Callaway Paradym Irons - 2023 Forum Review

[funkyjudge]

Just now, Javs said:

Yes, I do not normally carry a 5i either. Especially since I usually carry 3 hybrids. These irons are so long that I still might not need the 5i that much. When 7i is going at least 176 and the 6i is flying mid to high 180’s. For the 200 yard shots I feel more comfortable using a hybrid especially out of bad lies. 

I usually carry a 5-hybrid for 185-195 yard shots, and a 7-wood for 200-210 yards. However, due to the distances that I am getting with the Paradym 5 and 6 irons, I altered my bag setting to 4-hybrid (200-210 yards) and “homemade heavenwood” (19.5* loft, 41.5” long; good for 220-225 yards).

[Golf2Much]

Last week I hit golf balls five days in a row.   It included twice in my home course men's league, nine holes playing iron only, at the World Golf Village's Slammer & Squire course and at the University of North Florida's driving range.  For me, that's ALOT of golf swings and I'm paying for it a little today.  All were in attempt to get a better understanding of the Paradym X's iron performance and to provide some data on how they perform.  

Like @Javs, I recently purchased a Rapsodo MLM launch monitor to help provide me some insight into the differences between my existing Ping G30 and Callaway Paradym X irons.  I purchased a refurbished unit from 2nd Swing (roughly $200) and was impressed that it looked new when I opened it.  On this trip, I purposely packed my G30 9 and 7 irons along with my full Paradym X set in hopes in getting data on both irons.  Luckily the UNF golf team practice facility was only about 10 minutes away from my hotel which gave me the perfect opportunity to test both sets of irons and gracefully bow out of having to take a bus tour of St. Augustine with my meeting partners (win-win).

Once I got the Rapsodo MLM properly set up and running, I hit roughly 15 balls with both Ping and Callaway 9 and 7 irons.  At this point, I need to disclose that disclosure I was pretty stiff from playing four days in a row so I might not have had my best swings.  No hot tub at the hotel and I forgot the Advil.  Given the range balls where well used Callaway range balls, I knew that whatever numbers generated would not be truly representative of what I could expect on the course with a more premium golf ball.  So, I wasn't focused on the absolute numbers generated, but more of the relative numbers between the two sets of irons.  I started with the Ping G30 nine iron.  It took a few more extra swings to get warmed up (again, four straight days of golf), so I viewed those numbers as a little on the lower side.

After the driving range session, I went back to the hotel and looked at the numbers.  Overall, I liked the resulting graphics.  The images below are screen shots of what the output.

    

Since I wasn't sure about how to tag the different irons, the G30 data was the 9i and 7i, while the Paradym X's nine iron was displayed at the 8i and seven iron displayed as the 6i respectively.  

The table below highlights all the data I collected.

Again, we need to take these numbers with a grain of salt as it collected carry distances with "experienced" range balls.  The relative data tends to show a few things for me.  In general, I hit the Paradym X's with a little tighter dispersion.   I know the G30 9 iron showed a little less lateral dispersion, but that was at the start of my session and just warming up.   The Paradym X seven iron distance dispersion was almost twice as good as the G30 and generally more centered on the line to the target.  The Paradym X's carry distance was consistently better than the G30 (12 yards longer on the 9 iron and 7 yards on the 7 iron).  With roughly the same club head speed for each pair, I got 4 or 5 more mph out of the Paradym X's.  Smash factors were slightly higher on the Paradym X's as well.  Given the more aggressive face angles of the Paradym X's, the launch angle was 2-3 degrees lower than compared with the Ping G30.  

