Callaway Paradym Drivers - 2023 Forum Review

[GolfSpy BOS]

TESTERS ANNOUNCED!!

The second Callaway Test of the season and we have 4 great testers for this one!

Callaway is known to pack a punch in the driver market with high performance models to suit all levels of golfer from PGA Major champions down to the recreational or new golfer.

They know what it takes to create a competitive selection of modules to suit your game so we have all three retail models of the Callaway Paradym drive family up for review!  Each of the Paradym drivers comes with key technologies and features that set it apart from the competition:

An industry-first 360 Carbon Chassis eliminates titanium from the body, so engineers can push weight
and stability to the limit.  This massive weight savings is repositioned both forward which is designed to enhance
ball speed, and toward the back of the clubhead is designed to increase forgiveness.

The Company’s A.I.-designed Jailbreak system enhances stability for faster ball speeds, while an all-new
A.I. face optimization enhances speed, launch, spin, and now downrange dispersion. Paradym is the first
driver to utilize Callaway’s face cup technology. 

Three models are available: Paradym is suited to a wide range of players, with Callaway’s best
combination of distance, forgiveness, and adjustability. Paradym X is best suited for players who want
exceptional forgiveness and a slight draw bias, and Paradym Triple Diamond is ideally suited for better
players who want to work the ball.

Please welcome and congratulate our testers!

Callaway Paradym X - @cksurfdude
Callaway Paradym - @Invader Zim 315
Callaway Paradym - @StrokerAce
Callaway Paradym TD - @azstu324

[cksurfdude]

First things first: this is obviously a huge test that will hopefully get a whole lot of people looking in, so I want to sincerely thank MGS and the Forum Mods for selecting and entrusting me with this .. and of course Callaway Golf (aka Modern Golf Brands) for making this possible .. thank you!!

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Callaway Paradym X driver
Official MGS Forum Member Review
by cksurfdude (May-July, 2023)

 

Player Profile

Married, retired and in my late 60s, I didn’t begin golfing until in my 50s. I grew up sailboat racing in the Summers and skiing in the Winters. Was not really into traditional sports in school but did do a little cross country running in junior high and gymnastics in high school. Since then I’ve gotten into surfing, windsurfing and more recently standup paddle surfing .. hence the username. 

So when I started golfing .. at the urging of a close friend who helped get me going .. looking at the ball just lying on the ground was a bit of a foreign concept to me!

Fast forward to now where I call myself an average recreational, bogey golfer - eg. I typically score in the low 90s or on those not-so-good golfing days high 90s (or the other side of 100). Last several 9 hole rounds were at 46-47. Don’t maintain an official handicap but based on charts found online and strokes gained vs peer levels I estimate it’s between maybe 18 to approx 20.

Of course, I aspire to play regularly in the 80s … the past few seasons with dedicated practice, lessons, more on course time and then more practice time I feel I’m getting closer and closer. 

This is me last Winter at my club from their Insta…

(... just happened to be walking by the pro shop on my way to the restroom from the range and the head pro and membership director ran out asked if I could help them with content for their social media feed .. so I didn’t actually _achieve_ anything golfing-wise, just happened to be in the haha wrong place at the wrong time…)

 

My Game

One thing that’s held me back from scoring better is getting off the tee .. I end up in trouble (hellloooo trees!) too often and have to punch out … this recent SG snapshot from ShotScope really illustrates the highs and lows of my current game…

(Note: stats vs 20 HCP group over last 15 rounds)

I work on my short game (except bunkers - my club doesn’t have a practice bunker) and putting a lot; then this year I’ve spent more time on irons, especially 7i as I’ve been demoing different brands, plus have put in more time and effort working with the driver (as the SG chart above, ummm, "suggests" I should!).

At just under 5’ 7” about 155 lbs I’m not overpowering any golf courses but instead am constantly looking to improve my swing technique, along with my application of course management strategies - and of course sharpen my mental game!!

There are a lot of great and inspiring golf quotes, and I kinda like these …

...and 

I try to practice and/or play at least three times a week; wintertime will practice in my garage or at the range on nicer days. The club I belong to will have the course open over the Winter if conditions permit, so I’m able to get a few 9 hole rounds in. Other days at home I’ll be swinging one of my swing trainers or putting in the basement.

 

My Tee Shots

My most common miss with my current driver is blocking (or pushing, maybe) the ball offline, with the occasional slice when I try too hard … and then there’s also a once in a while low pull hook. Distances off the tee avg between 200 - 220 mostly because of hitting off-center and/or into trouble, but happily though the past few rounds I’ve started to improve on that!

(..ok it ain’t pretty but there it is…)

Also note "Clubs: All" includes a Bertha Mini 1.5 (15 degree) that I've used off the tee all those times in the past that I've avoided hitting driver... 

 

 

Testing Methods and Goals

OK, so given all that background I have a feeling I fit squarely within the target demographic that Callaway has in mind for the X version of their Paradym driver.

One small difference being I haven’t technically lost distance as I’ve aged - since I never had it (hahaha lol) - but I *am* looking primarily for a forgiving driver head that can help me get the ball into play more often. And hey if the ball also happens to land and rollout further from the tee box well then that’ll be a nice bonus!

Currently I play the PXG Gen 5 0811XF driver, 10.5 head (adjusted +1) with a Project X Evenflow Riptide CB shaft (50g / 5.0 flex) at 45.5 inches at approx D1.5-2.0 swingweight (according to my basic balance beam swingweight scale). I was not fitted for this driver but have been through several club fittings before.

* So my goals for this test are pretty clear cut…
#1. Can the Paradym X help me get the ball into, or just off, the fairway more often?
.. and …
2. Will the Paradym X help me hit the ball further, especially carry distance?

* Plus my own more subjective goal…
3. Does the Paradym X feel good to me, and do I enjoy hitting it?

Evaluation will be based on a combination of (subjective) watching ball flights at the range and in play on the course, plus (objective) comparing distance and dispersion performance between the two drivers from ShotScope shot tracking data.

--> e.g. will an update of the ShotScope tee shot data plot above look (any? much?) better??

I do have access to a launch monitor at my club, but (don’t like hitting indoors, and..) unless the two drivers seem to be yielding pretty close results I honestly don’t get hung up on the discrete optimization numbers - where I’ll improve more is by continuing to develop my swing technique!

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(- if I get a little chatty in this section I just want prospective buyers to have all the info I found out in this process!)

 

The Fitting

The process actually started with a demo at my club; the pro shop has a Callaway fitting cart and they let me take a driver to the range to get a preliminary feel for a few different shafts. I’d looked up (of course!) on the Callaway website which of the stock and no upcharge shafts available to us that I’d be interested in…

PLEASE NOTE: all info copied from OEMs websites and presented as-is with the understanding there are currently no standards in the industry for measuring the stated values.

The ones listed in bold are the ones I wanted to try; out of those the pro shop had …

• Aldila Ascent PL Blue 40 / R
• Project X Cypher Black 40 / 5.0
• Callaway RCH 45 / R

..and here are my field notes from that first demo…

As you can see I really liked the kick from the Aldila .. and I hit my best shot with it! .. but for me and what I think I need right now is something with a more stable profile.

 

An important note to prospective buyers:
If you were to just click "Order" from the website the default shaft for the X model is the Project X HZRDUS Gen4 Silver 50 - which is probably a great shaft but I know from past experience that the HZRDUS line is not the best bend profile for me, and that their 5.5 flex is just a little too stout for me in a driver. *Moral of the story = do a demo or get a fitting, if possible!

 

• Sidebar: I had read through with great interest @azstu324 thread on “Shaft Hack - The Otto Phlex Journey” (https://forum.mygolfspy.com/topic/53310-shaft-hack-the-otto-phlex-journey/) .. and decided to experiment myself. I ordered a Grafalloy Pro Launch Blue 45g/A flex from GolfWorks with a PXG tip and plugged it in. Had some success with it and while I no longer game this shaft I am firmly convinced that a lighter and flexier shaft definitely helped me to start hitting the driver better and with more confidence. In the future I plan on revisiting this. 

OK…
.. on to the actual fitting …

 

 

Pete’s Golf on Long Island, NY is a consistently top-ranked independent club fitter; very highly recommended to anyone in the area! I met with Sonny Burgo who’s helped me out before with putters …

(..had a shot of Sonny in his studio but I cannot get it to upload in the correct orientation?!?)

We started out with some discussion about the forum and this test/review; where I’m at with the driver and my game; how he likes to approach a fitting, etc. He was actually a bit disappointed that he was constrained to (a) not being able to select from any club head, and (b) only being able to select from a short list of stock shafts (showed him my list). Promised him I’d keep him updated on the test, and that I’d be back again in the future!

So our fitting goals became…

1. Determine best head loft
2. Determine best fit shaft from my list
3. Determine best “Cog Type”

 

COG TYPE

The what-what??

 Another very important note to prospective buyers:
If you were to just click “Buy” on the Callaway website, leaving the default options, you’d be getting a driver head with a 60 degree lie angle. For those who know the specs of their clubs, you’ll see this is a more “upright” lie vs most other drivers at about 59-58 degrees (eg. “flatter”). Presumably part of the reasoning for this is to help encourage draw bias spin on contact.

 

If I hadn’t been looking under custom options for the complete list of available shafts, I might not have even known about this… 

 

But based on having read a lot of stuff within these forums, I had some idea of what it meant; plus I had my fellow testers to ask questions of and @azstu324 came back with this…

* Comment - this or some other clear explanation should be right on the main product page, or at least have a prominent link to the separate page in Johnny Wunder’s blog where Stu found that chart.

Ok ok back to the fitting…

 

We started with, and quickly decided to keep, the 10.5 head. The shafts tested…

• Aldila Ascent PL Blue 50 / R
  • Felt nice, smooth with a nice kick in the tip but peak height was not what I’d seen on the range with the 40/R and dispersion was not too great, either.
• Project X Cypher Black was n/a
  • Sonny said this was last year’s shaft for the Rogue and he didn’t have them anymore in the shop (went back to the OEM).
• Mitsubishi Kai’Li Blue 50 / R
  • Solid was the first word that came to mind; height and carry were reasonable and dispersion was definitely improved over the Ascent.
• Also n/a was the Kai’Li Red
  • If you look back at my shaft list above the Red is described (by the OEM) as “High” launch, with a Low kickpoint, while the Blue is “Mid” launch with a High kickpoint. Interesting difference and I was kinda curious to try it.
• Ascent 40 / R
  • A chance to repeat my initial range test did not work out as well .. started losing some balls in both directions .. oh well…

So between my list and Sonny’s in store stock, the Kai’Li Blue it is!

