Callaway Paradym Driver Review
The new Callaway Paradym driver is the next generation in design for one of the most popular wood brands in golf. Featuring an updated AI-driven design while bringing back features like Jailbreak Technology, can the Callaway Paradym replace the gamer slot in my bag?
I recently went through a full driver fitting at Club Champion to find out. Here are the results.
Callaway Paradym driver family.
Callaway Paradym Driver Technology
First things first: let’s talk about what’s new in the Paradygm driver.
The highlight of the driver — aside from the interesting color palate and materials — is what Callaway calls Paradym Shift Construction, which “shifts the paradigm” in terms of what’s possible in driver design (get it?). In layman’s terms, this construction eliminates titanium from the club head and replacing it with a 360-degree carbon fiber shell. This is a trend we’re seeing more across the industry, and is a return to carbon (in a way) for Callaway.
Jailbreak Technology makes a return, albeit with notable upgrades. At its core, Jailbreak consists of a solid piece of material that conjoins the driver crown to its sole, which limits the amount of shape alteration at impact. This promotes more stability in the head, leading to higher forgiveness, consistency, and ball speed.
Finally, Callaway once again capitalizes on their use of AI-inspired design for the driver’s face. The result is variable thickness throughout the face, which allows for optimal speed no matter where you make contact.
How Did It Perform?
This was the first time in a long time (ever?) that I went into a driver fitting with a complete blank slate. Prior fittings have always been brand-centered, which somewhat limited my options. It was refreshing, if not a little intimidating, to walk into Club Champion with my gamer and state, “Let’s see if I we can beat it.”
Callaway Paradym driver face.
My fitter, James (“J.J.”) at Club Champion’s Willowbrook, IL location, first guided me through finding an optimal shaft for my swing tendencies. Stay tuned for a separate review in the near future, but we landed on the incredible Drago by VA Composites as the best for my game.
While my gamer driver performed admirably with the new shaft, we still felt I was leaving yards on the table. We turned our attention to finding the best shaft/head combo, which included all the major driver options available today. If you’ve never gone for a driver fitting before, get ready to hit a TON of golf balls.
Guided by Trackman data and when compared to my gamer, the Callaway Paradym driver was comparable to what I was used to right out of the gate. However, the standard model was still slightly “spinny” as backspin exceeded 3500rpm, which lead to a slight drop in distance. This is where the importance of a Master Club Fitter comes in.
Had it not been for my fitter’s keen eye and expertise, I could have stopped there and said, “Well, this doesn’t perform as good as my gamer.” However, James correctly recommended the low-spin Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond head next. The results were staggering.
Without changing anything in my swing, the Triple Diamond head instantly lowered my spin rate average while optimizing all other metrics in the process. As you can see by the numbers above, this adjustment added over 30 yards in total distance on Trackman. Let this be a lesson to the reader: go get fit for your clubs!
Callaway Paradym updated Jailbreak technology.
Feel and Overall Impression
In the spirit of transparency, the Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond performed very similar to another competing low-spin driver available on the market in terms of metrics. This is where it all boils down to feel, sound, and preference for the golfer. To me, the Paradym simply felt better for my game, which I discussed with my fitter before making my final choice.
The Paradym feels solid and muted without emitting a sharp sound at impact, which I prefer. When two clubs perform similarly, this is usually the deciding factor for me. Callaway clearly paid close attention to acoustics with the Paradym.
Overall, the Callaway Paradym feels incredibly stable, performs as-advertised in terms of consistency and forgiveness, and sounds great. When compared to competing brands, the Paradym certainly holds its own and outperformed the majority during my fitting. I’m pleased with my choice for this golf season and look forward to seeing the results translated onto the golf course.
