NO WEAKNESS! 2025 Callaway Elyte drivers create huge speed without sacrificing immense forgiveness 

For years we’ve been settling for drivers that sacrifice forgiveness for speed or speed for forgiveness. Well, not anymore. Thanks to a multi-million-dollar investment in 3D printing and their most advanced Ai face ever, Callaway say their 2025 Elyte drivers have bridged the gap and have “no weakness”. Here’s everything you need to know. 

When Callaway’s R&D wizards sat down to come up with the concept of their 2025 line, they had a simple target: to create models that went from good to elite. Quickly they established that closing the long-standing gap that sees golfers having to choose between speed or forgiveness was the way to do it, and the idea for the Elyte family was born. But we can all come up with an idea… to put that into action Callaway had to put their money where their mouth is, investing $2m in some incredible new tech to allow them to create more prototypes than ever before and leave no stone unturned to create four drivers, a mini driver, five fairway woods, three hybrids, and three irons. That process has left them more confident than ever that their products will outperform anything offered by their rivals at TaylorMade, Ping, Titleist et al in 2025. 

We’re going to focus on the headline act, the drivers, in this page, but we’ve got dedicated in-depth pages on the full line at the links below: 

• Everything you need to know about the Callaway Elyte fairway woods 

• Everything you need to know about the Callaway Elyte hybrids 

• Everything you need to know about the Callaway Elyte irons 

When you’ve produced some of the best drivers in golf year after year, it creates pressure and expectation, but Callaway believe they’ve thrived under that pressure to create their best-performing drivers ever. There are four for you to choose from with Elyte, Elyte X, Elyte Max Fast (US only), and Elyte Triple Diamond as the brand simplify their line-up and naming structure compared to previous years. 

Elyte is the core model with the most adjustability. Callaway have done away with the weight track seen in Paradym and Paradym Ai Smoke and opted instead for a single 13g weight and three weight slots (neutral, draw, fade) to help you dial in your shape.

Elyte X is the maximum forgiveness, high launch model for players who need a little more help and features a 13g weight that can be placed in either neutral or draw slots. It replaces the Max D model we’ve seen in previous lines.

Elyte Max Fast is, as the name suggests, a fast driver that targets moderate swing players and will feature all the tech found in Elyte X, just with a lighter weight. It also features an adjustable hosel in this model for the first time.

And Elyte Triple Diamond is a better-player driver (although its forgiveness levels mean it’s surprisingly accessible to a lot more amateurs) with a smaller 450cc head that creates lower spin and launch, and suits those who want to see a neutral to fade bias. This is the model you’ll see in the hands of the likes of Xander Schauffele in 2025 as Callaway look for Triple Diamond to take a seventh consecutive year as the No.1 driver and the driver with the most wins on the global tours. 

There’s also an Elyte Mini Driver due to follow in early April, which will feature all the same tech as the Elyte drivers in a 350cc head. Calaway say it will also be the most adjustable on the market, but we’ll bring you more on that as soon as we receive our sample. 

While the four driver models target different players and needs, there are some fundamental similarities between them, especially when it comes to the tech. 

Knowing that fast head shapes lacked forgiveness and forgiving head shapes lacked speed, the R&D team set out to create the most aerodynamic heads with the highest possible MOI – in other words, speed and forgiveness in the same models. 

“To go from a position where you’re already in a great place and to break through to the next level is incredibly difficult,” Zack Oakley, Callaway’s Senior Product Marketing Manager tells us. 

“We liken this year’s story to what Xander (Schauffele) has been through these past couple of years. He was always considered one of the best players in the world, but he hadn’t quite broken through to be a Major champion. He had to go back and look at every aspect of his process, from his swing coach to his agency, his sponsors, his physio, and reevaluate every detail. Then he broke through twice in 2024, and we think that’s very similar to how we’re approaching 2025 as we go from great products in Paradym and Ai Smoke to breaking through with products that really have no weakness in Elyte.” 

While other brands’ new drivers may have more shelf appeal with Callaway opting for a relatively low-key design and color-scheme, ultimately, it’s the performance that matters. Callaway boldly told us they expected Elyte to outperform any of its rivals in 2025. Let’s delve into why they are so confident in the new range and the tech that features across all the models. 

Shape shifters 

“In golf, traditionally, going faster has meant going smaller, it’s meant a more compact shape, a lower profile product, things like raising the ribbon, but all of those have trade-offs and penalties associated,” Brian Williams, Vice President R&D tells us. “We see lower MOI, we see higher CG and spin that can result in a short ball flight, so we challenged our team to create a new shape that was faster but without any significant trade-offs to MOI and CG.” 

