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We take a closer look at the best performing Callaway drivers of 2025 – the brand of choice for players such as Xander Schauffele
As one of the most recognized brands in the golf industry, Callaway is known for producing top-quality drivers that are favored by golfers of all skill levels – from Xander Schauffele to those starting out in the game.
With a focus on innovation and performance, Callaway has consistently released some of the best drivers on the market. We take a closer look at some of the best Callaway drivers that you can find in 2025 – which include the new Elyte range and the Min driver.
Whether you’re a beginner looking to improve your swing or a regular player looking for for the latest technology, there’s a Callaway driver on this list that’s sure to help you up your game.
This driver is a great option for club golfers everywhere. Low spin rate will help you to develop a lower and more penetrating ball flight for extra distance.
A firm feeling driver that looks excellent both at address and in the golf bag. Ball striking was made a joy and I loved the ball flight I was finding on a consistent basis.
A driver that does what it says on the tin. Throughout my time testing drivers this is not always the case. Performance wise, I have no complaints. Delivered good distances, strong ball speeds and an impressively low, consistent spin rate.
I believe the Callaway Elyte driver is one that can be utilised by a range of golfers. A great option for those who are looking to extract a further carry off the tee.
Meet Callaway’s most forgiving driver from their Elyte range. The driver that delivers stand-out distances in a club golfer-friendly club head. Callaway’s Elyte X driver is designed to help golfers increase their launch.
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A very consistent driver that feels both light to swing but strong enough at impact to hit good distances. I’m not usually a golfer who would put a 10K MOI driver in the bag, but this could be an exception.
The levels of forgiveness were extremely impressive and I was able to manufacture a straight, neutral ball flight. For those who seek added launch this is a great option.
Putting a maximum forgiveness, 10K driver in my bag would never cross my mind. Generally they don’t suite my eye. But I have to say, the consistency in which I hit this driver does live me open to be persuaded to game this club.
Callaway has done an amazing job with the Elyte X driver.
For golfers who struggle with launch but still want good distances, this driver is the best in class.
I loved the feel of this driver, it feels solid at impact and looks fast to look at. Every swing I had with the Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond felt as though it had a punch to it.
The driver delivered good ball speed and distance and the new AI face still allows slightly off centred strikes a tight dispersion. Callaway have struck gold with the classic look and I am pleased to see the return of the green colourway.
Overall, this was a competitively fast, long and low spinning driver option. For those golfer who prefer a smaller driver head and a lower ball flight then this could be the driver for you. I think this has a lot of promise to deliver optimal launch for optimal distance.
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The Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond is certainly a contender for my bag this year.
When standing over the ball some people’s get a little freaked out by the big head and long shaft of a driver. I have certainly taught a few who think this way. This is why I think it could be a real substitute for a driver in some golfer’s bags.
My testing actually showed extremely tight shot grouping, particularly when compared against the performance I tend to get from my current driver and three-wood set up. I tend to spray the ball around the course so it was a nice change to keep the golf ball on the intended line more often.
Where the Elyte Mini truly shines is off the tee. Its shorter shaft and larger head allow for better control without sacrificing much distance. Shots were straighter and more controlled, with only a 10-yard drop-off compared to a traditional driver. The mini driver also delivered impressive performance in terms of forgiveness; even mishits stayed relatively close to the intended target line, showcasing Callaway’s commitment to playability.
PROS
Excellent control and accuracy off the tee
High ball speeds and tight dispersion
Comfortable to use
CONS
Harder to hit off the fairway than other mini driver options
RELATED: Read our full Callaway Elyte Mini Driver review here.
The Paradym Ai Smoke Max is another great driver from Callaway that builds on the momentum of last year’s Paradym range.
I was content with an average of 229 yards carry, especially given the colder winter weather. I was also very pleased with how consistent the carry distance was across my testing.
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Personally, it wasn’t the distance data I was most impressed with. I stood on the tee of the 232-yard 17th hole at Ganton and hit five balls straight onto the green with this driver! The consistency of ball flight was a lot better than with last year’s Paradym, and my dispersion grouping was incredible. Personally, accuracy is more important to me than extra yardage, and this driver stood out in this category.
Given the improved distance and accuracy, it seems like a no-brainer for this to replace my current Callaway Paradym driver.
