Callaway Paradym Drivers - 2023 Forum Review

[Invader Zim 315]

22 minutes ago, cksurfdude said:

Total awesomeness dude!! 

Great updates and great to read you've found something to help you out-drive Phil

You're the man, Chuck. 

While my testing this weekend was surrounding distance, there's so much more to good driving than that!  I can't wait to see you continue to dial in the X over the coming weeks.  

[azstu324]

Not too much of an update but a confirmation that the TD is AWESOME! Played PG Golf Links yesterday. Unbeknownst to me, there was an aircraft wind advisory reporting gale force winds in the 30 MPH range. The front 9 is inland so is protected from the wind with houses and trees. Most of the par 4's have some sort of right or left shape to them. I took this opportunity to see how well the TD can work the ball. 

it performed Flawlessly! A few times I put a high fade on the ball to work around some towering pines. As soon as the ball piqued, I was certain that I overcooked it and thought that I'd lost it in the neighborhood. On a few holes, as soon as I got around the corner and looked for where I thought the ball might be, I didn't see it.. but then walked further up and found my ball just in the rough and nowhere near the fence line. 

 

The back 9.. this was a whole other story. The objective here was just to not lose the ball in 30 mph winds. Keeping a straight line and letting the wind shape the ball was the objective. One of the par 4's was short at only 240 yds. Hitting into wind with driver, I had the best shot of the group and it was still 60 yds short of the green. For the most part though, drives on the back 9 were in play and I was able to control shots with the outrageous wind conditions. 

[StrokerAce]

23 minutes ago, azstu324 said:

Not too much of an update but a confirmation that the TD is AWESOME! Played PG Golf Links yesterday. Unbeknownst to me, there was an aircraft wind advisory reporting gale force winds in the 30 MPH range. The front 9 is inland so is protected from the wind with houses and trees. Most of the par 4's have some sort of right or left shape to them. I took this opportunity to see how well the TD can work the ball. 

it performed Flawlessly! A few times I put a high fade on the ball to work around some towering pines. As soon as the ball piqued, I was certain that I overcooked it and thought that I'd lost it in the neighborhood. On a few holes, as soon as I got around the corner and looked for where I thought the ball might be, I didn't see it.. but then walked further up and found my ball just in the rough and nowhere near the fence line. 

 

The back 9.. this was a whole other story. The objective here was just to not lose the ball in 30 mph winds. Keeping a straight line and letting the wind shape the ball was the objective. One of the par 4's was short at only 240 yds. Hitting into wind with driver, I had the best shot of the group and it was still 60 yds short of the green. For the most part though, drives on the back 9 were in play and I was able to control shots with the outrageous wind conditions. 

What a great looking course.

Cypress trees rule... 

Glad to hear you were able to shape the ball so well. A great test for the !

[azstu324]

1 hour ago, StrokerAce said:

What a great looking course.

Cypress trees rule... 

Glad to hear you were able to shape the ball so well. A great test for the !

Yeah this place is renowned for it's cypress trees. They make a really great backdrop for any photo

[GolfSpy SAM]

On 6/20/2023 at 10:04 AM, Invader Zim 315 said:

Should be tossing up my weekend summary this evening.

TL;DR - I like this driver.

I love the use of "TLDR" after the one sentence update. Lol - genuinely made me laugh.

[Invader Zim 315]

5 hours ago, azstu324 said:

Not too much of an update but a confirmation that the TD is AWESOME! Played PG Golf Links yesterday. Unbeknownst to me, there was an aircraft wind advisory reporting gale force winds in the 30 MPH range. The front 9 is inland so is protected from the wind with houses and trees. Most of the par 4's have some sort of right or left shape to them. I took this opportunity to see how well the TD can work the ball. 

it performed Flawlessly! A few times I put a high fade on the ball to work around some towering pines. As soon as the ball piqued, I was certain that I overcooked it and thought that I'd lost it in the neighborhood. On a few holes, as soon as I got around the corner and looked for where I thought the ball might be, I didn't see it.. but then walked further up and found my ball just in the rough and nowhere near the fence line. 

 

The back 9.. this was a whole other story. The objective here was just to not lose the ball in 30 mph winds. Keeping a straight line and letting the wind shape the ball was the objective. One of the par 4's was short at only 240 yds. Hitting into wind with driver, I had the best shot of the group and it was still 60 yds short of the green. For the most part though, drives on the back 9 were in play and I was able to control shots with the outrageous wind conditions. 

Oh Man, Monterey Peninsula.  Probably this east coast boy's top bucket list golf location.  It looks beautiful out there and hope you had a blast along the ocean.  That DDD is a big bonus!