That team’s research identified that Ai Smoke was producing significant turbulence levels around the heel and behind the head and shaft in the downswing. To counter that Elyte has a lower profile heel section. 

“We also pulled our ribbon a little bit deeper and a little bit higher which creates an aerodynamic improvement,”. Williams adds. “In itself that would have had a CG penalty but we had a solution waiting in our advanced materials development section.” 

Material change 

That solution is an all-new Thermoforged Carbon crown made from aerospace-grade carbon fiber, which you’ll find in all models. The material can be extended further around the driver body, meaning larger crowns, which helps to create more speed and optimize launch and spin through lower CG and higher MOI. The sole remains titanium. 

“We knew we couldn’t do that (lower CG and spin) with our current carbon fiber system,” Williams says. “Thermoforged carbon is a lighter, stronger and more precise material, which offers us precision molding capabilities and is a material that’s used in aerospace. What it allowed us to do was wrap more carbon further down the perimeter of that ribbon section and displace titanium. In doing so we were able to lower our center of gravity on this driver and lower spin, which is good for pretty much every golfer who’d be looking to buy this product.” 

A changing face 

While the shaping changes took care of the turbulence issues and created the desired speed, Callaway’s boffins placed their trust in computers again when it came to creating their most advanced face to date – Ai10x. Where Paradym Ai Smoke’s Ai Smart Face had 1,500 control points, Ai10x has 25,000 and, so “no dead spots”. What does that mean for you? Exceptionally fast ball speeds, tighter dispersion, and optimized launch wherever you hit it. “Elyte is effectively 11k MOI effective while remaining within all of the legal limits,” Callaway told us during the product launch in Spain. 

“This is where we really feel we have a competitive advantage in the way we’re using Ai,” Oakley tells us. “Ai is thrown around like a buzzword, but it’s an integral part of all our processes and it is what’s allowing us to not pay as much attention to a number like MOI and focus on getting the real number, dispersion. That’s where we feel we’re making big strides ahead of the competition. 

“(For 2025) we had more swing data than last time which is really increasing the amount of forgiveness we can produce while still having the fast head shape and low spin.” 

Williams said Callaway’s R&D team continued to “push the envelope” with the new face. 
 
“When we came up with this and started running our early prototypes, we were prepared knowing that we had a faster shape to see the distance, and if we’d only delivered that (without additional forgiveness over Ai Smoke) it would still have taken the No.1 driver even higher. But when we saw the impact of the 10x face and we saw we could get better downrange dispersion, even as we added speed into the equation, that’s when we knew we’d taken a good driver and made it elite.” 

Prototype printing 

None of the work Callaway have done in creating Elyte would have been possible without an even bigger investment than normal. Fed up with lengthy waits for prototypes to be created externally, they spent $2m on an in-house 3D-printing system to reduce the time from three months to five days. 

“We use 3D printing a lot of times for shape observation and trying to make sure we get that correct, but those are plastic,” Oakley revealed. “Here we are talking about titanium printing where we can pull a part off in a matter of days or weeks as opposed to months, and take it out to the test center, test it, and then go back to the drawing board to figure out how to make it better. That’s what unlocked this new shape for us.” 

The investment means they’ve been able to create far more iterations of Elyte to ensure the best possible final product. In fact, Elyte had more than 75 prototype variants before the models you’re seeing today were rubber-stamped. 

The speed of the 3D-printed prototypes doesn’t mean a lack of quality, either, with every head of a suitable quality to be tested by Callaway’s test panel, pros, and robots. 

“Normally in golf R&D you can have three or four cracks at prototypes in a product development cycle, but we knew that wouldn’t be enough – in fact, sometimes you get worse on some of those iterations and that’s how you learn – so we made an investment in additive manufacturing and brought in our own 3D printing machines and used those to make over 75 different unique prototype variants,” Williams says. “Each one of those we learned from and continued to iterate and iterate until what we saw what amounted to years’ worth of aerodynamic research delivered in one product cycle. We got a faster head shape that didn’t have any MOI trade-off and didn’t have any CG penalty that we couldn’t overcome with the use of our carbon fiber development.”  

Testing the theory 

All three Elyte models will be put through their paces and compared head-to-head with every other brand’s 2025 big dogs in our drivers test, which we’ll drop as soon as the final manufacturer’s embargo lifts later in the month. Based on Callaway’s in-house testing, which used a panel of 50 mixed ability golfers, including slower swing players who hit the ball under 200 yards, we’re expecting big things. Those results showed gains of up to 1.3mph head speed, 2.1mph ball speed, and 7.1 yards of total distance gain. 