PROS
More distance
Higher launch and total height
Very tight dispersion
CONS
Slightly larger shape than last year’s Paradym model
No one can argue that this is not one of the best-looking drivers ever made. The head shape is small and classic, the carbon crown gives you a premium feel and the line on the face at the address gives it an inviting look that the old Paradym Triple Diamond didn’t offer. The smokey 360 carbon chassis looks brilliant too.
My ball speed was 1 mph quicker than the old Paradym TD, but speed really isn’t the main story in the new driver. The Carbon Chassis is 15% lighter than the previous model which has allowed them to redistribute the mass in the club to different, more optimal locations. in the head for improved ball flight, sound, feel and performance.
Callaway’s Paradym Ai Smoke TD is definitely a “player’s” driver. The head makes you feel that you can work the ball a lot more than the standard head and old standard Paradym driver. The head is not as inviting as many lower profile clubs available including the others in the Ai Smoke range. I did personally feel like I could produce a better swing speed with the more compact head, and it did stop my shots curving as far left as other new drivers out this year.
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PROS
Looks brilliant behind the ball
Strong performance from off-centre hits
More distance than last year’s Triple Diamond
CONS
A compact head is not confidence-inspiring for inconsistent golfers.
Straight away, I loved how the club sat behind the ball. I just wanted to hit it and see how it performed.
The club face is an AI Smart Face and offers something new to golfers, whereby it uses real player data to develop and provide golfers with a number of sweet spots on the club face. I would say that if you are looking to hit a controlled draw, this club definitely helps.
Overall, I was really impressed with this driver’s performance. When you are over the ball, you just want to hit it, and so it gives you confidence before you even hit the ball. Though I tend to play mainly with a fade, I was impressed with the results when trying to hit a draw. I felt the ball was under control and would be happy to use this when finding the fairway – be it with a fade or a draw.
Developing a driver with the new AI Smart Face is definitely an exciting move by Callaway, and though it is pricy, it will definitely provide you with control and consistency off the tee.
The Callaway Paradym drivers have to take the award for some of the most attractive on the market. I love the new blue and gold colour theme.
Callaway have really changed how their drivers look in address position compared to last year’s Rogue ST. The first big change is that the crown now has a gloss finish. I love this change and think a dark glossy crown looks great behind the golf ball.
Overall the thing I was most impressed with was the dispersion. On both the practice ground and the golf course, my dispersion was only just over 30 yards with ten balls which is very impressive. This is down to the AI-designed club face which has been designed to optimise downrange dispersion. It certainly seems to be working.
The thing I found most interesting was that I felt I could swing full out and my shots were still just as consistent as if I was reigning it in.
Overall I loved testing this driver, all the data was super impressive, even from a non-custom fit model. I think Callaway are going to be in the running for Best Driver again this year.
As with the rest of the Paradym range, this is a great-looking driver. Looking at this at address, the club head is more elongated than the rest of the family. This is to allow Callaway to get more weight low and back so this club is easier to launch and is more forgiving.
Callaway have really changed how their drivers look in address position compared to last year’s Rogue ST. The first big change is that the crown now has a gloss finish. I love this change and think a dark glossy crown looks great behind the golf ball. The shaping is much more compact which I massively prefer, and I also like the new matt alignment feature on the front of the crown.
I loved how easy-to-hit this model felt, and I think this would really suit mid to high-handicap golfers.
So how does this perform compared to the rest of the Paradym range?
It definitely launched the highest. My highest shot reached a peak height of 121.4ft with an average of just over 100ft, which was 14ft higher than the Paradym and 18ft higher than the Triple Diamond. If you struggle to get enough height on your driver, this would be a great option to launch the ball higher. It also spun the most, which was to be expected given the CG location is further back.
For me, straight away, I much prefer the way the Paradym Triple Diamond looks compared to the Rogue ST model. The new colour scheme gives you a real premium feel, a similar feeling you get when you see a Rolls Royce.
Straight away, the driver feels really powerful at impact and the ball rockets off the face. Compared to last year’s Rogue ST Triple Diamond LS, the Paradym produced ball speeds 2-3mph quicker, which is brilliant news for players looking for more distance.
I took the Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond driver out onto the course for 9 holes to further test its performance. Despite it being small, at address, you really want to give it maximum power. The face sits slightly open, which is great for the better player who tends to hook the ball.
The 2023 Big Bertha edition is big. The elongated crown has a generous profile and is a completely different shape from the Paradym models, which have been a huge success already this year. Putting it behind the ball gives you confidence.
