Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Hybrid Review – Is it Good & Forgiving for High Handicappers?

“A new iteration of the Paradym hybrids has arrived and I tested it to let you know what you can expect from it.”

The new Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke clubs are out and I have been really stoked on the ones I’ve tested so far.

The driver, fairway woods and irons all have at least one thing in common: distance.

The Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke line plays long. But will this trend continue with the hybrids? I took the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke 3H hybrid out for a round of testing to find out.

But first, let’s take a look at the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Hybrid offerings available in 2024.

The Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Hybrid Family

Apart from the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke standard hybrid, Callaway is releasing the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke HL and the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max Fast.

The Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke HL has a weaker loft profile and will launch higher while the Max Fast was designed to be lighter and more congenial for slow swing speed players.

Is it Good for High Handicappers?

“The Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke hybrid is a solid choice for high handicappers who generally produce a lot of spin.”

The Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke hybrid features a low and forward tungsten weight which, traditionally, keeps spin numbers low.

And it certainly did that. Throughout my testing, my spin rates stayed in the 2600 RPM range which was stupendous; but I was expecting as much with forward weighting.

What I wasn’t expecting was the low launch. My launch height was between 76 and 79 feet which blew me away.

So I would say that this is a great hybrid for high handicappers who tend to hit down on the ball, generate a lot of spin/height and are fed up of seeing the ball go nowhere as a result.

Is it Forgiving?

“Like the drivers, irons and fairway woods, the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke hybrid gets you downrange in a hurry.”

Again, I wasn’t expecting such low launch from a 3H. And as a result, I was able to get great distance – 238.7 total distance on average.

And the entire face is essentially the sweet spot so I would say, yes, the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke hybrid is forgiving.

It has a shallow face profile and a rounded top so it looks like a fairway wood at address and is just about as forgiving.

How Does the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Hybrid Look?

I really like that the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke hybrid doesn’t actually have any of the “smoke” graphics that the other woods have because they look a bit busy.

Instead, you get a clean, matte black crown and very inconspicuous offset at address. Again, it looks a bit more like a clean fairway wood than a hybrid.

Difference Between the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke and Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke HL Hybrids

“The main difference is loft.”

The HL hybrids have weaker lofts compared to the standard Smoke Ais. The standard line is available in 3H-6H while the HL line comes in 3H-8H as well. There is more offset in the HL line and the heads are a bit flatter than their standard counterparts.

Available Shafts

• Project X Cypher 2.0 50
• Project X Cypher 2.0 60
• Project X Cypher 2.0 70