“When you get three or four iterations the margins for improvement are slim and typically our team would look for something like 0.2mph of head speed,” Williams tells us. “That would be significant and could transfer to something like 0.5mph of ball speed and a couple of yards in distance. That’s normally where we’d set the bar and say if we can get that then we know this product is going to be better, but in this case we did much better than that.” 

Testing was also carried out without the players being fitted, meaning the results once players are dialed into the right models and shafts could be even more impressive.  

While speed and distance gains were significant, it’s the forgiveness stat that really stands out, with Callaway’s testing showing a massive improvement over Ai Smoke. 

“Dispersion is the real number we care about,” Oakley said. “What we’re seeing is up to 19% tighter dispersion than the Ai Smoke driver, which was already incredibly forgiving, and tighter than we were with Paradym and tighter than we were with Rogue ST Max. We’ve just homed in and created a super consistent driver.” 

Of course, it’s the time of year when every brand wants you to buy into their driver story and, ultimately, buy their product, but as a player who’s used both Paradym and Paradym Ai Smoke Max as my gamers, my initial test rounds and practice sessions with Elyte have blown me away. It feels incredibly forgiving with no noticeable distance drop-offs regardless of where I hit it across the face. Check out my full in-hand review here and check back to find out how it performs in our 2025 head-to-head drivers test when we publish the results later this month. 

Find your fit 

Unlike Cobra, where a new 30-combo hosel is the big story in their 2025 DS-Adapt drivers, Callaway are sticking with their tried and tested Optifit system to get you perfectly dialed into the right model. All four Elyte drivers include Optifit with it being added to Callaway’s lightweight option for the first time. It allows you to add up to two degrees of loft or reduce by one – just be aware that delofting will slightly open the clubface. Luckily, for each loft adjustment you can choose between an “N” for neutral or a “D” for draw setting (which could be useful if you do deloft). The “D” setting makes the club face sit slightly upright at address. And don’t be confused by the “S” on the hosel, this just means standard or stated loft – so whatever the number says on the club’s sole. 

There’s also a host of stock shaft options, including the phenomenal new Aretera EC1 in the Triple Diamond. Be aware that you’ll have to pay $100 if you want it, but that $200 less than it would cost were you to buy it directly from golf’s newest premium shaft brand. 

Color rewind 

Of course, looks form a huge part of everyone’s views on golf clubs, and with Elyte Callaway have gone for a less-is-more approach with simple clean finishes, colors and graphics across all three models. There’s a different crown finish in the Triple Diamond model, which I’ll explain further on, but none of the heads have anything that will distract from the job in hand. 

There is the return of a familiar color on the toe and heel. Callaway’s 2017 Epic drivers set a new bar for performance with their Jailbreak Technology and with Elyte aiming to do the same the brand have brought back the famous Epic green with subtle splashes. It’s also been used on the headcover. 

What’s in a name? 

Ok, it’s taken this long, but let’s address the elephant in the room… why must Callaway keep replacing letters with a ‘Y’? We’ve had Paradym and Paradym Ai Smoke for the past two years and now Elyte. But this time it makes much more sense. Back in 1982, Ely Callaway Jr founded the business, and the new range is a nod to the brand creator’s Christian name. It’s a nice touch, even if I did read it as E-lyte, rather than Elyte, upon first sighting at the launch in Spain in October. 

Worth noting 

Interestingly Callaway will keep 2024’s driver, Ai Smoke, in their 2025 line-up, dropping the RRP considerably and offering fewer custom options in those models, but if your budget doesn’t stretch to the $599/£569 price tag for Elyte then that’s still a great option. 

Callaway Elyte Drivers: How the three models differ and their specs 

Callaway Elyte driver 

Price $599.99 / £569  

Launched January 2, 2025 | Pre-sale Jan 17, 2025 (US), Jan 15, 2025 (UK) | On sale Jan 24 (US), Jan 31, 2025 (UK) 

Lofts 9º, 10.5º, 12º 

Stock shafts 

• True Temper Project X Denali Charcoal 50g (5.5-R, 6.0-S) and 60g (6.0-S, 6.5-X). 

• Mitsubishi Chemical Vanquish PL 40G (R2). 

Stock grips 

• Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 (50g). 

Product specs 

Who’s it for and how does the tech differ? 

The new Elyte adjustable perimeter weighting system utilizes a 13g moveable weight to enable a neutral, draw, or fade setting, which Callaway say varies shots by 20 yards either way. 

The Elyte model features a matte carbon crown, a modern shape, and a chevron on the topline to inspire confidence off the tee and easy alignment.  