Overall, the Callaway Paradym X's are starting to grow on me.  I like the slightly longer distance and greater consistency that I'm seeing with them on this range exercise and on the course (especially distance dispersion).  The jury is still out however on if they will stay in the bag.  My home course's small greens require a higher ball flight to hold them.  So, for me it's the tradeoff of getting that extra yardage versus ultimately holding the green with the overall lower trajectory.  It will take a few more rounds to be able to feel confident in my decision.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Javs]

12 minutes ago, Golf2Much said:

Last week I hit golf balls five days in a row.   It included twice in my home course men's league, nine holes playing iron only, at the World Golf Village's Slammer & Squire course and at the University of North Florida's driving range.  For me, that's ALOT of golf swings and I'm paying for it a little today.  All were in attempt to get a better understanding of the Paradym X's iron performance and to provide some data on how they perform.  

Like @Javs, I recently purchased a Rapsodo MLM launch monitor to help provide me some insight into the differences between my existing Ping G30 and Callaway Paradym X irons.  I purchased a refurbished unit from 2nd Swing (roughly $200) and was impressed that it looked new when I opened it.  On this trip, I purposely packed my G30 9 and 7 irons along with my full Paradym X set in hopes in getting data on both irons.  Luckily the UNF golf team practice facility was only about 10 minutes away from my hotel which gave me the perfect opportunity to test both sets of irons and gracefully bow out of having to take a bus tour of St. Augustine with my meeting partners (win-win).

Once I got the Rapsodo MLM properly set up and running, I hit roughly 15 balls with both Ping and Callaway 9 and 7 irons.  At this point, I need to disclose that disclosure I was pretty stiff from playing four days in a row so I might not have had my best swings.  No hot tub at the hotel and I forgot the Advil.  Given the range balls where well used Callaway range balls, I knew that whatever numbers generated would not be truly representative of what I could expect on the course with a more premium golf ball.  So, I wasn't focused on the absolute numbers generated, but more of the relative numbers between the two sets of irons.  I started with the Ping G30 nine iron.  It took a few more extra swings to get warmed up (again, four straight days of golf), so I viewed those numbers as a little on the lower side.

After the driving range session, I went back to the hotel and looked at the numbers.  Overall, I liked the resulting graphics.  The images below are screen shots of what the output.

    

Since I wasn't sure about how to tag the different irons, the G30 data was the 9i and 7i, while the Paradym X's nine iron was displayed at the 8i and seven iron displayed as the 6i respectively.  

The table below highlights all the data I collected.

Again, we need to take these numbers with a grain of salt as it collected carry distances with "experienced" range balls.  The relative data tends to show a few things for me.  In general, I hit the Paradym X's with a little tighter dispersion.   I know the G30 9 iron showed a little less lateral dispersion, but that was at the start of my session and just warming up.   The Paradym X seven iron distance dispersion was almost twice as good as the G30 and generally more centered on the line to the target.  The Paradym X's carry distance was consistently better than the G30 (12 yards longer on the 9 iron and 7 yards on the 7 iron).  With roughly the same club head speed for each pair, I got 4 or 5 more mph out of the Paradym X's.  Smash factors were slightly higher on the Paradym X's as well.  Given the more aggressive face angles of the Paradym X's, the launch angle was 2-3 degrees lower than compared with the Ping G30.  

Overall, the Callaway Paradym X's are starting to grow on me.  I like the slightly longer distance and greater consistency that I'm seeing with them on this range exercise and on the course (especially distance dispersion).  The jury is still out however on if they will stay in the bag.  My home course's small greens require a higher ball flight to hold them.  So, for me it's the tradeoff of getting that extra yardage versus ultimately holding the green with the overall lower trajectory.  It will take a few more rounds to be able to feel confident in my decision.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Great breakdown of the Rapsodo MLM. My results were also in line with yours. The data is obviously slower and shorter using the range balls. However, I did see 6 to 14 yards more with the Callaway Paradym’s

[Javs]

3 hours ago, Javs said:

Great breakdown of the Rapsodo MLM. My results were also in line with yours. The data is obviously slower and shorter using the range balls. However, I did see 6 to 14 yards more with the Callaway Paradym’s

The 8i 173 distance was the Callaway. The other the PXG 8i. However, data is off with the range balls. (For instances my actual driver swing speed is 109 and 8i swing speed is around 87). Also, the videos are a little off angle. I am still getting used to the MLM. I was hitting to targets on the left and had the MLM too far off to my left. However, thought it good enough to get a general key take-away that the Callaway was 21 yards farther with similar ball strikes on the range. On the course, the Callaway has been consistently going 169 with the 8i compared to 154 with the PXG 8i. That’s a significant distance gain. 