 

Back to the COG TYPE - based on where I was making contact - most often towards the heel, which is opposite my more common out on the toe miss(!), the FLAT cog is the way to go.

(Please ignore the very UNimpressive numbers above at the top of the screen!!)

 

Final Order:

• 10.5 head with hosel set at +1/N
  (.. Sonny mentioned I could opt for the 12 head and turn it down 1 degree, which would open the face slightly, but decided to stick to the 10.5 I’m accustomed to.)
• Kai’Li Blue 50 / R
• FLAT cog - which makes the lie 59.25 degrees
• 45.5” length (-¼”)
• Swing Weight D2 (as it turns out this is the stock SW)

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• Now we get into the scoring sections of the review; this first section has a max of 20 / 100 points.

Unboxing and First Impressions

My driver arrived with the box mostly intact and undamaged, save for one small ding along one edge…

As you can see it was pretty shallow and didn’t really protrude into the box. Also note any damage to the club would be the responsibility of the delivery carrier, in this case UPS.

 

OK, as we open up the box we see…

https://youtu.be/K77BPAl1UJc

 

Comments:

• Lack of any kind of protective padding inside the box. This seemed unusual as other Callaway clubs I’ve received in the past either had pieces of heavy kraft paper stuffed in and around the shaft, and/or a different style of box that had an extra flap on one long side that was folded in to add protection and rigidity. Some other OEMs use pieces of foam cut to the inner dimensions of the box with a hole to fit the shaft through, so it’s “suspended” away from the sides of the box. I will note the box otherwise is heavy corrugated cardboard and pretty rigid.
  • -2 pts.
     

• Box is barely longer than the assembled driver plus the installed headcover - one of the other testers received a box that had been compressed from the ends and I’d have been worried about structural damage to the shaft.
  • -2 pts.
     
• “Customs” build sheet in the box - there are SIXTEEN discrete items listed and all were filled in EXCEPT .. “Cog Type” (see section above for explanation of what this is). This is a case of the documentation not keeping up with the shipped product; I had to refer back to the Cog Type chart and confirm with my fellow testers that I had, indeed, received the requested “Flat” cog - instead by an extra red line on the hosel. No, this item was not specified on the packing list either.
  • -2 pts.
     
• No torque wrench - someone else on the forum found out that this is a part of Callaway’s global sustainability initiative .. which is great, really! .. but do you not expect a high end driver consumer to want to adjust the hosel? (..fyi I just happen to have a few from previous Callaway clubs)
  • An option should be added to the product page / ordering process for “Hosel Wrench: Don't Include (default) | Include (+nominal fee)”. This also explains why on -our- orders we needed to specify the hosel settings (e.g. +1/N) .. which had seemed strange to me then.
  • -2 pts.
     
• Add’l. -2 pts for lack of explanation of Cog Type on product/ordering page!!

Score so far: -10 pts.

- If that scoring seems harsh keep in mind this is a high end product and it should be all about the presentation and attention to details!

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Looks

Yes, ok, this is one very sharp-looking driver head!! Things that stood out to me include…

• Tall (or, deep) face is very appropriate for a, let's call it, GI type driver head.

..prominent marketing in case you somehow didn’t know Callaway uses AI to help design their Flash Face.

 

• Wrap-around face cup extends further back along the crown and the sole. On the sole, at least on this model haven’t seen the others, they opted to hide the bottom prongs of the JailBreak internal structure .. I think this gives the club a cleaner look.

- you can also see the blue carbon weave pattern

 

• The blue plus the gold- (or brass?) tone accents on the sole - along with a color-matched weight in the tail - give a pleasant and imo quality appearance. Not too busy; not too much marketing fluff.

 

• Elongated profile - this head is longer front-to-back vs the other models for added MOI; but with the extended face cup plus the tail structure to support the weight (black insets at back corners) it doesn’t appear .. to me .. to be overly long. Still not compact and pear shaped, but not bad. I also like the extended face cup on top to help frame the face, plus not show any idiot marks (what? me?? never!!!) or bag chatter from other clubs going in and out.
• Also Note - all my non OEM headcovers are very tight getting on and off.

(yes poochie is an excellent club review assistant )

 

• Kai-Li Blue shaft - did they pick this just ‘cuz it coordinates nicely with the Paradym blue? 

(- see Fitting section earlier for more info on .. and why I picked .. this shaft)

 

Headcover -
Well, here it is; you’ve probably already read all sorts of comments about it…

https://youtu.be/Jhf8Lr6YZ3w

On the plus side - it’s thick, slides on and off easily and does appear durable. So yeah it suits its intended function. The color scheme may be a bit better vs Mavrik or Epic, but still just not my style though.

 

Score so far: still -10 pts.

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Initial test - range session

First things first .. let’s check the swing weight…

Yep! Comes in right at D2 .. which is the default .. and how it was ordered. Get out one of my own Callaway torque wrenches and check the hosel - ok - and the rear weight - ok. Ready to go. A few dry swings out in the backyard .. feels nice!!

 

So my intent here was just to start to get a feel for this driver head plus shaft combo. Warmed up a bit then tee’ed up the “X”. 

• Initial feel:

The Kai’Li Blue 50/R shaft is definitely a more stable profile vs the lighter ones I’d been using (eg. 45/A) - recall my primary objective here is to control dispersion; distance is secondary (for now). So the feel on contact is more, say, firm vs other drivers I’ve played. 

• Initial sound:

Contact seemed more muted than expected; eg. other Callaway woods and hybrids I’ve hit have a louder, more metallic sound. There’s also a distinguishable difference on off-center hits.

- update: a later range session where I brought the PXG along confirmed this; eg. where the PXG has a sharp "report" at impact the X lets you know when you've hit it square but doesn't announce it too loudly.

• Initial performance:

Hit a relatively large amount of balls with it, vs my usual driver practice .. maybe 30 or more (in phases alternating with other clubs). Out of the first about 8 - 10 I did hit two high slices - my most annoying, and common, miss. After that, none! .. although there were a few low-lefts which is my other bad miss.

Also, I was not seeing the launch and peak height I have with lighter shafts, eg. the Aldila Ascent PL Blue 40/R - the Kai’Li Blue is a bit heavier and has a high kickpoint so that may be a part of it. In a later test, I’ll try adding +1 to the loft.

Pop off the face on near-center hits was not as spectacular as hoped, but I'm attributing that to my still-evolving swing .. future sessions will tell more as I get a better feel for this club and will  yield even better results.  

 

* Overall initial performance impression:
Optimistically positive; ie. some more time with X and it seems we may become good friends (very good I hope .. TBD of course!).

 

Score so far: still -10 pts.

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Score FIRST IMPRESSIONS: 10 / 20

- deductions all in Unboxing and Product/Order website page.

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(-- following are new comments posted 7-16-23 --)

 

Alright, it’s finally time to get into the real meat of this review!!

After several weeks of practice time and course time let’s talk about performance…

 

Testing on the Range (max 10 pts)

Step 1 was simply to get a feel for this club and shaft (note: earlier in this write-up I wrote more about testing different shafts on the range and then going for a club fitting). 

My typical range process with driver (after warm-up with shorter clubs) was to start out gripped down half swings at half speed; check setup and check contact on the face; then ramp up swing length and speed; and finally get to full swings. 

Things I’d work on include…

• Check setup to see where best ball position and tee height seem to be.
• Check aim and alignment and note where most misses are going - a little bit right of target. Some were left, but of all the misses a pretty good %tge were within what’s for me a good dispersion area.
• Check ball flight - good shots generally have a medium trajectory and a slight draw. 
• Test forgiveness by trying to hit low, high, heel, toe on the face to see effect. Now I can’t say I’m that good at hitting those spots on the face on demand (vs hitting there anyway!), but I could tell when a strike is off-center from the sound and feel. 
• Except for extreme misses, e.g. sliced or topped, other off-center misses still went reasonably downrange - albeit with some loss of distance and some increase in offline - but still appeared as if they would be playable on the course.
• Check distance - most shots carried to an area around, or just beyond, a target at a bit over 200 yards; no, not huge, but for me and for old worn range balls it’s ok.
• Check workability - hahaha not this guy. At this point just trying to “get it out there”!

After a few range sessions “getting acquainted” I swapped in another shaft I have from an older Callaway driver (interestingly the hosel adapters are the same fit; Callaway seems to change these over time). Hit a few shots with the Kai’Li Blue, swap in the alternate shaft, hit a few shots, etc. A pattern pretty quickly developed where I’d have two, maybe three, shots with the alternate shaft that carried further vs any with the Kai’Li but .. overall dispersion area, especially left to right, was much larger vs with the Kai’Li.

A few more range sessions using just the Kai’Li Blue shaft was ready to run a three way test - it vs the alternate shaft vs the PXG (0311XF with EvenFlow Riptide CB).

Interestingly the X head + alternate shaft combo and the PXG yielded fairly highly correlated results; that is .. all the good and bad shots with each driver ended up having a very similar shot pattern. And this pattern closely echoed what I’d seen in the first test with the X head + alternate shaft .. a few balls carried further than any with the X + Kai’Li Blue but the overall dispersion with the X + Kai-Li Blue was much better than either of the other two.

• FYI a separate post on these tests with a pic that summarizes some of my testing notes (that a few people seemed to get a laugh out of so why not let more people in on it!) is at… https://forum.mygolfspy.com/topic/59432-2023-mgs-forum-test-callaway-paradym-drivers/?do=findComment&comment=941702

Adjustments made during testing from as-ordered… 

• Set hosel from +1/N to S/N (10.5 head) but quickly went back to +1/N (I need the extra loft for launch).
• Added some lead tape on the head to add +1 SW (measured on my basic balance beam SW scale) … I think I like the feel of it a bit heavier so ordered a 7g tail weight (from billybobsgolf) to swap in for the stock 5g.

Oh, and please note re: launch monitor testing - while I could get access to a Trackman (but don’t like hitting indoors, and) given there was a pretty clear-cut differential observed between the X and the PXG it didn’t seem meaningful for my testing to compare LM numbers.

