Callaway Paradym Driver Review

It’s the start of a new Year and it’s the time for golf manufacturers to unleash their new products on the golfing public. The big launch from Callaway this year is the new Paradym driver. They couldn’t have gotten off to a better start with three wins in a row from Jon Rahm and Si Woo Kim with the new driver in their bags.

Technology has brought a lot of changes to golf in the last 30 years, and the Callaway Paradym driver is an excellent example of this. It makes it simpler for both experienced and novice players to up their game with features like high MOI, adjustable weight and loft.

We’ll dig into this product and see if it’s worth purchasing. Is it a revolution in the way golf is played?

“I don’t know what the hell they have done, but it feels amazing.”
JON RAHM – Callaway website

Callaway Paradym Family Members

There are 3 models in the Paradym driver lineup:

Standard Paradym
Paradym X
Paradym Triple Diamond

They all feature a 360° Carbon Chassis that is designed for maximum distance and weight redistribution. The advanced combination of Triaxial Carbon crown and Forged Carbon sole is an astounding 44% lighter than a titanium chassis – giving a huge weight reduction. This redistributed weight results in a higher Moment of Inertia (MOI) and improved forgiveness.

The new A.I. designed Jailbreak system has been designed to provide optimal stability and fast ball speeds, making it the perfect choice for the serious player. A weight saving of around 33% means more weight can be positioned where it matters.

The A.I. face optimization boosts the speed, launch, and spin of the driver, plus downrange dispersion. This is the most advanced driver face ever, designed and crafted using A.I. technology.

The standard Paradym offers the golfer a neutral ball flight. The Paradym X is built with a slight draw bias to help counteract a slice and also suits those looking for a high launch to optimize their carry distance.

The Triple Diamond is the low spin model (as used by Rahm in his PGA Tour victories). Slightly smaller at 450cc this will suit the better player with more clubhead speed.

Rick Shiels on the Paradym Driver

Adjustability & Shaft Options

The Paradym has a sliding weight at the rear of the head to help you dial in the perfect flight conditions for your swing. The Triple Diamond has two weights that can be swapped (2g and 14g) to adjust the golf club to your swing parameters.

The shaft options for the Paradym Triple Diamond driver show who the club is aimed at with only stiff or extra-stiff options available. As it is the lowest launching model in the range you will need some decent speed to get the most out of it.

Shaft Option	Weight Class	Launch	Spin
Project X Hzrdus Gen 4 Black 60 Graphite	60	Low	Low
Fujikura Ventus Tr Blue 6 Graphite	60	Low	Mid
Mitsubishi Kai’li White 60 Graphite	60	Lower	Lower
Mitsubishi Kai’li White 70 Graphite	70	Lower	Lower

The TD is available in 3 lofts 8°, 9°, 10.5° although lefties miss out on the least lofted version.

The Paradym X club promotes high launch and helps to straighten out a fade so will suit a lot of amateur golfers. You get 3 different shaft models to pick from depending on how much additional help you need with getting a high launch.

Shaft Option	Weight Class	Launch	Spin
Aldila Ascent Pl Blue 40 Graphite	40	Higher	Mid
Project X Hzrdus Gen 4 Silver 50 Graphite	50	Mid	Mid
Project X Hzrdus Gen 4 Silver 60 Graphite	60	Mid	Mid

Both righties and lefties can get this model in 9°, 10.5° and 12°.

The 2023 Paradym from Callaway Golf has the widest choice of shafts (in terms of flexes anyway)

Shaft Option	Weight Class	Launch	Spin
Aldila Ascent Pl Blue 40 Graphite	40	Higher	Mid
Project X Hzrdus Gen 4 Silver 50 Graphite	50	Mid	Mid
Project X Hzrdus Gen 4 Silver 60 Graphite	60	Mid	Mid
Project X Hzrdus Gen 4 Black 60 Graphite	60	Low	Low
Fujikura Ventus Tr Blue 6 Graphite	60	Low	Mid

As with the X version, this is available in 9°, 10.5° and 12° for left and right-handed golfers.

How Does The Paradym Look?

From address, the club looks quite striking due to the predominantly blue crown. The driver doesn’t look particularly huge although of course compared to drivers from when I started playing it’s enormous! I think most players would find that the club inspired confidence. Callaway drivers do tend to look quite good more often than not.

Callaway Paradym Testing

Let’s get one thing straight if you have a fitted Rogue or Rogue ST Max from last year then in reality you probably won’t see a huge leap in distance. However, if you are in the market for a new driver this season then the Paradym should be on your shortlist.

For myself and my modest swing speed, I didn’t see any impressive gains in yardage although I did see that even my misses held up pretty well and my dispersion was pretty good although I don’t tend to miss that many fairways usually!

Unfortunately, both my testing sessions took place on quite windy days (not unusual on the Devon coast!) but despite this, the ball stayed in play and my good strikes produced a nice ball flight.

Callaway Paradym Pros & Cons

Pros

Improved dispersion

Improved ball speed

Cons

Price

Callaway Paradym Alternatives

Obviously, the big boys have all released their new driver models for 2023. I liked the Ping G430 but wasn’t so keen on the Stealth 2 from TaylorMade. The Titleist TSR2 did show some significant distance gains for me (well 10 yards) but I wasn’t sure that was worth spending $500+ on one club!

Given the restrictions on driver design the only area where the manufacturers can really improve is by making your bad shots as good as possible and here the Paradym hits the mark.

A cheaper option for those looking for a driver on a budget might be the PXG 0211. The new model is back up in price after the 2021 version was massively reduced to clear old stock.