By Alex Gallemore
It’s driver season again… where the brands flood the market with campaigns to entice your hard earned cash for the quest of extra distance.
The driver that has been making the most noise leading up to the 2023 PGA Show has been Callaway and their latest line up called Paradym.
Callaway threw down the gauntlet in 2017 with the Epic driver, which housed their breakthrough Jailbreak technology. Two vertical bars behind the face provided not only performance but face stability.
Callaway added artificial intelligence to create a more forgiving face in their Flash model and this paired with modified Jailbreak technology has been the tech backbone of their drivers. So they needed to find something different as things were starting to look very similar just disguised with clever marketing.
It’s hard for manufacturers to push the envelope each year to deliver a new driver that outperforms its predecessor as the regulations set by the R&A and USGA are tight to say the least, especially with the outcry that Tour pros are making classic courses look like pitch and putt golf due to their ever increasing driving average.
I bought the Epic when it came out in 2017 and it remains the benchmark driver I test all the others against. As you would expect, all the models since then have got slightly better but not one has been able to tempt me to upgrade … until now!
Having listened to the Callaway sales pitch on the Paradym I was thinking, ‘here we go again, more clever sales and marketing but no real tech breakthrough’. Until they showed the 360 carbon one-piece body design!
I’m a golf nerd when it comes to tech and really appreciate the challenges manufacturers face when it comes to club design. Making a driver appeal to all abilities is a science and art-form in one. The key tool is weight distribution. Saving weight in certain areas and adding it to other spots can dramatically affect the performance.
That is why I woke up during the presentation when I saw the artificial intelligence-designed 360 carbon body. Callaway can now move essential weight in the most precise way possible to enhance the characteristic of the club.
NEW JAILBREAK A.I.
The new A.I. designed Jailbreak system provides stability in both the horizontal and torsional direction. Now with a 33% lighter weight design, Callaway has enhanced stability for fast ball speeds.
NEW A.I. DESIGNED FACE
An all-new A.I. face optimization enhances speed, launch and spin, and now downrange dispersion. This is the world’s most advanced driver face designed by artificial intelligence.
INDUSTRY-FIRST 360° CARBON CHASSIS
360° Carbon Chassis promotes unprecedented weight redistribution for maximized distance. The Triaxial Carbon crown and Forged Carbon sole is 44% lighter than a titanium chassis. This massive weight savings is repositioned for higher MOI and increased forgiveness.
THE TEST
For all the distance golfers, yes, it is long. But that isn’t why I’m finally swapping out my Epic for a Paradym. It’s the dispersion that sold it. The grouping from 20 tee shots on the range at Emirates Golf Club during the media day was tighter than my five iron!
My poor shot is close to the heel and the drop off in performance compared to a pure strike was only eight yards of carry but it was still on line. Normally the heel strike would result in a weak fade but not on this occasion. Don’t impulse buy make sure you get fitted correctly.
I was impressed first off with the Paradym X with a setting of 9 degrees and could have easily have put that in the bag, but ended up with the low spinning Triple Diamond with 10 degrees of loft. Both were as tight on dispersion but the Triple Diamond optimised my spin and launch and with a ball speed average of 157mph I was carrying 274 yards consistently.
THE VERDICT
The classic head shape and eye catching carbon finish will have most golfers reaching for their credit card. Once you hit it, there will be no doubt you’ve made the right purchase decision. I know it’s pricey but worth every penny.