[StrokerAce]

So I've been curious about the name "Paradym" as it pertains to golf, and this driver in particular. How does "Paradym" (or paradigm) tie in to golf?

And then I saw this ad from Global Golf today and (duh!) a paradigm shift in performance (blah..blah..blah..buzzword..catchphrase...marketing jargon..blah..blah)

I must say, there hasn't been a big 'shift' for me with the driver..  It's still a driver and I think about it and use it in the same way but it's better than my old one so I guess the 'shift' is in the design of it and maybe the performance although the performance hasn't been radically different or replaced at all.
 

Quote

paradigm shift
noun
: an important change that happens when the usual way of thinking about or doing something is replaced by a new and different way

 

[Javs]

6 minutes ago, StrokerAce said:

So I've been curious about the name "Paradym" as it pertains to golf, and this driver in particular. How does "Paradym" (or paradigm) tie in to golf?

And then I saw this ad from Global Golf today and (duh!) a paradigm shift in performance (blah..blah..blah..buzzword..catchphrase...marketing jargon..blah..blah)

I must say, there hasn't been a big 'shift' for me with the driver..  It's still a driver and I think about it and use it in the same way but it's better than my old one so I guess the 'shift' is in the design of it and maybe the performance although the performance hasn't been radically different or replaced at all.
 

 

I had the same question as you when I tested the irons. I even looked up the various definitions in some online dictionaries. Then I hit them and found out the marketing was pretty accurate. Hence, they have earned a permanent place in the bag. Then, I purchased the Paradym TD driver, but did put my preferred shaft in it. The TD also bumped my loved PXG 0811X Proto out and is in the bag. Started the season all PXG. Now it’s a mixed bag, but favoring Callaway.

[azstu324]

Someone may have gotten the green light to play Poppy Hill tomorrow..

More in Play results.. and pics, to come. 

[cksurfdude]

A little more context into how "X" is helping me get off the tee better....

- before: the most recent rounds with the PXG 0311XF ...

Note: SG Tee shots vs 20 Hcp +0.13 (data from ShotScope)

 

- after: a few rounds with X ...

Note 1: fewer shots in the right rough (about 1/2 of prior), and most of those not as far right. But otoh a few more are now missed left.

Note 2: SG Tee shots vs 20 Hcp +2.56 (!!)
(..now to get those approach shots and 3 putts under control!)

 

[Invader Zim 315]

58 minutes ago, cksurfdude said:

A little more context into how "X" is helping me get off the tee better....

- before: the most recent rounds with the PXG 0311XF ...

Note: SG Tee shots vs 20 Hcp +0.13 (data from ShotScope)

 

- after: a few rounds with X ...

Note 1: fewer shots in the right rough (about 1/2 of prior), and most of those not as far right. But otoh a few more are now missed left.

Note 2: SG Tee shots vs 20 Hcp +2.56 (!!)
(..now to get those approach shots and 3 putts under control!)

 

This is an awesome analysis.  Great stuff.  More left misses as you said, but those look just barely off the fairway.  Overall just a better dispersion and can never complain with 13% more fairways.  

[Invader Zim 315]

Bethpage Black tomorrow (assuming the weather holds)

[Invader Zim 315]

Well, today’s round at Bethpage black was a little nuts.

I started about as bad as you can imagine and ended about as good as you can imagine (outside of putting).

It wasn’t my best day with the driver, but we put it together for the back nine and scored 

A more full update incoming.

[StrokerAce]

Played 9 extra holes before our league 9 yesterday and I started well but had some really bad drives. Amazingly I ended up breaking 80.

I'd love to post some pics but my shotscope watch didn't pick up my shots worth a darn for some reason.

I had a driver lesson a few days ago and I was trying to incorporate some of that into my swing which ended up being a really big mistake. 

This time it wasn't the driver and it was me. The good thing is I know what I did wrong and will be correcting it. The bad? well, this isn't that magic club that will perform miracles now matter how bad you swing it. 

Kind of an iffy weekend weather wise and hoping to get some time on an indoor sim again to gather some stats now that I've had a few rounds with it.

[cksurfdude]

5 hours ago, Invader Zim 315 said:

Well, today’s round at Bethpage black was a little nuts.

Thx for compliments earlier!

And hey 81 on The Black is really good!!! ..walked it once and from what I saw, and have heard and read, you can quickly rack up some big numbers there...

[cksurfdude]

4 hours ago, StrokerAce said:

well, this isn't that magic club that will perform miracles now matter how bad you swing it. 

ohh dammm they *did* send us the wrong clubs

haha I was also hoping for a magic wand but I can still slice the ball into the trees with a bad swing...

