The Paradym Ai Smoke Tactical drivers have a special green trim, customized shaft and loads of technology.
Looking down in the address position, every Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max driver has the same look that features a black carbon fiber crown and matte black trim. The same thing goes for the Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond drivers. Sure, the sole of each of those drivers looks a little bit different because the bottom of each club is made with forged carbon, and as that material is superheated and pressed into shape under high pressure, the bits and pieces of each sole panel create unique patterns.
But for golfers who want the technology designed into the Paradym Ai Smoke Max or Triple Diamond, but thirst for something with a special look, Callaway has dropped limited-edition Tactical versions of each club.
The limited-edition Tactical drivers have green accents on the carbon fiber crown. (Callaway)
The limited-edition Tactical drivers, which are available for pre-order now on Callaway’s website and should be in stores starting June 14, feature green forged carbon and weights, along with a green Mitsubishi Tensei shaft and a matching Golf Pride MCC grip for $699.
Like the standard Paradym Ai Smoke Max and Triple Diamond drivers, the Tactical editions have been designed with Callaway’s Ai Smart face, a titanium hitting area that was created by having computers use artificial intelligence to study thousands of swings made by real golfers. Using those swings and the data collected from shots, the computers optimized the hitting area of each driver to create the most ball speed and forgiveness possible, effectively producing miniature sweet spots across the hitting area.
The Ai Smart face is designed to optimize performance over a larger portion of the hitting area. (Callaway)
The 460cc Paradym Ai Smoke Max has a sliding adjustable weight in the back of the sole to help players and fitters create a draw or fade bias while maintaining a high moment of inertia and stability. The 450cc Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond has adjustable weights in the front and back of the sole to allow players and fitters to fine-tune the spin rate and launch angle.
MUIRFIELD VILLAGE, Ohio – Titleist brought its newest drivers and fairway woods – the yet-to-be-released GT2, GT3 and GT4 – to the 2024 Memorial Tournament and made them available for staff players such as Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Will Zalatoris and Cameron Young. Their use this week will be their first in a PGA Tour event.
In addition to the GT drivers, Titleist is also debuting the matching GT fairway woods at Jack Nicklaus’ event.
It has been nearly two years since Titleist released the TSR family of drivers, fairway woods and hybrids, and with the brand typically dropping clubs and balls on two-year product cycles, it was not surprising the GT woods were added to the USGA’s Conforming Driver Head list Monday.
Titleist did not release official information or comment about the GT drivers or fairway woods, but the company did note in a press release the clubs were developed with the help of feedback from staff players.
If history can be used as a guide, there are a few things the USGA’s notes and in-hand photos obtained by Golfweek on Monday at Muirfield Village can teach golfers:
GT2: The Point and Shoot driver. Titleist drivers given a “2” designation in the past have offered a high moment of inertia with centers of gravity farther back in the head to boost stability. With the GT2, we once again see a club that is larger from front to back than the other drivers in the family, along with a single weight located on the seam that joins the back of the crown with the sole. Extra mass there would pull the center of gravity down and back.
GT3: Draw-Fade adjustability. The TSR3 driver, as with the TSi3 driver it replaced, has been extremely popular among Titleist players because it has a five-setting adjustable weight that allows players and fitters to shift the center of gravity to create a draw or fade bias. We can clearly see that weight in the sole of the GT3. With the location of the adjustable weight more forward in the sole, it should help reduce spin and create a lower ball flight. The GT3 also has a classic pear shape and a more compact look than the GT2
GT4: Spin and launch adjustability. The GT4 would logically seem to take the place of the prior-generation TSR4, which Titleist offered as a club for fast-swinging golfers who want to fine-tune spin rates to achieve ideal launch conditions. As with the TSR4, the GT4 has two adjustable weights, with one in the front and one in the back to go along with a compact head design. A heavier weight in the front with a light weight in the back would reduce spin and help the GT4 produce a more-piercing launch, while putting a heavier weight in the back and a light weight in the front would increase the spin rate and launch height. While the GT3 may give golfers left-and-right adjustability, it appears the GT4 is designed to create up-and-down adjustability.
