Comparing the Paradym Triple Diamond(PTD) vs. Ai Smoke Triple Diamond(AiSTD)

[MNov]

Hi everyone,

I hope that I am posting this in the right place. Yesterday I went to get fit for irons and had the chance to hit the new driver from Callaway: the Ai Smoke Triple Diamond (AiSTD) and compare it to my Paradym Triple Diamond (PTD). I am new to MyGolfSpy and it has been a great find for me. I have used others reviews to learn more about golf and overall about the industry. I am very happy that I may be able to contribute back. Below are some comparisons that I noticed.

For context I am a single digit handicap (barely but it counts) with a high swing speed. I average well into the 120mph club head speed and ball speed anywhere from upper 170's mph to mid-high 180s. A few months ago I won the PTD at a long drive competition at my local range. My Paradym has an Xstiff 75g Tensei White Shaft. I was able to use both that shaft in both the PTD and AiSTD as well as the Ventus black 7x in both heads. 

Besides the differences in colors on the driver, at address and feel of the driver are very similar which was great for me. I love the way the PTD looks at address and hoped they wouldn't change it. When I switched to the PTD from my previous Rad Speed I was blown away at how much speed/distance I picked up. While that wasn't the case between the PTD and AiSTD, I did notice a difference in off center strikes. I don't know if they could really add more "juice" to center strikes. The PTD is a beast in itself. That being said with the AiSTD, if I missed off the toe side or heel side, I was able to clearly tell but I didn't lose nearly as much distance or speed as I would with my PTD. I also noticed that off center strikes tended to still fly straighter. I haven't hit a driver that could maintain distance/ball speed on "miss hits" as well as the AiSTD did. 

So what do I think:

If you are looking at Callaway for drivers or are debating switching to the newer version, I would say that if you are needing a little more forgiveness off the tee it is worth it to get the AiSTD. I believe myself to be an above average ball striker and for that reason I don't think I would make the switch. If money is not an issue, the AiSTD is an incredible driver and is very much worth considering. If you are a player who rarely misses the center of the face, the PTD might be the better option. I did notice a higher ball speed with the PTD in perfect contact than the AiSTD with perfect contact, but it was marginal. Less than 5 MPH ball speed and less than 7 yards distance change. 

I want to emphasize that these drivers are not the most forgiving out of all drivers, they are truly meant for high swing speeds and fairly consistent contact but the AiSTD does make a good jump in increased forgiveness. I hope someone finds this valuable and if anyone has any further questions I am more than happy to answer. I am worried that I am slowly making my way into a gearhead but what can you do, this game is just too good. 

 

 

Edited January 25 by MNov

[GolfSpy SAM]

10 minutes ago, MNov said:

Hi everyone,

I hope that I am posting this in the right place. Yesterday I went to get fit for irons and had the chance to hit the new driver from Callaway: the Ai Smoke Triple Diamond (AiSTD) and compare it to my Paradym Triple Diamond (PTD). I am new to MyGolfSpy and it has been a great find for me. I have used others reviews to learn more about golf and overall about the industry. I am very happy that I may be able to contribute back. Below are some comparisons that I noticed.

For context I am a single digit handicap (barely but it counts) with a high swing speed. I average well into the 120mph club head speed and ball speed anywhere from upper 170's mph to mid-high 180s. A few months ago I won the PTD at a long drive competition at my local range. My Paradym has an Xstiff 75g Tensei White Shaft. I was able to use both that shaft in both the PTD and AiSTD as well as the Ventus black 7x in both heads. 

Besides the differences in colors on the driver, at address and feel of the driver are very similar which was great for me. I love the way the PTD looks at address and hoped they wouldn't change it. When I switched to the PTD from my previous Rad Speed I was blown away at how much speed/distance I picked up. While that wasn't the case between the PTD and AiSTD, I did notice a difference in off center strikes. I don't know if they could really add more "juice" to center strikes. The PTD is a beast in itself. That being said with the AiSTD, if I missed off the toe side or heel side, I was able to clearly tell but I didn't lose nearly as much distance or speed as I would with my PTD. I also noticed that off center strikes tended to still fly straighter. I haven't hit a driver that could maintain distance/ball speed on "miss hits" as well as the AiSTD did. 

