After testing out the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke driver earlier in the year, I couldn’t wait to put the Paradym Ai Smoke irons to the test!
Designed using AI alongside player data, Callaway is claiming these irons offer forgiveness across the entire face for all skill levels. I put these to the test both indoors and out on the course to see if they could live up to Callaway’s promises.
Who Are They Aimed At?
The Paradym Ai Smoke irons look to suit golfers with mid-to-high swing speeds, who are searching for maximum distance and improved dispersion.
The technology behind these irons fits a range of golfers and with a sleeker design than we've seen from Callaway's main iron for the year than in previous irons, they could end up on a lot of player's radars this year - from mid-20s to low single figures.
The Tech
Callaway are claiming to be running an industry-first with their new AI smart face, combined with data from thousands of real golfers. They’ve taken this set of swing dynamics to see what the most common errors are in real swings, and used them to design equipment that improves performance for these 'swing codes'. The AI smart face looks to provide maximum distance with tight dispersion into the greens.
The clubs are ¼ inch longer in the mid and long irons, helping to deliver the benefit of additional distance to golfers.
The Paradym Ai Smoke irons see a modern shape and hollow-body construction with longer blade lengths than we're used to seeing in Callaway game-improvement irons, thinner toplines, and optimised sole widths to create a forgiving, but streamlined look at address.
We also see the use of a new Dynamic Sole Design, with a pre-worn leading edge of variable bounce, helping to cut through the turf with extreme efficiency. This design looks to promote crisp contact on all shots while providing extra forgiveness.
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Callaway Paradym AI Smoke Irons Review
Looks
The Paradym AI Smoke irons have a subtle smoke chrome finish with a layered carbon-inspired design, which creates an interesting look to the irons without being too overwhelming, as I sometimes find with Callaway clubs.
While not the most compact irons on the market, Callaway have slimmed down the top line and increased the blade length from previous models for a more refined modern look, personally I think they have adopted a more TaylorMade-like look and shape.
Perhaps the most noticeable design element is the variable groove spacing on the sole, which Callaway says improves turf interaction and feel. Overall, the irons have a slight offset at address that may not suit some golfers, however it isn’t too over exaggerated as we might find in some game improvement irons. Overall, like the driver, there is something a little different about the appearance of these irons and I quite like it.
Feel
As ever, Callaway have placed an emphasis on feel with these irons, implementing a pre-worn leading edge and variable groove spacing to interact smoothly with the turf. There was a solid feel across the long and mid irons, without being overly harsh, however I did feel the ball came off a bit too hot in the shorter irons and pitch shots.
While delivering distance, this took away some of the touch and feel required around the green. Overall, the strike felt solid, but I wasn’t the biggest fan of this towards the shorter end of the bag.
On-Course Performance
Out on the course, results were very positive. I saw a lot of forgiveness at the longer end of the set, allowing for straight and consistent ball flights even when I knew the ball hadn’t come exactly from the centre. I did feel as though the shorter irons and wedges came off a bit hot for me, meaning I didn’t retain the level of feel that I typically like to see with the scoring clubs at the bottom of the bag.
I certainly found it much easier to use the 5-iron out on the course compared to indoors, and this meant we saw the 7 and 5-irons going more appropriate distances than I initially had indoors. Overall, the forgiveness delivered on Callaway's promises, and it was great to see out on the course where it matters most, the Paradym AI Smoke irons allowed me to consistently find greens from the fairway and tee boxes.
The Data
To test ball flight and distances, I headed down to Hukd to run through the irons and get the data from Foresight. Distances were impressive but spin rates on longer irons came in much lower than expected, around 3500 RPM with the 7-iron, which is much lower than what I’d be looking for.
The 7-iron was carrying an average of 150 yards, rolling out to 169 which is very long for me. The strange thing during testing is that the 7 and 5-iron were supposedly going almost the same carry and total distances, which obviously is not what I wanted to see...
This huge distance on the 7-iron can likely be attributed to Callaway's claims of increasing blade length by 1/4 inch to allow for more ball speed. However, the lower spin resulted in less accuracy and control into the greens compared to my gamer irons. Callaway does offer a High Launch version that significantly increased ball heights but with minimal effect on distance.
Callaway Paradym AI Smoke Irons Verdict
The Paradym AI Smoke irons deliver on Callaway's promise of forgiveness across all skill levels through their innovative design process. With technology optimising sweet spots and consistent ball speeds, mid and upper handicap golfers will get lots of help in staying in play shot after shot.
While spin optimisation and tighter dispersion could be improved for the better golfers, the combination of looks, feel and shot-shaping on offer represents a strong all-round package here from Callaway - I just can't help but be a little confused by it all.
Would I Use Them?
Because of the struggles I had at the top end of the bag with the extra length of these clubs, as well as the low spin rates, I would have to say no.
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