Callaway Paradym Irons - 2023 Forum Review

[Golf2Much]

I posted this before but had an issue trying to reference it on this thread, so I'm reposting my experience getting fit for my Callaway Paradym X irons. 

During my Paradym X fitting for my review, I found out I’ve been living a lie for almost 40 years!  Here’s what happened.

After being informed I was one of the lucky testers for the Callaway Paradym irons I decided it best to get fitted so I could pass along an accurate set of build specifications.  One disadvantage of living at “the end of US1” in Key West, is that we have to travel to “America” for exotic shopping, like Target, and to get fitted for golf clubs.   Thankfully, Golftec in Miramar, Florida was happy to work with me on this one.

The drive was four hours up and back, with carefully timed departure and fitting times to cheat the Miami area rush hour(s).  When I arrived, I went right into a studio, warmed up a bit and was anxious to start the process.  We started with creating a baseline with my current seven iron.  My current gamer irons are yellow dot (1.5 degrees upright) Ping G30 with graphite Fujikura EXS 60i R2-Flex shafts.  I hit about a dozen balls.  Then it was time to launch into the Paradym X irons.

Given my normally slow swing speed, we tended to focus on Callaway’s offering of a light flex Aldila Ascent PL 50 graphite shaft offering.  My fitter assembled a standard lie/standard length Paradym X seven iron and had me give it a try.  We started with a few practice swings with the face sprayed with foot powder to see where on the face I was hitting the ball.  It was likely the excitement, but my swing speed was a little faster than normal and many impacts were toe hits.   

Next, we focused on the club lie.  He placed a sticker on the club face that looked like a protractor and placed a thick green line on the back of a ball.  He explained that if I were a standard lie, the green line would transfer a line straight up and down on the sticker.  If it were tilted to the toe or heel, the lie needed to be flattened or made more upright.  To my surprise, it was perfectly up and down!  I’ve always been anywhere between 1.5 to 4 degrees upright in my irons, but not now!  I had him run it again and we got the same result.  Relying on the saying, “once is an accident, twice is a coincidence and three times is a trend” we got a 2 degrees up head and repeated the test.  To my surprise, the line was tilted towards the toe meaning I had to flatten the lie.  I shook my head and came to the realization I have been living a lie about my club lie for the last 45 years!  I’m standard, I’m really standard!  Well, at least with the Paradym X's.  

Next, we played with iron length.  I’m 6’2” (at least I used to be and what my license says) with somewhat long arms.  The fitter measured me from the floor to my wrist and said again, I was standard.  I had him humor me and he build a Paradym X version that was ½” longer for me to try.  The resulting marks on the powdered spayed face seemed to suggest I hit it less on the toe and more on the sweet spot.  The fitter didn’t seem to share my perception and concluded that the standard lie and length were right for me.  I thanked him, settled up and I was off for my return home.

Here are the performance numbers summary that I got for my current and Paradym X seven irons.

I got five more mph on my swing speed.   That could just be just adrenaline as I caught myself overswinging a couple of time.  So realistically I'd take those swing speed numbers with a grain of salt.  The stronger lofted Paradym X irons launched lower with less spin.   The good news is that I less offline with the Paradyms and got about 10 more yards.  If I could carry that from the studio to the course, I’d be happy.

The problem with four hours of drive time alone in a car is that it gives you too much time to think.  In this case, it gave me too much time to recap the fitting.   I got over “living the lie” of now being standard lie but I just felt that I hit the ½” longer seven iron more in the sweet spot that the standard length. 

After reading the excellent introductions of my fellow Paradym reviewers, I reached out to the seasoned club fitter @funkyjudge to share my experience and asked for his expert opinion on what I should do.  He confirmed the standard lie was probably right and suggested I could go either way, standard or +1/2” in length but only in the 7-AW.  He felt lengthening the 5 and 6 irons would make them more difficult to hit for me.  I thanked him and revised my specifications to lengthening the shorter irons. 