So what do I think:

If you are looking at Callaway for drivers or are debating switching to the newer version, I would say that if you are needing a little more forgiveness off the tee it is worth it to get the AiSTD. I believe myself to be an above average ball striker and for that reason I don't think I would make the switch. If money is not an issue, the AiSTD is an incredible driver and is very much worth considering. If you are a player who rarely misses the center of the face, the PTD might be the better option. I did notice a higher ball speed with the PTD in perfect contact than the AiSTD with perfect contact, but it was marginal. Less than 5 MPH ball speed and less than 7 yards distance change. 

I want to emphasize that these drivers are not the most forgiving out of all drivers, they are truly meant for high swing speeds and fairly consistent contact but the AiSTD does make a good jump in increased forgiveness. I hope someone finds this valuable and if anyone has any further questions I am more than happy to answer. I am worried that I am slowly making my way into a gearhead but what can you do, this game is just too good. 

 

 

Awesome stuff! Really appreciate the info - I am by no means a HSS player, but considering the PTD is such a hit amongst a bunch of the other Forum Staff, I might need to go find one to try it out

For what it's worth, I hit the new PXG Black Ops driver last Friday, and the sound/feel combo is INCREDIBLE.  It was too low-spin for me (I don't generate a lot of spin anyway, so that was a no-go), but man it felt great.

[Josh Parker]

Great information and welcome!

[GolfSpy_BNG]

Good stuff @MNov  I also have a AI Smoke TD and a Paradym TD.  Both in 8*.  Question for ya. Did you find the AI Smoke to be more fade bias than the Paradym?  So far in my limited swings it seems to be. It is also seems to be lower spinning and a tick faster ball speed but not by much. 

[MNov]

11 hours ago, GolfSpy_BNG said:

Good stuff @MNov  I also have a AI Smoke TD and a Paradym TD.  Both in 8*.  Question for ya. Did you find the AI Smoke to be more fade bias than the Paradym?  So far in my limited swings it seems to be. It is also seems to be lower spinning and a tick faster ball speed but not by much. 

 

I did find a fade bias. Both drivers I hit were 8° also. Not saying that I have much control of what ball flight I get but typically it’s a high draw. With my PTD is almost always a draw. I was surprised to see my ball right of the center line with the AiSTD. On one of my better swings I took this picture. 90% of my swings with the AiSTD were fades and 90% of my PTD were draws. Do you have a clear favorite yet? 

[Indy_Oz]

On 1/25/2024 at 9:36 PM, MNov said:

I did find a fade bias. Both drivers I hit were 8° also. Not saying that I have much control of what ball flight I get but typically it’s a high draw. With my PTD is almost always a draw. I was surprised to see my ball right of the center line with the AiSTD. On one of my better swings I took this picture. 90% of my swings with the AiSTD were fades and 90% of my PTD were draws. Do you have a clear favorite yet? 

Good info and welcome!

I had a try out with the AI Smoke drivers today- mainly the stock and triple diamond but ended up with the TD working best. Like @GolfSpy_BNG, I found them noticeably fade biased. I already play Callaway, so used my Ventus blue 6X shaft through the fitting. My swing speed isn't quite your level, but I'm fast enough at around 110mph (peak this morning was 113mph). I know I'm bordering needing the black 6X shaft and I want to try one of those soon to see if that helps. I moved away from a HZRDUS Black 6.5 to the Ventus blue to gain launch angle and I've really enjoyed the change, but I think the AITD may need something else. I was - overall - happy with a one-way miss and the AI Smoke TD definitely had less of a two-way miss than I do with the Rogue at the moment. I can definitely better manage a one sided miss on the course and I do prefer a fade bias than draw!

