The New Callaway Paradym Driver

“It’s not supposed to do that. How is that possible?.”

-Non-staff PGA Tour Player during RSM Tour fittings

Since first laying my eyes on the prototypes for the Paradym driver, my initial reaction was,“this is either going to be our breakthrough, or it’s step one in creating the highest-performing driver the market has ever seen.”

The reason for my reaction was simple, the amount of carbon I saw around the head (not the face) could only mean one thing…EVEN MORE STABILITY. Really?

Rogue ST was a brick house in that category, and even more, it held up to its reputation on the course where it counts. Jon Rahm told me on a few occasions that he has never hit a driver this well, and his performance in 2022 reflects that:

But it wasn’t just JR; I received hundreds of DMs from golfers speaking the same thing. Needless to say, what I saw with Paradym in this first early prototype had me excited.

Remember that my first glimpse was of a Triple Diamond head, not even the higher MOI prototype. I understand driver design well enough to identify when something will, at the very least, create stability. Not only did we make a fast driver head (we ALWAYS do), but one that is even more stable than Rogue ST, which I thought was impossible. The Rogue ST was ridiculously stable for a club that hot, and it’s no mistake that it destroyed from a sales perspective.

So what do we have now?

Usually, a choice is made. Do I want to hit it straight? Or do I want distance? With Paradym, there is no choice. Sorry folks, you’re just going to have to be ok with both. Excited yet?

Paradym is the first driver in our history that truly perfects (at least for today) the core principles of Callaway R&D. Make them Fast, Make them FORGIVING, and most importantly, make them playable (IE Fun to hit).

Although the mission may seem broad and not very R&Dish, how our team arrived there was an exercise in pushing the pedal down as far as it would go. From a physics and aerodynamics aspect, anyway.

The Core Tech: In simple terms, weight savings of EPIC (no pun intended) proportions. Even further, this is what the early data shows us:

On what has changed since Rogue ST:

“Paradym continues to improve on the forgiveness and consistency from Rogue ST. The carbon chassis allowed us to achieve higher moments of inertia, and the AI face was optimized for improved downrange distance and dispersion. Together these promote more consistent launch conditions and a tighter downrange shot area.”

Evan Gibbs
Callaway R&D Director (Woods)

360 Carbon Chassis:

A 360 Carbon Chassis combines Forged Carbon fiber (sole) with Triaxial Carbon fiber (crown).  It’s the only driver with no cage, no ring, just a central carbon chassis.  In total, it saved Callaway R&D 20 grams of discretionary weight VS Rogue ST. That’s like giving R&D a sandbox the size of the Rose Bowl to play in. Taking that weight and moving in outward to stabilize the head and the clubface. If Rogue ST was a hammer, Paradym is Mjolnir.

ALL NEW AI-Designed Jailbreak and Forged Titanium Face with Facecup:

Jailbreak technology will see a facelift in 2023. The latest iteration might be the most efficient use of tech I have seen in a driver in ever. As AI continues to push the R&D train, Jailbreak technology has become leaner and way meaner. What started as a stability cage (more or less) is now a slim, very light (30% lighter than its elder sibling) and STRONG retaining wall for a VERY hot forged titanium face that has also been optimized to increase spin integrity, ball speed, and downrange dispersion. That’s across the face, this tech cant be seen on the face, but you see the magic when the head is exploded. It’s fascinating.

As an industry leader in COR (in simple terms, how jumpy or “hot” the face is), Callaway Golf is never bashful about pushing “speed” to the VERY limit. Face Cup technology which has been reserved primarily for our irons, is making its driver debut with Paradym. Facecup maximizes energy transfer off of the forged titanium face, which in turn results in nasty ball speed and distance.

Evan Gibbs on the benefits of AI:

“AI has transformed the way we design faces. It has allowed us to explore new areas in this design space and produce unique face topologies for each head model that provide distinct performance advantages.“

Evan Gibbs
Callaway R&D Director (Woods)

The Three Paradym Models

Paradym (STD) 460CC, 9, 10.5, 12

The Marketing Pitch: The Paradym driver features a refined shape with high MOI and adjustable perimeter weighting. From a 15g sliding weight, players can experience an average of 12 yards of shot shape correction.