[StrokerAce]

so I spent an hour and rented a bay with a Trackman on a humid rainy Saturday to compare my current driver (TS3 55g stiff tensei blue) with the Paradym (X stiff 75g tensei blue).

I hit 100 or so balls and was soaked in sweat by the time I finished. I always seem to rush when I get in these bays since I know my time is limited, unlike the range where I can take as long as I want.

I scanned the QR code and was logged in and it was tracking my shots and I made sure to log out and..... nothing.... I didn't get anything on my app, nothing on the website. What a bummer.

 

What I can tell you is that my TS3 with the lighter shaft required a lot more timing of everything and if I didn't time it right my misses were way right (that's my typical miss but these were many yards right)

Once I dialed in my swing I was able to start my Paradym left and it came back to the right. FWIW I cannot hit a draw with my driver - any of them - and I'm fine with that. 

The difference I found with the Paradym is that it felt more 'stable' and I could control it better. That might be a function of the shaft + head but it certainly gives me confidence that I'm not going to have a huge miss.

 

The other thing I noticed when comparing the drivers is that the Titleist is a LOT louder.

The Paradym is a QUIET driver. I like this and find it pleasing. Don't get me wrong. You can feel it when you hit it well but there isn't a lot of noise coming from this head.

I'll schedule another session on a trackman bay and figure out what I did wrong so that I can get my statistic report. 

 

TLDR; used trackman, didn't get my stats, Paradym is beating my gamer 

[cksurfdude]

36 minutes ago, StrokerAce said:

The Paradym is a QUIET driver. I like this and find it pleasing. Don't get me wrong. You can feel it when you hit it well but there isn't a lot of noise coming from this head.

Agreed!

Had mentioned something similar in my "Initial Impressions" and then updated that after I finally also took along my PXG to the range .. eg. X is definitely quieter but you can still very much tell a solid, almost center strike vs further out on the face. Good stuff!

[Invader Zim 315]

I should be posting an update on my rounds from this weekend later this evening.

On the off chance anyone has any questions about the Paradym, let me know! I'd be happy to add a Q and A to the bottom of the post

[OdinSnipes414]

14 minutes ago, Invader Zim 315 said:

I should be posting an update on my rounds from this weekend later this evening.

On the off chance anyone has any questions about the Paradym, let me know! I'd be happy to add a Q and A to the bottom of the post

That's a great idea. Borrowing this ! good luck have fun and if you can try and work the driver around a little left right so on. i don't know your skill level but would love to see it.

[Swood1994]

On 6/23/2023 at 2:26 PM, Invader Zim 315 said:

Well, today’s round at Bethpage black was a little nuts.

I started about as bad as you can imagine and ended about as good as you can imagine (outside of putting).

It wasn’t my best day with the driver, but we put it together for the back nine and scored 

A more full update incoming.

Being as you’re from NY I’ll use my favorite line. “My golf game is like SU (Syracuse University for those who don’t know) basketball. It’s all about the 2nd half”. Great round!

[Invader Zim 315]

*deleted post

[Invader Zim 315]

26 minutes ago, Swood1994 said:

Being as you’re from NY I’ll use my favorite line. “My golf game is like SU (Syracuse University for those who don’t know) basketball. It’s all about the 2nd half”. Great round!

[cksurfdude]

A few updates from recent range sessions:

 

(1) X + Kai'Li Blue vs X + a Pro Force V2 HL shaft vs 0311XF + Riptide CB...

Hit a bunch of balls with each club, then rotated cubs and hit another bunch, etc.

Where the majority for each landed are marked on the right side of my (ok messy) notes here -- the highlighted circle towards the upper right is the target, and the red arrow points to where the majority of balls for X + Kai'Li Blue landed (across all rotated uses).. 

.. a bit right of the intended target but, again, a majority of all the shots with this combo were within a reasonably sized area!

Did hit a few deeper (carry) using the Pro Force shaft and also with the 0311 BUT the all the other little marks left and right of target mean I had a much larger overall dispersion with either of those.

 

(2) X + Kai'Li Blue vs 0311XF + Riptide CB...

Went back to using X just as someone might purchase it, ie. with the Kai'Li shaft, and wanted to do one more test against the PXG..

.. but this time I swapped out the toe weight (in the 0311) for a lighter one to see if that might help me tighten up dispersion..

.. it did not... First shot with the 0311 was straight down the middle but rest were a bit scattered similar to earlier test (1) above.

Almost all the shots with X were consistent with the previous test, also .. eg. most a bit right of target and within a pretty reasonable dispersion area.

