Review: Callaway Paradym AI Smoke Max Fairway
By Golf Expert
Harrison Lipson
11 photos
The Curated Take
4.6/5
The Callaway Paradym AI Smoke Max Fairway is an excellent choice for a wide range of golfers, offering above-average forgiveness, consistent distance, and ease in shaping shots. The AI technology adapts the clubface to cater to mishits, ensuring that even off-center hits maintain a consistent flight path and distance. The smokey design adds a sleek aesthetic appeal. However, the club has a heavy head, which may not suit all players. Overall, its adaptability, forgiveness, and consistency make it a reliable and attractive option for golfers seeking to improve their game on the course.
Ideal for
- Makes shaping shots easier
- Above average forgiveness
- Consistent distance
Not ideal for
- Heavy head
Forgiveness
My first time swinging this club, I did not hit the ball well at all, and this only made me like the club even more. Most of my mishits were...Read more
Feel
Swinging the AI Smoke for the first time was a great feeling. I finished a smooth swing and didn't feel the ball bounce off the clubface when I hit the...Read more
Workability
I primarily hit fades with my woods, and the AI Smoke is a very easy club to continue this preference with. While hitting on the simulator and the driving range,...Read more
Distance
This club aligns with the rest of the AI Smoke series. The AI technology used to analyze where golfers commonly mishit on the face is used to build up those...Read more
Sound
Overall, the sound is consistent with mishits. It's nothing too alarming outside the usual ding if I come off the top or bottom of the club. When I hit the...Read more
Curated Experts are not sponsored by brands. Their reviews are based on their honest experiences testing products.
Harrison Lipson
About the woods
- Model: Callaway Paradym AI Smoke Max Fairway Wood
Test conditions
- Where I’ve used it: I've used this club on an indoor simulator, at an outdoor driving range off grass, and on a golf course (tee box and fairway).
- How many times I've used it: 6
Expert Reviews of the Callaway Paradym AI Smoke Max Fairway Wood
Harrison Lipson The Callaway Paradym AI Smoke Max Fairway meets many expectations for any range of golfers. The AI technology used to adapt the clubface to cater around mishits allows the ball to fly off the face. This forgiveness allows golfers to shape shots more easily without missing the sweet spot and shanking. No matter what part of the clubface the ball comes off of, distance is very consistent, making this a reliable club to have in the bag. The smokey bottom of the clubface is an aesthetic touch that adds to club's slick look. Overall, this adaptable, forgiving, and consistent club will benefit any player on the course.
Product Specs
| Gender | Men's |
| Used (Y/N) | No |
| Club Type | Woods |
| Shaft Material | Graphite |
| Model year | 2024 |
| Warranty | 2 Years |
Review Ratings
Forgiveness
4/5
Harrison Lipson gave 4 of 5 stars. My first time swinging this club, I did not hit the ball well at all, and this only made me like the club even more. Most of my mishits were off the toe, and the club helped keep them at a consistent distance and flight path. No huge slices or hooks came from missing the sweet spot, and the distance stayed very similar with good hits (+/- 10-yard difference). The heel brought a different story, though. Having a couple of bad shots come off the heel was not as forgiving directionally, but the distance still remained in the average spread. Golfers should understand that this type of forgiveness is not standard in every golf club, and the AI smoke is above average in forgiveness but not perfect.
Feel
5/5
Harrison Lipson gave 5 of 5 stars. Swinging the AI Smoke for the first time was a great feeling. I finished a smooth swing and didn't feel the ball bounce off the clubface when I hit the sweet spot. Not many fairway woods have this elite feeling, and it is a nice pat on the back when I hit a good shot.
Workability
5/5
Harrison Lipson gave 5 of 5 stars. I primarily hit fades with my woods, and the AI Smoke is a very easy club to continue this preference with. While hitting on the simulator and the driving range, I decided to try a few draws and see how they worked. The forgiveness around the whole clubface made it easier to commit to a shot and know the club will help where possible. Although the club may have helped me hit a clean draw, being able to choose my flight path showed how easy it was to work this club for the golfer holding it.
Distance
5/5
Harrison Lipson gave 5 of 5 stars. This club aligns with the rest of the AI Smoke series. The AI technology used to analyze where golfers commonly mishit on the face is used to build up those spots for more forgiveness and added distance. This allows golfers to swing the club confidently, knowing that the distance will stay consistent around their number even if they miss the clubface's sweet spot. When I swing this club, whether I miss the middle of the face or not, all of my shots are within a +/- 15-yard range.
Sound
4/5
Harrison Lipson gave 4 of 5 stars. Overall, the sound is consistent with mishits. It's nothing too alarming outside the usual ding if I come off the top or bottom of the club. When I hit the sweet spot, though, I notice little to no noise from the ball. I could be distracted from my good shots, but I notice the club's feel tells me how I hit the ball more reliably than the sound does. This is not bad, but this will be a hard adjustment for players still figuring out the feel.
FAQs
What do you love about this product?
Harrison Lipson There are a lot of things to love about the Callaway Paradym AI Smoke Max Fairway. For starters, incorporating AI to analyze where golfers mainly mishit across the clubface allowed Callaway to add more forgiveness and bounce to these areas to help golfers hit consistent shots without sacrificing distance when the ball isn't coming off the middle of the face. This comforting factor gives golfers confidence when they approach a shot, knowing that their yardages should remain constant even if they miss the center of the face. On top of all of these features is the aesthetics. The smoke design on the bottom is a nice touch to draw attention to a club with a lot of technology inside.
What was your favorite moment with this gear?
Harrison Lipson My favorite moment with this club came at the driving range. My good friend, who started golfing very recently, was gifted this for his birthday because of the good reviews his friends read about it. This club not only added distance to hit shots but gave a smooth feeling for someone who doesn't like swinging woods. Seeing my friend step over the ball confidently, with a club he hasn't historically hit well, and effortlessly gain distance on his shots made me a fan of this club.
Why did you choose this product?
Harrison Lipson I chose this fairway wood for three main reasons: forgiveness, aesthetics, and feel. The AI gathered statistics allowed Callaway to put forgiveness throughout the entire clubface and focus on the most needed spots. The aesthetics also drew me towards this club. Coming from an old fairway wood that was one solid color across the top and bottom of the clubhead, the smoke design on the bottom was very appealing, and it was topped by the black chrome on the top of the face. The looks may have brought me to the club, but the feel made me want to stay. Hitting the ball with this club was smooth and effortless, barely being able to feel the ball when I hit the center of the face. Overall, I chose the Callaway Paradym AI Smoke Max Fairway because all the factors are hard to beat.
What is the value for the money versus other options?
Harrison Lipson Overall, the Paradym AI Smoke Max Fairway is priced very similarly to many of the newer fairway woods on the market. The average price for a stock AI Smoke Max is about $350, which is similar to the TaylorMade Qi10 (~$350) and the PING G430 (~$350). All of these choices have the newest technology implemented in their clubs. Still, only Callaway has used AI analytics to implement where to put the most forgiveness in its clubface. This edge alone makes the AI Smoke a slightly better value for the same price as the other Max fairway woods on the market.
