitted for Max today. Mavrik SZ relegated to the dugout. Consistently 4 yds more carry but more importantly AI Smoke did such a better job managing my spinny heel miss.

[@cleveland2022]

The Carbon Top of the clubhead looks great.

[@truedat4368]

Bought a Paradym and it's a nice driver. Very happy with it. Upgraded from a Callaway Diablo

[@alexchoi2060]

Would love to see Ronny take a whack with these drivers to see if an average swing speed player gains something.

[@doughboy24]

Not sure if you're allowed to yet, but would love to see a Smoke vs Mavrik test to see the difference over a few years. Plus I think Mavrik is the best budget option for new or used drivers right now from Callaway.

[@77bovi]

Love the mavrik!

[@jamesmorgan2919]

Worth mentioning that TD has Denali as a shaft option. Will there be a video on Denali coming? Just considering how popular Project X Shafts are right now….

[@TaroZak]

Happy New Year! Fav time of the year, equipment releases 🎉

[@nycabilifeisgreat9768]

WOW ! Just updated from Rouge LS 2 Paradigm… 2 Weeks ago ! LOL! And after 2 weeks, I can’t imagine another Driver could B better! LOL!

[@milesbrunke7181]

Excited to hit the AI smoke when I come do my fitting with y'all soon. Thanks for the preview gents!

[@sraynes61]

The design looks awesome. This might be the year to update my callaway driver

[@thewarriorholic]

Love these reviews. Most watchable of the major channels out there. Well done lads

[@dseych]

Love the review guys! In future reviews, would y'all be able to spend a minute longer going over the different variations of the heads and who they're catered towards? I had to google the different head types while watching to keep up with the review.

[@marshallw4492]

Love the look of this. Toe banger checking in 😂

[@cjgooding4512]

PLEASE Test the Triple Diamond MAX by callaway. All I can find online is these type of reviews, but I am very interested in the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond MAX MAX MAX.

[@ipotato95]

Would love to see the previous driver tested alongside the new releases like this. Really good refresher to go over feature differences and adjustments year to year

[@lawbinson]

Would love to see it against the GBB to see if it’s all just nostalgia for the GBB or if it would really hold up still today.

[@benross422]

It looks like Callaway got some spinsistency 😂. That Max is impressive. The biggest difference btwn Smoke and Paradym Triple Diamond was the avg spin. Consistently was 200-300 RPMs higher, which was a big part of Callaway’s goal last year. The biggest problem I had with Paradym was how closed it looked at address. Hopefully they fixed than on the Smoke Max

[@stevecernuto740]

I agree with Mike. I'm still gaming the GBB and after several fittings can't find anything that beats it by more then a yard or two.

[@nevilleadams6312]

I could watch this all day!

[@gbouton2011]

Excited for the outdoor testing. Would be good to see the top drivers head to head on a testing tee shot on course

[@evannussbaum1863]

Just got fit this morning. I have played mavrik since it came out and got fit every year. I am a low spin player and struggle to find a non left spinny head that I like to look at. I kid you not I actually gained 10 yards of carry (about 265) It is very good and as a fast tempo player, Denali 60g 6.5 was a perfect combo. Just don’t feel like I can miss a fairway

[@stevenrobertson1416]

Callaway has never studied my eye but these numbers look so good! Especially for a heel hitter

[@rationalsanelogical8910]

Well, why would they? They aren’t optometrists!! They’re a golf club company for god sakes!! That’d be asking a whole lot of em to do that, now wouldn’t it..?! 😂

[@kentjudges6178]

Great look to the driver, very appealing to the eye.

[@NextFairwayNorm]

Any improvements to help with Findings Fairways is a good thing. Looks great. Nice review gents

[@aaronh.917]

I was just fit into Ai Smoke Max with Ventus Red TR at club champion near me

[@markushayes]

Prime time boys! LET’S GOOOOO!!!!

[@pahhaw4251]

“New cosmetic package” that says it all!

[@InsuranceSpecialist]

I still have rogue max ls and its a winner 🏆

[@Misnjef]

Like the grey better than the old bowling ball finish

[@TheStaniG]

Im the opposite honestly. I like the deeper subtle bowling ball style carbon

[@Tom-ok2rh]

You know they had to tweak something. I thought the original color was fine this one will probably be ok too.Not exactly sure about the bottom I guess that’s the “Smoke”look the name implies.

[@georgepfitness9332]

Really interested to see this video - did you have the heavier weight in the back of the triple diamond for this? And if so, would it be possible to get a comparison switching the heavier weight to the front please?