Doubt can sometimes be a self-fulfilling prophecy.  We overthink something we think may not be right, it interferes with our normal mental and physical preparation and voila, we hit a bad shot.  “Living my lie” doubt about my club lie was overcome by evidence.  My length doubt was eased by my fellow reviewer and moderators’ comments.  Thank you all for your help in easing my doubt and I’m looking forward to the unboxing and first impressions.

 

@funkyjudge 's response on why he recommended standard length on the 5 and 6 irons was insightful and worth another share: 

The reason that I advised against lengthening the 5 and 6 irons is that Callaway already builds the 4, 5 and 6 irons in the Paradym and Paradym X iron sets at extended lengths. Rather than using the standard 1/2" increments between all irons in the set, Callaway (and several other manufacturers) are using 5/8" length increments in these irons, and by the time you lengthen the 5-iron by another 1/2", you will have a 38.75" long club.  Unless you need a club that is actually 3/4" over standard length, this is a recipe for disaster, in my experience.

Thanks again for your expertise and assisntance!

 

[Golf2Much]

With our club's two-man tournament behind me, I wanted to get out on the course and compare the distances and flights of the Paradym X's versus my Ping G30's.   I chose three clubs to compare:  5 iron versus my Ping G hybrid 5, seven and nine irons.  I picked out five Srixon Divide balls that I hit with my G30's and five white ProV1's that I hit with the Paradym X's.  For about six holes I'd travel down the fairway to my typical club distance, drop the ten balls and alternate two Pings, three Paradym Xs, three Pings and two Paradym X's hits toward the target.  I'd note the feel and trajectory of each irons then move up to the landing areas and assess the pattern and overall distance of each club.   I typically hit two different combinations on each hole (e.g. fives off the tee box then move us to hit the nines).   

Overall, I found that I hit the Paradym X's about 5-8 yards long than the corresponding Ping club.  I'm guessing that was somewhat expected given the less lofted Paradym X irons.  The Paradym X's also exhibited a lower overall trajectory when compared to the Pings.  Time will tell if that's going to be a good or maybe not so good.  Possibly good given we typically play in 10-20 mph winds here and the lower trajectory may help.  Possibly not so good in that our classic Rees Jones course has small greens that more readily accept higher trajectory shots.  Time and multiple rounds will ultimately be the judge.   I also found that the Paradym X shots were clustered closer together than the Ping club shots.  This was true with all three clubs that I tested face to face.  Here is just one example from our par three 16th hole.  These were 9 iron shots.  In the left hand picture hopefully you can see the three Srixon Divide balls on the green (yellow/red in front, yellow/blue in the middle and the yellow/red on the right in line with the cart).  The other two were out of frame.  The right hand picture shows four of the five Paradym X shots.    As you can see, about a club length (maybe slightly less) longer and tighter overall dispersion.  

  

As I've said, these are the first real forged irons that I've ever had (except for wedges).  The Paradym X's have much more of a "click" sound associated with them.  It's not bad or good.  It's just something different.  I thought the highly polished finish on the Paradym X's might reflect the sunlight and be a distraction.  I didn't find that to be the case.   I did find however that the Paradym X's yielded fewer pushes to the right (more straight shots towards the target) and for some reason a straight to little hook flight pattern versus a straight/slightly fade flight pattern with the Pings.  It's hard to say if that slight hook flight pattern will be sustainable.  

I have to say, the comparative results from these three clubs seem to favor the Paradym X's.  They were half to full club longer, had a lower overall trajectory and yielded a tighter grouping of shots than my current Ping's.  This however was only my first experience with the irons.  As I said before, once is accident, twice is a coincidence and three times is a trend.   Let's see what happens tomorrow as they get their first experience of a competitive round of golf!  We may be lucky enough to have a solid round and a coincidently good second experience with the irons!

[ejgaudette]

Great reading so far everyone. Wondering how gapping is going for most of you. I know these are strong, but adding in the set gap wedge might do the trick or have you had to drop a club up top or a wedge? Going into the Edel test I will likely be dropping a longer club to make it all work.