   

 

Edited May 8, 2023 by Javs

[MattWillGolf]

My home course was busy today with an event. So, I wandered over to a little Par 62 course near my house for a round of irons only. I am definitely not seeing the distances which were "hinted" at by Trackman at my fitting. (Still searching for that 170-yard 7 iron. ) These clubs on course are a bit longer than my regular gamers. Today I did struggle a bit with the 5 iron (21.5°). In my gamer set, the closest club to the Paradym X 5 iron is my Ping G410 Crossover #4 at 23°. We were limited somewhat in our set makeup. If I were to buy these clubs, my set would have been 6-iron thru GW. I did purchase the GW for this set on my own. The shorter irons are where the improvements are more noticeable for me. These clubs especially, 8 - GW, really get the ball in the air quite well. And my general accuracy does seem to be much improved. 

Just some examples of the 9-iron on a couple of Par 3s.

 

[Javs]

58 minutes ago, MattWillGolf said:

My home course was busy today with an event. So, I wandered over to a little Par 62 course near my house for a round of irons only. I am definitely not seeing the distances which were "hinted" at by Trackman at my fitting. (Still searching for that 170-yard 7 iron. ) These clubs on course are a bit longer than my regular gamers. Today I did struggle a bit with the 5 iron (21.5°). In my gamer set, the closest club to the Paradym X 5 iron is my Ping G410 Crossover #4 at 23°. We were limited somewhat in our set makeup. If I were to buy these clubs, my set would have been 6-iron thru GW. I did purchase the GW for this set on my own. The shorter irons are where the improvements are more noticeable for me. These clubs especially, 8 - GW, really get the ball in the air quite well. And my general accuracy does seem to be much improved. 

Just some examples of the 9-iron on a couple of Par 3s.

 

Great feedback on your irons! You offered a few great points that I would like to engage. First, I agree that if I were purchasing this set on my own that I would go with the 6i to GW. However, to complement this set with my game I may add another PXG 0311 wedge or retool with the Edison wedges. Haven’t decided on that direction just yet. Next I am seeing huge distance gains with the Callaway Paradyms’ over my PXG Gen 5 P’s. So much, that I am shocked! The Callaway Paradym feel and perform like a cast club (the face plate and cavity are the only forged portions). The PXG’s perform and feel like a true forged club. So, there could be a feel expectation some players may not want to give away. Because of the extreme length I really don’t need the 5i. As the distance above the 6i would be covered by a hybrid which is easier and more reliable from bad lies. My experience has been a more boring trajectory with the Callaway Paradyms’ over my PXG Gen 5 P’s. I do wonder since you are gaming the Paradym X that might be the difference in the flights? That is an important point for those following. If your game needs distance and height then the X might be their best bet. However, if you desire a players distance club category then it is the Paradym. Lastly, I am starting to see more predictable accuracy as I get used to the Paradym’s. I still feel I was more accurate with the PXG irons. However, the accuracy advantage is not great enough to give up the distance gains with the Paradym’s. I think all golfers would love to see 7 to 21 yards more per club! 

[funkyjudge]

2 hours ago, MattWillGolf said:

My home course was busy today with an event. So, I wandered over to a little Par 62 course near my house for a round of irons only. I am definitely not seeing the distances which were "hinted" at by Trackman at my fitting. (Still searching for that 170-yard 7 iron. ) These clubs on course are a bit longer than my regular gamers. Today I did struggle a bit with the 5 iron (21.5°). In my gamer set, the closest club to the Paradym X 5 iron is my Ping G410 Crossover #4 at 23°. We were limited somewhat in our set makeup. If I were to buy these clubs, my set would have been 6-iron thru GW. I did purchase the GW for this set on my own. The shorter irons are where the improvements are more noticeable for me. These clubs especially, 8 - GW, really get the ball in the air quite well. And my general accuracy does seem to be much improved. 

