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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 Hybrid
The Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Hybrid is the latest model to join the Callaway hybrid family. So how does it perform? Find out in our Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke 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 then this is a club you should seriously consider.
The club provided a generous sweet spot and clean contact off the floor with a little extra distance if hit off a tee. The 3 and 4 hybrid options provided the perfect solution for 170-180 yard approach shots.
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.
When you have the club in hand, you just want to hit it! Personally, it think this looks more appealing than a long iron when sat behind the ball. I was excited to see if it would provide more consistency when hitting approach shots from 170-175 yards.
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 use any hybrids, so I was keen to see if I should ditch my long irons in favour of some hybrids!
Straight away, I loved how the hybrid sat behind the ball. I just wanted to hit it and see how it performed. For my initial testing, I used a Foresight Sports GC3 simulator at the Worksop Indoor Golf Centre.
This is one of three Callaway Paradym Ai hybrid models. It is designed for mid to high-swing speed players who are looking to maximise distance but also tighten their dispersion into the greens.
Looking at the data below, the first thing to notice is the consistency. I am pretty sure that if I were hitting a 4 or 5 iron, there would not be the consistency of carry, and there would be shots that were more offline.
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One thing to note is that the longest carry shot (179.5 yards) was off a tee. This is something to factor in when playing a par 3, something I never really considered before. I pretty much averaged 174 yards carry with the 4-hybrid for a total average distance of 188 yards.
The club head features a tungsten speed cartridge which moves the centre of gravity low and forward to reduce spin and drive up ball speeds. I could see the effect of this in my carry distances compared to my long irons.
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 and peak height of 24 yards.
As such, I was really happy with my numbers, with the ball going pretty straight and, for me, a decent distance. The stats have made me think I seriously need to ditch the long irons in favour of some hybrids. The 3-hybrid performed very similarly but was 6 yards longer; you can see this data below. This model does have an adjustable hosel, so you can tweak the lofts to get the gapping right in your bag.
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. So much so that I could not wait to test it out on course on actual long par 3s. Previously, I would be pulling out a 4 or 5 iron for a 170-180-yard shot, but not really being confident with the outcome. Often, I would walk off with a 4 or the card wrecking 5 or worse!
Putting this hybrid to the test on course was a revelation as I am now hitting the green more often than not and confident on scoring par rather than being relatively happy scoring 4! I will definitely be replacing my long irons with a selection of hybrids. 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.
Available: Pre-Order Now
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°
More information: Callaway UK / Callaway US
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Paul has been playing golf for around a fourth of a Century, whilst his time on this Earth is rapidly approaching half a Century!
During that time his handicap, on average, has gone down around half a shot a year and is currently at 8.
His general love of Sport included a time studying the Philosophy and Sociology of Sport.
In 2013 he co-authored a book chapter 'The good and bad of youth sport today'.
His passion for youth sport is equally matched in his role heading up the Buyer's Guides for National Club Golfer.
He wants to inform golfers what gear is the best whilst finding all the best golf deals so you can save money.
Since joining the equipment testing team at NCG he has become a hybrid convert and is ready to tell you to ditch the long irons if you want to hit more greens this season!
Paul uses Titleist GT3 driver, Callaway Ai Smoke hybrids, a SeeMore Giant Putter and a TaylorMade Tour Response golf ball.