[MattWillGolf]

1 hour ago, ejgaudette said:

Great reading so far everyone. Wondering how gapping is going for most of you. I know these are strong, but adding in the set gap wedge might do the trick or have you had to drop a club up top or a wedge? Going into the Edel test I will likely be dropping a longer club to make it all work.

I definitely have a gap at the bottom of the bag. I am trying to gauge 1/2 and 3/4 swings with the AW when confronted with shots around 100 yards. And should I decide to keep these in my bag, I would purchase the GW.  

[Golf2Much]

1 hour ago, ejgaudette said:

Great reading so far everyone. Wondering how gapping is going for most of you. I know these are strong, but adding in the set gap wedge might do the trick or have you had to drop a club up top or a wedge? Going into the Edel test I will likely be dropping a longer club to make it all work.

From what I've seen so far, I'm glad I ended up with the 5 through AW rather than 4 through PW.  The gapping from a face angle perspective fits better.   My G30's my pitching wedge has 45 degrees loft and I also carried 50-, 55- and 60-degree Edison wedges giving me five-degree loft spacing.  The Paradym X has the following lofts:  9 iron=36 degrees, PW=41 degrees, AW= 46 degrees.   I needed the AW to help fill a necessary gap between the PW and the Edison wedges lofts and maintain that five degree spacing.  

The only other Paradym club I hit today was the AW as I wasn't exactly sure what I could expect.  For me, again with a sample size of five balls from one fairway, the distance seemed comparable to my G30 pitching wedge (which is one degree stronger than the Paradym X AW).  

Given from the scoring perspective, being the short hitter I am, I live and die by my short game.  So, you can expect the wedge gapping, adding the Paradym X AW and how it fits with my Edison wedges will be something I will be paying attention to and commenting about!

[CFreddie]

1 minute ago, Golf2Much said:

From what I've seen so far, I'm glad I ended up with the 5 through AW rather than 4 through PW.  The gapping from a face angle perspective fits better.   My G30's my pitching wedge has 45 degrees loft and I also carried 50-, 55- and 60-degree Edison wedges giving me five-degree loft spacing.  The Paradym X has the following lofts:  9 iron=36 degrees, PW=41 degrees, AW= 46 degrees.   I needed the AW to help fill a necessary gap between the PW and the Edison wedges lofts and maintain that five degree spacing.  

The only other Paradym club I hit today was the AW as I wasn't exactly sure what I could expect.  For me, again with a sample size of five balls from one fairway, the distance seemed comparable to my G30 pitching wedge (which is one degree stronger than the Paradym X AW).  

Given from the scoring perspective, being the short hitter I am, I live and die by my short game.  So, you can expect the wedge gapping, adding the Paradym X AW and how it fits with my Edison wedges will be something I will be paying attention to and commenting about!

Good insight and great to hear you are already making it work for your game!  Excited to hear more!

[BKervin]

On 4/14/2023 at 12:51 PM, funkyjudge said:

First 18 Holes Played with Paradym Irons

I decided to put the Paradym Irons with HZRDUS Silver 75-S shafts in my bag for my final tournament (other than next week’s Tour Championship) on the winter golf tour yesterday. Initially, I was not going to play the Paradym Irons until I got a chance to hit them on a launch monitor, but since yesterday’s tournament really meant nothing in the overall scheme of things (I was already qualified for the Tour Championship and nowhere near contention for Player of the Year, and my league handicap has long been established at 15.1 and was not going to change), I decided to give them a workout prior to playing in my first club tournament this weekend.

We arrived at the course about an hour prior to our scheduled start time, giving me plenty of time to warm up on the range, and the irons showed a lot of promise on both the range and around the chipping green.

