Effortless to launch, excellent distance, sleek design
Cons
Ai Smoke branding on the crown takes away from the overall finish, looks quite closed at address
Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max Hybrid: Key Features
Ai Smart Face: optimises performance using swing data from thousands of real golfers to promote maximum distance and tight dispersion
Tungsten Speed Cartridge: repositions the centre of gravity low and forward to produce low spin and impressive ball speeds
Larger Profile: provides amplified forgiveness and instilled confidence at address
Callaway's new range of hybrids for 2024 features three distinct models, the Max, Max D and Max Speed. In this review, we will be focusing on the Max, which is designed for players with average to high swing speeds looking to maximise distance and improve dispersion.
So, how did the engineers at Callaway create a hybrid that can not only improve distance but also dispersion? They utilised the power of artificial intelligence. Ai has become somewhat of a buzzword in recent years, and now its full potential is being tapped into in order to help you play better golf.
Using real data gathered from thousands of golfers, Callaway has created an Ai smart face. What does the smart face do? Good question; well, according to Callaway, instead of there being one sweet spot in the centre, the new face has a variety of sweet spots in order to provide an extra level of forgiveness. Sounds pretty smart, right? we would have to agree, but in order to test Callaway's claims, we had to take the club for a test run to see if it lived up to the claim.
To do so, we took the hybrid out on the course and then took a closer look at the data down at Custom Golf Works in Woking on a QC Quad launch monitor.
Let's get into it.
Player Level
Due to its low centre of gravity, this is one of the lowest spinning hybrids of 2024, making it an ideal fit for medium to high-swing-speed players.
Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max hybrid
Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max Hybrid: Looks and Feel
The first thing we noticed when looking down at the Max hybrid was how compact the head was. Despite Callaway claiming the profile has been enlarged, the head looks very sleek with a classic half-moon shape.
We also found that, similarly to the Max fairway wood and driver, the head lies quite closed. Personally, we prefer the club to sit slightly more open, but that's purely our preference. While we were slightly concerned this position might overly emphasise our natural draw shape, we are pleased to report we experienced no such issues.
The overall finish of the crown is very simple. The matte black design features a small white alignment aid to help frame the ball and Ai Smoke branding close to the hosel. If we were being picky, much like the fairway wood and driver, we would have done away with this branding to give the overall appearance a cleaner look, but again, this was only a very small issue.
Flip the club over, and the design really comes alive.
The centrepiece of the design is an electric blue weight flanked by chrome panels that compliment the blue beautifully. The shiny chrome finish is also paired well with the dark grey matte portions that contrast the more vibrant details superbly.
Callaway branding is located near the toe of the club, and the Ai Smoke text is also featured centrally in the range's trademark blue.
All in all, despite the lack of marbled carbon fibre detailing that we have seen on the driver and fairway wood, this hybrid stands out as one of the cleanest designs, both in hand and at address.
Thanks to the tungsten speed cartridge, this hybrid feels very punchy. Across the face, you receive a crisp, clean sensation at impact, which could also be described as quite springy.
The overall feel of the Max hybrid is very satisfying and hard to fault, and it's positioned itself nicely as one of the best-feeling hybrids on the market in 2024.
Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max Hybrid
Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max Hybrid: Performance and Forgiveness
Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max Hybrid
When it comes to distance and forgiveness, the Max is one of the best on the market. As you can see from the results above, it performed admirably during testing, producing outstanding speed and spin rates.
While it may not be the longest hybrid we have tested this year, it came in a very close second and also produced a very piercing ball flight, which proved very stable in windy conditions.
Remarkably, the Max was actually one of the slowest hybrids we tested; however, thanks to the excellent forgiveness on offer from across the face, it managed to produce outstanding distance numbers, which is a testament to how well it can perform even on off-centre strikes.
We also found that the Max produced a very neutral flight. Despite looking very closed at address compared to its competitors, we found even with our natural draw shape, the flight was very straight, only moving between five and ten yards in the air.
This ability to keep the ball straight was a massive positive for us, as we have experienced overly draw-biased hybrids in the past that have accentuated our shape more than we would have liked.
Overall, the Max was one of the best performers of 2024, and it has set the bar incredibly high for its competitors.
Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max Hybrid
Should you buy the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max Hybrid?
If you are looking for a hybrid that not only looks great but also produces a long, straight ball flight with low spin, then the Paradym Ai Smoke Max could be perfect for you.
Coming in at £299, it is one of the most expensive on the market, but it certainly provides plenty of bang for your buck.