Just some examples of the 9-iron on a couple of Par 3s.

 

I haven’t hit a 170 yard 7-iron YET with the Paradym irons, but I have hit a few 158-160 yard 7-irons.

Edited May 9, 2023 by funkyjudge

[Javs]

26 minutes ago, funkyjudge said:

I haven’t hit a 170 yard 7-iron YET with the Paradym irons, but I have hit a few 158-160 yard 7-irons.

Do you still find them longer than your normal clubs? I find them significantly longer than my other clubs. Sometimes almost scary long. 

[funkyjudge]

23 minutes ago, Javs said:

Do you still find them longer than your normal clubs? I find them significantly longer than my other clubs. Sometimes almost scary long. 

Yes, I absolutely find the Paradym irons to be about 10 yards longer than even my Cobra King Forged Tec X irons, which are long in their own rite.  You may have seen my comment in another thread that my matchplay opponent yesterday, against whom I have played dozens of times, asked me if I have been working out. This was right after I airmailed a 5-iron almost 10 yards over the back of a par-3 hole that was 179 yards to the pin, thus about 185-190 yards to the back edge of the green.

[Javs]

11 minutes ago, funkyjudge said:

Yes, I absolutely find the Paradym irons to be about 10 yards longer than even my Cobra King Forged Tec X irons, which are long in their own rite.  You may have seen my comment in another thread that my matchplay opponent yesterday, against whom I have played dozens of times, asked me if I have been working out. This was right after I airmailed a 5-iron almost 10 yards over the back of a par-3 hole that was 179 yards to the pin, thus about 185-190 yards to the back edge of the green.

I did see that, big strike! I have had similar experiences. Especially on Saturday where I hit a 183 yard 7i in a cross wind to 10 feet. I can’t remember hitting a 7i that long unless it was at elevation and over 100 degrees. Not at 70 degrees and windy!

Edited May 10, 2023 by Javs

[funkyjudge]

Three More Rounds on the Paradym Irons -- STILL PERFORMING GREAT!

After returning last Thursday from 7 straight days of golf in and around Myrtle Beach, I took a three-day break from golf, but returned to playing on Monday and have played the last three days (9 holes on Monday, and 18 holes each on Tuesday and Wednesday).  Despite some erratic play off the tee with my driver, which has caused me to put the 2021 13.5* TM Ti300 "Mini Driver" back into my bag, the rest of my game has been pretty good ... AND THE PARADYM IRONS CONTINUE TO SHINE!

I continue to hit good to spectacular iron shots with these irons, and in the 45 holes of golf that I have played over the course of the last three days, I can only recall one really horrible iron shot -- a 5-iron that I tried to get too much out of (should have hit the 4 hybrid).  Yes, there were a couple shots that I hit longer than expected, but only one of them went completely over the back of the green on a par-3 tee shot (a 6-iron to a 179-yard hole).  I have been asked a couple of times what I'm hitting and whether I have been working out (NOTE: I always work out, and haven't been doing so any more than usual).

Overall, I am VERY happy with these irons, and I will be posting my final review and evaluation on them by the end of next week.

[StrokerAce]

great job on the reviews gents.

informative, well thought out and descriptive. 

excellent comparisons and photos.

looks like Callaway has a really good set of irons. Keep on hittin em well!

[Javs]

Great ball striking day with the Callaway Paradym Irons. Shot of the day had 189 to the hole and had to hook it around a tree. Hit 7 iron to 13 feet. That shot went like a rocket and still hit soft! Love these clubs more each round!!