Here is a brief summary of my results and observations from my first 18-hole round with the Paradym Irons:

• They are very easy to hit and quite workable in both directions.
• Distances with all of these irons is extremely good and on-average about 5 to 7 yards longer than any irons that I own, with the exception of my Cobra King Forged Tec X set (the Paradyms actually did give me a couple extra yards vs those Cobras, particularly with the PW and AW).
• The Paradym AW is fantastic for short pitches and chip shots, and I managed to save a couple of pars on missed greens using the AW around those greens, plus a one-putt bogey on the first hole, where I was in “jail” off the tee and had to punch out sideways and then missed the green by 10 yards with my next shot, using a hybrid not one of the Paradym irons.
• Feel is “crisp”, but definitely not objectionable.
•  I have not carried a 5-iron in at least two years, but I took the 5-hybrid out of my bag and put the Paradym in instead. If I am going to be using and reviewing these irons, I might as well use all of the set! This was an excellent move, as the Paradym 5-iron proved to be a perfect layup club on two of the par 5s and was a great choice on a 190-yard par 3.
• Any fears that I may have had regarding whether the HZRDUS graphite shafts would be too stiff for me in S-flex proved to be unfounded; this flex is perfect for my 80-82 MPH iron swing.

More updates to follow as I get more experience with the Paradym irons.

 

Sounds like you are enjoying them! Keep the results coming

[Beakbryce]

On 4/17/2023 at 8:50 AM, Golf2Much said:

I picked out five Srixon Divide balls that I hit with my G30's and five white ProV1's that I hit with the Paradym X's. 

Just curious why you chose 2 different balls to test with. The next  time you go out are you going to switch, IE, use the Srixons with the paradigm clubs and the Pro V1 with the Pings? I would be curious to see those results.

Thank you

Beak

[Golf2Much]

1 minute ago, Beakbryce said:

Just curious why you chose 2 different balls to test with. The next  time you go out are you going to switch, IE, use the Srixons with the paradigm clubs and the Pro V1 with the Pings? I would be curious to see those results.

Thank you

Beak

I wanted to use different color balls so I could easily tell the difference between the shots from both clubs.  It's just so happens that the only color balls in my bag were Srixon Divides and I had five white ProV1s' in my bag that I found and had left over from a two-man tournament a few days before.  I play both balls on a regular basis and given my slow swing speed, I typically do not see a significant difference between the two in the type of shots I was hitting.  

If I repeat the test, I'll switch the balls and let everyone know if there was any difference in the outcome.  

[cnosil]

14 minutes ago, Golf2Much said:

I wanted to use different color balls so I could easily tell the difference between the shots from both clubs.  It's just so happens that the only color balls in my bag were Srixon Divides and I had five white ProV1s' in my bag that I found and had left over from a two-man tournament a few days before.  I play both balls on a regular basis and given my slow swing speed, I typically do not see a significant difference between the two in the type of shots I was hitting.  

If I repeat the test, I'll switch the balls and let everyone know if there was any difference in the outcome.  

I would suggest Just putting different color Shapiro marks on the ball and do the test.  That will indicate which on you hit.  

[MattWillGolf]

I ventured out to the Golf Dome at Turning Stone as the temps were in the 30s today. My goal was to compare my irons (PXG 0211) with the Paradym X irons. I don't have access to Trackman or any other form of measurement and it being an indoor facility my ability to gauge distance is once again limited. But the height of the ball flight appears to be higher with the Paradym X irons. Which surprised given the stronger lofts the Paradym X irons have compared to the PXGs. The Paradym X irons in the short time I've been using them are longer and higher flying. 

[funkyjudge]

BRIEF UPDATE - ROUNDS 3 & 4 WITH PARADYM IRONS:

