Callaway’s Ai Smoke Max is their 2024 fairway wood with most golfers in mind – now available at some great discounted prices. NCG put it to the test.
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NCG SUMMARY
This fairway wood combines great looks with great technology.
Callaway, it seems to me, is describing this as the go-to three-wood, and I agree. It should appeal to most golfers and will be in the fairway discussion for a wide handicap range.
The head is a modern, classic shape. It has an adjustable hosel and therefore should give options for many golfers. I think this is definitely a great three-wood.
PROS
- Great looks
- Wide appeal
- Forgiving across the face
CONS
- None
Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max Fairway Wood Review: First Impressions
As with most clubs these days, these look fantastic. The mix of carbon and metal gives a high-tech and attractive appearance. Callaway is utilising their Ai technology, which this year uses data from real-world golfers. They use advanced machine learning to produce sweet spots around the face and claim the max produces a consistent and neutral ball flight.
It sits nicely behind the ball. It does not look super low-profile but is still confidence-inspiring. I tested the 15-degree 3 wood with a Mitsubishi Chemical AV series 65 S-Flex shaft.
NCG Verdict
I tested this using a Foresight GC3 launch monitor at the Worksop Indoor Golf Centre. I also compared this to my current 15-degree 3 wood.
Jumping straight to the data, my carry and overall distance was a little behind my current 3 wood but this was almost certainly shaft-dependent as I was testing this with the supplied stock stiff shaft. Off the deck, it was confidence-inspiring and relatively consistent. Off the tee, being easier to launch it became more consistent and distance wise was pretty much equal to my current 3-wood. The flight was decent, if somewhat lowish. With a different shaft, it would have been higher.
Off-centre hits were, as expected, forgiven fairly generously. Even some of the real stinkers that I hit were not too bad distance-wise, which was definitely nice to see.
Callaway, it seems to me, is describing this as the go-to three-wood, and I would agree with this. It will appeal to a wide range of handicaps. The head is a modern, classic shape. It has an adjustable hosel and therefore should give options for many golfers. I think this is definitely a great three-wood.
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Three woods are not the easiest clubs to hit, and I would highly recommend a proper fitting to get the correct loft and shaft.
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