 

Range testing conclusion:
The X head + Kai’Li Blue shaft are helping me get a higher percentage of tee shots reasonably near to a target area and into “virtual” play vs my current gamer.

 

→ SCORE: 9 / 10

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Performance on the Course (max 20 pts)

Club arrived June 1st and went to the range that afternoon and the next; first course time was two days later - hit driver 6 times over 9 holes with 1 very good, 4 ok/playable and 1 out to the right .. blame it on operator error. So a pretty promising start - especially vs the way I used to struggle hitting the driver into play at all!

A few days later was the MGS Pinehurst trip and both the PXG and trusty backup Mini Bertha did *not* go on the trip - full commitment to hitting the X - plus I’d decided I would hit it off the tee as often as made sense (which ended being almost every Par 4 and 5). 

The first round (Saturday morning at Mid South Club) was my best of three that trip in both driving off the tee and overall ball striking and scoring; my scorecard notes from that round for 14 driver shots include...

• 10  marks (not middle fairway high long nasty bombs but for me they were "out there" and playable!)
• 2 were out to the right
• 1 was low-left
• 1 was just chunked

So that was an approx 71% “” success rate ... and a huge improvement in my tee shot performance! Unfortunately the next two rounds there didn’t go quite as well…

Back home … I generally play 9 hole rounds, and alternated course time and range time over the next few weeks. 

On the course, I’d generally see about the same results; that is, out of 7 drivers over 9 holes like 2/7 would be hit offline into trouble and require a punch-out or rescue shot, while 5/7 would be good or if in the rough not far into the rough and playable for about the same 71% “success” rate.

Here’s a track of one of my better tee shots on the opening hole…

(yep 240 baby!!)

 

After a few rounds I checked my stats in ShotScope; here are before & after snapshots…

(1) PXG

(2) X

 

So, yeah, check out how my driving stats for fairways vs right rough/trouble have almost completely reversed! This was taken after only a few rounds but happily this same pattern has persisted throughout my testing!!

Although, also note a few more misses left now (%tge-wise) with the X, so I have to be careful of a swing tendency to come down too quickly and pull the ball left (on top of the X’s tendency to impart draw bias).

Something to note that doesn’t show up directly in the stats - thin or topped balls, as long as there’s no forced carry to cover, can still get a decent rollout and put you into position for your next shot (thank you AI Flash Face, I guess!).

 

Another important anecdote to relate - hole #2 at my course is a blind uphill tee shot to a wide enough fairway but with trees on both sides .. where I usually ended up, blocked out, if I made it up the hill and past the front tees at all. Often doubled this hole… First time there with the X decided enough was enough - aimed for the middle, relaxed and did my best to take a relaxed, smooth swing .. bango! .. there goes the ball into the middle of the fairway!! Well that seemed to break the curse and since then have made par a few times, otherwise bogey and nothing worse, on that hole.

 

Course performance conclusions:
Based on my experiences on the course, my observations of my tee shots and the data I’d collected it’s pretty clear that the Paradym X + Kai’Li Blue shaft are helping me get the ball into play much more frequently vs my prior driver. 

* Testing goals #1 (forgiveness) and #2 (improved dispersion) accomplished!

And the big question: is the X giving me more distance off the tee? On average, yes! Hard to see in those before and after screenshots above but my ShotScope performance average is about 14 yards longer vs the PXG. 

* Testing goal #3 achieved!

 

→ SCORE: 19 / 20

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The Good, The Bad and The In-Between (max 20 pts)

 

Good:

• Looks - sharp! Sound - pleasant; more muted vs many other drivers; can distinguish center vs off-center strikes. Feel - it’s growing on me.
• Forgiving on mis-hits - ball still gets into play.
• Improved dispersion - hitting more fairways, and most of my mis-hits/missed fairways are only a few paces into the rough and still give me a playable second shot.
• Extra distance - my “performance average” (ShotScope data) drives are about +15 yards better vs my old driver (and hopefully that is continuing to improve as my swing technique, and on-course confidence, both continue to improve).
• Side benefit - have taken the tee shot standby Mini Bertha out of the bag so now have room for another long club that I can use off the fairway or out of light rough, in addition to off the tee if needed.

 

Bad:

• COG Adapter - if not for this forum and this test and my fellow testers, I may not have been aware of the “Flat” option that reduces the lie angle from 60 .. which is more upright than most drivers .. to 59.25 (closer to most drivers; also: why not be able to adjust the lie a full -1.0 degree?).
  ... Note the X head still has a draw bias and the Flat adapter still has “D” settings available.
  ... Also note the info explaining the adapter type options is not even on the product order page .. it’s within a separate sub-site for Johnny Wunder’s equipment blog.
  ... Nor was the cog adapter type installed specified on either the packing list or the enclosed “Customs” build card.
• No hosel wrench - none offered (corporate sustainability initiative).
  ...I happen to have a few from previous Callaway purchases, so no big deal for me.
• But imho it should be mentioned that it’s not included; seems it could be added as an  option on the order page, even for a nominal fee.
• Head cover - mentioned in earlier comments; none of the testers really liked the appearance. Biggest turn off seems to be the shiny vinyl looking raised center stripe.
• Packaging - club was loose inside the box .. no foam holding it in place, no bubble wrap around it, no heavy packing paper crinkled up to help protect the shaft and clubhead during shipment. 
  ... All the testers agreed it was a letdown for what’s perceived as a premium product.
• Sorry to report - this driver does not magically cure a slice (lol).

 

In-Between:

• My shaft choice - I was fit into the Kai’Li Blue, so went with that, but had really wanted to try the Red version (lower kickpoint / higher launch). I’m generally getting a nice medium trajectory that carries nicely, and do get a higher launch when I hit it solidly. It also appears the Blue is helping me control my dispersion. 

 

→ SCORE: 19 / 20

(Note: point deductions for “Bad” items made in earlier section)

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Play It or Trade it? (max 20 pts)

Play it.
(Period.)

Well… For now... Is this the absolute best driver for me? Dunno. Will I be tempted to try something else in the future? Prob. 

My slight hesitation comes from a feeling I have to work a little harder to avoid low-heel strikes on this clubhead.

Yes of course it may be me and my still-evolving swing .. or it may be the shaft or the upright lie angle of the head … so I may tinker with things like shortening the shaft, or adjusting the swing weight or maybe trying a different shaft.

For a player looking for extra forgiveness and some help in generating a draw flight you should look at this club.

* For now the X is in the bag and is helping me get off the tee and put the ball into play!

 

→ SCORE: 19 / 20

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---

 

→ SCORING SUMMARY:

• First Impressions = 12/20
• Aesthetics plus Look & Feel = 9/10
• Range Testing = 9/10
• On-Course Play = 19/20
• Miscellaneous = 19/20
• Play It or Trade It = 19/20

→ Total Score: 87 / 100

---
---

 

CONCLUSION (TL;DR)

• Me... 67, playing about 12 years, average recreational golfer (score anywhere in the 90s, drives average 220ish to 240 on the good ones) always working on improving my swing and my game. I’ve struggled with driver in years past and didn’t even carry one for a while.
• Interested in the “X” version of the Paradym to see if I could gain… (1) more forgiveness, defined as do off-center strikes still kinda go in the right direction; and (2) a decrease in downrange dispersion; then (3) more distance (on “bad” shots and on average).
• First Impressions - looks, sound and feel all positive. Some negatives concerning.. the website product page could have more info, especially on the cog adapter; a lack of shipping status updates, and lack of protective packaging inside the shipping box.
• Range tests vs a PXG 0311XF - overall definitely in favor of the X (observed and noted ball flights and landing patterns). While there was an occasional center-face strike with the PXG that carried a bit further there were way more shots with the X that landed within a much more consistent area; ie. overall dispersion pattern was much better. Based on my observations LM testing was not needed.
• On-Course results - mirrored my range testing, that is I saw much more forgiveness and more consistent results with the X. This was proved out in ShotScope tee shot data showing many shots had moved from the right rough / trouble into the fairway, plus .. many of the rest that were still missed right were not as far offline (as with the PXG or the old Bertha Mini 15* I’d been using).
  * Additionally my playing average distance is better with the X, too.
• Play It or Trade It → a solid Play It!

*** This driver met all three of my testing goals (forgiveness, dispersion, distance) and is my current gamer. 

--- --- ---

--- --- --- 

END OF SEASON POSTSCRIPT

So.. doing a testing review for the forum can lead to an improvement in your golfing skills and ability - which in my case it very much did!

Now: I'm not saying I'm an expert driver of the ball, but .. as my time with the X went on I found myself missing tee shots left (RHed player) more and more often .. so I was starting to try and manipulate my swing to counter that...

* So FOR ME who has a tendency to miss left more often than right the draw bias in the X head did not seem to be helping me anymore.

* I'd still recommend the X to those who are looking for some draw bias / shot shape correction / extra forgiveness.

With the ok from the forum mod I traded the X for the standard Paradym - 12° head vs the 10.5 X tested - that came with with an Aldila Ascent PL Blue 40/A.

Love this combo and have tinkered with hosel and sliding weight settings and am also loving the adjustability. And the forgiveness!

This is my gamer (for the foreseeable future) while I continue to work on my swing (and my course management) and want to thank MGS one more time for this opportunity that really helped propel my golf game forward!

--- --- ---

 

Edited December 16, 2023 by cksurfdude

[Invader Zim 315]

Invader Zim 315's Callaway Paradym Testing

Introduction

First off, I would like to thank the staff of the forum and Callaway for this testing opportunity.  It’s not lost on me that these are a large responsibility and many of you plan to read this and rely on it in great detail for your purchasing decisions.  Thank you!

The Player

My name’s Ryan, and I’ve been a member of the forum for three years now.  A little bit about me: I’m 25 years old and originally from Upstate New York, now calling the Big Apple home.

I’ve had the opportunity to play some of the best courses the area has to offer, but I primarily call “The People’s Country Club” Bethpage State Park Muni Courses home.  Golf in Manhattan is definitely hard, but we make it work.  I have no wife or children yet, but I do have a great family and friends who support my golf addiction:

The Game

I would say I’m “fine” at just about everything.  I’ve been as low as a 6 handicap, and I currently play off ~7.  With several scores still lingering from last year, I’m really a 9 or 10.  I’m just as likely to shoot 95 as I am 75. I do think my lacrosse background helped me to establish a baseline to play the game at a decent level.