Over the last four days, I had the opportunity to play two more rounds with the Paradym Irons with HZRDUS Silver 75 6.0 (stiff) shafts.  The results have still been generally good, and on quality contact by me with these irons, I get fantastic distances (certainly up to 8-12 yards farther -- sometimes more -- than I get with my corresponding irons, either in the Tour Edge Exotics C721 model or Cobra King Forged Tec-X model ... more of a distance gain when compared to the Tour Edge irons than with the Cobras, but still significant gains with the Paradyms vs either of the others).  I'm still in the process of "dialing-in" my specific iron distances with these Paradyms, and I have flown the ball over the back of several greens in the last two rounds, both off the tee on par 3 holes and on approach shots from clean and tight fairway lies.  At age 74, I am not accustomed to hitting 145-150 yard 8-iron shots, but I did that three times yesterday, the third time on a 131-yard par 3 where the pin was slightly back on the green (I estimated the distance to be about 135-138 yards, and one of my playing partners confirmed a 137 yard carry to the pin using his laser rangefinder. I had flown a 130-yard approach shot over the green two holes prior to this hole with the 8-iron, so I felt that the 8-iron would be the correct call on this par 3, which played slightly uphill ,,. WRONG!  My high-flying tee shot flew over the pin and over the back of the green, clearing a small bunker over that green (I estimated that it must have carried 145 yards +).  Three holes later, on the final par 3 of our round, I had a 130-yard shot to the back of the green, with 122 yards to the pin, so I pulled the Paradym 9-iron, and still flew in over the green and into the creek that wraps around the front-left, left and left-rear of the green; I'm estimating that the 9-iron shot carried at least 133-135 yards, a distance that I haven't seen from a 9-iron in about 25-30 years ... make that four times hitting well longer than expected!

Good contact feels and sounds great with these irons, and my ball flight is medium-high to high with good control as long as I hit the ball relatively well (more on that below). Additionally, I am not sensing any "flyers", except when I am in the rough with the grass growing in the direction of my shot.  I'll have lots of time in Myrtle Beach late next week and the first half of the following week to continue sorting-out distance control with these irons.

Now, regarding "forgiveness" with these irons -- During my first two rounds playing the Paradym Irons, I was hitting the ball extremely well, particularly with my irons, including shooting a remarkable (for me) 78 last Saturday on a tough course under far-from-ideal conditions (wind and late round rain showers).  I only missed two greens with these irons during that 18-hole round, and one of those shots on a par 3 was severely wind-aided.  However, this week, my ball-striking was far from precise, particularly in my Monday evening league, and I struggled with the irons.  I would certainly not call the standard Paradym iron model to be super-forgiving, but that is not a selling point with these irons!  I would not have gotten any better results from my competition-spec TE Exotics C721 irons, but I probably would have gotten away with at least a handful of my slightly thin shots with the Cobras.  Yesterday, playing in a Tour Championship with insanely difficult pin positions on all 18 holes, I only had one seriously "bad" iron shot (a thin 6-iron hit slightly toward the heel).  Contact on the shots that I hit well past the pins or over the greens was still very solid and the shots looked good in the air, only to fly 15-20 yards past the intended targets.

More to follow once I get to Myrtle Beach the middle of next week.

Edited April 23 by funkyjudge

[MattWillGolf]

I've decided to address the hole at the bottom of the bag. I ordered the Paradym X GW for the set. And I was pleasantly surprised to see that Callaway offers a 15% discount to veterans. 

 

[Golf2Much]

I only have one full round in with the new Paradym X irons (visiting family in Western New York) so it’s too early to tell if they will make a difference and ultimately stay in my bag.  So let set the stage for why these new irons might be what helps me shore up a problem in my game.  Last Summer I tested and reviewed the Shot Scope Pro XL+ rangefinder.  Included were the H4 GPS with tags and shot tracking capability.   It gave me a more in-depth perspective of my game.  What I do well and not so well to my handicap peer group.  And as a retired engineer who has too much time on my hands, what’s better than looking at data!

Here's some of the graphical representations of my game that points to why new irons (and likely a couple of lessons) may help.   Starting with shots gained (or lost) with my peer handicap group, my approach shots tended to bee one of my potential areas of improvement. 

Being 66 years old with too many physical restrictions, there’s not too much I could do with my tee shots.   The good news is that I typically hit around 75% of my fairways in regulation.  The bad news is that my performance distance with my driver is 177 yards.  So with the exception of a few yards with a new driver, it is what it is!

My approach shot data is the next to attack.  At just over 0.4 shots gained, I was guessing there was more to that (and there was).   When I looked at shots gained by approach shot distances, there was a major shortfall in the range of 100 to 200 yards with the shots lost between 150 and 200 yards.  Given I’m what you could say is “distance challenged” so the lower range of those shorts lost would fall in the five or six iron play.  It also suggested that there’s opportunity in the 100-150 yard range as well. 

