Callaway Paradym, Paradym X, and Paradym Triple Diamond Drivers Review

Our in-depth review and initial test of Callaway’s Paradym, Paradym X, and Paradym Triple Diamond drivers, which feature golf’s first 360º carbon chassis and a host of AI-designed tech.

Jump to: The tech | How the models differ | First hit review

Callaway’s 2023 drivers boast an industry-first carbon chassis that sees titanium completely eliminated from the body, freeing up a massive 20g of weight, as Callaway seek to secure top spot in the list of best golf drivers. The manufacturing giant says the industry-first technology means golfers no longer have to trade distance for forgiveness or vice-versa and has allowed them to push stability to the limit.

Artificial Intelligence, which Callaway have used in their R&D process since 2019, has played a key role in creating Paradym, helping Callaway design a new version of their revered Jailbreak technology and a new face, which they say is the world’s most advanced.

Each of the striking new models have unique blue carbon bodies that contrast with a matt black topline, while the Paradym and Paradym X models use the brand’s famous Chevron logo for easy alignment.

Callaway will be hoping Paradym can help them continue their driver domination on the DP World Tour where they dominated with 34.8% of the fields using them in 2022 and 69 wins globally.

But in a year when we expected to see a new iteration of the Epic family, why have Callaway introduced a new family? And why is it called Paradym?

The definition of paradigm is ‘a set of ideas or a way of looking at something’ and this family sees a consistent idea flowing through the entire range (drivers, fairways, hybrids and irons).

Callaway say the driver family creates a “new Paradym for golfers”, providing unparalleled distance and forgiveness.

“Paradym refers to a paradigm shift in our thinking for R&D,” Evan Gibbs, Callaway’s Director of R&D for Woods, tells us.

“We wanted a body construction that was visibly different from our competitors, but more importantly gave us a distinct performance advantage.

“We also wanted to continue to advance the AI face technology in ways that we haven’t in the past, focusing more on downrange distance and dispersion rather than just ball speed and conditions. Together these have really helped us create an incredible line-up of woods from top to bottom.”

But what is downrange dispersion?

If you were to take the end location of a collection of shots and draw an ellipse around them it provides you with a downrange dispersion map for your shots.

Callaway say that compared to Rogue ST Max, Paradym’s downrange dispersion has been far tighter with some external testing showing more than a 15% improvement and Tour players providing a lot of positive feedback.

“It has consistent launch conditions, consistent spin rates, and that’s just giving you a lot tighter dispersion, so potentially a lot more fairways hit, a lot more greens in regulation, and a lot more lower scores.”

While each model has unique performance characteristics, there’s a host of new tech that features in all of the models.

Callaway Paradym Drivers: The Tech

360º Carbon Chassis

Paradym’s carbon cup is almost half the weight of a titanium equivalent and frees up 20g of weight, which Callaway have redistributed for maximum distance, higher MOI, and increased forgiveness.

The Triaxial Carbon crown is woven to create a thin and lightweight finish, while the Forged Carbon sole is made of bundles of chopped fibres that are then forged into shape. It has allowed Callaway to mold a more complex shape and gain better control of the thickness to allow for strategic thinning in different areas.

Together the two carbons create a chassis that is 44% lighter than a titanium version but remains incredibly strong. It has been seen in the automotive industry but never used in golf and Callaway own the tech.

New Jailbreak AI

Callaway’s renowned Jailbreak tech has evolved for 2023 to provide more speed and stability with a move from the familiar ‘Speedframe’ to more of a ‘wishbone’ design. It works with the jailbreak system to flex more at impact for higher ball speeds. Overall it’s 33% lighter and helps to stiffen the structure.

“This is the evolution of the Jailbreak geometry,” said Evan Gibbs, Callaway’s Director of R&D for Woods. “Functionally we’re trying to stiffen the connection between the crown and the sole, minimize the amount of deflection in the body, minimize the amount of energy loss in the body at impact and really allow the face to flex as much as possible.