What I do know, without a doubt, is that my big stick is the most inconsistent part of my game.  As you’ll see below, I’m capable of 300+ yard drives, but just as capable of a sub-1,000 RPM duck hook that goes 175:

I‘m curious to see if my experience with the Paradym driver helps fix that.  I’m looking for something more forgiving.  If the Paradym succeeds at that, it should have no problem staying in my bag.  My old driver is a bomber, but definitely not the most forgiving driver from modern memory.  Speaking of that old girl…

The (Current) Gamer

I’ve used a 2017 TaylorMade M1 for the past 5 years.  As I mentioned, it’s been a love hate relationship.  Some days I hit every fairway, other days I won’t take it out at all. I’ve never been fit, so I couldn’t be more excited to go through this process and let you all know what I find.

The Fitting

I didn’t really know what to expect going into my fitting, I just knew the tendencies which I have told you above.  Turns out I don’t produce very much spin, at all, causing those nasty hooks.

Tyler at New York Golf Center in NYC really took care of me and did a good job of guiding me through the fit.  I am a gear nut and knew the different shafts, but his knowledge really helped me understand what I really needed versus what I thought I needed.

 

Based on the fit, Paradym is still very low spin (imagine me in the Triple Diamond).  I have average speed, usually around 110, with a nasty in-to-out path.  The result? Low push draws (1650RPMs with 30 yards of rollout).  This fit was an effort to keep the ball to the right a bit more and in the air.

Here’s My Specs:
Head: Paradym 10.5* Right
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei AV White 65g X-Stiff
Flat Cog, Neutral settings
 

I’ll let the numbers below speak for themselves, there’s still some scary numbers on there.

 

Unboxing / First Impressions

So to make my entry a little unique, I chose to break my entry up into a little The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

The Good

1.       The speed of delivery

I mentioned this yesterday, but this thing came so fast and is a true testament to Callaway’s turnaround times.  I have seen individuals on other MGS Testing forums wait weeks for a club to arrive; this got to me in about 5 days, three of them being a holiday weekend.  I am so impressed.

2.       The Online Store Selection

For zero upcharge, I must say I was very impressed with the breadth of options Callaway offers with their drivers.  I believe there are ~20+ no upcharge shafts on the website, just be sure to still look at their custom options.  There are plenty of no upcharge options in this menu, both for shafts and for grips.  I was fit into the Tensei AV White X-Stiff (65 grams).

3.       The freaking club

The headcover may not look great to my eye, but my gosh does the club itself shine.  I love the look of it, every piece.  The blue bowling ball finish, the silver clubface, the orange weight.  It just looks so good.  It performs too (more on that below).

Pictures

Frames super nicely:

Look at that blue GLOW

Orange weights may turn some off, but looks good to my eye

I LOVE the face.  I have always been a fan of silver clubface, whereas my M1 was black.  It has 4 little dots you might be able to see.  Weird but frames the ball nicely in the center.

Tensei AV is a really good no upcharge shaft.  ALL of the custom specs on this were hit perfectly, great job by the build team

 

The Bad

1.       The box

This one really isn’t completely on Callaway, but the box was pretty beat up when it got to me.  I was pretty surprised by it to be completely honest.  The only thing that might be on them is that the club itself it wasn’t protected at all outside of the headcover.  No packing paper, no plastic wrapping, NO WRENCH.  It looked like it came from an eBay seller, not a major manufacturer.

 

The Ugly

1.       The headcover

Some people might hate me for this one, but I really dislike the headcover.  Don’t get me wrong, it is definitely premium.  But the aesthetics of it, for me, were a miss.  The shiny blue finish with the white simply doesn’t scream class.  Assuming the club stays in my bag (and I think it will), the headcover likely will not.

 

First Swings

I have access to a simulator, and so as a first little sneak peak test, I decided to hit 5 shots with my current M1 (YELLOW) and the new Paradym (RED).  As you can see, the Paradym was a bit straighter, longer, and went a little higher (albeit not by much).

These swings were in my work clothes with no warmup, I just needed a test drive.  I will be bringing the club out this weekend for its first real round.

First thoughts: Jack of All Trades.  Is it the longest? No.  Is it the most forgiving? No.  But I truly believe this might be the best combination of both on the market.  I was letting go on some shots and lacked no confidence it would go straight and long.  

Honestly, I'm loving it.  We will see if that sentiment remains with time

 

Testing Updates

Testing Update 1 - FIRST ROUND (6/4/2023):

https://forum.mygolfspy.com/topic/59432-2023-mgs-forum-test-callaway-paradym-drivers/?do=findComment&comment=933573

 

Testing Update 2 - SIMULATOR SESSION (6/12/2023):

https://forum.mygolfspy.com/topic/59432-2023-mgs-forum-test-callaway-paradym-drivers/?do=findComment&comment=936560

 

Testing Update 3 - FATHER'S DAY 3 ROUNDS (6/20/2023):

https://forum.mygolfspy.com/topic/59432-2023-mgs-forum-test-callaway-paradym-drivers/?do=findComment&comment=939756

 

Testing Update 4 - BETHPAGE BLACK / HAMILTON FARM (6/26/2023):

https://forum.mygolfspy.com/topic/59432-2023-mgs-forum-test-callaway-paradym-drivers/?do=findComment&comment=941864

 

Testing Update 5 - PARADYM REVIEW // AKA BETHPAGE GREEN REVIEW // AKA BEST ROUND EVER (7/10/2023):

https://forum.mygolfspy.com/topic/59432-2023-mgs-forum-test-callaway-paradym-drivers/?do=findComment&comment=946350

 

Invader Zim - Callaway Paradym Final Review

First Impressions (14 out of 20)

I think you can gather by now that all of us had relatively mixed feelings when it came to our first impressions.  

The Good: First, the club is drop dead gorgeous. Second, the speed in which Callaway Customs flipped our orders was nothing short of phenomenal.  There are other OEMs that take weeks, even months, to send out custom orders.  We had ours in a week.

The Bad: These things have absolutely zero implications on the performance of the golf club, and I respect Callaway’s claims of looking to reduce their material use, BUT I truly do believe that if you are going to fork up $700 (plus another $100-$200 for a fitting) for a premium experience, then the product needs to be delivered in a premium way.  I was genuinely concerned that my club could be broken in the manner it was delivered (photos above), and the head wasn't screwed on all the way.  This wouldn't be an issue, but they don't include a wrench (-5 points).  The last point is for the headcover.  It is premium in every way, just aesthetically it's not a headcover I want to leave in the bag (-1 point).

 

Aesthetics (10 out of 10)

Truly, I think this is one of the prettiest drivers I have ever held in my hands, and definitely a top 3 in terms of looks for 2023.  This is a pretty big compliment coming from me because, honestly, I couldn’t stand the looks of the Maverik or the Rogue ST.

A. Looks

While the driver is a beautiful shade of blue, @azstu324 described it best when he mentioned that, even on a sunny day, the driver really plays as if it’s black.  If you are deterred by the blue as a consumer, I would look past it.  For example, my 3 wood is a blue Mizuno, and that’s really blue.  It’s only when you stick this thing under an LED light or take photos with flash that you really see the marbling pop.

Shape: The shape of the head is phenomenal to my eye.  It’s a pretty large footprint but not out of this world massive, and it sits by the ball so nicely. To my eye, it does look like it sits just a tiny bit open in the neutral setting.

Finishing: While the gloss finish is noticeable on a bright day, after a few swings I was used to it and it hasn’t produced any issues since. The driver doesn’t pop in your bag the way a Stealth 2 might - again, possibly a testament to the blue marbling being more understated than a bright red face might be - but I like that.  I have never wanted a driver that’s too flashy, and I think the Paradym seamlessly integrates having a little flash with the blue/orange while also looking pretty classic.

The Face: What I really want to express is how phenomenal the face looks.  One of the greatest detriments to my M1 was the black face, I just didn’t love the way it framed.  The coloring and pattern on the Paradym face are a masterclass.

B. Sound and Feel

The sound of the Standard is phenomenal.  Not too loud, but also not muted.  It was really crisp.  My M1 always felt and sounded a bit dead off the face, and the Paradym produces a significantly greater “pop” and feels hot.

Aesthetics TL;DR: All in all, I was so pleasantly surprised by the looks and feel of the driver.  It’s drop dead gorgeous and while the blue marble finish is really cool, it isn’t too much on the course and the driver actually looks quite traditional.  The face is phenomenal looking, and produces a very crisp sound and pop feel.

 

 

The Numbers (9 out of 10)

Accuracy: Can I still miss fairways? Yeah, definitely.  But there is no question in my mind that my dispersion is better than it was previously

Distance: Did I gain 50 yards over my 2017 driver? Nope, but I did, on average, pick up 7-10 yards.  More importantly, the duck hooks that I used to deal with on a semi-regular basis are gone.  I don’t have nearly as many 125 yard drives… a win!

Trajectory: Higher than my old M1, that’s for sure, but it varies.  If you hit it low on the face, it goes low.  If you hit towards the high toe, it’ll go high. Generally, I would say mid-high flight.

Forgiveness, Control and Workability: Compared to my M1 (which was a low spin monster) this thing is WAY more forgiving.  The flight was pretty neutral, and the driver clearly wants to respond to your swing.  You normally play a fade? It’ll fade.  You normally hit a draw? It’ll draw.  It blends forgiveness and workability quite nicely.

Numbers - TL;DR: So why take off a point? Well, maybe it’s unfair for me to say this, but the driver isn’t a magic pill.  Let me say it again, the Paradym is a fantastic all around driver.  But it honestly isn’t groundbreaking.  If you own a 2020-2022 fitted driver and enjoy it, I don’t necessarily know if you’ll see the performance gains to justify the price.  For someone like me who had a 2017 eBay driver? Oh yeah, it’s worth it.

 

On-Course (19 out of 20)

Ah, yes.  The most important part.  On course performance.  Has my driving improved since commencing this test? Yup, a bit.  Has my overall game subsequently followed and improved since commencing this test? Also yup.

To elaborate: The numbers suggest that my driving has absolutely improved.  Am I hitting every fairway? No I’m not. And I had a couple of really bad days using this driver too.  I pulled one so far left on Bethpage Black that I hadn’t finished my swing by the time the caddie said to go grab another ball.  