   

I can’t even use the excuse of being in the punishing rough because the most shots lost were hit from the fairway.

Together, this would suggest to me that my opportunity lies approach shots from the fairway within the range of 100 to 200 yards.  Now let’s dive into detailed overview of portion of my game.

Like most golfers, I find that a majority of my approach shots come up short of the green.  Since I started collect shot data, the most greens in regulation I’ve had in a single round is four.  Almost 60 percent are short of the green while only 3 percent are long.  Obviously not taking enough club and not so obvious impact of the windy conditions we often have in Key West contribute to that result. 

Breaking down the 26 percent average of hitting greens from between 50 and 200 yards by club shows that my shorter irons are significantly more successful at hitting greens than my longer irons.  No big surprise there!  I’m more than twice as likely to hit the greens with my 9 through sand wedge than I am with 5 hybrid to 8 iron.  

My home course Key West Golf Club is a classic Rees Jones design with greens on the smaller size.  So promimity to the pin is critical to staying out of traps, water or other hazard areas.   While I tend to be fairly accurate with my wedges, my overall average proximity is 78 ft to the pin.   As one would expect, the major contribitors to that higher average came from the five (hybrid) to 8 irons.  I was a little surprised to see that 40% of my approach shots from between 50 and 200 yards utilized the 6, 7 and 8 irons.

I plan on using this type of data to help me compare the differences between my current irons (Ping G30’s with  graphite Fujikura EXS 60i R2-Flex shafts) and the Callaway Paradym X irons (with graphite Aldila Ascent 50 shafts).  

What I take away from all of this is that there’s opportunity to improve my overall scoring by improving the consistency and accuracy of my iron game, mostly in the 5 through 8 irons.  From Callaway’s promotional information, the Paradym X’s profile is for “distance and forgiveness”.   It seems like a match made in heaven.  Too good to be true fit for my game?  We’ll see!

[BKervin]

1 hour ago, Golf2Much said:

I only have one full round in with the new Paradym X irons (visiting family in Western New York) so it’s too early to tell if they will make a difference and ultimately stay in my bag.  So let set the stage for why these new irons might be what helps me shore up a problem in my game.  Last Summer I tested and reviewed the Shot Scope Pro XL+ rangefinder.  Included were the H4 GPS with tags and shot tracking capability.   It gave me a more in-depth perspective of my game.  What I do well and not so well to my handicap peer group.  And as a retired engineer who has too much time on my hands, what’s better than looking at data!

Here's some of the graphical representations of my game that points to why new irons (and likely a couple of lessons) may help.   Starting with shots gained (or lost) with my peer handicap group, my approach shots tended to bee one of my potential areas of improvement. 

Being 66 years old with too many physical restrictions, there’s not too much I could do with my tee shots.   The good news is that I typically hit around 75% of my fairways in regulation.  The bad news is that my performance distance with my driver is 177 yards.  So with the exception of a few yards with a new driver, it is what it is!

My approach shot data is the next to attack.  At just over 0.4 shots gained, I was guessing there was more to that (and there was).   When I looked at shots gained by approach shot distances, there was a major shortfall in the range of 100 to 200 yards with the shots lost between 150 and 200 yards.  Given I’m what you could say is “distance challenged” so the lower range of those shorts lost would fall in the five or six iron play.  It also suggested that there’s opportunity in the 100-150 yard range as well. 

   

I can’t even use the excuse of being in the punishing rough because the most shots lost were hit from the fairway.

Together, this would suggest to me that my opportunity lies approach shots from the fairway within the range of 100 to 200 yards.  Now let’s dive into detailed overview of portion of my game.

Like most golfers, I find that a majority of my approach shots come up short of the green.  Since I started collect shot data, the most greens in regulation I’ve had in a single round is four.  Almost 60 percent are short of the green while only 3 percent are long.  Obviously not taking enough club and not so obvious impact of the windy conditions we often have in Key West contribute to that result. 