[@randallpennington5976]

Even though I won’t be replacing my RAD speed, I really enjoy these videos. Not that I wouldn’t like to try a new driver but the prices are ridiculous! I don’t really need 5 more yards.

[@romewasnotbuiltinaday]

RAD speed is longer if you have the weight in the front. Less spin.

[@77bovi]

Please do a Ai smoke vs gbb epic shoot out. Imo the gbb epic sz had the best sound, not the normal gbb epic

[@toddp9164]

Looks like 💎 💎 💎 brought your spin down 200 rpm's. Which is consistent with what a Callaway tour pro I know said (i.e., it's lower spinning than last years model)

[@adamw9764]

I tend to miss my hits on the driver off the toe, so seeing the performance of this driver off a few toe hits is pretty impressive. I love my G430 Max, so curious to see how the new 10k performs compared to the G430 Max and the other new drives like the Smoke. Great video!

[@salocke57]

I’d love to see the G430 max tested head to head with the Ai smoke max

[@ocat1979]

A club you can hit anywhere on the face and still hit it straight is the exact reason we need a ball rollback. I remember when it took skill to hit a long straight tee ball, now any Joe Hack can drive it like Greg Norman used to

[@Tom-ok2rh]

Apparently you have not seen some of the golfers I play with..please don’t tell me about the modern ball that doesn’t curve😂😂

[@edkolbe1850]

Already into May I love my Max D.

[@mikehlee69]

Im gonna wait for the ai smoke max 2!

[@nilsnordlund65]

Will we see a ball test of the Chrome tour in the coming days? Thanks for the great reviews

[@VinceRomero-b1q]

Thinking about buying ai smoke but i have Callaway epic speed and its a great driver too

[@LouieCampbell86]

Absolutely love this channel!!

[@mikec.2314]

LOVE the comparison to the outgoing model concept guys. Nice job. As a G430 Max guy, I'm curious how the new G will stack up.

[@ichor20]

Triple diamond build a beast!

[@bodeng7]

Happy New Year gentlemen!

[@thattrillYT]

Just pushed my CC full bag fitting to the 30TH in hopes you’ll have these ready to try 😎

[@clubchampionmedia]

They'll be there ready for you to try and test!

[@johnindelicato2714]

I love the information on the callaway, but I would like to know if you've ever compared PXG DRIVERS. I bought a gen4 0811 XF regular shaft. I only get about 85 mph. I am 74 and would like to know if I did the right thing. My Dr drives carry about 180 and roll out to 200 at best. Can to help me. Thanks John

[@justinstephenson9360]

Love the look of the club from above (but it looks a lot like Taylor Made visual concepts have made their way over to Callaway), the bottom of the club just looks as though it needs a clean. "Smoke" just looks like someone sprinkled dust bunnies on the bottom. Great test, maybe a small improvement over previous drivers but any improvement is nice. I am looking forward to a test of Ai Smoke against something like the last 6-7 years of Callaway drivers to see how much improvement has been made over time. I suspect not a lot in terms of distance but a reasonable amount in terms of forgiveness

[@jergernice1]

loving my smoke max. low heal is amazing....

[@markm778]

Will we see a GBB vs. Ai Max comparison from Mikey?

[@johneden3810]

I had the Rogue 💎💎💎 but struggled to get a good flight with it. I switched to the Paradym 💎💎💎 which was better but not consistent enough. I’m now using a TSR 2 which is much more consistent for me.

[@alexburns2454]

Hey Guys I suggest doing a comparison of the Paradym AI Smoke vs rogue ST MAX. George Bryan (Bryan Bros) and Akshay Bhatia still us that head. I found it personally best driver speed across the face and low. Be good to see a 3 year apart comparison. Rogue St didn’t have the marketing like paradym

[@agui2333]

Top tier content all the time.

[@davezalinko1354]

I use the Rogue ST Max, tried the Paradym two weeks ago, definitely better than my Rogue. Glad I didn’t buy one, want to see the difference between the two.

[@LifeLover2020]

Better eh? How?

[@davezalinko1354]

Better off the face. Packed more of a punch the numbers showed it. On average 10-15 yrs more distance. Really felt nice to hit. The usual stuff.

[@LifeLover2020]

@@davezalinko1354 Great to hear! Do you remember your launch, ball, spin and club data for each? To get that much more out of the new head, would love to dig into the full set of data on similar strikes

[@nealfreeman01]

If Callaway offers Paradym OG at a $200 discount and the Smoke at $599 they will control the public market share for sure.

