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Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Irons & Hybrids Review

SuperStroke
PPFour12 said:
It’s loud indoors. It’s a little jarring at first. I’ll be honest - this was the first really positive session I’ve had with the irons. I put mostly good swings out there and finally got a feel for what to expect. And I like it. So I finally got a feel for the real sound on good contact.

They’re super easy to launch with a reasonably good swing, huh? It’s pretty impressive.

I’m also shocked at how much I love the PW and the AW compared to the Apex.
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They don’t sound nearly as jarring outdoors as in an enclosed space, but I understand where you are coming from
 
Surfinguru said:
Stopped by PGASS today and got to hit a std 7i Smoke. WOW! Really impressed with these. They look really good at address and feel pretty darn good even on mishits.

I’m currently playing the Apex DCB’s and my 7i there is right around 150yds. I really dislike hitting indoors, but was hitting the Smoke a good 10+ yds further than my DCB. I’m sure a proper fitting would really dial in that number and dispersion. I’ve been waiting for a std Apex refresh, but these are solid contenders!

I also got to hit the Apex Pro in 7i. Really nice club, and it’s good to know that I “can” hit these. Distance was just about the same as my DCB, maybe about 5yd less. They are small though and really let you know when you miss. At my age and where I’m at with my game, I’m just not sure it’s worth it to pass on the distance and forgiveness that the Smoke irons have to offer. Just need to see that email for the demo day at our club. Unless the fitter can work some magic with the Pro’s, I’ll be trading in the DCB’s for some new Ai Smoke gear.
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Thats a pretty good gain and if you like the look and feel, solid play.
Let us know how the demo day goes.
 
Whoo! Hot diggity! Just got the email for our demo day. Feb 28th. Someone's going to be getting new clubs!
 
Surfinguru said:
Whoo! Hot diggity! Just got the email for our demo day. Feb 28th. Someone's going to be getting new clubs!
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That’s fun. Let us know how it goes
 
Hit the Ai Smoke irons again today and really liking them. Looks good at address. Maybe a slightly thicker top line, but something I can definitely play. Back is hidden very well.

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These irons are really solid and I’ve enjoyed the few times I’ve hit them. Carry is further overall and more consistent even on the misses way off center. There were some shots where I missed so bad, but was surprised by the result. Spin dropped off quite a bit down to low 4000s at times, but played around with different shafts and was able to bring it back up. The good shots with the Ai Smoke felt pretty damn good.

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Hoping to find some time tomorrow and hit the hybrids that everyone is raving about.
 
PPFour12 said:
Re: sound. It just tells you when you’re wrong. The sound of these irons flushed is really nice. It jumps off of the face. They’re super forgiving on mishits but it’s almost like they have a clicky little alarm telling me to do better.
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I like this description a lot
 
Range day today and I didn’t really have “it” but these are still forgiving. I agree with @PPFour12 in that I know I was hitting them poorly because of sound/feel but they were still acceptable shots. But boy, when I did hit a good one, it really had me chasing that feeling. Like the driver, the feel/sound of a center strike is addictive.
 
oumagic said:
Range day today and I didn’t really have “it” but these are still forgiving. I agree with @PPFour12 in that I know I was hitting them poorly because of sound/feel but they were still acceptable shots. But boy, when I did hit a good one, it really had me chasing that feeling. Like the driver, the feel/sound of a center strike is addictive.
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Totally agree with this. A couple good ball striking days with these irons and I’m now fascinated. I want to experience that jump off of the club face more and more.
 
I had a long fitting session on Wednesday and tried the Smoke AIs - did like the look and the feel others have described here is quite accurate. When you miss, they definitely let you know. I was swinging pretty quick for me (84-85 with the irons) and did see some significant distance gains. That said, the spin was just too low and the front to back dispersion was not great (in part because of the low spin I suspect).
 
oumagic said:
Range day today and I didn’t really have “it” but these are still forgiving. I agree with @PPFour12 in that I know I was hitting them poorly because of sound/feel but they were still acceptable shots. But boy, when I did hit a good one, it really had me chasing that feeling. Like the driver, the feel/sound of a center strike is addictive.
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Think this is spot on for me. When I really strike these they feel amazing. I don’t quite feel that they are overly harsh on mishits but I get they don’t feel as good.

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Anyone turn the 4i into a driving iron?
 
Curious to see how I fare with the Smoke Max tomorrow on the GC3. A bit of a rough week activity wise, but every week has been incrementally better with it so far.

I want more gains tomorrow!!
 
Bryndom said:
Think this is spot on for me. When I really strike these they feel amazing. I don’t quite feel that they are overly harsh on mishits but I get they don’t feel as good.

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You can definitely tell that you didn't hit the sweet spot, but it's not harsh - it just doesn't feel sweet like it does when you hit one flush in the middle.
 
Trying to find a lower flight fairway finder off the tee and a “push it up the fairway” par 5 kind of club in that 17-19* slot. Considering building up a 4i or going with a hybrid like a Paradym, Rogue ST Pro, or Cobra King Tec. Seems like the AI Smoke Hybrids aren’t a great option for that, but the AI Smoke 4i might be.
 
POKeefe said:
Trying to find a lower flight fairway finder off the tee and a “push it up the fairway” par 5 kind of club in that 17-19* slot. Considering building up a 4i or going with a hybrid like a Paradym, Rogue ST Pro, or Cobra King Tec. Seems like the AI Smoke Hybrids aren’t a great option for that, but the AI Smoke 4i might be.
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If you get a chance try out the ai smoke hybrids. So forgiving, very fast. Just such a good club
 
JB said:
If you get a chance try out the ai smoke hybrids. So forgiving, very fast. Just such a good club
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They’ve promoted it as a bigger, high ball, Gi style hybrid which I’ve tried many times before and usually isn’t my favorite. I’ve got a ZX 4H that I do like as a pure 22* club, but would like something a bit hotter and lower flighted in that 18-19* slot. May just try another ZX though 🤷‍♂️ .

Anyway, the irons look like something special. Similar to like when they released the Rogue ST Pro’s.
 
Had these out again today. The hybrids are just work so well for me. My 4h is my 180 club from gapping and I’m seeing nearly that on every shot. I had no trouble spinning them enough to hold the greens on par 3s. And I was able to flight them down when needed to stay under the wind

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I put the 4 iron in the bag for one basic reason: To get easy distance and easy accuracy from any lie.

Two tee balls today that I wanted 220-230 out of the shot, shorter par 4s off the tee and both I chased a subtle 5-10 yard draw off the center. Nailed it both times.

Easy mode is in these irons.
 
I gotta stay out of this thread ;)
 
Just doing some messing around on the ST+ and one thing I feel like I really enjoy out of the Ai Smoke 7 I have is that I feel like I can very easily lay off of it to hit a yardage or can give it a little extra to hit a bomb ball with it. Back to back swings of messing with that and I was able to bomb it 169 carry and then lay off and 150. I took some screen caps of those two to illustrate my point, but I left my ipad upstairs and I'm too lazy to go get it.
 
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