But that being said, my overall confidence has grown so much since putting this in the bag, and that alone makes me happy.  I’m a decent player, and while I typically try to play a slight fade with driver, I will look to work it both ways.  This driver gives me confidence to do that, and do it well.  

Anecdote: I was in the midst of my best round ever at Bethpage Green last week (link above) and was even par through 15.  I knew I wanted to try and make a birdie and shoot under par.  While I ended up shooting 2 over, it wasn’t because of my driver.  262 (fairway), 298 (fairway) and 275 (safe right rough) when the pressure was on.  That is a great feeling as I move forward.
 

Fairway Percentage Before Paradym: 42.3%
Fairway Percentage After Paradym: 52.7%

Handicap Before Paradym: 6.5
Handicap After Paradym: 5.7
 

On Course - TL;DR: I’m going to be completely honest with you all - before this test, when I thought of the major Mount Rushmore manufacturers in golf, I really considered Callaway to be the mule.  I don’t have any other Callaway clubs, I tried and discarded the Chrome Soft, and didn’t really think that they made the best products.  This test really flipped the switch for me.  This is a fantastic driver and it performs exactly the way I want it to.  Does it solve every driver woe? Does it immediately help me hit 90% of fairways? No to both.  But my on course performance has undoubtedly improved since putting it in the bag.

Draw Swing

Fade Swing

 

The Good, the Bad, the Inbetween (18 out of 20)

The overwhelming majority of this experience with Callaway has been beyond awesome.  From the amazing fitting at the New York Golf Center in NYC, to the speed at which Callaway sent us our clubs, to the pure fun that I have had during this test with the other guys, this has been a great experience.  While the box was a little smashed, delivery was smooth.

There is one thing I want to bring up as a bad / inbetween though.  I know one of the other guys dealt with ferrule creep, and I dealt with the driver not being fully screwed on all the way.  Furthermore, as I have played more and more rounds, sometimes when I set the clubhead on the ground, I hear a slight rattle.  It hasn’t impacted anything, and I haven’t been able to locate the source of it (maybe the weight in back?), but I do have small concerns about how this club will hold up over time.  That’s something I will continue to look for over time and can update this thread if anything changes, but for now I think that concern does validate a few points deduction.

 

Play it or Trade it? (20 out of 20)

Since the day I put this in the bag, there hasn’t been a second that I’ve considered putting the M1 back into the bag.  I mentioned this earlier - if you have a recent fitted driver and you like it, keep it.  But if you’re like me and you had a second hand driver and have never been fit, this club is a phenomenal option.  I don’t have any questions that this Paradym will help me play my best this season and beyond, and I foresee this being in my bag for the next 3-5 years (assuming it holds up).

 

Conclusion

I’ve mentioned this a few times throughout the testing process, but I think if you as a consumer are looking for one of the best all around drivers on the market, the Paradym absolutely needs to be part of your search.  Is it as long as the Stealth? Maybe not.  Is it as forgiving as the G430? Maybe not. But I think it will give every user a unique and desired combination of the two.

So, is this thing a magic pill? It’s not. I think as golfers we’re always searching for one, and in reality they just don’t exist.  It is what makes this game so amazing and frustrating at the same time.  That said, I continue to feel like this driver is going to produce a result that is long enough and straight enough to help me play great golf.

I trust this driver when it's in my hands, and I’m comfortable taking it out of the bag to use. I think for us mere mortals, that’s just about all we could hope for.

 

Final Score (90 out of 100)

A huge thank you to MGS and Callaway for placing their trust in myself and the other testers.  I had an amazing time working with the guys, and I hope you have all enjoyed following along.  Should you have any questions about the test or the Standard Paradym, please reach out via DM and I will 100% answer them.

 

 

 

 

[StrokerAce]

F I N A L  R E V I E W 

Me: multiple drivers over the years, closest to stay was the G410LST
Problem: dispersion was too wide
Were you fit in past: yes, multiple times
Were you fit for this driver: yes, and the shaft+head combo was a surprise (see INTRO post)

I'm not a big hitter, 250-275 is normal for me; I need something that stays in play which I don't lose distance on during mishits.
My miss is mostly heel-side and I rarely strike the ball on the toe. 
 

Like most of you I want:
--distance (consistent no matter where on face I strike)
--forgiveness (don't want off the planet lost balls)
--adjustability (tune this puppy to optimize everything)

From Callaway: "The Paradym driver model provides a refined shape with high MOI and adjustable perimeter weighting. Engineered for players of all skill levels, this club promotes high launch and low spin characteristics along with a neutral ball flight. It’s our best combination of distance, forgiveness, and adjustability."

It sounds like they're checking all my boxes, but let's see if my requirements are met to receive the coveted clown head cover.

Callaway has always had good aesthetics but they knocked it out of the park with this one.
The crown is probably the nicest I have seen. Not overly glossy but not matte and I love the wraparound.

The sole with the marble and combination of finished aluminum looks professional but not gaudy

The color combination of copper/dark blue/silver/black is spot on.

 

I'm a big fan of the shape: traditional, not too much bulge, looks really nice down at the ball, good alignment aid.

Acoustically the sound is crisp without being loud or clicky. Kind of like if you took a leather belt and smacked a table with it.
I recorded 3 drives on an indoor sim to hopefully isolate the sound (swing speed was round 102 for these 3)
<sound is at :12, :36 and :57 if you want to skip ahead>

Feel is solid and if you miss the center it isn't harsh or punitive. You kind of 'know it' from ball flight and experience but there isn't a lot of difference.
In comparison to other drivers I've had - Ping, Titleist, TaylorMade - this one sounds more subtle, which I really like. 

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

*** Aesthetics (10/10) ***
(note - the headcover is terrible from an aesthetic standpoint but I'm not going to take points away from the club for that. I have a custom headcover and if I didn't, I'd buy one, because this one is ugly and I find it hard to get the club in/out)

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

I've had 5-6 rounds with it and 5-6 range sessions. 
When I received it I scheduled an indoor trackman sim session and after a few weeks had another one. 

 

In the sim I feel much more comfortable swinging freely, put a fairway in front of me and tell me there's OB and I tense up. I'm a work in progress....

Distance is right up there with other drivers I've used. Not longer by any significant margin and not shorter, however, my off-center hits tend to go further and I think is where the Paradym shines.

(Nearly drove green on Par 4 - that white dot is my ball)

I hit the ball high and the loft on my driver is 9* adjusted down to 8. Somewhere I read you need to swing up with driver and I took it to the extreme.
With the adjustments that the fitter had me make I'm pleased with my trajectory, launch angle and spin rate.

I'd say 85% of my misses are heel side and when I miss the sweet spot ball speed doesn't drop by a lot; my misses I'm surprised with....and when you find the center - .
Forgiveness is as much as I can expect with driver and the only other driver that was as forgiving is the g410 LST.

Accuracy is similar to my gamer but a big difference I see is my dispersion is tighter; I don't have those big blocks or high spinny off the planet slices. #NoMoreLostBalls
How'd they do this?

Surprisingly I was fit into an XS 70g shaft but my SS is 100-105. Just goes to show that #FittingMatters

< ...side note on shaft... 
< the ferrule started sliding up on my original shaft after about 3-4 weeks (tensei blue XS 75g)
< Callaway overnighted me a new one for free and I switched to the Kai'Li' white XS 70g which I was fit into (fitter didn't have the tensei)
< *very* impressed with customer service and the rapid response!

I've never been able to draw driver...with any of them, no matter what I try, so I just don't try to do it. my ball flight is typically a fade - sometimes big, sometimes small.
If I want to try and fade it a lot I feel like I can do that successfully with this driver.

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

*** 'numbers/statistics' (9/10) ***

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

Now's the time to make it happen. Can I hit it when it counts?

First - this isn't a magic club; bad swings are punished just like any other club.
However, once you get comfortable and gain some confidence this is as good as any driver I've ever hit.

I play in a competitive league and the tee shots matter even more than during a regular round.
The league course has some narrow (landing zones of 30-40 yards) fairways and dares you to use driver. 
Honestly, I hit driver where I probably shouldn't have and the results were impressive - even when I missed the fairway.
The old adage - hit the ball as far as you can without risking OB has proved true. 
I've had a good number of Driver + Wedge holes and from a pressure standpoint I am not afraid to use the Paradym on many holes at all.

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

*** on course (10/10) ***

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

This is a great driver... but be sure you get fit and get the right head. 
If you've been fit in the past you can probably DIY it but make sure you get the right combo.
I can imagine if I got the wrong shaft (weight/flex/etc) and head that I'd be disappointed with this.
It's not cheap so spend a few more bucks to make sure it's the right combo for you...

Is this the best driver? It might not be if I tested all of them but I can't imagine anything would be significantly better. 
Not a fan of the headcover at all - doesn't fit the quality of the driver and I'm taking points off for that.

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

*** good/bad/ugly (18/20) ***

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

Did this find a place in my bag; oh yeah. I don't even need a backup at this point. 
I've shot good rounds using it and once I get even more comfortable with it I'm sure I can play even better.

"Worth" is most definitely personal; If you plan to keep it for 3-5 years than it's not a bad deal.
Thankfully there are 3 heads to choose from and I think everyone would be able to find a Paradym head that works for them.
My handicap in the last year or so has been between 6 and 10; I find the regular Paradym works best for me and I can see this working for a good number of golfers.

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

*** play/trade (20/20) ***

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

The club looks great down by the ball. The best thing about it is that you don't have to swing fast or hard to get really good performance.
(pic 2724)

Callaway says "this club promotes high launch and low spin characteristics along with a neutral ball flight. It’s our best combination of distance, forgiveness, and adjustability."
Are they right?
I got the proper launch, spin, ball flight and a good amount of distance and forgiveness along with the adjustability needed to tune the club.
In my experience, yes... and I'm not lettin' go!

 

*** final score 97/100 ***

 

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

U N B O X I N G and first impressions...

One important thing I forgot to note-- you do NOT, DO NOT, receive an adjustment tool with the club. Most people probably already have one but this is important if you plan on moving anything around.

Awaiting my arrival home on Thursday evening after a tense 1 up league match win.

 -- I wish they used a generic box. If someone was driving by and saw this on the porch... 

 -- I've never seen this on a golf club box before (and I get a lot of golf club boxes!) 

 

 -- The packaging was a little bit weak; club is just kind of floating in there with a couple pieces of paper and you can see where the box was crushed a little bit. 