[@ckydmk]

Never in a million years will that happen

[@Tom-ok2rh]

Original Paradym was offered recently at $100 off but the triple diamond was all back ordered until March. Not worth waiting for when the new one will be out in February.

[@michaelsmoot5200]

For IAN: Definitely a Triple Diamond Ventus Blue with 2024 Collin Morikawa set up: clubs and irons throughout the bag… in my mind, Ian is a striker

[@badbilly429]

Very glad they went back to the max d over the x

[@jergernice1]

Not a huge cally fan typically. I own darkspeed x. The smoke max is so unbelievably consistent across the face it's unreal. It's like it has no sidespin. The cobra can be longer for sure but is not as consistent. It's very good but I'm having a hard time missing the fairway with the ai smoke max.

[@seajan808]

So good boys !!!

[@craigherman6531]

Love your reviews. Callaway makes a great product

[@jimvoelz7444]

A couple of initial observations on this short first look at Ai Smoke. Seems like the Ai Smoke "may" have a slight draw bias. On the last comparison of the Paradym Triple Diamond and the Ai Smoke Triple Diamond Ian's drives with the Paradym were very soft draws starting just to the right of the center line and dropping just to the left of the center line. The Ai Smoke Triple Diamond were generally stronger draws to the left (with 1 push to the right). Also there was a greater dispersion with the Ai Smoke. Some gains with speed and distance with the Ai Smoke. It will be interesting to watch this play out over the next few months as we get more "samples" of the club. The question that pops up for me is... has Ian adjusted his swing to the Paradym over time and will that happen intentionally/intuitively with the Ai Smoke?

[@Erictheking66]

I'd like to see the triple 💎 tested with heavy weight forward compared to heavy weight backwards. Im a scratch index, low spin player, swing around 105mph, i prefer the looks of a compact driver, but I need help keeping the spin up.

[@tguy39]

I’ve had a crazy year with drivers. Went from srixon z785 to TSR3 to zx5 Ls and now I’m gaming a mavrik max and have kept the ball in play off the tee way more than I ever have before. I wonder how big of a difference either paradym model is compared to my mavrik..?

[@jh1603]

Biggest thing that stuck out to me is Ian’s “pretty toey one” and my “pretty toey” ones aren’t anywhere near the same place on the club face 😂😢

[@johnwebb2466]

Great review

[@frankiedavis9811]

When is the triple diamond max review coming soon I hope

[@Tom-ok2rh]

I have seen pictures of a new Paradym Ai Smoke triple diamond Max but have not seen anything about one. Can you confirm or deny that there is such a driver coming out. Sounds like the perfect blend between the Max and the Triple Diamond but would need to see more information. Maybe it’s kinda like the Rogue Max LS in a previous model.

[@GRIFF22]

I think companies who release yearly have a marketing story I.e. name, colour etc. For companies who lunacy twice yearly such as Titleist and Ping, there's a tangible difference and performance jump. The story for 2024 will be the successor to the TSR and I'll be waiting for that before considering upgrading.

[@erikkiser6882]

I’d like to see these videos compare the new drivers to two generations back. I think it’s more likely you’ll see Rogue ST users, rather than Paradym owners, looking to buy a new driver. Wish you guys had a few older heads lying around

[@discr1709]

I wish the product cycles were all two years like Titleist. Not seeing anything special compared to the previous year.

[@CSqrdX]

Why? Consumers are not forced to purchase but we still have the option to do so.

[@discr1709]

@@CSqrdXnew club fatigue, I guess, with all the marketing hype that goes with it. I actually feel bad for the product engineers, as soon as a new club goes to market they’re told to get back at it and find some way to defeat physics and make the next version even better! 😂

[@JustusSeiber]

I don’t mind the once a year, makes the used market easier to afford because it gets over saturated

[@JustusSeiber]

Stealth1 fairway woods could be purchased for $150-$179 on eBay this past summer

[@jamesjackson4264]

@@discr1709I don’t feel sad for them unless they are forced to work for free.

[@Mikeb979]

Didn’t think I needed to potentially part ways with my paradym until seeing this. Do you mind posting the specs of the Ventus shaft?

[@romewasnotbuiltinaday]

Be careful what you wish for b/c I saw a video on another channel where the old paradym had better numbers than the ai smoke.

[@Mikeb979]

@@romewasnotbuiltinaday I think my golf coach has convinced me to stick with the Paradym for now. I’m just a sucker for new shiny things

[@scottmackey4182]

The biggest difference I see is the reduced spin rate for the Smoke AI compared to the 2023 Paradym. It resulted in longer shots and generally better results. Control is more about the human swing dynamics and fatigue factor as the testing went along. We don’t know how many drives Ian actually hit in total. Can’t wait for the head to head of all new 2024 heads.