Who: LITERALLY ANYONE. 30 handicap to Alex Noren. I think it’s the smallest separation between game improvement and a better player profile I have ever seen. What I mean is, typically, in any modern line, you have the low-spin heads and higher launching, high MOI profiles. Paradym sits smack in the middle. It’s fast; its spin integrity is off the charts, it gets up quickly, and it has a very neutral CG, so the hitter makes it cut or draw, not the clubhead. That’s ideal.

Add a 15G weight in the back that offers course correction if put in the right spot, Optifit fitting COG and TIGHT spin windows 700RPM in my testing 2300-3000RPMs, that’s across the face FYI. Paradym has a higher MOI than Rogue ST Max in a smaller profile front to back.

This driver is OPTIMIZED for good golf. I can already tell you it’ll be a battle royale between this and TD for the spot in my bag. (below).

Quick side note on the shape, which is incredible for a head in this category…

“The Paradym (STD) isn’t quite as stretched back as the Rogue Max partly because it needed to appeal to both the Max and Max LS player type from last year. The back of the club head is also a little higher off the ground to allow us to have the APW in the back for high MOI.”

Evan Gibbs
Callaway R&D Director (Woods)

Paradym X 9, 10.5, 12

The Marketing Pitch: Paradym X is built for high launch with high MOI and a generously stretched profile at address. This model best suits golfers seeking extreme forgiveness and a slight draw bias from their driver. 5g of rear weight is positioned to increase launch and lower spin for maximum carry distance.

Who: It’s forgiving and easier to turn over than the others, so essentially it’s for your higher handicap/slower speed group. Keep in mind that it is SLIGHTLY draw biased VS the CG of the others. Of the three Paradym X is the easiest to turn over but not as heavy-handed as Rogue ST Max D was in that dept.

Paradym Triple Diamond 8, 9, 10.5

The Marketing Pitch: The Paradym Triple Diamond driver is a compact, 450cc shape designed for better players. A 14g backweight can be positioned in the front for lower spin and maximum workability.

Who: 75% of our Tour Staff and any skilled, high-speed player looking for workability and VERY tight dispersion. We tested with our staff at RSM (video coming), and Paradym TD not only outraced the competition, but the downrange dispersion was MILES ahead. So much to the point that we got the quote that opened this article. It’s the best-looking and sounding TD head we have ever made. It’s not low spin but more mid/low, mid-launch, and my hunch is that most of our players will move the heavy weight back; that setup is a brick wall. This thing is stupendous.

What you need to know:

I don’t feel arrogant saying this; we have the driver this year without a shadow of a doubt. I don’t see anything beating this in the fitting bay and on PGA Tour ranges. Downrange dispersion may seem like a boring R&D term, but it’s not. It sits in the ball-flying trinity with ball speed and launch. Increased downrange dispersion means your ball has an attitude way further downrange than any driver on the market. That increased energy in the last 3rd of a ball’s flight is the difference between a ball catching the rough or holding its line at high speeds and kicking further up the fairway. All three models do this at peak levels.

What should you expect?

Speed, forgiveness, and a REALLY high floor. I suspect golfers across the board will experience something different with Paradym, a new good. I’ll be able to put that into context as the year progresses, but there is something truly unique with what R&D has done. We are still learning exactly what we have here, but at a baseline level, Paradym gets us out of the gate faster than ever before. In the end, performance on the golf course matters, and I anticipate a fun season for everyone.

My Take:

When it’s all said and done, Paradym (in my opinion) will be the first big leap into Callaway’s future, and what gets me jacked is this is just phase 1 of the idea. On the course, fitting bays, big box retail, etc. Nothing stops us. The best and worst thing is people may not want to buy the new fire in 24’…I won’t blame them. It’s Epic Star all over again.