Tag: New Callaway drivers

Best golf drivers in 2024: New drivers from Callaway, Cobra, Ping and more

Check out Golfweek’s list of the best drivers available to purchase in 2024.

Everyone wants to hit the ball farther, so distance is always going to be important when it comes to new drivers, but if there is a buzzword or concept that is going to dominate the scene in 2024, it’s moment of inertia or MOI.

[anyclip-media thumbnail=”https://cdn5.anyclip.com/LV0-eo0Bs3gt_DyisZMp/1707153157478_248x140_thumbnail.jpg” playlistId=”undefined” content=”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”][/anyclip-media]

In golf equipment – and specifically, drivers – the higher a club’s MOI, the more it will resist twisting on off-center hits, so shots hit toward the toe or the heel will fly straighter and farther.

The USGA and R&A cap the heel-to-toe MOI in drivers at 5,900 g/cm2, but several major golf equipment makers are offering their highest MOI drivers ever in 2024, including Ping and TaylorMade, which are both now featuring a driver than as a combined MOI (heel-to-toe plus sole-to-crown) over 10,000 g/cm2, which should make the Ping G430 Max 10K and the TaylorMade Qi10 Max the most stable and forgiving drivers those brands have ever made.

These gains in driver stability are now possible because more companies are using weight-saving materials like carbon fiber in drivers, which allows engineers to redistribute mass into performance-enhancing locations. Several driver makers dropped new models in early 2024, with each driver being ideally suited to golfers who are looking for different specific traits. For instance, Callaway released four different Paradym Ai Smoke drivers including the high-MOI Max, the low-spin LS, the Max D for slicers and the Max Fast for slower-swinging players. Ping offers four G430 drivers and Titleist has TSR drivers available too, while Cobra, Mizuno, Srixon and TaylorMade each have three different options.

More drivers have come to the market since the first wave dropped in earlier this season, including the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper, the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond Max and the Mizuno ST-Max 230. 

The key to finding the driver that best suits your game and your budget is to work with a custom fitter and hit several different clubs using a launch monitor so you can accurately compare things like ball speed, spin rate, launch angle and carry distance. Good fitters can help you find the ideal shaft, tweak the lie angle and the loft of your driver and explain why one model might be a better option for you than another.

Below are many of the most popular drivers that you are likely to see in pro shops and golf specialty stores right now.

Most popular drivers in 2024:

Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond Max driver

The Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond Max is for low-handicap players who want more spin and shot-shaping with a boost in forgiveness.

Gear: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond Max driver
Price: $599.99 with Project X Denali Blue shaft and Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 grip
Specs: 460-cubic-centimeter head with carbon fiber crown and sole panel, adjustable hosel and movable weights. Only available in right-hand with 9- and 10-degree lofts.
Available: June 7

Who It’s For: Fast-swinging, low-handicap golfers who want more forgiveness and spin than Callaway’s low-spin Triple Diamond driver.

The Skinny: The Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond Max is designed to blend the previously released Triple Diamond and Max drivers, allowing low-handicap players to gain more spin and shot-shaping with a boost in forgiveness.

The Deep Dive: With four Paradym Ai Smoke drivers already on the market, you might wonder why Callaway is compelled to release a fifth model, but the Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond Max has become popular enough with players to be the second most-played Callaway driver on the PGA Tour, so Callaway decided to make it available to the masses.

In many ways, the Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond Max is a ‘tweener, because it was designed to fit between two drivers that are already in the line-up. The standard Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond is a 450-cubic-centimeter head that is the lowest-spinning, lowest-launching driver in the Callaway stable, and the Ai Smoke Max is a 460-cubic-centimeter driver that offers a higher moment of inertia and more stability. With the Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond Max, Callaway designers tried to bring the best of both clubs together in one offering.

Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond Max
In the address position, the Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond Max has a pear-shape that many accomplished golfers prefer. (Callaway)

The look in the address position retains the Triple Diamond’s pear shape, which many advanced golfers favor. But while the standard Triple Diamond comes with a 14-gram weight in the back and a 2-gram weight in the front, the Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond Max comes with a 10-gram weight and a 4-gram weight. Yes, the overall mass of the moveable weights has decreased, but the driver head’s shape helps that weight create slightly more spin and a slightly higher launch angle than the standard Triple Diamond achieves. In Callaway’s tests with accomplished golfers, that extra spin and higher moment of inertia translated into more control. As players realized their tee shots flew straighter, Callaway observed that many players’ confidence increased, and they started to swing faster, leading to more ball speed and distance.