 

 -- Nice touch with the customizations all listed out on a separate card... 

 -- The headcover is a little big and bright for me; the blue is too shiny and plastic-y for my taste but I have a custom one... 

 -- The head is nice and tightly wrapped in plastic... 

 -- I can see someone who doesn't know that A.I. stands for artificial intelligence wondering who AI is and why he designed the face ... 

 -- Specs all look correct on the label...

 

 -- Proper shaft...

 

 -- and midsize grip... 

 -- I don't know what Xlink Tech is but it sounds cool...

 

 -- LOVE  the head design so that it is protected from scratches by sky marks; first driver I've seen like this; also, the blue isn't as bright outside in the daylight as it is under led/lamps; neat subtle carbon fiber showing through... 

 -- The chrome part where it says 'JAILBREAK AI' is going to get scratched up immediately once you hit the ball off a tee. Not sure I would have gone with that finish there since scuffing is all but assured; again, the blue marble isn't as prominent in the daylight; I like the simplicity of the head overall... 

 -- Finally, here it is in the bag; you can see it DOMINATES the 4w and hybrid. Not a fan of the headcover. Just too big and garish for my tastes but I'll use my own custom one.

Time to see if this is the paradigm for other drivers to imitate!

 

===================================================================

 

 

Hey all, about me:

Marines --> Boston University --> Bermuda (Port Royal, 16th hole), Owl's Nest GC New Hampshire

            

 

Live outside of Boston and play most of my golf in the RI/MA region.

Been playing regularly since 2007

Enjoy learning about equipment, technical info, strategies, ball flight laws and all that stuff.

Practice regularly - BIG fan of if you want to be good at something you need to do a little bit every day.

Not a member anywhere (yet) but my "home" course where I'm in a weekly league is New England Country club.

 

I like to hit the ball a long way but keep it in play.

I'm not a big guy (5'10, 185) so I try to maximize distance by proper technique.

Current HC is 8, swing speed around 100-103.

 

Currently play Titleist TS3, 9.5*, TENSEI AV RAW Blue 55 with SFW stiff flex

Been fit for driver multiple times; shaft is always cut down to 44 or 44.5 inches.

Don't really 'move' the ball much off the tee. If anything a bit of a fade/cut.

 

I'm testing the standard paradym driver...

My primary evaluation for this test:

I'd like to see how well the Paradym performs when I don't hit the ball in the sweet spot.

Do I lose distance? Direction? How forgiving is it?

 

Secondary testing:

Can I (if needed) move the ball left or right.

I know this typically is a factor of swing path/face direction but will the club react to those adjustments?

Is ball speed on par with what is expected from my swing speed?

 

Planning on side by side comparisons with my TS3 and I also have a Mavrik sub zero to compare it to.

Paradym going straight into the bag once I get it; will be evaluating it both on course and at the range and on a trackman.

 

If the Paradym can keep up with my Titleist it stays; if not, it's on the bench.

Loved seeing how well the Paradym has performed on tour up to this point; Everything I've read about it has been positive but I had never tried it before my fitting.

I'm honestly expecting this driver to be outstanding based on my fitting experience.

I had to grip way down on shaft and I've never been good at that.

I did find a shaft that gave me a BIG BRIGHT RED circle, which the fitter said he rarely sees.

Circle was top right and he said with the proper length that will move down and to the left; we'll see about that...

My fitter was surprisingly good (Golf Galaxy); tried multiple shafts and I actually ended up with an Extra stiff flex 75g shaft.

I've typically been fit into stiff 55-65g shafts but the 70x gave me much tighter dispersion with the same distance.

I've been fit into both Tensei Orange and blue multiple times; they didn't have one of those on hand and he said it was very similar to the Kai'li White 70x that I was fit into so I chose the Tensei AV blue 75X.

In the last couple of years I've switched to midsize grips on my woods and that has worked well for so I went with the Tour Velvet midsize.

 

Lastly - I use shotscope V3 and have erased everything so I'll have a fresh start to collect data

In the meantime I'll be checking the mail on a daily basis...

 

 

[azstu324]

Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond  – Official MGS Forum Review by AZstu324 (Stuart Marler)

Hello my name is Stuart and I'm a golfaholic. This will officially be my 5th MGS test since becoming a member in Jan 2018 and my levels of gratitude to MGS and the partner companies are through the roof each and every time. What an awesome and challenging experience! Since joining this forum, I've learned how to customize and build complete sets of golf clubs, including drivers, and woods. I have improved in handicap from around 18 down to around 7 (current). I've met so many awesome people, shared stories, trade secrets, and even swapped BBQ recipes. This place is my home as far as anything social media-related. Through various official and personal tests, as well as some pretty wild experimentation, I've been able to slowly dissect and focus on each individual aspect and see some pretty substantial improvements.

For those who may already know a little about me, I'm an analyst by profession. My brain is built for number crunching, risk processing and analysis, and problem solving. Is it any wonder why I'm so passionate about golf? I want to know how things work, how they're made, and what makes them do what they do. Sure, playing golf is difficult enough.. but then I had to add building and modifying my own equipment on top of a game that can already drive people to madness. My antics in golf pretty much synopsize my daily life. It can get exhausting  

Speaking of daily life, by profession I'm a finance Underwriter. Super boring stuff that nobody wants to hear anything about. I've been married for 13 years to a wonderful wife who understands my sickness and allows me to have this wicked mistress (golf). I have 2 kids. My daughter Kaylen who's 10 going on 25, and Logan who's 5 and knows that one day he wants to play golf with daddy and Grandpa. I started playing golf when I was about 14 years old. Was taught the basics by my father and grandfather. My dad's 72 and we try to spend as much time together playing golf as we're able. Life is short and don't skip any time that you're able to share with parents and other loved ones.. and if you can do that on a golf course, even better! 

For the past 30 years, I've lived in the Phoenix, AZ area. We live in what's called the "East Valley" in a suburb city called Chandler.

A few years back, before all of the COVID madness, we had an opportunity to live in Pacific Grove, CA for about a year (by Pebble Beach). After a career path change that brought us back to AZ, we had full intentions of moving back to PG and rooting ourselves in for the long haul, but like many who were impacted by the COVID outbreak, our plans fizzled out. We do still love to go back yearly and visit. While playing Pebble Beach hasn't been a possibility, I'll get in rounds at the PG Golf links (Poor man's Pebble) and Poppy Hill and be just as as happy. 

I love data crunching, but also love quantified results. We all know that numbers on paper don't mean anything if we can't take those results to the course when they matter the most. I'll be honest, when I found out I was chosen for the Triple Diamond I said "SWEET".. and "WTF?!" in the same sentence. Most of us know what the means in the world of golf equipment. It's a pretty serious statement that kind of tells the golf world 1 of 2 things. Either A) I can flex a serious boom stick and I'm here to F some $hit up".. or B) "Look at me.. I'm a complete buffoon that thinks I'm way better than I am and don't expect to see the full potential of this club". I'm kind of not really trying to be either of these characters.. BUT from what I've read, watched, and experienced with the fitting, it appears that the TD might actually be in the market for a new stereotype in 2023. THAT is TBD. 

OK, now to address the elephant in the room.. Some of you have already commented or asked IF I plan to test the Paradym TD using some form of OttoPhlex shaft. I actually went into the fitting with an open mind but also a wildcard up my sleeve for the fitter. We went through all of the varieties of S and XS shafts available. Launch #"s were decent as well as disbursement. Spin, however was just too low to make the TD work for me (1500 max). The fitter didn't have much else to say other than, well if you're stuck with the TD you may just have to live with the crazy low spin. I then requested one of the lightest options available, the Project X Cypher 50 5.0. I got complete crazy eyes and a very sarcastic "OK" from the fitter. As soon as we plugged it in, my spin went back to 2200 range, launch angles at 12-14* and disbursement was actually better. The fitter lost his marbles. 

Fitting Result

Paradym TD 10.5* turned down to 9.5*
Flat setting adapter

Project X Cypher 50 5.0 (Senior Flex)

45# playing length

For the comparison, I've got 2 other drivers that I are in similar categories. 

Cobra LTDX LS 10.5* lofted down to 9* / Garafalloy PLB 45g A flex @ 45"

PXG 0311 Gen 5 lofted down to 7.5* / UST Helium 4F2 48g A flex @ 45"

These 2 drivers have worked extremely well for me this year. I actually bought the Cobra LTDX LS thinking that maybe I could squeeze a little more ball speed out which I barely did but I also like the shape of the PGX a little better so it goes back and forth. Honestly I kind of love both equally and kind of like having 2 great performing drivers compete for the #1 spot. 

I do want to make things very clear that I'm not at all intending to make this a battle of the OttoPhlex shafts. The OP is just the shaft option that fits my swing and happens to work extremely well with a lower lofted, lower spinning head. The Paradym TD will definitely have its work cut out to earn top spot in my bag over 2 really great 2022 models. For the testing though, I am pretty lucky to have 3 very comparable drivers to work with. The question that I intend to find an answer for is "is newer really better?"

In the past, I've been able to crunch numbers and obtain data from launch Monitors at PGATSS. Very recently I've learned that they have started a pretty major renovation to their practice bays with a TBD completion date. I do still plan to integrate launch data into the test but may need to find another option for the time being. The real test will come on the golf course though. I want to see that I gain as much confidence off the tee with the Paradym TD and the distance and disbursement will have to exceed what I've had with the Cobra and PXG. I plan to have a weekly round where I compare side by side shots when possible. Some rounds will be played with 1 specific drive, and other rounds will include shots from all 3. 

As far as what I've read, watched, and witnessed personally, there is a performance factor that I'm really excited about with the Paradym TD. That is spin retention or prevention on off-center hits. from time to time I have suffered from the high-toe, low hook dead ball where spin is just obliterated, and the result is a low snap hook. Truthfully, since embarking on the OttoPhlex adventure, this situation has improved quite a bit but there are still instances where the left rough dead ball with no spin leaves me with less than desirable distance to the green. Additionally, there are also occasions where I'm getting just getting too quick and forgetting about the importance of tempo and I'll hit the low heel high spinner into the adjacent fairway. I'm really hopeful to see an improvement on these types of shots as many have shown in the reviews. 