[Golf2Much]

As we close in on the final reviews of the Callaway Paradym irons, I thought it worthwhile to share some of the data that I've collected on my experience with the Paradym X irons.  To put the numbers into a bit of perspective, I do not hit a very long ball and I've been struggling a little with my game even before the new irons entered the picture.  The strong parts of my game, fairways in regulation, chipping and putting have digressed a bit over the last couple of months.  Truth be told, so has my iron play.  So, the numbers I'll be presenting represent a point in time and not an absolute summary of my game or performance of the irons. 

The numbers are collected using my H4 GPS and shot tracking device and corresponding Shot Scope performance dashboard.  I choose to compare the numbers for my previous G30 irons (and g 5 hybrid) from January 1st through April first as it better represented by current game.  For the Paradym X's, I used the data from the last two weeks' rounds.  Since the Paradym X's are a bit different than my existing irons, it took a little time to feel fully comfortable with the irons and their performance.  I didn't want that "start up" period jade the overall performance numbers.  In almost all metrics, the Paradym X numbers showed an initial drop in performance and then an overall improvement in the last two weeks which I think better represents the true nature of the irons.

Looking at the overall strokes gained by my game against my peer group (15 handicap).  The graphic on the left represents the Ping G30 irons and on the right, the Paradym X irons.

  

As you can see, there was some marginal improvement in the approach shot strokes gained.  In general, given the relatively small sample size of rounds, the increase may or may not be significant.  I can attribute some of the short game improvement to the Paradym X pitching and approach wedges.  I used both during the recent rounds and found them to pair well with my forged Edison wedges.  Fortunately, you can see the positive impact of getting my Ping G430 Max driver (due to a crack in my trusted G400 SFT).  Unfortunately, at the same time you can see the deterioration of my putting!  I'll be working on that in the coming weeks!

Diving further into the approach shot details, the charts below represent approach shots gained by distance.

 

In the sweet spot for my assessing the Paradym X irons are in the 50-100- and 100-150-yard ranges.  In the 50–100-yard range, many of those shots were taken with my existing Edison gap and sand wedges and therefore may not truly represent the performance of the Paradym X irons.  As you can see, there was general improvement in the shots gained with the Paradym X irons (0.13 with my Ping G30's and 0.50 with the Paradym X irons) in that critical 150-200-yard range.  Depending on the wind direction and strength, that yardage category would cover each of the Paradym X five through approach wedges in my bag.  So that showed some positive results.

Looking at the shots gained by the type of lie showed an equal marginal improvement.

 

Here, I'll focus on the fairway and rough data.  From the fairway, the Paradym X's showed about a half a shot improvement as compared with the Ping G30's (Ping G30's being -0.70 and Paradym X's being -0.21).  There was some marginal improvement with the Paradym X's out of the rough, but that might just be within the noise of the analysis.

Diving into the data a little further, we can see the green approach shot accuracy. 

  

Here we start to show a bit more promising data from the overall Paradym X's performance.  The Paradym X's showed about a 50% improvement in greens in regulation (20% for the G30 irons and 29% for the Paradym X irons).  The missed right and left were basically the same.  I found that interesting in that when I was fitted for the Paradym X's, we ended up with a standard lie versus the almost 2 degrees up right in the Ping G30's.  So I guess I really was a standard lie!  Most importantly was the improvement in GIR came mostly from the reduction in being short.  The improvement from 68% short for my G30's to (still too high) 56% for the Paradym X's likely was attributed to the stronger lofts of the Paradym X's.   I even showed a few more shots long than short.  Overall, this data is heading in a directionally correct direction and would be an important factor for keeping the Callaway irons.

With more greens hit in regulation, let's see how the overall proximity to the pin data is impacted.

  

As one might expect, with more greens hit in regulation, the average proximity to the pin data should go down.  This was the case here.  The average proximity data for the Paradym X irons was over 20% closer to the pin than the Ping G30 irons (110 ft. versus 141 ft. respectively).  The reduction of 13 percent in the 60+ ft in proximity with the G30's was pretty evenly distributed within the middle proximity ranges for the Paradym X irons.  Unfortunately, my poor putting performance lately didn't allow this improved approach performance to translate into lower overall scoring.   Thinking about this data a little more, it's not too surprising that my putting statistics might be lower. The Paradym X's higher percentage of greens in regulation and closer proximity would imply fewer missed greens and reduce opportunities to take advantage of my better chipping skills and one putting several holes a round.

