In Depth Review Of The All New Callaway PARADYM

An Introduction  

Hello Again!

My name is Seki Kotaro and I am a golf coach and club fitter!
I studied golf in America before mastering my craft in Japan and am currently an expert on reviewing clubs and gear.

Once again, GOLF Partner has reached out me to review the newest model from Callaway that has been recently released, the PARADYM. As many of you may know, the name itself, "the PARADYM" is a new name that has never been used, referencing a paradigm shift, meaning a huge evolution.

Just like the horse drawn carriage evolving to the modern day car, we can expect big changes in the new Callaway PARADYM. Although we don't know how much has changed yet, it seems that the technology used and implemented into this club is incredible. Before we start testing the PARADYM, we will be comparing the previous models to grasp how much has changed.

We will first start by comparing the ROGUE ST MAX, which was very popular amongst golfers. I myself, have used this many times and can approve that it is quite a good driver. 

 

The First Swing  

Here I go! 

The shafts design and CG's position on the head allow the shaft to move a lot and make solid contact, it is a very forgiving driver while getting plenty of distance.

So how does the PARADYM compare?   

Now, let's go straight into testing the PARADYM!

A special feature of the PARADYM is the 360 degree carbon chassis; The middle of the body is made of carbon!

This carbon chassis is a Callaway original technology for controlling the thickness of the head and by using carbon in the center of the head, they can add heavy surplus weights. This weight is positioned appropriately depending on the model, which is the biggest point and benefit of the carbon chassis. It gets distance like the EPIC but is forgiving like the ROGUE. This new model strikes a balance between the two clubs.

What about the face and chassis?  

For the PARADYM, it has what's called a face cup; Titanium is formed in a cup shape and the AI Flash Face which is designed using AI is forged onto the cup.

For the frame behind the face, they used Callaway's original jailbreak technology but the shape of it has evolved into a new Y-shape, which was design to suit the PARADYM.

Callaway bodies are stiff and only the face flexes to launch the ball, so there's a pillar inside to reinforce the body.

Upon looking at the club, you can see the carbon texture on the crown, which has a marble-like pattern. This marble-like pattern is actually dry carbon (forged carbon); There are two types of carbon, wet and dry, and dry carbon is much stronger. They also added resin on top of the dry carbon so that the 360 degree carbon chassis is light and very strong! This marble design is very unique and different on each club, allowing customers to have fun picking out a pattern that appeals to them. The sole is also carbon, but is not visible! 

 

What is an AI flash face, how does it effect performance?  

We would like to start by saying that we were very impressed when we heard about the AI Flash Face. The design that the AI created took into account initial velocity, launch angle, and spin rate and optimized the face in regards to all these factors to send the ball further. Callaway wants to develop a face that gives the most distance possible. For the PARADYM's face, it was developed to lessen the dispersion and keep the ball path straight, which were the instructions given to the AI that designed the face. This design is how they further evolved the Flash Face. Before this, the Flash Face got you a lot of distance, but now it improves direction and smash factor.

We know all this information, but will now try it out!
There are four head types, but I'll be testing out the three regular models.

Here I go!

Let me first say that the feel on impact is way softer than before. It feels as though the ball stays on the face for a longer time and has a strong sound. Thanks to the ball staying on the face longer, you can be confident in the launch. It's clearly easier to hit the sweet spot than on the previous model. For the readers, if you try this club, we are sure that you can hit the center better than your current drivers.

I am always trying out drivers in these reviews and am constantly on the lookout for a driver that can really improve your score, which is what I'm really set on introducing to you. Golf is more than a distance competition; A driver that truly lowers your score not only gives you distance with a perfect shot, but more importantly, it has to adjust accordingly when you miss the sweet spot or when your face angle is off. This is the kind of driver that lowers your score, which is why I think the PARADYM is an extremely good driver and one that will lower your score. On top of all this, the ball goes really far when you strike the center and feels great on impact!


You also get more distance by hitting the center than with the older models. More importantly, the fact that it's way more forgiving than the previous model is the paradigm shift. Now to prove this, I will purposely miss the center and hit toward the heel and toe.

First, let's try the heel side.


That was quite on the heel side and it is often stated that clubs will get no distance when hitting with the heel, and compared to when I hit the sweet spot, we only lost a little under ten yards. That shot was so bad that I even let a hand off the club, but it stayed on the fairway and only lost about ten yards. Your score will go down for sure and the ball doesn't curve as much!

Now let's try the toe side.


I hit that quite weakly and very much on the toe side, and it was still not bad. Among every driver I have tried in the whole world, the distance and forgiveness of this driver is definitely top class.

 

What does evolution mean when it comes to clubs?   

Without a doubt, you will get distance if you hit the sweet spot, but as we have stated repeatedly, the distance and direction when you miss a shot or fumble a shot, has improved a lot.