“This one looks a little bit different from some in the past. One of the goals was to take as much weight out of the Jailbreak structure as possible, so we were able to save about 33%. Again, this mass can go back into the clubhead to help enhance performance and as the face technology evolves over the years we’re trying to design the Jailbreak system to complement the face and work as one.”

AI Designed Face

The new formula optimizes each driver face for maximum ball speeds, enhanced launch, lower spin and now downrange dispersion. Callaway say this is the world’s most advanced driver face designed by AI, and the tech has allowed them to build the most appropriate face for the kind of player who will use each of the Paradym models. It should also allow them to build individual faces based on each player’s requirements in the future – something we believe Callaway already do for their Tour staff.

“We’ve continued to invest in AI and believe it’s at the forefront of driver and club design,” said Gibbs. “This technology has taken a giant leap forward in Paradym. Initially, when we came out with Epic Flash, the face was focused on delivering as much speed as possible, increase the COR and off-center ball speed. With Rogue last year we used the face to help lower the spin a little bit, but this year is the first time we’re really focusing on not just launch conditions but on downrange distance and dispersion.

“We have an aerodynamic trajectory code that we can simulate where the ball lands downrange and use the face deflection to try and optimize the launch conditions so we get the most distance and the tightest dispersion downrange. It’s a shift in our thinking there. It’s unlike anything else in the industry.”

Face Cup and Forged Titanium Face

Paradym is the first driver to utilize Callaway’s Face Cup technology, previously used in the brand’s fairways, hybrids and irons. If you imagine the forged face cup is the frame of a trampoline and the forged titanium face is the trampoline material, the pair combine to provide a higher energy transfer than you get from a standard driver insert.

“Having this Face Cup gives us a lot of control over the thicknesses through the transition and allows us to create a more flexibility across the face,” Gibbs said.

Callaway Paradym Drivers: How they differ

Callaway Paradym driver

RRP £599 | VIEW OFFER
Lofts 9º, 10.5º, 12º | Length 45.75” (men’s), 44.5” (women’s) | Lie 57º | Adjustable hosel Yes | Swingweight D3 – 50g (men’s), C8 – 40g (women’s) | Availability Right Hand and Left Hand | Stock Shafts MCA Aldila Ascent PL Blue (40g – women’s, light); Project X Hzrdus Silver (50g – regular, stiff, 60g – stiff); Project X Hzrdus Black (60g – stiff, X-stiff) | Stock Grips Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 (50g); Lamkin ST Soft Undersized (44g)

Designed for players of all abilities, Callaway say the Paradym is their best combo of distance, forgiveness and adjustability. It has a refined shape with high MOI and an adjustable weight track at the rear.

Paradym has been created for a high launch with low spin and a neutral flight and targets Rogue ST Max and Max LS players. It is more forgiving and longer than last year’s Rogue ST with the 15g APW sliding weight providing an average of 12 yards of shot shape correction.

“Often when you add in adjustability you tend to sacrifice either MOI or CG position, but not in this case, and that’s what this carbon chassis has allowed us to do,” Gibbs told us. “The head shape isn’t as stretched as Rogue Max, it’s a little smaller, similar volume but not quite as big front to back, but it’s got high MOI and an adjustable perimeter weight. It’s testament to the construction.”

Callaway Paradym X driver

RRP £599 | VIEW UK OFFER | VIEW US OFFER
Lofts 9º, 10.5º, 12º | Length 45.75” (men’s), 44.5” (women’s) | Lie 60º Adjustable hosel Yes | Swingweight D3 – 50g (men’s), C8 – 40g (women’s) | Availability Right Hand and Left Hand | Stock Shafts MCA Aldila Ascent PL Blue (40g – Women’s, Light, Regular); Project X Hzrdus Silver (50g – Regular, Stiff, 60g – Stiff) | Stock Grips Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 (50g); Lamkin ST Soft Undersized (44g)

Designed for the highest launch of the three models, Paradym X targets golfers who want extreme forgiveness and a slight draw bias.