This improved accuracy was also exhibited in the green success by club data.

  

Relating back to the greens in regulation data, the Ping G30s exhibited 20% GIR versus the Paradym X 29%.  The Paradym X data shows that the 8 iron through 46 degree approach wedge performed better than the corresponding G30 irons and hybrid.  The only exception was the pitch wedge which I think is only due to fewer overall attempts with that specific club.   The overall rise in green success for me will be a key reason for keeping the Paradym X's in the bag (more of that in my final review).

Taking all of this data, let's see how it impacts the overall scoring.

 

There was a slight improvement in scoring, even with my recent putting problems.  I did see an minor improvement in birdies (1 to 2%).  My number of pars were flat or slightly down, and the number of bogeys were up slightly.  However, what was promising was the reduction in double bogeys from 18% to 13%.  If I can tighten up my putting, I would expect some of those bogeys to become pars.

I wanted to share this data in a little more detail than I could realistically include in my final review.  I will be referencing back to this and other posts I've made over the last month or so when I get to my final review.  This should give me more opportunity to go into get into other Paradym X characteristics when I wrap up my review and if they will be staying in my bag.  

 

 

[Javs]

33 minutes ago, Golf2Much said:

As we close in on the final reviews of the Callaway Paradym irons, I thought it worthwhile to share some of the data that I've collected on my experience with the Paradym X irons.  To put the numbers into a bit of perspective, I do not hit a very long ball and I've been struggling a little with my game even before the new irons entered the picture.  The strong parts of my game, fairways in regulation, chipping and putting have digressed a bit over the last couple of months.  Truth be told, so has my iron play.  So, the numbers I'll be presenting represent a point in time and not an absolute summary of my game or performance of the irons. 

The numbers are collected using my H4 GPS and shot tracking device and corresponding Shot Scope performance dashboard.  I choose to compare the numbers for my previous G30 irons (and g 5 hybrid) from January 1st through April first as it better represented by current game.  For the Paradym X's, I used the data from the last two weeks' rounds.  Since the Paradym X's are a bit different than my existing irons, it took a little time to feel fully comfortable with the irons and their performance.  I didn't want that "start up" period jade the overall performance numbers.  In almost all metrics, the Paradym X numbers showed an initial drop in performance and then an overall improvement in the last two weeks which I think better represents the true nature of the irons.

Looking at the overall strokes gained by my game against my peer group (15 handicap).  The graphic on the left represents the Ping G30 irons and on the right, the Paradym X irons.

  

As you can see, there was some marginal improvement in the approach shot strokes gained.  In general, given the relatively small sample size of rounds, the increase may or may not be significant.  I can attribute some of the short game improvement to the Paradym X pitching and approach wedges.  I used both during the recent rounds and found them to pair well with my forged Edison wedges.  Fortunately, you can see the positive impact of getting my Ping G430 Max driver (due to a crack in my trusted G400 SFT).  Unfortunately, at the same time you can see the deterioration of my putting!  I'll be working on that in the coming weeks!

Diving further into the approach shot details, the charts below represent approach shots gained by distance.

 

In the sweet spot for my assessing the Paradym X irons are in the 50-100- and 100-150-yard ranges.  In the 50–100-yard range, many of those shots were taken with my existing Edison gap and sand wedges and therefore may not truly represent the performance of the Paradym X irons.  As you can see, there was general improvement in the shots gained with the Paradym X irons (0.13 with my Ping G30's and 0.50 with the Paradym X irons) in that critical 150-200-yard range.  Depending on the wind direction and strength, that yardage category would cover each of the Paradym X five through approach wedges in my bag.  So that showed some positive results.

Looking at the shots gained by the type of lie showed an equal marginal improvement.