And I did catch one almost dead center ..

 

Conclusions:

#1. I need to work more on my aim and alignment (while I continue to work on my swing).

2. The Paradym X + Kai'Li Blue shaft combo is pretty clearly performing more consistently for me vs my PXG; and helping me get into decent enough positions downrange.

 

Have a lesson coming up, and hopefully can get more on-course time later this week, too. 

[03trdblack]

31 minutes ago, cksurfdude said:

A few updates from recent range sessions:

 

(1) X + Kai'Li Blue vs X + a Pro Force V2 HL shaft vs 0311XF + Riptide CB...

Hit a bunch of balls with each club, then rotated cubs and hit another bunch, etc.

Where the majority for each landed are marked on the right side of my (ok messy) notes here -- the highlighted circle towards the upper right is the target, and the red arrow points to where the majority of balls for X + Kai'Li Blue landed (across all rotated uses).. 

..

 

 

[StrokerAce]

[Invader Zim 315]

Invader Zim Update – 06.26.2023

I’ll spare you all too many details and try to just have more photos here, but got two fantastic rounds in at Bethpage Black and Hamilton Farm this weekend and wanted to give a Paradym Update

Round 1 (06/23/2023) – Bethpage Black

The Black plays 7,500 from the tips, and while sometimes I have referred to myself as a bit of a masochist, my group and I settled on the slightly less miserable yet still very intimidating 6,700-yard middle tees.

As you’ll see, the round, and my drives, were a tale of 2 Nines

Front Nine

·         Hole 1: 260 – Left fescue (double bogey)
·         Hole 4: 276 – OB Left (double bogey)
·         Hole 5: 230 – Hit the one single tree sticking out above the right side bunkering and fell straight down, would have been realllllly good otherwise (bogey)

I was super quick for the first several holes.  A yank left on 1 into the thick fescue led to a double, and OB left on the par 5 fourth led to another. All in all, I truly think the issues were my fault and my swing just wasn’t there on this front nine.  I shot +10 on the front nine.

Back Nine

·         Hole 10: 275 – Right fairway (par)
·         Hole 11: 287 – Right fairway (par)
·         Hole 15: 277 – Left fairway (par)
·         Hole 16: 272 – Right fairway (par)
·         Hole 18: 278 – Left rough (par) – I was aimed there though as it was a right pin and I wanted to avoid the right greenside bunkers

On the back, I recognized that I just didn’t have the swing to go for the 300 yard big ball on this day, and just started to go stock.  270 is plenty of distance, and golf is a lot more fun from the fairway.

 

Round Summary:  I think I was so excited to be playing BLACK that I swung too hard and got quick early in the round.  I caught a little fire on the back and in the end shot an 81 (even par on the back), which is equivalent to a 5.2 Index. This actually was my first time ever shooting par on 9 holes.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Round 2 (06/25/2023) – Hamilton Farm

 

First time playing here and WOW, this place was truly special, and I was humbled to be able to play it. Again, the driver wasn’t my best friend on this day, but it didn’t kill me either.  I hate to see a couple of 230 yard drives, but again that’s golf (shoutout “Not a Scratch Golfer” on YouTube for the mental assistance).

·         Hole 2: 272 – Left rough (Par)
·         Hole 4: 232 – Right rough (Par) – I literally almost missed this ball low heel, so I was honestly impressed it got out there 230+
·         Hole 5: 335 (!!) – Fairway (Par) – Caught a speed slot and ran down the hill
·         Hole 6: 236 – Left Rough (Bogey) – Literal dropkick
·         Hole 9: 250 – Left Fescue (Double)
·         Hole 10: 272 – Right Fairway (Par)
·         Hole 11: 229 – Right Fescue (Bogey)
·         Hole 13: 251 – Fairway (Par)
·         Hole 14: 262 – Right Rough (Par)
·         Hole 16: 225 – OB Right (Double bogey)
·         Hole 18: 292 – Center cut Fairway (Birdie)

 

Round Summary: I’ll be honest, today it wasn’t my driver that helped me score, it was my flatstick and short game.  I hit probably 5 putts more than 10 feet for either par or birdie.  But again, I had some BAD mishits with the Paradym that still got out there.  230 could have been 150.  Add in a 335 yard drive and a 290 drive on 18 (with -1 yards of rollout after a rainstorm), I still feel like this will remain my driver.

What Gives Me Confidence - Pressure shot: 18th hole, with the match on the line, I pulled driver and hit the center cut, 52* wedge from 117 to about 16 inches.  Birdie and win(can see my white ball mark on that 18th green below)

 

Some Paradym Close Ups:

 

[cksurfdude]

Quick update INdirectly about the driver...