Let's try another shot!

It feels great!

I can easily hit the sweet spot, this is a great driver and the impact feels softer with this complex structure, which I suppose comes from how flexible the face is. Upon impact, it feels as though the ball gets squished more than ususal. Normally, I can feel the ball being compressed more when my head speed increases, so it gives you the sensation that your head speed is going up.

Honestly, all the hits so far, I thought the ball would curve a lot and I messed up every shot, but not a single shot managed to go off the fairway. This would be a first for me, out of all the drivers I have tried. 

We have also heard that this model is more suited towards advanced golfers than the previous ROGUE ST MAX model. When I used to use the ROGUE ST MAX, it caught the ball really well and a little too much at times when I hit it with my usual swing, which would mean that people who tend to hit slices, would get the most distance. Compared to the ROGUE ST MAX, this PARADYM goes straight naturally, even when I use it! It's not a difficult club to use and a good match for quite a broad range of golfers.

 

What about the PARADYM X?  

Next, we will try the PARADYM X, which is more forgiving and catches the ball better than the normal model! In terms of comparison, the ROGUE ST MAX D would be the equivalent to the PARADYM X, so we will be comparing these two!

Let's try the MAX D first.

The MAX D really catches the ball and went quite to the left with the same swing I did just a few minutes ago. This would travel straight for players who go about 25 yards to the right.

Let's try another.


It will help people who slice a lot, to get distance by hitting a high-draw at a high launch angle.

Now, let's try the PARADYM X!

This model also has a 360 degree carbon chassis and the weight on the back of the head is fixed. Just by waggling it, I can tell how different the shaft bends and that there is clearly more weight on the back of the head. Even before I have even used it, I can tell it will catch the ball well.

Let's try!


The shaft bends very differently.
But wow, I missed the sweet spot, went 244 yards and landed straight! It's amazing how straight that went although I hit it with the toe.

One more.

For that shot, I lowered my right shoulder and opened the face on impact, but the shot went to the right and straightened out. It ended up on the fairway and if a ball that's headed out stays on the fairway, that saves you two strokes! The cost performance makes changing to this driver quite meaningful. This would be an amazing clubs for slicers. This model also has a higher launch angle than the normal model and tends to draw a bit.

Whether the ball is launched to the right or left or if you miss the sweet spot, this will straighten the ball path much more than the ROGUE ST. There might be some gear effect, but even if the ball goes sideways, the head will correct it and the ball will land where you intended.

 

PARADYM Triple Diamond  

Next up, we have the PARADYM Triple Diamond, which would be the club that's most suited for advanced players. For comparison, we will be using the ROGUE ST MAX LS first! We think the best head speed for this club starts at least at 43 m/s and works perfectly at 44, 45 or above. Just by holding it, I can tell that strong players can release all their strength.

That ball really launched into a straight drive. In golf, as you get better, improving your score gets harder and harder and rather than aiming for a long carry with a high launch, you worry about narrow holes or the wind blowing. It is reassuring to have the ball fly as low as possible and when golfers get more and more like that, the more advanced they get! So I think that this driver will give you more confidence when you hit in a competition under pressure, for example!

Now we will try the PARADYM Triple Diamond.

The length from the face to the bottom looks shorter when addressed, which means that it won't catch or lift the ball too much. I can give this swing my all!

The direction of the face when setting the head down appears to let you set up without it leaning forward too much. For advanced players who don't want the ball caught or lifted too much, they will be reassured by this.

Here I go!

What stands out to me most is how easy it was to hit the center, it's so easy to hit the sweet spot! Perhaps, it's not easier to strike the center but rather, the shot goes well whether you hit it correctly or not. Either way, it gives you distance! With every model in the PARADYM lineup, you can rest assured that you'll hit the center every time, which gives you the confidence to swing harder.

Competitive players will understand when I say this, but normally, you don't want to swing at 100%. The better you get, the more you stop swinging at 100%. You start to fear missing the center or messing up the face angle and making the ball curve too much. The better you get, the more you start playing on the safe side. Our question to our readers would be, how would you golf change if you didn't have to do that anymore? Just imagine that! This driver will help you achieve this and you can swing as hard as you want without playing on the safe side. For competitive players, this will be an extremely effective weapon! When comparing the Triple Diamond to the PARADYM and PARADYM X, the shaft's flexibility is different, but most of all, it feels as though you have more control with the Triple Diamond. During the downswing before impact, the Triple Diamond lets you adjust the head position and direction very easily.

 

Our Final Thoughts  

Today we tried three different models and they all hit very straight, easy to hit the sweet spot, and get a lot of distance when hitting the center. This is an evolution of drivers!

However, we want to remind everyone that golf is not just about distance and encourage you to think about what kind of driver will improve your score.