Breaking down the 26 percent average of hitting greens from between 50 and 200 yards by club shows that my shorter irons are significantly more successful at hitting greens than my longer irons.  No big surprise there!  I’m more than twice as likely to hit the greens with my 9 through sand wedge than I am with 5 hybrid to 8 iron.  

My home course Key West Golf Club is a classic Rees Jones design with greens on the smaller size.  So promimity to the pin is critical to staying out of traps, water or other hazard areas.   While I tend to be fairly accurate with my wedges, my overall average proximity is 78 ft to the pin.   As one would expect, the major contribitors to that higher average came from the five (hybrid) to 8 irons.  I was a little surprised to see that 40% of my approach shots from between 50 and 200 yards utilized the 6, 7 and 8 irons.

I plan on using this type of data to help me compare the differences between my current irons (Ping G30’s with  graphite Fujikura EXS 60i R2-Flex shafts) and the Callaway Paradym X irons (with graphite Aldila Ascent 50 shafts).  

What I take away from all of this is that there’s opportunity to improve my overall scoring by improving the consistency and accuracy of my iron game, mostly in the 5 through 8 irons.  From Callaway’s promotional information, the Paradym X’s profile is for “distance and forgiveness”.   It seems like a match made in heaven.  Too good to be true fit for my game?  We’ll see!

This is great!  Thank you for an indepth reporting.  Can't wait to see the analytics on the Paradym X!

[funkyjudge]

5 hours ago, Golf2Much said:

I only have one full round in with the new Paradym X irons (visiting family in Western New York) so it’s too early to tell if they will make a difference and ultimately stay in my bag.  So let set the stage for why these new irons might be what helps me shore up a problem in my game.  Last Summer I tested and reviewed the Shot Scope Pro XL+ rangefinder.  Included were the H4 GPS with tags and shot tracking capability.   It gave me a more in-depth perspective of my game.  What I do well and not so well to my handicap peer group.  And as a retired engineer who has too much time on my hands, what’s better than looking at data!

Here's some of the graphical representations of my game that points to why new irons (and likely a couple of lessons) may help.   Starting with shots gained (or lost) with my peer handicap group, my approach shots tended to bee one of my potential areas of improvement. 

Being 66 years old with too many physical restrictions, there’s not too much I could do with my tee shots.   The good news is that I typically hit around 75% of my fairways in regulation.  The bad news is that my performance distance with my driver is 177 yards.  So with the exception of a few yards with a new driver, it is what it is!

My approach shot data is the next to attack.  At just over 0.4 shots gained, I was guessing there was more to that (and there was).   When I looked at shots gained by approach shot distances, there was a major shortfall in the range of 100 to 200 yards with the shots lost between 150 and 200 yards.  Given I’m what you could say is “distance challenged” so the lower range of those shorts lost would fall in the five or six iron play.  It also suggested that there’s opportunity in the 100-150 yard range as well. 

   

I can’t even use the excuse of being in the punishing rough because the most shots lost were hit from the fairway.

Together, this would suggest to me that my opportunity lies approach shots from the fairway within the range of 100 to 200 yards.  Now let’s dive into detailed overview of portion of my game.

Like most golfers, I find that a majority of my approach shots come up short of the green.  Since I started collect shot data, the most greens in regulation I’ve had in a single round is four.  Almost 60 percent are short of the green while only 3 percent are long.  Obviously not taking enough club and not so obvious impact of the windy conditions we often have in Key West contribute to that result. 

Breaking down the 26 percent average of hitting greens from between 50 and 200 yards by club shows that my shorter irons are significantly more successful at hitting greens than my longer irons.  No big surprise there!  I’m more than twice as likely to hit the greens with my 9 through sand wedge than I am with 5 hybrid to 8 iron.  

My home course Key West Golf Club is a classic Rees Jones design with greens on the smaller size.  So promimity to the pin is critical to staying out of traps, water or other hazard areas.   While I tend to be fairly accurate with my wedges, my overall average proximity is 78 ft to the pin.   As one would expect, the major contribitors to that higher average came from the five (hybrid) to 8 irons.  I was a little surprised to see that 40% of my approach shots from between 50 and 200 yards utilized the 6, 7 and 8 irons.

