2024 sees the launch of the new Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke driver range. As a big fan of the original Paradym family, I was extremely keen to see what Callaway had in store for the new line-up and if the Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond driver could take its place among the best drivers in the game.
WATCH: Joe Ferguson tests the new Ai Smoke Max driver against last year's Paradym
Getting straight into the looks, I was absolutely delighted to see the new grey colorway when I pulled it out of the box for the first time. Truth be told, one of my few gripes with the excellent original Paradym Triple Diamond was the navy color, and in particular the clash where the navy crown met the grey banner strip along the top edge.
This is obviously subjective, but I have always been somewhat conservative in terms of my driver color preferences, favoring either a black or grey, and the crown of the Ai Smoke Triple Diamond really delivers for me. That’s not to say it’s vanilla in any way. The combination of visual carbon and the grey give a really sophisticated and cohesive visual, and the grey to grey blend just looks so much cleaner to my eye.
A small ‘Ai Smoke’ logo is positioned towards the back, heel side of the crown which is new, and maybe feels a little unnecessary to disrupt the clean flow of the address position, but it really is tiny and far from offensive.
In addition to that, the topline stripe between crown and face has had a slight upgrade too. The new strip of the Ai Smoke Triple Diamond remains a lot more parallel to the top edge which, again, looks a lot neater to me than the on the original Paradym Triple Diamond where this tapered away more dramatically.
Ok, that’s the crown, but what about the sole, the area that ultimately dictates the shelf appeal of a driver. Well, it’s another huge well done to the Callaway design team from me! The smokey pattern from the original Paradym Triple Diamond continues but is sharper, and with the grey accent looks even better. The vibrant blue that Callaway has selected for the logo and the weights is the perfect accent to the grey. The sole geometry is very similar to its predecessor with only slight refinements in this area.
So, you might be picking up the sense that I like the looks of this driver(!), but what is the tech story behind it? Well, Callaway’s tag line with this product is ‘Sweeter From Every Spot’, and this is a concept they have created by advancing their Ai Smart Face technology, using swing dynamics from thousands of real golfers. These swing dynamics include swing speed, club delivery, and face orientation just prior to impact. This information has then been inputted into their Ai system and has produced a whole new face which Callaway says creates micro deflections across various points of the striking area, essentially producing multiple sweet spots! Sounds good right? Time to see if this tech story held up under testing!
I tested the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond outdoors at Royal North Devon Golf Club using a SkyTrak+ launch monitor and Titleist Pro V1x golf balls, and subsequently indoors using Foresight Sports GCQuad with again the Pro V1x.
From a feel and sound point of view, I didn’t notice any dramatic change from the Paradym Triple Diamond original, which I was very pleased with as I had very much become a fan of the muted thud it produced.
Once again, on well-struck shots, ball speed, launch and spin numbers were basically identical to its predecessor, with good hits producing very low spin numbers and a really strong, penetrating ball flight.
My only other issue with the original Paradym Triple Diamond was that I really felt it was a driver you needed to be at your best with. Any mishits were punished fairly severely for me, which is often the case with many of the best drivers for distance, however, the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond gave me a bit more peace of mind.
Some of my poorer strikes (which come predominantly out of the heel) really weren’t punished too harshly from either a ball speed or directional point of view. My standard heel strike began marginally left of my intended start line and through the gear effect, gently cut back nearer to target than I expected. On the rare occasion I struck one out of the toe, I found similar levels of forgiveness. This is a real plus point for a driver really geared towards low spin rather than ultimate playability and could well be a testament to the updated face.
There is a notable fade bias to the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond, both from an internal weighting perspective and from the slightly open face angle at address. As a fade is my preferred shot shape, this suited me down to the ground, but those looking to maximize a raking draw may want to look elsewhere. I found this driver almost impossible to shape right to left, which again is fantastic for me as it eliminates the left side of the course, but is something to be aware of.
Overall, I was extremely impressed with the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond driver. When you are next in line to a product as successful as the original Paradym Triple Diamond, it can be a very tough act to follow, but I think Callaway has done as good a job as possible.
Some genuine upgrades to the aesthetic are really pleasing for me - and a touch more playability have genuinely elevated this product - and I can confidently say that it is a better driver than the already impressive original and positions itself among the best Callaway drivers to date.
