You’ll hear Callaway talk a lot about a ‘paradigm shift’ in the coming months, for the brand, in bringing its all-new Paradym family to market, has moved away from the accepted way of doing things. TaylorMade came out with a similar message last year with its Stealth drivers and their carbon fiber faces – while this wasn’t a completely new concept, it resonated with golfers as something different that upped performance levels. With the Paradym drivers, we’re seeing a center section completely devoid of any metal whatsoever, which is not something the best Callaway drivers have ever had. The brand says this construction produces significant weight savings, which should then lead to performance gains over previous models such as the Epic Speed driver and Rogue ST Max driver.
WHAT’S THE TECHNOLOGY?
The big story concerns the driver’s 360-degree carbon chassis, and two types of materials that are proprietary to Callaway bonded together. On the top, you have a triaxial carbon that creates a thin, lightweight, smooth and strong structure; At the bottom, a forged carbon, which consists of bundles of chopped fibres. With no metal being used on the center section of the clubhead, Callaway has been able to move weight saved into other more desirable areas for higher MOI and increased ball speed.
(Image credit: Future)
Elsewhere, a new Jailbreak system has been made 33 percent lighter and, as a result, even more stable for faster ball speeds. Callaway’s use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has also evolved. A new formula optimizes each face for maximum ball speeds, lower spin and, now, downrange dispersion, which is a significant advancement.
Callaway has also reimagined how a fairway wood is constructed. The completely new construction eliminates weight from the body and repositions it for significant gains in speed and MOI. Once again, AI has played a crucial role, with a Jailbreak Batwing structure that has been pushed to the perimeter to stiffen the body, while allowing the face to flex for high ball speeds. Meanwhile, the hybrids stand out for having more of a fairway wood shape, and boast a Cutwave Sole design for improved performance through the turf.
The paradigm shift with the irons combines a forged 455 face with an all-new Speed Frame, giving more stiffness to the body for added distance. Urethane microspheres improve the sound and feel while external and internal tungsten weights enhance launch conditions and improve speed on mis-hits. A pre-worn leading edge is designed to cut through the turf more efficiently for even more forgiveness.
WHAT ARE THE MODELS AND WHO ARE THEY AIMED AT?
Drivers
The standard Paradym driver features a 15g adjustable weight at the perimeter, allowing players to fine-tune their shot shape. It’s the highest MOI model that will fit the widest segment of the player. The Paradym X driver has a slightly larger footprint, offers extra draw bias and higher launch which will suit slightly slower swing speeds, those with a more erratic strike pattern and who struggle with a slice. Finally, the Triple Diamond is the more compact, lower-spinning model for the low handicapper and Tour player.
Image 1 of 7
fairways
The Paradym fairway features progressive shaping and fits a wide range of player types. This is the model for golfers who want a high launching fairway wood with a neutral ball flight. The Paradym X fairway will fit players looking for the most forgiving shape with a high launch and a slight draw bias. The Paradym Triple Diamond fairway is the most compact shape with a deeper face at address best suited for stronger players who are looking for a penetrating ball flight with lower spin.
Image 1 of 4
hybrids
The Paradym hybrid is for golfers who want a mid-sized, wood-shaped hybrid that’s long with excellent versatility and control. The Paradym X model is for golfers looking for a full-sized, wood-shaped hybrid that’s long with excellent versatility and forgiveness.
Image 1 of 4
Irons
The Paradym iron is designed for golfers who are looking for a players’ distance iron with a refined shape and premium forging, while the ‘X’ irons are aimed at those who are looking for an iron that’s incredibly long, forgiving and with a powerful feel. Thanks to stronger lofts.
Image 1 of 3
WHAT CALLAWAY SAY
Evan Gibbs
What is forged carbon and why have you used it in the new driver?
“Forged carbon is a proprietary material to Callaway that consists of bundles of chopped fibers that are forged into shape. It gives us an advantage that it can be molded into complex geometries and we can better control the thickness of the part. So we can make it thin and thick where we want to get the right balance of strength and stiffness. It’s strong enough to be bonded to the face cup and back piece and also 44 percent lighter than a titanium chassis. By taking a lot of metal or weight out of the middle of the head means we’re able to move it elsewhere to enhance performance.”
Explain the thinking behind the new Jailbreak AI design?
“Functionally we’re trying to do the same thing, stiffen the connection between the crown and sole, minimizing the amount of deflection in the body and minimizing the amount of energy loss at impact. The goal was to take as much weight out of it, so this wishbone shape is actually 33 per cent lighter and is designed to compliment the face and work as one system.”
How has AI influenced the design of the Paradym drivers?
“We’ve continued to invest in AI we believe it is the future of golf club design. For Paradym it was focusing not just on launch conditions but also downrange distance and dispersion. We have an aerodynamic trajectory code that means we can simulate where the ball actually lands and use the face deflection to try and optimize launch conditions for the most distance and narrowest dispersion.The topology of the face is unlike anything else out there and unique to the model based on the player type and expected impact location.It’s complex and required very advanced manufacturing methods but we’re proud of what we’ve created and golfers are really going to enjoy the benefits.”
WHO’S USING THEM ON TOUR?
Tour seeding has already begun at the Sentry Tournament of Champions in Hawaii and it looks like Xander Schauffele will go straight in to using the Triple Diamond driver, but with added lines on the face drawn with a Sharpie to help see more of the face and aid alignment.
OUR FIRST IMPRESSION
We’ve never seen a driver with a completely metal-free chassis. If the durability is up to scratch, Paradym has some serious potential against the very best golf drivers. Our initial testing has shown evidence of ball speed gains versus the Rogue ST and even its competitive set in 2023. The Triple Diamond in particular is an absolute rocket launcher. Out of the middle, the feel and performance is sensational, although it tails off quite quickly off center. This is where the more stable Paradym driver steps in, offering consistently fast ball speed with low spin and a more stable ball flight. I don’t think I’ve been this excited about a Callaway driver launch since the original Rogue range.
SPECS, PRICING AND AVAILABILITY
On sale: February 24th.
Stock shafts: MCA Aldila Ascent PL Blue, Project X HZRDUS Silver, Project X HZRDUS Black, Mitsubishi Chemical Kai’Li White, True Temper Elevate 95 MPH (irons).
RRPs: $599/£599, fairways $379/£379, hybrids $299/£299, and irons $1,199/£1,199.