Had an hour lesson, after playing 9, today and it went really (really!) well .. hit a bunch of PWs then 7i's then a few hybrids and then the driver - all while working on a few very basic things that I seem to have totally, completely missed from every other instructor I've seen over the past several years...

Anyway the point being I feel like I'm about to start making some nice forward progress with my swing .. and my game .. and am optimistic about starting to (on a very relative basis mind you) launch some high nasty bombs

[azstu324]

I just wanted to throw in a quick note to anybody wondering about how aggressive the blue color is. 

This was actually a thought, maybe even concern that I had when the driver was first released and even going into this testing. 

I'll say that 99% of the time, the head looks glossy black with the flat black face and front crown accent. Only under certain lighting conditions does the navy turquoise actually show.. and I'm way cool with that! 

 

[Javs]

On 6/26/2023 at 6:39 PM, Invader Zim 315 said:

Invader Zim Update – 06.26.2023

I’ll spare you all too many details and try to just have more photos here, but got two fantastic rounds in at Bethpage Black and Hamilton Farm this weekend and wanted to give a Paradym Update

Round 1 (06/23/2023) – Bethpage Black

The Black plays 7,500 from the tips, and while sometimes I have referred to myself as a bit of a masochist, my group and I settled on the slightly less miserable yet still very intimidating 6,700-yard middle tees.

As you’ll see, the round, and my drives, were a tale of 2 Nines

Front Nine

·         Hole 1: 260 – Left fescue (double bogey)
·         Hole 4: 276 – OB Left (double bogey)
·         Hole 5: 230 – Hit the one single tree sticking out above the right side bunkering and fell straight down, would have been realllllly good otherwise (bogey)

I was super quick for the first several holes.  A yank left on 1 into the thick fescue led to a double, and OB left on the par 5 fourth led to another. All in all, I truly think the issues were my fault and my swing just wasn’t there on this front nine.  I shot +10 on the front nine.

Back Nine

·         Hole 10: 275 – Right fairway (par)
·         Hole 11: 287 – Right fairway (par)
·         Hole 15: 277 – Left fairway (par)
·         Hole 16: 272 – Right fairway (par)
·         Hole 18: 278 – Left rough (par) – I was aimed there though as it was a right pin and I wanted to avoid the right greenside bunkers

On the back, I recognized that I just didn’t have the swing to go for the 300 yard big ball on this day, and just started to go stock.  270 is plenty of distance, and golf is a lot more fun from the fairway.

 

Round Summary:  I think I was so excited to be playing BLACK that I swung too hard and got quick early in the round.  I caught a little fire on the back and in the end shot an 81 (even par on the back), which is equivalent to a 5.2 Index. This actually was my first time ever shooting par on 9 holes.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Round 2 (06/25/2023) – Hamilton Farm

 

First time playing here and WOW, this place was truly special, and I was humbled to be able to play it. Again, the driver wasn’t my best friend on this day, but it didn’t kill me either.  I hate to see a couple of 230 yard drives, but again that’s golf (shoutout “Not a Scratch Golfer” on YouTube for the mental assistance).

·         Hole 2: 272 – Left rough (Par)
·         Hole 4: 232 – Right rough (Par) – I literally almost missed this ball low heel, so I was honestly impressed it got out there 230+
·         Hole 5: 335 (!!) – Fairway (Par) – Caught a speed slot and ran down the hill
·         Hole 6: 236 – Left Rough (Bogey) – Literal dropkick
·         Hole 9: 250 – Left Fescue (Double)
·         Hole 10: 272 – Right Fairway (Par)
·         Hole 11: 229 – Right Fescue (Bogey)
·         Hole 13: 251 – Fairway (Par)
·         Hole 14: 262 – Right Rough (Par)
·         Hole 16: 225 – OB Right (Double bogey)
·         Hole 18: 292 – Center cut Fairway (Birdie)

 

Round Summary: I’ll be honest, today it wasn’t my driver that helped me score, it was my flatstick and short game.  I hit probably 5 putts more than 10 feet for either par or birdie.  But again, I had some BAD mishits with the Paradym that still got out there.  230 could have been 150.  Add in a 335 yard drive and a 290 drive on 18 (with -1 yards of rollout after a rainstorm), I still feel like this will remain my driver.

What Gives Me Confidence - Pressure shot: 18th hole, with the match on the line, I pulled driver and hit the center cut, 52* wedge from 117 to about 16 inches.  Birdie and win(can see my white ball mark on that 18th green below)

 

Some Paradym Close Ups:

 

Great update and pictures. Nice golf course!