With its high launch, high levels of forgiveness, its generously stretched profile at address and the ability to crank it up to 14º loft, it will comfortably be Callaway’s biggest-selling driver of 2023.

The fixed five-gram weight in the rear of the club increases launch and lowers spin for maximum carry. We found this to be one of the most forgiving drivers of 2023. Showing its versatility, the Paradym X also ranked among the best draw drivers.

Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond driver

RRP £599 | Available February 24th, 2023
Lofts 8º, 9º, 10.5º | Length 45.75” (men’s) | Lie 57º | Adjustable hosel Yes | Swingweight D4 – 60g | Availability Right Hand and Left Hand (9º, 10.5º) | Stock Shafts Project X Hzrdus Black (60g – Regular); Mitsubishi Chemical Kai’li White (60g – Stiff, X-Stiff, 70g Stiff, X-Stiff) | Stock Grips Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 (50g)

The Triple Diamond (TD) model is smaller than the standard Paradym and Paradym X drivers, coming in at 450cc and offering the lowest spin with a neutral flight. It is designed for better players who want to work the ball and you’ll see it in the bags of Jon Rahm and Xander Schauffele.

The 14-gram rear weight can be repositioned in the front of the club for lower spin and maximum workability, and the club can be cranked down to 7º loft if required. We’ll see how it performs in our test of 2023’s best low-spin drivers.

Despite the target market, don’t be fooled into thinking that the TD isn’t forgiving… its MOI is still 8,000!

Callaway Paradym Drivers: How they perform

TG’s digital editor and nine-handicapper Rob Jerram was among the first people in the world to hit the Paradym family during Callaway’s big reveal in Dubai in November. You’ll find out how the Paradym models rank among the best drivers of 2023 after our head-to-head test, but our initial first-hit testing proved extremely positive.

Callaway Paradym Drivers: First Hit Review

Firstly, the blue color scheme may divide the crowd, but I loved it. The carbon triaxial crown is genuinely interesting to look at, every one is unique, and it changes in different lights. When I first saw the drivers in a room in the clubhouse at Emirates Club, they looked almost black, but once out in the sunlight, the color absolutely popped and contrasted perfectly with the black face and subtle Callaway alignment chevron.

Just a couple of shots in it was the noise that struck me. Paradym sounds amazing. Clean, crisp and powerful. Not loud or distracting, just confidence-inspiring. Looks – tick. Sound – tick.

But what about the performance? Three wild drives had me concerned that Paradym was like my first car (Ferrari F355 sound, 1.2 Vauxhall Nova performance, but after some tweaks from one of Callaway’s excellent fitters (slightly softer shaft, loft up, APW given a slight draw bias) the results matched the sound and it blew my current (non-Callway) driver out of the water. I gained seven mph of clubhead speed and ten yards of carry. Tick.

That may not sound like a lot but for me, it would mean hitting at least one and, depending on the conditions, sometimes two clubs less into greens. But, perhaps most significantly, it was the level of forgiveness that impressed me most. Callaway talk about the downrange dispersion and it was evident. Shots out of the toe and heel – common for this mid-handicapper – did cost me distance, but we’re talking a handful of yards, and, most importantly, they remained in the fairway or, at worst, just found the first cut. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a miracle club and I still managed to hit some really wild ones, both deliberately and by accident, but even then the club limited the damage.

Ultimately I’d be more likely to game Paradym X. Its ‘stretched’ design better suited my eye and, as promised, it was even more forgiving. As someone who hits the ball relatively low and spins it a little too much, it made a big difference to my launch angle, peak height, and carry. I didn’t see significant distance increases over the standard Paradym but it did lower my spin, tighten up my dispersion, and I felt more confident using it.