In conclusion, my hopes for the Paradym TD are to edge out the Cobra and PXG in the spin control department, ball speed, and overall disbursement. OH.. and lets not forget about the looks. I'm really a lover of the matte carbon crown of the Cobra and PXG. I LOVE the shape of the PXG as well as the slightly taller face, but really love the sound of the Cobra. I know that 2023 has become the year of the glossy driver with many companies moving away from matte finishes. I'm not 100% sure that I'm sold on the dark teal gloss look of the Callaway. I've also heard that you need to get it out into the natural light for it to shine. It will be interesting to have the 3 side by side to compare the shapes, face height, and looks at address. 

One way or another this will be one helluva ride and I can't wait!

 

Cheers!

 

Stu

____________________________________________________________________

 

Unboxing the Beast

 

Shipping

I’m not sure how to rate this part. I don’t know why there was a 1 week delay in my shipment but there was. Not a major issue but definitely has raised some questions. It appears that my club came from the same location as the others so was my order missed? Or was there a shortage of some sort?

Moving on.. Let me start by saying what’s already been said..

The Box: By now we can see that shipping and protection (of the driver at least) isn’t a major priority for Callaway. Contractually, as testers, we’ve agreed not to reach out to Callaway directly.. loophole! @Javsis one of us (spies), BUT not one of us (testers) so he was awesome enough to reach out to Callaway inquiring about the minimally protected and slightly damaged box from his Paradym shipment.

Their response in a nutshell: in order to reduce excess waste, and help the planet, they’ve decided to minimize certain items like packing material and plastic adjustment wrenches. I’ll just leave it at that, and let y’all use your thinking caps about how they might have been able to better protect a $600 somewhat fragile item and maintain their commitment to the environment..

Luckily, no box damage noted and the club arrived as hoped for.

The driver

By in large, nothing new here. Being over a week late to the unboxing party, you’ve all seen what the others have posted and how stunningly beautiful this club is. In natural bright light, the navy turquoise crushed carbon pattern on the bottom is like no other driver, and is really a work of art paired with the flat black and brass accents. The classic carbon fiber crown tames down the party on the bottom and says “im here to do work!”. In dull or dim light, the crown actually looks like a sleek gloss black. Hopefully the dual personality aesthetics doesn’t manifest into how the driver performs.

I really like the rollover face on many of the drivers lately. My PXG 0311 has it and I love the look and confidence that it inspires. It’s nice knowing that the occasional pop fly high-face shot won’t leave permanent reminders of a bad day behind the wheel. Time will tell if I will or won’t miss having an alignment mark of some sort. As you can see, the 3-D doesn’t have one. So far visually and at my fitting, this doesn’t seem to be a concern.

The face has the same etched pattern as the others, but is more muted without any painted guide lines.. in conjuncture with the removed alignment chevron, it’s almost as if to say “this ain't no coloring book son, this is a canvas” In other words, no lines, get creative .. but no seatbelts, so don't F it up.

Getting the shaft.. (in the best way possible)

So as many of you are aware, I’ve undergone a major change in my driver chemistry, and driving performance over the last 7 or 8 months. This all came about when I had a major inspirational enlightenment of sorts, and going full “Alice in Wonderland” down a rabbit hole and landing on my head. My perception of the world of shaft fitting and conventional wisdom was shifted. Sounds religious right? It kind of was. Without going too deeply into the story, I more or less fit myself into the Project X Cypher 50 in 5.0 (Senior) flex. When I did the fitting, I didn’t really pay much attention to the aesthetics of the shaft. Paying attention to it now because I’m supposed to for this write up, the shaft looks killer! To those who don’t know the story, my driver SS is north of 112 mph. That plus Senior flex shouldn’t make sense.. but it absolutely does.

Let’s start with the carbon looking accent diamonds down the top that couldnt be more suiting for this particular model. Silver lettering on black, on black, on black couldn’t make me happier and I love how the shaft complements the TD head.

Overall is this my most favorite driver to look at? Not sure. There’s quite a bit to compete with out there and up until recently, the PXG 0311 has been checking all of the boxes. The TD certainly has a chance to win out visual category.

Lastly, and I know this is something that I’ll have to let soak in, is the profile. I’ll put it out there with no hesitation.. to my eye, TaylorMade set the benchmark for the perfect profile and has carried that through the most recent stealth. If PXG meant to clone the TaylorMade profile with the 0311, they did nothing wrong. IMO, profile consists of both head shape from address, as well as face height, and stance i.e. (open/square/closed).

The profile of the TD is great.. but not perfect (to me). It’s definitely something that I can get on with and not wish that I had something else. It’s a very traditional pear shape. Not overly pulled back or triangular like some others. The face to me, even at -1° and flat, sits very square and not wide open. It's definitely not closed so that's a +. If the stats do well, this can very easily be forgotten.

 

 

Odds and ends

 

Ordered to play at 45"

 

10.5° @9.5° flat set adapter

 

Spec sheet

 

Headcover

I know this could be a major talking point. Looks like we all pretty much agree that the Paradym headcovers was a miss.. but it's just a headcover and I'd be swapping it out anyway. 

================================================================================================================================================

As we're concluding, I want to wholeheartedly thank MGS, Callaway, the Mods, and @cksurfdude, @StrokerAce, and @Invader Zim 315 for such an awesome experience. The experience and camarderie never gets old.

First Impressions 16/20

It's been tough trying to decide if I should knock Callaway for the shipping/Packing method. As we had all discussed in the intro, the drivers for all of us had shown up in a very basic, cheap cardboard box with very minimal protection other than the headcover and NO adjustment wrench included. I won’t completely blast Callaway for this but I’ll definitely deduct. Their intentions are good in the sense that they’re attempting to reduce waste, but I’ll just have to give them about a C- for creativity when attempting to deliver an “Ultra Premium” product. The adjustment wrench can get a pass for me since I’ve got 3 or 4 of them lying around (point well taken Callaway). The box and packing however could have just been a bit more thought out. Although I know the quality of the driver is likely top-shelf, it’s just that inkling of “?” that remains knowing that they went ultra cheap on the presentation.

Getting to the next visual before the actual driver, we have the headcover. IMO this was another swing and a miss by Callaway. Once again, when trying to say “Ultra Premium”, the headcover isn’t the end-all be-all but it definitely is your first introduction to the aesthetics of the club. Who knows? Maybe they made the same conclusion about the headcover, as the packaging and adjustment tools and figured that the world is already littered with misfit discarded OEM headcovers and just decided to put minimal effort into that step. I think that most of us have agreed that this is not our most favorite cover. As for the material, when you look more closely, it does appear to be well-made and with quality fabric, but it’s just the glossy pleather that seems to occupy a good 50% of the surface that just makes it “look” cheaper. I would have loved to just see the same fabric used from the piece with the Chevron in place of the glossy stuff.

Bad..

Better..

Aesthetics 8/10

The shape of the Paradym TD is what I’d call Super-classic. It’s the true description of “pear-shaped” that we’ve all heard about or seen in other reviews. It’s compact but not tiny. The 450 cc smaller head really goes unnoticed as it doesn’t really appear any smaller than normal. The TD is a very easy shape to get used to. Is it my favorite? No it’s not. I’m still giving my top pick in head shape to Taylormade of the past 6 years and the most recent PXG offerings (0311) with a more symmetrically rounded back section. That said I don’t dislike it at all and could really live with the shape without issue.

From Left to right: X, Std, TD

Graphics/Badging: This is what I liked the most about the driver. I never knew how much I’d appreciate an ultra simplistic approach to graphics, at least on the top of the driver. With no alignment Chevron or white face markings, this thing really does have the appearance of sleek and stealthy.

When I first got picked for the Paradym test I was definitely excited but also a little skeptical that the colorway wouldn’t be my cup of tea. Up until seeing it in person, I’d only seen it in adds and online reviews where the lighting was specific to make the colors pop the most. So far I haven’t found any name for the color of the Paradym so I’ve adopted “Navy Turquoise” as a description. What I love is that the driver looks like a clean glossy black most of the time, and the blue really only shows when it’s under very specific lighting.

So although, the shade of blue isn’t really what I’d pick for a driver, it isn’t something that would have kept me from buying the driver given the performance claims hold up. Overall I’d say that the Paradym TD has timeless lines and an appearance that most would be pleased with. Once again, the subtleties that could be cons for some aren’t egregious enough exclude the driver from considering as long as the performance is there.

I’ve already voiced my opinion about what drivers I love the looks of the most. I would however agree that the Paradym TD isn’t far behind. When looking at the driver’s aesthetics, I think that there are 2 really important categories to consider. 1.) shape and 2.) Color/Finish.

Lets talk about the shape of the driver. This is probably the more subjective and inconsistent category between OEM’s. By inconsistent, I mean that every company has their own version of “Preferred shape”. Some have a very round and symmetrical back. Others prefer to make the club look as large as possible and really elongate the crown where it has a more oval and stretched back appearance. Others like a slightly triangular shape. To my eye, there aren’t really any exaggerated characteristics of the shape of the TD and that’s OK by me.

Color/Finish has probably become important more recently with the introduction of carbon fiber and flat paint. Prior to these innovations in performance and appearance, it’s usually just been glossy black or some version of gray. So now we have to decide whether we want the carbon look AND if we prefer flat paint over gloss. After having the very glossy TD in the bag for the past couple of months and comparing it with my PXG 0311 (Gen5) and Cobra LTDX LS drivers, I’ll say that I do love the carbon crown look so that’s a check for the TD. I will say though that I REALLY love the flat finish of the aforementioned drivers and having grown so fond of looking down at them, I kinda don’t love the gloss, but I don’t hate it either. Maybe it’s the OCD in me but it seems like about every time I’m looking down at the TD I’m noticing some kind of smudge and find myself clearing it away with my shirt. I’m guessing that maybe the combination of dark and gloss doesn’t help. I do really like the crushed carbon look on the bottom. I’ve read and heard that Callaway should have continued this look on the top but I actually disagree. It’s my understanding that the crushed carbon is like a fingerprint and will be different from club to club. From a QC standpoint, I can see how Callaway would want to avoid having drivers go out where there might be unnecessary distractions on the crown such as uneven lines or visuals where pieces of the crushed carbon come together in the wrong spot. Carbon mesh was the way to go.