I plan on using this type of data to help me compare the differences between my current irons (Ping G30’s with  graphite Fujikura EXS 60i R2-Flex shafts) and the Callaway Paradym X irons (with graphite Aldila Ascent 50 shafts).  

What I take away from all of this is that there’s opportunity to improve my overall scoring by improving the consistency and accuracy of my iron game, mostly in the 5 through 8 irons.  From Callaway’s promotional information, the Paradym X’s profile is for “distance and forgiveness”.   It seems like a match made in heaven.  Too good to be true fit for my game?  We’ll see!

WOW!!! I guess I need to up my analytics and graphics game! However, I have absolutely no idea how to create the types of charts and graphs that you incorporated in this post. I don’t use ARCOSS or any other golf analytics program, and the only data that I gather is kept on my Garmin watch (when I remember to save the data).

[Golf2Much]

@funkyjudge I wish I could take credit.  I was fortunate enough last summer to test for MyGolfSpy the Shot Scope Pro LX+ which included the H4 with GPS and shot tracking capability.   The analysis and graphics posted are automatically generated.  In the case of shots gained and/or lost, it compares your game characteristics others within my handicap range.  Other than knowing the distances for each club, I find the shots gained/lost very insightful on where I need to work.

In all honesty, you have done a great job with your reviews and comments so far.  Your background provides a unique perspective that I enjoy reading!  This Shot Scope information is just another way to approach the comparison between the Paradym X's and my existing irons.   Hopefully, there will be enough difference in the measured performance (either way) to suggest if the Paradym X's stay in the bag or not.  

[BKervin]

4 hours ago, Golf2Much said:

@funkyjudge I wish I could take credit.  I was fortunate enough last summer to test for MyGolfSpy the Shot Scope Pro LX+ which included the H4 with GPS and shot tracking capability.   The analysis and graphics posted are automatically generated.  In the case of shots gained and/or lost, it compares your game characteristics others within my handicap range.  Other than knowing the distances for each club, I find the shots gained/lost very insightful on where I need to work.

In all honesty, you have done a great job with your reviews and comments so far.  Your background provides a unique perspective that I enjoy reading!  This Shot Scope information is just another way to approach the comparison between the Paradym X's and my existing irons.   Hopefully, there will be enough difference in the measured performance (either way) to suggest if the Paradym X's stay in the bag or not.  

Said like a true engineer!!  My Dad was one and my son is one.  I also got the analytical gene!!

[MattWillGolf]

Got out to the course late this morning. I was lovingly greeted by hail on the 1st hole.  Fortunately it was short lived.

I am happy to discover that the Paradym X irons simply get the ball up in the air with minimal effort. My mantra with these clubs is swing easy. My driver woes continue. On hole number 5 I sliced it off the tee into the fairway on the 4th hole. My next shot was to just get it onto the proper hole. I had trees to deal with though. I took the PW and hit it nice and easy. The shot got up and over the trees with what seemed like minimal of effort. The shot trickled into the left rough on the proper hole this time. According to my GPS I was 123 yards out. So once again, PW. Once again, A nice easy shot to the front fringe of the green, about 12 feet from the pin. My first putt was just short and had an easy tap in. 

 

  

Cleared the cluster of trees on the left to the right of my pushcart.    The lie of my shot into the green from 123 yards out.

[Golf2Much]

@MattWillGolf, I wish I was as lucky weatherwise.  After a week of visiting family in Western/Central New York, I was looking forward to getting back the course and getting my second round in with the Paradym X's in.  Unfortunately, Mother Nature had a different idea!  It hasn't rained for almost six months and after seven holes the heavens opened up and it rained for four hours!  Needless to say, I got a raincheck for the last twelve holes.  Hopefully, I'll have better luck on Tuesday.

So far, I have to agree with you on reminding myself to swing easy.  With the few Paradym X irons I've hit so far, I get better results with an easier, more controlled swing.