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What’s new? How much does it cost? And how does it perform? Paul Miller brings you the low down on Callaway’s new Paradym Ai Smoke HL Hybrid
The Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke HL Hybrid is a new high-launch model added to the Callaway hybrid family. So how does it perform? Find out in our Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke HL Hybrid review.
Consistent with the new Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke family this is a great-looking club that produces consistent results. If you struggle to find consistency with your long irons and are looking for some extra height and length then this is a club you should seriously consider.
The club provided a generous sweetspot and clean contact off the floor, and easy to hit off a tee.
Compared to the standard Paradym Ai Smoke hybrid this provided me with more height on my shots that ultimately lead to more distance.
PROS
CONS
First up, this is a great-looking club! The grey colour with the clear white lines on the face sits great on the eye. The head and sole size are generous, providing confidence before you even hit the ball. Unlike the driver, there was no smoke effect design on the back of the club, which I actually preferred.
Just like the Ai Smoke model, when you have the club in hand, you just want to hit it! Personally, it looks more appealing than a long iron when sat behind the ball so I was excited to see if it would provide the consistency I have seen with the rest of the Ai Smoke hybrid range.
I am aged 46, 8 handicap golfer with a slow swing speed. I don’t hit the ball a great distance, but I am generally straight off the tee. However, I do struggle with consistency with long irons, and this can be an issue when it comes to playing the longer par 3s and 4s. I do not currently carry any hybrids, so I was keen to see if I would be ditching my long irons in favour of some hybrids!
Straight away, I loved how the club sat behind the ball. I just wanted to hit it and see how it performed. I was interested in seeing how it would perform compared to the standard Ai Smoke hybrid. Would the ball go further? Would it go higher?
For my initial testing, I used a Foresight Sports GC3 simulator at the Worksop Indoor Golf Centre.
Looking at the 4 iron data below, the first thing to notice is the consistency. I am pretty sure that if I was hitting a 4 or 5 iron there would not be the consistency of carry and there would be shots that were more offline. One thing to note is that the longest carry shot (190 yards) was off a tee. This is something to factor in when playing a par 3, something I never really considered before.
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I pretty much averaged 170 yards carry with a total average distance of 183 yards. This is 4 yards shorter than the Hybrid 4 and seems to be down to producing slightly less ball speed and a higher shot. Interestingly it was the opposite for the 3HL whereby it produced a slightly faster ball speed and so on average went 4 yards further than the Hybrid 3! That being said this club might not go as far but does produce straighter shots. All I can suggest is that you test them all and see how they perform for you and go for the combo that suits.
To put the numbers in context I tend to compare myself to LPGA Tour averages – these being a carry with a 4 iron of 170 yards, ball speed of 116, launch angle of 14.3 degrees, descent angle of 43 degrees & peak height of 24 yards.
With the three hybrid, I averaged 184 yards carry with a total average distance of 199 yards. This is 4 yards further than the standard Paradym Ai Smoke hybrid model. My longest carry shot (191.8 yards) was off a tee.
To put the numbers in context, I tend to compare myself to LPGA Tour averages – these being a carry with a 5 wood of 185 yards, ball speed of 128, launch angle of 12.1 degrees, descent angle of 43 degrees & peak height of 26 yards.
As such, I was really happy with my numbers below, with the ball going pretty straight and, for me, a decent distance. I do tend to hit a fade so the offline numbers were to be as expected. The stats below have made me think I seriously need to ditch the long irons in favour of some hybrids.
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The only thing I need to work out is what combination I require. It might be a case of a mix and match-of standard and HL hybrids. The one thing is for sure: whichever model you go for, they produce excellent consistency and accuracy.
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 struggling to find consistency with your long irons, this is a club you should definitely consider.
Overall, I was really impressed with the performance of this hybrid, which, for me, adds a little extra distance and height. I will definitely be replacing my long irons with a selection of hybrids. All I need to decide is what combination of hybrids I need!
As someone who does not hit the ball a great distance off the tee, I am confident this will provide me with greater consistency with the longer approaches.
The new Ai Smart Face is definitely an exciting move by Callaway that provides the golfer with more sweet spots and so more consistency. You should seriously consider purchasing this club if, like me, you are in need of tightening up your long game.
RRP: £299 / $299
Shafts: Project X Cypher 2.0 | 50G (LGT), 60G (REG), 70G (STF)
Grip: Lamkin Crossline 360 50G
Right-handed Lofts: 18°, 21°, 24°, 27°, 30° & 33°
More information: Callaway UK / Callaway US
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