I absolutely loved hitting this driver. I love the lightweight design, the draw bias, and just how easy the club felt to hit. I personally find some of the low-spin ‘good players’ drivers don’t have the same feel from the face as the more forgiving drivers do. I don’t like that harsh, fast feeling as It just makes me feel like I am going to toe the ball straight left, which is not a good thought when you are standing over the ball!
The Big Bertha has a big weight on the sole that’s close to the heel, which makes the driver draw biased. This may mean the driver might not suit hookers of the ball, but it’s really going to help those golfers who suffer with a slice.
I genuinely feel like I could put this in the bag, and it would help my game. It may not be the driver that fitters want me to play, but at the end of the day, golfers need help from the club. Yes, long distances on the driving range are nice, but I need fairways out on the golf course, and I believe the Callaway Big Bertha 2023 driver will deliver that for me.
When it comes to golf, having the right equipment can make all the difference. If you’re in the market for a new driver, Callaway offers some of the best options available.
With a range of impressive options from this years Elyte range and previous years Paradym Ai Smoke, Big Bertha and Paradym, it’s important to evaluate each driver’s unique features and benefits to determine which one will best fit your needs and improve your game.
Whether you’re looking for increased speed, better accuracy, or more distance, there’s a Callaway driver on this list that will help take your game to the next level in 2025 – some at reduced prices as well!
How do we test drivers?
At National Club Golfer we are passionate about producing accurate and thorough reviews and make sure our testing process is rigorous so we get a good understanding of how each club performs.
Each driver is hit with TP5 golf balls to allow us to collect launch monitor data with our in-house TrackMan and Flightscope. After this it is time to head out onto the golf course and test the clubs in practice and competition play. We do this across a variety of golf clubs in our base of Yorkshire.
What is important when buying a new driver?
When buying a new driver it is important to know what you want from that club to help you improve.
Most people are looking for more distance, each driver model is optimised for different things. Depending on your swing and your impact conditions, you may not actually hit the model that is advertised as the longest, the furthest. So if you want more distance it is always worth giving different models a hit before you make a decision.
For most golfers, especially high handicappers, something that is more forgiving is going to yield the best performance. Most forgiving golf drivers have a slightly bigger club head with perimeter weighting for high MOI. They also have a center of gravity that is further back to help players get more height on their shots.
Do you want something that is draw bias? There are so many models out there to help with slice correction, it would be silly not to take a look if you see your ball disappearing into the right trees too often. A closed face and draw bias weighting can get you hitting straighter shots in no time at all.
Don’t forget about the shaft either. Getting the correct shaft can help dial in your spin, launch angle and can also give you some extra distance. Having a club fitting or trying different options with your local pro can really improve the performance of your new driver.
FAQ’s
What is the latest Callaway driver?
The Elyteline from Callaway includes all their latest driver models. There are three options available, the normal Elyte is designed to maximise swing speed with added forgiveness and launch capabilities. The Elyte X is designed to be extra forgiving, easy to hit and easy to launch. Finally, the Elyte Triple Diamond is the model with the fastest ball speeds, which is ideal for those with faster swing speeds.
What’s different in the latest Callaway drivers?
Callaway have incorporated Ai into many of the driver faces in generations of clubs gone by. The Ai Smoke, included the Paradym Ai Smoke MAX drivers, which our NCG team found optimised launch and spin, leading to better height and more overall distance in our review.
The brand say that the Ai 10x Face they have introduced for the Elyte line-up is ten times more precise than the Ai Smart face. In terms of performance benefits, the new Ai face will lead to unmatched spin consistency and tight dispersion according to Callaway. This is designed to be evident across the face, for mishits and clean strikes.
Additionally, the head of the driver has been crafted using a thermoformed carbon crown which is bigger for CG and resulting in a higher MOI. This is what enables the fast speeds of the three drivers with the aerospace grade carbon fiber optimising the spin and launch for greater distances.
The development of the Elyte drivers included a testing period with a panel of 50 random golfers of random abilities. Promisingly, they found that the top 20% gained +1.3mph which could be down the refined shape of the driver head.
What Callaway drivers do the pros use?
Callaway’s Tour players use a wide variety of their driver offerings. The Triple Diamond is already one of the favourites on the PGA and DP World Tour which isn’t surprising given the club head speed of these players.
Xander Schauffele claimed his 2 Majors of 2024 using the Ai Smoke Triple diamond whilst other top players of note using Callaway drivers include Jon Rahm, Sepp Straka, Sam Burns, Alex Noren, Min Woo Lee, Phil Mickleson and Nicolai Hojgaard.
