Of the entire Ai line, I will say that the iron category held the most intrigue for me. Knowing that the angle of attack, swing path, and contact points drastically change, I was curious to see how Ai could be implemented.
With iron performance, you must consider turf interaction, spin, CG placement, loft vs. iron number, etc.
IT’S SO MUCH.
HOW????
Introducing Paradym Ai Smoke Irons:
The Tech Pitch:
The Paradym Ai Smoke irons represent a total revolution in iron performance. The Ai Smoke family of irons utilizes the most advanced iron face in Callaway history: the Ai Smart Face. The Ai Smart Face is designed using real player data and advanced machine learning to create a series of sweet spots all over the face. The result is exceptional distance with tight dispersion.
A Total Revolution in Iron Performance from an Industry-First Ai Smart Face
The all-new Ai Smart Face optimizes iron performance using swing data from thousands of real golfers. This set of swing dynamics, or Swing Code, consists of swing speed, club delivery, and face orientation just prior to impact. The result is a face that promotes maximum distance with tight dispersion into the green.
Balancing Distance, Control, and Precision Through Ai Advancements
Traditionally, longer club lengths promote increased swing speed and more distance, but at the cost of control. Through our innovative Ai process, golfers can experience the distance benefits of 1⁄4” longer clubs in the mid and long irons while maintaining tight dispersion into the green.
Contemporary Design Meets Hollow-Body Innovation
Modern shaping and hollow-body construction melds form and function, delivering
a seamless blend of modern sophistication and innovation. The new, modern shape consists of longer blade lengths, thinner toplines, and optimized sole widths to create a forgiving yet streamlined look at address.
Improved Turf Interaction from Dynamic Sole Design
The all-new Dynamic Sole Design features a pre-worn leading edge with variable bounce that cuts through the turf with extreme efficiency. This dynamic design promotes crisp contact on all shots and is engineered to provide exceptional forgiveness.
The Models:
Paradym Ai Smoke
What:
The Paradym Ai Smoke model is best suited for golfers with average to high swing speeds looking to maximize distance and improve dispersion.
Who:
Faster players in the 8-20 handicap category. They are LONG, so the lower-tier handicap players may need to adjust for gapping.
Specs:
Paradym Ai Smoke HL
What:
The HL (High Launch) model is made for golfers who need higher launch to maximize distance and hit more greens.
Who:
The Ai Smoke archetype in need of LAUNCH. For example, my father who can get it out there but needs 3-4 degrees more launch to get the ball UP. This is a great TWEENER iron for players needing that extra CG bump, especially in the scoring irons. Think high-lofted hybrid launch in an iron.
Specs:
Paradym Ai Smoke Max Fast
What:
The Max Fast model is made for golfers who need to optimize swing speed and increase launch to maximize distance and hit more greens.
Who:
Higher handicaps 15+ looking to make up for speed loss with a much lighter package.
Specs:
I had a chance to sit down with Sr. Director of Callaway Irons Scott Manwaring, and this is what he had to say…
JW: The shaping on the Ai irons leans slightly towards the better players eye, was that a conscious choice and if so what was the idea behind it.
SM: All golf club shapes set out to balance a player’s desire for confidence as a mixture of distance, workability, and forgiveness while being subject to the laws of physics that govern how the energy is converted into ball flight. For SmokeAi, a conscious choice was to identify segments of the player’s game profile (club head speed, playing style, etc), next, how the design should benefit their game in terms of trajectory and confidence, and last, eliminate distracting features, leaving a sleek golf club that performs for each market segment. The dynamic sole geometry is inspired by our Tour Certified Apex irons to provide our consumers with maximum speed and turf interaction.
JW: With Ai being the new foundation of the entire club platform, what major breakthroughs have you seen? IE, what can you do now that you couldn’t do before?
SM: Rapidly create optimal ball performance for different constructions and specifications. While some of the major breakthroughs were within the Ai process itself, other critical breakthroughs were the suppliers to allow for the radical, new topology and how we mine our data to discover different market segments.
JW: Regarding the strike, where will the player benefit from an Ai-face? IE How does it work in R&D terms?
SM: We see increased spin compared to other distance irons without compromising distance, in addition to better accuracy/tighter dispersion in every robot test and a vast majority of player tests.
JW: With this newfound power, what are you most excited about as the years go on?
SM: Basically, better inputs will give us better outputs and we are positioned to collect a lot of data worldwide. Now, with Smoke, we are optimizing face performance by pairing a significant number of hit locations with custom head deliveries at each impact location. That progress is exciting… so looking forward, we are planning on having the ability to gather a greater amount of data in greater detail to help our supercomputer become an even more powerful tool.
JW: The HL setup was an interesting choice and a much-needed addition. What inspired this?
SM: Really, just the culmination of what we are discussing. We identified a market that benefits from a unique set of specifications and construction and is powered by an AI process that is capable of handling unique performance objectives specifically for that golfer.
Conclusion:
For the player looking for a good time, these are the “smart” version of that. Are they for me? No. But that’s not the point. Ai-Smoke irons have built upon the Paradym platform (which was INCREDIBLE) and added a level of responsiveness not seen in this category. The HL package was a brilliant addition and serves that player (there’s a bunch of them) who needs LAUNCH. Distance is always helpful, but if the ball isn’t getting up, it can actually work against you. This new tweener platform will be a killer in the fitting bays.
The player testing does not lie!
They nailed the look, the feel and in my opinion, Ai-Smoke irons will set the bar in the distance irons category. I can’t imagine an iron out there that will outperform these, and as far as curb appeal, there is no chance. They are stunning.
Happy Hunting
LFG
JDub