[@clubchampionmedia]

The head-to-head driver bracket will be on the channel sooner this year, keep an eye out for those!

[@alfredbrighamgladstone]

Which do prefer between ping 430, paradym smoke, Taylor made driver? I'm hitting it around 100mph...................@@clubchampionmedia

[@nigelcobalt]

NIcely done. As usual, we will want to see callaway vs taylormade, and that is from a titleist/ping guy.

[@schapediddly]

I'm just waiting on the 10k review

[@marcuszettergren8885]

For a spell there, i thought you still had the plastic on the head :D

[@Slicktycoon]

Smoke 🔷🔷🔷 is definitely low spin. Looks like it's hard to launch it in the right window. It will work well with my high launch high spin delivery tendencies 👍🏽

[@jacobmahoney6764]

Hopefully you can help! I had a friend get fitted for a driver and he came out with the AI Smoke TD 9 degree head. Shaft was Ventus TR Black 50g Stiff. His ball speed was recorded at 151 and Club speed was right around 105. All those numbers sound great, but then I heard his launch and spin. His launch was 9.2 degrees at 1900 spin. Don't you think he should be getting more launch and a little more spin to maximize carry and total yardage? Any info would be greatly appreciated. Can you think of a shaft without seeing his swing that could get better numbers?

[@mikegnh603]

If I could get the max model in an 8 degree head I would write a blank check right now

[@Iamwrongbut]

It adjusts down to 8…?

[@WilliamWright-hf8ob]

I believe you can request from Callaway the adaptor that only increases loft 1 degree and decreases loft 1 and/or 2 degrees .

[@mikegnh603]

Yes the loft sleeve can adjust it down but also opens the club face when doing so. I like 8 degrees and a square club face

[@WilliamWright-hf8ob]

yes that would happen with adaptors like Taylormade but I believe Callaway and Titleist have addressed this with their moveable ring system.

[@lawbinson]

more OEMs should have lower lofted heads.

[@johnk.atchley5079]

Over 30 yards offline left. Hmmmm. If this had been a tight fairway instead of that wide open double fairway without a tree or bush in sight, that Max D would have gotten Ian in a heap of trouble.

[@MrGozieBoy]

Agree. That's what I do, and it doesn't play at most of my courses 😜

[@SupSlade]

refreshing with the change of scenery! Callaway has really stepped it's game up. Great vid

[@simonsaunders1730]

Interesting options if you’re in the market for a new driver, but not seeing anything there to make me want to change… or even test.

[@danielphang4221]

The TD compared to Qi10 standard seems to show Qi10 doing better with dispersion and distance…

[@Stannyhand]

Max D in 9 degrees turned down to 8 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻

[@kevinmclafferty7854]

Fantastic review! Hit the ai smoke yesterday and it’s incredible. I put a TSR3 in the bag last year, and it actually pains me (and my wallet) to say that the ai smoke might be better (looks aside, as much as the grey carbon looks out of this world one can’t beat the classic Titleist look). Maybe it was just me, and perhaps because I have a heavier sole weight in my TSR3, but I found the ai smoke to be light in the head. Not light in a bad way by any means, but it was noticeable even with a heavier shaft than my TSR3

[@lawbinson]

Lower lofted forgiving high-MOI models should be more standard across OEMs.

[@Jlittle523]

When you hit the Triple Diamond, was the weight forward or back?

[@TM_2024GO]

Qi10 Stand! Great video Rick!

[@pessimysticism]

If you set the Max driver to maximum draw setting, how different is it to the dedicated Draw Bias version? Is there any real reason for the separate model?

[@0708Marcel]

I just watched your review and the one Rick Shiels did. Both carried the AI Smoke Max 284yds. Rick swung at 156mph, you at 163mph. Where does that difference come from? Shaft, Launch?

[@sheedy9]

Launch monitor conditions??

[@lawbinson]

Likely a combination of delivery conditions. Angle of Attack, Dynamic Loft, Face to Path primarily as well as strike. Could also be settings or conditions of “course” for the simulator.

[@mikebarker9910]

Interestingly I tried the 12 degree Max dialled down to 11 degrees - although I’m 3 years older I was able to generate 5 mph more swing speed, 7mph ball speed and and 10-14 yards more distance. I tried the new TaylorMade Qi10 at the same fitting and was surprised that it wasn’t in the same ballpark.