Before the Golf Galaxy appointment, I spent half an hour warming up at the sim/ training place I'm a member of and saw that they have just restocked with the full AI Smoke range demo heads, so I should be able to grab a couple when I'm in next and have a play around without being pressured to buy. I bought my Rogue from them and they've let me pick up other demo clubs without demanding a formal fitting in the past. I'm hoping they still have their Paradym demo heads from last year too so I can do a longer side-by-side comparison with the old triple diamond and my LS. We shall see.

[Indy_Oz]

On 1/25/2024 at 2:23 PM, GolfSpy SAM said:

Awesome stuff! Really appreciate the info - I am by no means a HSS player, but considering the PTD is such a hit amongst a bunch of the other Forum Staff, I might need to go find one to try it out

For what it's worth, I hit the new PXG Black Ops driver last Friday, and the sound/feel combo is INCREDIBLE.  It was too low-spin for me (I don't generate a lot of spin anyway, so that was a no-go), but man it felt great.

A friend tried the PXG Black Ops this week and loved it. He's already a full-bag PXG guy, so I wasn't surprised. But he has been considering changing driver manufacturer but this seems to have swayed him to stay loyal. I might have to go try one out too.

 

[Josh Parker]

On 1/25/2024 at 6:08 PM, GolfSpy_BNG said:

Good stuff @MNov  I also have a AI Smoke TD and a Paradym TD.  Both in 8*.  Question for ya. Did you find the AI Smoke to be more fade bias than the Paradym?  So far in my limited swings it seems to be. It is also seems to be lower spinning and a tick faster ball speed but not by much. 

I def like the top of the new AI TD better and the lines on the face. 

[GolfSpy_APH]

Should be this coming Sunday that I get a chance to demo these. Last time it was RH only so no dice, but will be curious to see how it performs again the PTD which I've come to really freaking enjoy!

[BringerofRain]

So much great information was already said but here is my first experience with the smoke TD 8 degree. 
 

I played my first round with the Smoke TD last Saturday after using a buddies M1 as a place holder.
 

While my miss with the M1 was a fade/slice my miss with the TD was  a pull left or a draw / hook and one top but that’s not important. 
 

There was a a noticeable difference in shaft change going from 60 G stiff to 70g extra stiff which probably has a lot to do with the misses.

 

However towards the end of the round I when I started to get used to it I also noticed my good drives were fade bias but I do believe that is supposed to be on purpose. 
 

After one round I am really enjoying this upgrade but if I play a tighter courses these pulls could get me in trouble. 

[Jackie m]

On 1/25/2024 at 11:12 AM, MNov said:

Hi everyone,

I hope that I am posting this in the right place. Yesterday I went to get fit for irons and had the chance to hit the new driver from Callaway: the Ai Smoke Triple Diamond (AiSTD) and compare it to my Paradym Triple Diamond (PTD). I am new to MyGolfSpy and it has been a great find for me. I have used others reviews to learn more about golf and overall about the industry. I am very happy that I may be able to contribute back. Below are some comparisons that I noticed.

For context I am a single digit handicap (barely but it counts) with a high swing speed. I average well into the 120mph club head speed and ball speed anywhere from upper 170's mph to mid-high 180s. A few months ago I won the PTD at a long drive competition at my local range. My Paradym has an Xstiff 75g Tensei White Shaft. I was able to use both that shaft in both the PTD and AiSTD as well as the Ventus black 7x in both heads. 

Besides the differences in colors on the driver, at address and feel of the driver are very similar which was great for me. I love the way the PTD looks at address and hoped they wouldn't change it. When I switched to the PTD from my previous Rad Speed I was blown away at how much speed/distance I picked up. While that wasn't the case between the PTD and AiSTD, I did notice a difference in off center strikes. I don't know if they could really add more "juice" to center strikes. The PTD is a beast in itself. That being said with the AiSTD, if I missed off the toe side or heel side, I was able to clearly tell but I didn't lose nearly as much distance or speed as I would with my PTD. I also noticed that off center strikes tended to still fly straighter. I haven't hit a driver that could maintain distance/ball speed on "miss hits" as well as the AiSTD did. 