All three GT drivers appear to have been designed with Titleist’s 16-setting SureFit hosel system, which allows golfers to independently change the loft and lie angle.
The GT fairway woods appear to follow the same design philosophy as their corresponding drivers, with the GT2 appearing to be the largest in size and the GT3 having a moveable weight that can create a draw or fade bias.
Titleist has not provided information about when the GT2, GT3 and GT4 drivers and fairway woods might be made available to consumers, but historically the brand has released new clubs two to three months after starting the seeding process on the PGA Tour. If that’s the case, we could see the GT family in pro shops and golf specialty stores by late summer.
Below are several in-hand photos of the new GT2, GT3 and GT4 drivers.
Cleveland Launcher XL 2 drivers are for recreational golfers who want to maximize forgiveness and forgiveness.
Gear: Cleveland Launcher XL 2, Launcher XL 2 Draw drivers Price:$449.99 with Mitsubishi Tensei AV Blue or Aldila Ascent PL shaft and Lamkin Crossline 360 grip Specs: Titanium face and body with adjustable hosel. Lofts: 9, 105. and 12 degrees Available: Jan. 19, but available NOW via pre-sale
Who It’s For: Recreational golfers who want to maximize forgiveness and forgiveness.
The Skinny: The Cleveland Launcher XL 2 drivers were made with faces and a weight system designed to counteract many recreational golfers’ most common problems and to help them hit more fairways.
The Deep Dive:Cleveland’s newest generation of Launcher drivers will not be spotted on the PGA Tour, DP World Tour or the LPGA. Srixon, Cleveland’s sister brand under the Dunlop Sports umbrella, offers plenty of driver options for elite players, so Cleveland designers are free to focus on woods that will specifically help recreational golfers and weekend players. As a result, different aspects of performance are emphasized when they sit at the virtual drawing boards, and in the Launcher XL 2 family, that means extra forgiveness.
Cleveland has invested in computing power and it helped designers engineer the hitting area of the Launcher XL 2 drivers. The system developed new variable thickness titanium faces that deliver better ball speed protection on mis-hit drives, which should be especially helpful in a driver designed for weekend players and recreational golfers, not tour pros.
The MainFrame XL faces are designed with the help of supercomputers. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
The MainFrame XL faces are complemented by the addition of second-generation Rebound Frame, a technology that debuted in 2020 in Srixon’s ZX driver family. Cleveland designers made a more-flexible area behind the stiff area behind the leading edge, where the face meets the chassis. Behind the flexible area, the body of the club gets stiff again. This system acts like a spring at impact, allowing the entire face to flex back before rebounding forward. The resulting trampoline effect helps the Launcher XL 2 drivers generate more ball speed over an even larger area.
In addition to using computer simulations to design the hitting areas, Cleveland harnessed computing power to test thousands of different internal weight pads. After identifying the most common mis-hit locations for recreational golfers, Cleveland instructed the system to study how changes in weight distribution could improve performance. This exercise allowed designers to fine-tune the spin and launch characteristics and suit how weekend players, not tour pros, tend to hit their drives.
Cleveland added a network of internal ribs to improve the acoustics of the head and make the sound of impact more pleasing.
The Rebound Frame chassis design broadens the sweet spot and allows more of the hitting area to flex at the moment of impact. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
The Launcher XL 2 drivers come standard with an 8-gram weight inside the top portion of the shaft. It acts as a counterbalance and should make the clubs feel easier to swing, especially on the takeaway.
The Launcher XL 2 drivers look big and reassuring in the address position. Hideki Matsuyama and Brooks Koepka will not play these drivers, so Cleveland engineers could make the clubs larger from front to back and appear easier to hit.
There are two versions of the Launcher XL 2, a standard model and a Draw version. While the standard XL 2 has a slight draw bias, the Draw model has a face that appears more-closed in the address position, which should help to provide more slice-fitting assistance. The Draw version also produces more spin and a higher ball flight, with a more considerable draw bias.