 

Here, I'll focus on the fairway and rough data.  From the fairway, the Paradym X's showed about a half a shot improvement as compared with the Ping G30's (Ping G30's being -0.70 and Paradym X's being -0.21).  There was some marginal improvement with the Paradym X's out of the rough, but that might just be within the noise of the analysis.

Diving into the data a little further, we can see the green approach shot accuracy. 

  

Here we start to show a bit more promising data from the overall Paradym X's performance.  The Paradym X's showed about a 50% improvement in greens in regulation (20% for the G30 irons and 29% for the Paradym X irons).  The missed right and left were basically the same.  I found that interesting in that when I was fitted for the Paradym X's, we ended up with a standard lie versus the almost 2 degrees up right in the Ping G30's.  So I guess I really was a standard lie!  Most importantly was the improvement in GIR came mostly from the reduction in being short.  The improvement from 68% short for my G30's to (still too high) 56% for the Paradym X's likely was attributed to the stronger lofts of the Paradym X's.   I even showed a few more shots long than short.  Overall, this data is heading in a directionally correct direction and would be an important factor for keeping the Callaway irons.

With more greens hit in regulation, let's see how the overall proximity to the pin data is impacted.

  

As one might expect, with more greens hit in regulation, the average proximity to the pin data should go down.  This was the case here.  The average proximity data for the Paradym X irons was over 20% closer to the pin than the Ping G30 irons (110 ft. versus 141 ft. respectively).  The reduction of 13 percent in the 60+ ft in proximity with the G30's was pretty evenly distributed within the middle proximity ranges for the Paradym X irons.  Unfortunately, my poor putting performance lately didn't allow this improved approach performance to translate into lower overall scoring.  

This improved accuracy was also exhibited in the green success by club data.

  

Relating back to the greens in regulation data, the Ping G30s exhibited 20% GIR versus the Paradym X 29%.  The Paradym X data shows that the 8 iron through 46 degree approach wedge performed better than the corresponding G30 irons and hybrid.  The only exception was the pitch wedge which I think is only due to fewer overall attempts with that specific club.   The overall rise in green success for me will be a key reason for keeping the Paradym X's in the bag (more of that in my final review).

Taking all of this data, let's see how it impacts the overall scoring.

 

There was a slight improvement in scoring, even with my recent putting problems.  I did see an minor improvement in birdies (1 to 2%).  My number of pars were flat or slightly down, and the number of bogeys were up slightly.  However, what was promising was the reduction in double bogeys from 18% to 13%.  If I can tighten up my putting, I would expect some of those bogeys to become pars.

I wanted to share this data in a little more detail than I could realistically include in my final review.  I will be referencing back to this and other posts I've made over the last month or so when I get to my final review.  This should give me more opportunity to go into get into other Paradym X characteristics when I wrap up my review and if they will be staying in my bag.  

 

 

Very good analytical breakdown. 

[Beakbryce]

On 5/15/2023 at 8:21 AM, Golf2Much said:

As we close in on the final reviews of the Callaway Paradym irons, I thought it worthwhile to share some of the data that I've collected on my experience with the Paradym X irons.  To put the numbers into a bit of perspective, I do not hit a very long ball and I've been struggling a little with my game even before the new irons entered the picture.  The strong parts of my game, fairways in regulation, chipping and putting have digressed a bit over the last couple of months.  Truth be told, so has my iron play.  So, the numbers I'll be presenting represent a point in time and not an absolute summary of my game or performance of the irons.

As thorough as it gets. You have a lot of data and good explanations. Thank you.

[funkyjudge]

Two More Rounds with the Paradym Irons —

I played the Paradym Irons in my 9-hole league yesterday evening and for my travel golf team (18 holes) today. I did not score particularly well (especially last night), but it was really not the fault of those irons, as my tee game with the driver and fairway woods stunk to high heaven last night, and my putting was not very good either day.