So what do I think:

If you are looking at Callaway for drivers or are debating switching to the newer version, I would say that if you are needing a little more forgiveness off the tee it is worth it to get the AiSTD. I believe myself to be an above average ball striker and for that reason I don't think I would make the switch. If money is not an issue, the AiSTD is an incredible driver and is very much worth considering. If you are a player who rarely misses the center of the face, the PTD might be the better option. I did notice a higher ball speed with the PTD in perfect contact than the AiSTD with perfect contact, but it was marginal. Less than 5 MPH ball speed and less than 7 yards distance change. 

I want to emphasize that these drivers are not the most forgiving out of all drivers, they are truly meant for high swing speeds and fairly consistent contact but the AiSTD does make a good jump in increased forgiveness. I hope someone finds this valuable and if anyone has any further questions I am more than happy to answer. I am worried that I am slowly making my way into a gearhead but what can you do, this game is just too good. 

 

 

 

[Jackie m]

So you felt like the original triple diamond actually goes farther than the smoke triple diamond with the same contact?

[GolfSpy_BNG]

1 hour ago, Jackie m said:

So you felt like the original triple diamond actually goes farther than the smoke triple diamond with the same contact?

Honestly for me the Smoke was slightly longer though we are splitting hairs there. I ended up moving on from it as it was more fade biased than I prefer. 

[LinksgolfFever]

2 hours ago, GolfSpy_BNG said:

Honestly for me the Smoke was slightly longer though we are splitting hairs there. I ended up moving on from it as it was more fade biased than I prefer. 

I got a new driver last year and ended up with the Rogue ST 3diamond for the same reason, I felt the paradigm promoted more of a fade (fade bias) over the rogue.  This weekend I went to a Callaway demo day and tried the AI smoke and found it more fade biased than the paradym….maybe the dark speed or the Qi10????

[MNov]

3 hours ago, Jackie m said:

So you felt like the original triple diamond actually goes farther than the smoke triple diamond with the same contact?

I believe if you hit it on the screws then yes the PTD had a little more distance. But like @GolfSpy_BNG said it’s splitting hairs. I do believe that the AiSTD is more forgiving with slightly off center contact. I personally typically hit a draw with the PTD and most drivers. I’d agree that the AiSTD promotes more of a fade than the PTD. You won’t be upset either way. 

[Jackie m]

16 hours ago, GolfSpy_BNG said:

Honestly for me the Smoke was slightly longer though we are splitting hairs there. I ended up moving on from it as it was more fade biased than I prefer. 

Did the adjustments do anything for the fade bias?

[GolfSpy_BNG]

14 minutes ago, Jackie m said:

Did the adjustments do anything for the fade bias?

I didn’t get that far into it. I use an all fit adapter so I don’t have the standard callaway draw setting. 

[Quigleyd]

I am not sure if the new smoke is better.. so far I am not really seeing it..

[Kapstadt]

On 1/25/2024 at 4:08 PM, GolfSpy_BNG said:

Good stuff @MNov  I also have a AI Smoke TD and a Paradym TD.  Both in 8*.  Question for ya. Did you find the AI Smoke to be more fade bias than the Paradym?  So far in my limited swings it seems to be. It is also seems to be lower spinning and a tick faster ball speed but not by much. 

Not neccesarily but definitely higher spin 

[Javs]

I have last year’s Callaway PTD driver and the new AiSTD. After range time and on the course. I found first I prefer the HZRDUS smoke yellow shaft with these drivers. They are both long; however, the AiSTD is about 3 to 10 yards longer when smashed. The real surprise was the difference in mishits. While I loved PTD, the AiSTD is even more impressive on toe and heel strikes. There was minimal loss of carry and distance. I did find I could work both drivers with relative ease. However, the AiSTD would not let me over cook it as much as the PTD. I have replaced my PTD with the AiSTD. 

Edited March 5 by Javs

[Kapstadt]

On 2/6/2024 at 5:04 PM, Quigleyd said:

I am not sure if the new smoke is better.. so far I am not really seeing it..

I know what you saying I’m trying to love it 

On 2/5/2024 at 10:14 AM, Jackie m said:

Did the adjustments do anything for the fade bias?

For me they did