That blend of playing characteristics sounds great, but it is likely not ideal for everyone, and Callaway knows it. However, making the Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond Max available gives players – and more importantly, fitters – another versatile option that can help golfers create the ideal launch conditions to maximize distance and accuracy.

Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond Max
The hitting area was designed using artificial intelligence to create micro-deflections that act like tiny sweet spots all over the face. (Callaway)

Like the other Ai Smoke drivers, the Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond Max has a face that was designed using artificial intelligence. Callaway captured swing data on more than 250,000 real players’ swings and directed powerful computers to use that data to design driver faces that are optimized based on how players (instead of robots) swing the club. The result is a face that has thick and thin areas on the inner-facing side that flex in different ways to blend forgiveness and ball speed.

Like the other Paradym Ai Smoke drivers, the Triple Diamond Max has a 360-degree carbon fiber chassis, lightweight carbon on the crown and a carbon fiber sole panel that wraps directly into it.

An adjustable hosel allows players and fitters to increase or decrease the loft by as many as 1.5 degrees while also making the lie angle flatter or more upright. Combined with the moveable weights in the sole, the adjustable hosel can help fitters tweak and refine the spin rate and launch angle of drives for better performance.

Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max, Triple Diamond, Max D, Max Fast drivers

Studying thousands of shots from real golfers helped Callaway design the Paradym Ai Smoke drivers

Gear: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max, Paradym Ai Smoke Max D, Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond, Paradym Ai Smoke Max Fast drivers
Price: $599.99 with Project X Cypher 2.0 shaft, Project X Denali Black shaft or Mitsubishi Tensei AV Blue shaft and Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 grip
Specs: Forged titanium face and chassis with carbon fiber crown, carbon fiber sole and adjustable hosels for most of the models
Available: Feb. 2, but available via pre-order NOW

[anyclip-media thumbnail=”https://cdn5.anyclip.com/umyl0YwBi48x4ItYgVxQ/1704324601728_248x140_thumbnail.jpg” playlistId=”undefined” content=”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”][/anyclip-media]

Who They’re For: Golfers who want more ball speed and forgiveness on mis-hit drives.

The Skinny: After studying hundreds of thousands of shots, Callaway designers used artificial intelligence to create different faces for each of the four Paradym Ai Smoke drivers so they are optimized to enhance distance and protect ball speed. 

The Deep Dive: Callaway purchased its first supercomputer in 2009, back when A.I. stood for Allen Iverson and no one had ever heard of ChatGPT. By 2016, engineers were using it to study impact dynamics, develop prototype iron faces and more. In 2019 the Epic Flash driver was released with a hitting area designed using artificial intelligence. More woods and irons followed, but there was a shortcoming with the data used by the computers in developing those clubs: It was collected with the help of swing robots, and robots don’t play golf. 

So Callaway captured swing data on more than 250,000 real players’ swings and collected over a million data points to create a dataset the supercomputers could use to develop the Paradym Ai Smoke Max, Ai Smoke Max D, Ai Smoke Triple Diamond and Ai Smoke Max Fast drivers.

By instructing the supercomputers to study how real golfers of various abilities swing and hit the ball, then directing the system to create faces that maximize performance for fast-swinging players, golfers who tend to slice the ball, slower-swinging players and golfers who need extra forgiveness, Callaway developed different faces that are optimized for various players in the four Paradym Ai Smoke drivers.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke drivers” link=”https://worldwidegolfshops.pxf.io/DKdZP5″]

Each has a unique series of thick and thin areas in different places, creating what Callaway refers to as microdeflections, and they act like tiny sweet spots. The result is enhanced face performance for specific players.

Callaway said that thanks to the microdeflections and customized faces, 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.

Like last season’s Paradym drivers, the Paradym Ai Smoke drivers feature a forged fiber 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 adjustable hosels 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.

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 center 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.

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 center of gravity location can decrease the severity of the shot’s curvature, resulting in straighter shots that fly farther.

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 center 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 A.I. Smoke driver on the PGA Tour.