While my handicap places me among ‘better players’ my driving definitely doesn’t, meaning the Triple Diamond isn’t for me, but the benefits were clear. The smaller head is barely noticeable and it produces the same wonderful sound as Paradym and X.

It was undoubtedly easy to shape, especially left to right, but it wasn’t as forgiving of my inconsistent swing and average speed. If you’re a confident driver player with a fast swing and you play courses that require you to hit it both ways, then the Triple Diamond should be on your ‘must try’ list.

But are there any negatives? We understand the amount of R&D that has gone into the model and the impact of rising global costs on production, but £599/$599.99 (£120/$120 more than last year’s Rogue ST drivers) is a pretty hefty increase. We saw a significant enough performance increase that meant we would be very tempted to part with the cash but, as always, we’d recommend you go for a fitting, compare the new model to your current gamer and test it against some of 2023’s other new models and, if your driver is a little older, then even some of 2022’s models.

WATCH: Should you buy a premium after-market driver shaft?

What Callaway’s players say about Paradym

“My request to Callaway is very simple. Longer, straighter, more forgiving,” Major champion Jon Rahm says when asked what he expects from a new driver.

Luckily the former World No.1 hasn’t been disappointed by Paradym, gaining four miles per hour clubhead speed (181mph) and six yards of carry (318 yards) over his Rogue ST, which he’s pictured using below.

Xander Schauffele has also recorded impressive improvements, going from 175 mph to 179mph and increasing his carry from 308 to 312 yards.

Rose Zhang has gained an incredible seven yards of carry distance (237 yards) thanks to a three miles per hour clubhead speed increase (140mph).

“It’s nice to see Tour players validate the technology because these players are dialed in to their equipment, so to see them right off the shelf get these sort of numbers is encouraging, but we do extensive testing of all players, internal and external, and we’ve seen some really exciting results, not just in the speed but in the downrange consistency this driver really separates itself from others in the market,” Gibbs said.

READ NEXT
– Callaway Paradym Fairway Woods review
– Callaway Paradym Hybrids review
– Callaway Paradym Irons review

Callaway Paradym driver

RRP £599 | VIEW OFFER
Released February 3rd, 2023
Head size 460cc
Lofts 9º, 10.5º, 12º
Length 45.75” (men’s), 44.5” (women’s)
Lie 57º
Adjustable Hosel Yes
Swingweight D3 – 50g (men’s), C8 – 40g (women’s)
Availability Right Hand and Left Hand
Stock Shafts MCA Aldila Ascent PL Blue (40g – women’s, light); Project X Hzrdus Silver (50g – regular, stiff, 60g – stiff); Project X Hzrdus Black (60g – stiff, X-stiff)
Stock Grips Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 (50g); Lamkin ST Soft Undersized (44g)

Callaway Paradym X driver

RRP £599 | VIEW OFFER
Released February 3rd, 2023
Head size 460cc
Lofts 9º, 10.5º, 12º
Length 45.75” (men’s), 44.5” (women’s)
Lie 60º
Adjustable Hosel Yes
Swingweight D3 – 50g (men’s), C8 – 40g (women’s)
Availability Right Hand and Left Hand
Stock Shafts MCA Aldila Ascent PL Blue (40g – Women’s, Light, Regular); Project X Hzrdus Silver (50g – Regular, Stiff, 60g – Stiff)
Stock Grips Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 (50g); Lamkin ST Soft Undersized (44g)

Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond driver

RRP £599
Released February 3rd, 2023
Head size 450cc
Lofts 8º, 9º, 10.5º
Length 45.75” (men’s)
Lie 57º
Adjustable Hosel Yes
Swingweight D4 – 60g
Availability Right Hand and Left Hand (9º, 10.5º)
Stock Shafts Project X Hzrdus Black (60g – Regular); Mitsubishi Chemical Kai’li White (60g – Stiff, X-Stiff, 70g Stiff, X-Stiff)
Stock Grips Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 (50g)