Last night, I was hitting almost every shot thin, which is a true recipe for disaster when fairways and greens were both running at about 14-15 on the stimpmeter (the greens were rock hard, and everyone was complaining about that). Hitting just slightly thin shots guaranteed that approach shots would end up well over the greens, even if these approach shots were hit 30 feet short of the pins. That being said, I did hit the flagstick with one par 3 tee shot, and I managed to hit a towering 7-iron to a 160-yard par 3 that ended up just a bit less than 5 feet past the hole for my only birdie of the 9-hole round.

Today, I shot in the high 80s in spite of a mediocre to poor putting round. I managed to execute several excellent approach shots with the Paradyms, and left myself at least 7 or 8 very reasonable birdie putts (I didn’t make any birdies, but had 5 pars on the back nine alone to pick up a badly needed point for my team).

Overall, the Paradym irons continue to impress, and my distance control continues to get better every round, which is all that I can ask for at this juncture. I am confident that I will execute a good shot every time I stand over the ball with these irons in my hands!

Final review is being prepared, and will be completed and submitted by this weekend.

Edited May 16, 2023 by funkyjudge

[Javs]

Hello everyone please checkout my Final Review @Javs. Feel free to leave me any comments, thoughts, questions and other feedback. Thank you!

[MattWillGolf]

Greetings all. I posted my final review. I hope you all find it helpful. It was fun to participate and I’m so grateful for the opportunity.

 

[funkyjudge]

My final review was also posted on Friday afternoon -- see page 1 of this thread for that detailed review.

[Javs]

Hello everyone please checkout my Final Review @Javs at the top of the page along with the other reviewers. Feel free to leave me any comments, thoughts, questions and other feedback. Thank you and especially thank you to the mods for all their assistance!

[BKervin]

Great reviews on these Paradym Irons!  Thank you for all the results and perspectives on these beauties!

[Subdiver1]

On 5/16/2023 at 1:17 PM, funkyjudge said:

was hitting almost every shot thin, which is a true recipe for disaster

Man I went through a week (Wed, Thurs and Fri rounds) of playing like that in January. I swear I came close to tossing the whole bag in a dumpster and taking up underwater basket weaving with CO2 as an air source.  Friday afternoon I stopped by the range on the way home a solutely determined to figure it out or ?

I have no idea what made me think to do it, but I looked at my line and felt like I was a bit closed, so I moved my front toe back an inch, ONE Inch, and I was puring shots like Tiger on a rampage. WTH!?!. Saturday a.m. I shot 2 over; that including blowing a couple of very makeable birdie putts and chilli-dipping a couple of chip/pitch shots that cost me a those strokes. It is AMAZING sometimes how one inch can make a HUGE difference in this game. Honestly, how a closed stance would cause thin shots defies the norms, but that seems like what was causing it.  Stick with it.

 

[Golf2Much]

I just posted my final review of the Paradym X irons.  Here's the link (click on the link and scroll down):  

On a side note, today I had my best day so far with my Paradym X irons!  My approach shots with them were pretty much dead on.   My head of operations during my days in the corporate world told me, "Once is an accident, twice is a coincidence and three times is a trend!"  Right now, I'm feeling I am somewhere between an accident and coincidence!

As a fix me swing and get better (more representative) rounds under my belt I'll be posting updates on my extended journey of hopefully loving these irons!  Time will tell!

[rkj427]

5 hours ago, BKervin said:

Great reviews on these Paradym Irons!  Thank you for all the results and perspectives on these beauties!

I agree, thanks to all of the testers for their unique and honest reviews of these irons.

[Beakbryce]

Thank you all for great reviews.

[Delaware Joe]

Great data collection. I am very impressed with the thoroughness that here guys have put out here.

[GolfSpy_APH]

Great reviews and really enjoyed following along during the test! 

Hope everyone enjoys reading the reviews as much as I did!

[sirchunksalot]

Great stuff and thorough reviews everyone! It looks like the Paradym irons are living up to the hype with 4 grades in the 90's. 

[IndyBonzo]

Excellent reviews Gentlemen. Thank you!