Finally, 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 maximize 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.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max driver” link=”https://worldwidegolfshops.pxf.io/rQNqZj”]

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max D driver” link=”https://worldwidegolfshops.pxf.io/zNm5L0″]

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond driver” link=”https://worldwidegolfshops.pxf.io/R5dNvX”]

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max Fast driver” link=”https://worldwidegolfshops.pxf.io/NkyvOq”]

Check out the following images of the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke drivers.

 

Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke drivers added to USGA Conforming Driver List

Callaway’s new drivers for 2024 have hit the USGA Conforming Driver Head list.

[mm-video type=video id=01h7hdxxm6gy2d5p4tca playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01h7hdxxm6gy2d5p4tca/01h7hdxxm6gy2d5p4tca-8ad1ce6341186ed3410daf60b2f9cf48.jpg]

Early Monday morning, as 2024 was being ushered in across the United States, Callaway’s newest drivers were being added to the United States Golf Association’s List of Conforming Driver Heads. That means the USGA has tested the heads to ensure they meet equipment standards and comply with the Rules of Golf. Once added to the list, a driver head can be used by anyone in a competitive round or official event like this week’s PGA Tour event, The Sentry at the Kapalua Resort in Hawaii.

Callaway has not made any official announcement about the Paradym Ai Smoke drivers yet, and there are 11 versions of the Paradym A.I. Smoke drivers now on the list, so some are almost assuredly going to be Tour-only models. However, based on the photos displayed on the USGA’s website, the descriptions and notes of the of the clubs and technologies Callaway has used in the past, we can make some educated guesses about the Paradym Ai Smoke family.

  • Forged Carbon. Callaway has been making drivers with carbon fiber crowns and sole panels for years, and in 2023’s Paradym drivers, the brand created a 360-degree forged carbon chassis that wrapped the material completely around the center of the head. Forged Carbon is printed on the sole of each driver, so it appears the Paradym Ai Smoke will have a similar construction.
  • Ai SMART FACE. We can’t see this in the USGA photos, but it is noted in the description of each club that on the face are the words “Ai Smart Face.” A few weeks ago, Odyssey, Callaway’s putter arm, released the Ai ONE and Ai ONE Milled putters, and in those clubs, Ai standards for artificial intelligence. Callaway has used artificial intelligence to help its designers create driver faces for years, so this could mean there is a new or updated face technology in the Paradym Ai Smoke drivers.
  • Triple Diamond = Low Spin. Starting several years ago, Callaway designated its low-spin drivers with Sub-Zero, but recently the company has used three diamonds or the Triple Diamond designation to signify that a product has been made for fast-swinging, elite golfers. Among the drivers now on the conforming list are the Triple Diamond, Triple Diamond +, Triple Diamond S and Triple Diamond Max. All of them except the Triple Diamond + appear to have two moveable weights, one forward and another back weight in the sole. In the past, this two-weight system has allowed players and fitters to be able to increase or decrease the spin rate and launch angle by swapping a heavy and a lightweight in the ports.
  • Max = standard. There is no club simply labeled Paradym Ai Smoke, each of the new offerings on the USGA list is labeled with an extra name, so it stands to reason that Max is the base model. We can clearly see a sliding weight in the back of the Max driver that should allow players and fitters to create a draw or a fade bias. The weight in the front of the sole is a different shape, so it won’t be swappable with the weight in the track. It is likely there to help fitters adjust the swing weight of the club.
  • Max D = Draw. This club lacks the sliding weight in the back of the head that the Max has, but any time brands put a D on the end of a club’s name, it means draw. This driver has likely been designed to help golfers who slice.
  • Max Fast. If the standard Max is a base model and the Max D has a draw bias for golfers who slice, the Max Fast is probably for slower-swinging players. Why do we think that? In the USGA notes it states that this club is offered in 9.5, 10.5, 11.5 and 12-degree options. Those higher lofts will not be practical for faster-swinging golfers, but players who struggle to generate speed often choose high-lofted drivers to maximize carry distance. Like the other Paradym Ai Smoke drivers, the Max Fast has an adjustable hosel and unless it is different than other Callaway hosel systems, it will allow players to increase the loft by up to 2 degrees so that a 12-degree head can play with as much as 14 degrees of loft!

Here are several close-up looks at the different Paradym Ai Smoke drivers.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1364]