Callaway Elyte driver

Price: $599.99 / £569

Callaway Golf

More

Price: $599.99 / £569

Callaway Golf

More

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Fast and forgiving
• Distance gains over Ai Smoke
• Confidence-inspiring crown and sound
• Clean design

Cons

• Hosel adaptor limited compared to some brands

Read my full Callaway Elyte Driver review.

Callaway Elyte X driver 

Price $599.99 / £569 

Launched January 2, 2025 | Pre-sale Jan 17, 2025 (US), Jan 15, 2025 (UK) | On sale Jan 24 (US), Jan 31, 2025 (UK) 

Lofts 9º, 10.5º, 12º 

Stock shafts 

• True Temper Project X Denali Charcoal 50g (5.5-R, 6.0-S) and 60g (6.0-S, 6.5-X) 

• Mitsubishi Chemical Vanquish PL 40g (R2, R) 

• Women’s Mitsubishi Chemical Eldio 40g (L) 

Stock grips 

• Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 (50g) 

• Women’s Lamkin ST Soft 

Product specs 

Who’s it for and how does the tech differ? 

The Elyte X model replaces the Max D seen in previous years and is designed for players seeking maximum forgiveness and a high launch. 

It features neutral and draw settings with an adjustable 13g weight, and comes with a matte carbon crown and a chevron on the topline to inspire confidence off the tee. 

“In the heel weighted setting it tests from four to eight yards left than the Ai smoke Max D, and in the neutral setting it’s two to four yards more right, so it really gives golfers the opportunity to dial in the shot shape they’re looking for,” Williams says.  

Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond driver 

Price $629.99 / £599  

Launched January 2, 2025 | Pre-sale Jan 17, 2025 (US), Jan 15, 2025 (UK) | On sale Jan 24 (US), Jan 31, 2025 (UK) 

Lofts 8º, 9º, 10.5º 

Stock shafts 

• Aretera EC1 Blue 65g (S, X), 75g (S, X) 

• Mitsubishi Chemical Tensei 1k Black 65g (S, X) and 75g (S, X) 

• True Temper Denali Charcoal 50g (6.0-S) 

Stock grips 

• Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 (55g) 

Product specs 

Who’s it for and how does the tech differ? 

The Elyte Triple Diamond model is designed for players who desire a smaller footprint, lower spin and launch, and a neutral to fade bias shape off the tee.  

Like the core and X models, it has the new shaping, crown, and face we delved into earlier, but this model has interchangeable front-back weights to allow players to choose between more stability (heavy weight back) and lower spin (heavy weight forward).  

It also features a gloss carbon crown and a clean topline, which Callaway’s research shows is preferred by the target market for this model. 

Naturally we see a smaller head and, with the knowledge Triple Diamond is used by the likes of Xander Schauffele, and we assume this is a Tour or better-player model, but Callaway say this year’s model is accessible to more players than ever thanks to a huge boost in its forgiveness levels. 

“This has been made quite forgiving and can start to get into higher index players now and there isn’t that fear of a right miss. It’s testing longer and straighter than the Ai Smoke Triple Diamond, and in our own internal player testing we saw it flying so straight that we had to stop and ask if our Tour players were still going to be able to do what they needed to do,” Williams says. “Those guys came in and we saw good results, so good players will still be able to work the ball with it, but for the more casual golfer, they’ll be able to take advantage of the speed and low spin for more distance and even more forgiveness than before in this line.” 

Callaway Elyte Max Fast driver 

Price $629.99 (US availability only) 

Launched January 2, 2025 | Pre-sale Jan 17, 2025 (US), Jan 15, 2025 (UK) | On sale Jan 24 (US), Jan 31, 2025 (UK) 

Lofts 10.5º, 12º 

Stock shafts 

• Mitsubishi Chemical Vanquish PL 40g (R2) 

• Women’s Mitsubishi Chemical Eldio 40g (L) 

Stock grips 

• Winn Dri-Tac 2.0 (25g) 

Product specs 

Who’s it for and how does the tech differ? 

Targeting golfers with moderate to slow swing speeds the Elyte Max Fast is a lightweight, forgiving, and easy-to-swing driver that’s only available to US customers. It’s designed with lightweight shafts with the aim of maximizing clubhead speed for more carry distance. It’s also the first time a Callaway have added adjustability to their lightweight offering with a weight that can be moved between neutral and draw and the Optifit hosel to ensure players are fully dialed in. 

With this being a US-only model and us being based in the UK, we’re yet to see the Max Fast in person for a full review, but we have requested a sample and will aim to include it in our test of the best lightweight drivers for 2025. 

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