The feel: This is where the Paradym TD REALLY shines! The feel off the face is just what you’d hope for. It feels fast! Just to put into perspective, the PXG feels great off the face but it’s almost a little muted. It feels like the face absorbs some of the energy from the ball before the ball takes off. The TD feels like it takes that energy and immediately deflects everything back to the ball in the best of ways. Mishits aren’t overly punishing but this is the TRIPPLE DIAMOND. It’s meant to provide substantial feedback when it’s not hit out of the middle. When hit off the heel or toe, you know immediately.. but there will be more on mishits in the performance section.

Ultimately the Paradym TD is a sound/feel experience is exactly what I’m looking for in a good driver.

The sound of the TD is something that I’ve also really enjoyed. It’s carbon.. and a lot of carbon due to the wrap around chassis.. so it makes a sound that we’d expect to hear from a carbon-rich club like this. It’s a deeper crack that’s not overly loud and obnoxious. I’d liken it to the sound of chopping wood with 2 quarters in your pocket. Mostly it’s a muted solid crack with just a very slight pitchy jingle from the titanium face.

Oh and did I mention carbon? 

The Numbers 8/10

I’ve mentioned previously that the TD is coming along but it definitely wasn’t a plug and play experience for me. To be honest, after 2 months I’m still feeling like I’m getting to know it. That said, I haven’t been able to really get this to a range to get a lot of practice time. In AZ I’ve usually relied on PGATSS to get my summer practice sessions in AND get my launch #’s. My store here started renovating their hitting bays right after I received my club so that really put a wrench in my plans for this testing. Most of the use has been during actual play and I’ve been able to get to a range just a few times to get some quality reps in. I’ll say that my most recent round at Dobson Ranch (the same course where Garrett from Good Good hit a kid with a line drive to 3rd base on #1), I had somewhat of the breakthrough that I’ve been hoping for. Not only was the driving becoming point and shoot, it was really turning into a placement machine where I could hit draws, fades, and pipe bombs on command.

Here are some pics of the front 9 and the distances + placement of the shots that really aided the 76 that I shot and personal best for the course. This is a course that really rewards a good driver of the ball. There are a few dog legs with either corners that can be cut or trees that can be cleared or shaped around if you know how to hit your shots. This round I just felt like I was starting to meld with the club and for the most part we were on the same wavelength. This round was just played 7/10 so things are just starting to come together.

As you can see from the final distances, this can really be a consistent driver. Most par 4’s are left with wedge or less to get home and par 5’s I’m finding that I’ve got a good chance to at least to get pin high on my 2nd so that’s a really good sign for what the driver can potentially do for my game considering things keep going well.

On-Course 18/20

I’ll keep this fairly short since I pretty much summed this up in the last section. Up until last week’s round, the course performance was so-so. I was definitely chalking things up to getting to know the driver and knew at some point things would either click or just go south in a body bag. One thing that had me concerned was that I seemed to be struggling with finding the best setup and I just wasn’t over the moon with the shape like I have been with the PXG 0311. I really felt that things clicked in that last round though. I think what really helped was the nighttime range session that I had the evening prior where I was able to hit through a couple of buckets and get sync’d up with the driver.

Overall I’d say the driver performs exceptionally well when you take the time to get to know it. Even after being fit, I didn’t just go right into a magical relationship. I still had to tinker a little and just put a little bit of mileage on it before I could really feel like we could get along without a hitch. I think that a driver like the TD though is meant to have some temper and maybe be a little bit wild, but when you take the time to really get to understand it, it can give you some of the best times that you’ll have on the golf course.

Thoughts on Callaway

Before this test, I’ve never been an outspoken megafan of Callaway. Although some of the nicest irons I’ve played (RAZR X MB’s) are from Callaway, and I’ve owned a momentary club or 2 from them, I’ve just never though much of anything else they’ve made. Thanks to MGS in past ball reviews, I’d never be caught dead with any Chrome Softs in my bag and maybe the stigma just carried over from that..? The Paradym TD has definitely ensured that Callaway is a serious company in the golf space. I’m not sure why I’d have ever thought otherwise with their top 2 guys (X and Rahmbo), also being 2 of my favorite guys to watch, being top tier Callaway staffers.

The Good, the bad, the inbetween 15/20

So this is where things can get a little weird. Since embarking on this journey with MGS and Callaway, I’ve been 100% devoted to the TD. For the past 2 months I’ve completely benched my PXG and haven’t so much as taken the headcover off, except for the initial photos. Well just last night (7/16) I took both drivers to the outdoor range at Dobson Ranch with Trackman Monitors. I started off warming up with some irons and then jumped straight to the TD. Things were going well.. really well. It’s like I hadn’t left anything behind from my previous round. That’s awesome right? Well then I put the TD back in the bag and took out the 0311. I removed the headcover and put the club down at address and I instantly remembered how much I love the profile and look of the PXG. Almost like everything that I had spent the past 2 months working on was wiped away. I got this weird sensation like when I go to get my son out of time out. Sometimes he doesn’t understand why he went to time out so we have a little talk, give each other a big hug, and then go do something fun to celebrate our learning moment. Sometimes I feel bad, but it’s just something that needs to happen.. well this was kind of like that (no I didn’t hug my driver at the range). I almost felt bad for benching the PXG for 2 months, and I’m sure if it could talk, it wouldn’t really understand why and would probably be pretty bummed. Then when I went to hit it, I was also quickly reminded why I’ve loved the driver so much over the past year. After a few crushed drives I’m going “there’s my buddy!” . told ya things would get weird.

I continued to hit both over and over for the rest of the session. At the end I’m faced with a question that no parent has an answer for (or would admit).. “Which one’s your favorite?” I was actually left kind of scratching my head wondering why the Paradym just wasn’t blowing the 0311 out of the water. In fact, they were really similar in their flight and #’s. IMO though, that's a great thing for the Paradym because it really had a high bar to reach. 

Play it or Trade it? 16/20

This is a REALLY tough one. Had I not already been playing a driver that was working so well for me, this would be a no-brainer. Paradym TD would be my one and only for the next season or 2. That said, I also want to continue on with Paradym and see if I can string together more rounds like I had last week. If I can pull off 3 or 4 similar rounds, at least with the same driving success, I might call it a day and put the 0311 in the garage. For now I can’t say “HELL YEAH” to either play it or trade it. I’ll just continue to put the Paradym TD through its paces. Hopefully I’ll have a chance to get some actual dry ball #’s once PGATSS is back up and running or I’m able to get my hands on a Garmin R10.

Conclusion

I really think that the Paradym TD can work well for many different types of players, ranging from mid teens to single digits. The performance claims are spot on and as long as you have a fairly consistent swing, you’ll undoubtedly find some of you best #’s with this club. I would also agree that the TD’s reputation for being a difficult and overly temperamental driver, has somewhat been shaken with this version. Is it the most forgiving of the bunch? Nope.. but is it a very playable and consistent driver for its class? ABSOLUTELY!

Final Score 81/20

[sirchunksalot]

Man, what an amazing group of testers we have for this one! Congratulations to @StrokerAce, @cksurfdude, @azstu324, and @Invader Zim 315 on being selected to test the Paradym drivers. You guys are going to wake up to a lot of notifications, I couldn't think of a better way to get your day started.

Thank you to MyGolfSpy and Callaway for providing such a wonderful test! This should be a good one.

[CFreddie]

Huge news - congrats to this amazing group of testers! Can’t wait to see the results of this new driver - I’ve heard great things about the Paradyms!!!  As always, huge thanks to Callaway and MGS for this incredible opportunity!

[OdinSnipes414]

Way to go yall I can’t wait to hear from y’all I’ll be listening and watching! Let ‘em fly !

Edited May 23, 2023 by OdinSnipes414

[edingc]

Awesome group. Enjoy these clubs. They are fantastic in my opinion. 

[Oldcop]

I've been thinking about getting one. I'll be reading your evaluations with great interest.

[IndyBonzo]

Great group of testers!  Congratulations!  
 

This will be very interesting, and I will watch with great interest.  
 

@azstu324 gets to do his Otto-Phlex test with the Paradym!  Boom!

[Threeputtgame]

Congratulations, I look forward to your reviews.

[cksurfdude]

Thanks all! To say I'm super pumped is an understatement!!!

Fingers crossed this is the magic wand that helps me with my tee shot woes

[JonMUSC08]

Congrats! Enjoy! 

[EasyPutter]

  Congratulations Testers!!!  

 

Callaway Paradym X @cksurfdude 

Callaway Paradym @Invader Zim 315 and @StrokerAce 

Callaway Paradym TD @azstu324 

Looking forward to the testing adventure!

[MattF]

Congratulations @cksurfdude @Invader Zim 315 @StrokerAce and  @azstu324

[GolfSpy_SHARK]

Yugggeeee test. Congrats all, hopefully get to see it in action the course @StrokerAce!

[Willie T]

Congrats to the testing crew for this one.  Know they will provide some booming feedback on Callaway’s newest big stick! 

[brogies]

Congrats!

[ParFore74x]

Congratulations testers!!!!

[Bogeys ov]

Congratulations! I'm looking forward to seeing these results 

[Swood1994]

Congratulations testers! I have a fitting this Thursday for a paradym so if I end up putting one in the bag I will be really curious what you all think of the driver! I look forward to your reviews!

[Preeway]

Congrats, fellas. A great group of testers and can't wait to hear your thoughts.

[GolfSpy_KFT]

Absolutely dynamite testing group! Congrats to @azstu324, @Invader Zim 315, @cksurfdude & @StrokerAce! Can't wait to follow along with your reviews and see how the Paradym performs for you. After reading the final reviews on the Paradym irons, I have a feeling the driver is going to be 

[DotesMaGotes12]

Congrats testers! Going to be an exciting review of one of the best drivers ever made. I'm in the market to upgrade my driver and although I've always been a TaylorMade guy the Paradym is definitely giving a good run to find a spot in my bag. Can't wait to see the results.

[cojobro77]

Congrats to the winning testers!

[ZackS]

Congrats testers, this should be a a good one.

[Hobert]

Congratulations Testers! I look forward to your reviews. I have eyeing the Paradym since it's release.

[MattWillGolf]

Congratulations Testers! Welcome to the Paradym Club Club!

[Shon89]

CONGRATULATIONS TESTERS!!!

Truly envious of this opportunity. After I broke what was my favorite driver a Cobra SpeedZone. I purchased a Callaway Rogue LS Max (Now my favorite Driver) for a bargain. I would love to have tested against.

Have fun and give us a good look at these Drivers!


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