Callaway Elyte Drivers – Elyte, Elyte X, Elyte Max Fast and Elyte Triple Diamond

Without a doubt, the driver segment is in the midst of the biggest arms race we have seen since perhaps the move to 460cc. However, this time around that race is more nuanced and specialized than any of us could have ever dreamed. Every single manufacturer has their lane when it comes to the big dog, the concept to which they are hitching their wagon, but you would be hard pressed to find a company that has the swagger behind theirs like this one.  Today, the Callaway Elyte drivers are officially introduced.

That chip on the shoulder is rightfully earned though, as with each and every generation they have pushed the design envelope while continuing to build more success in worldwide tours. This time, where Ai Smoke was excellent, Callaway Golf is declaring that the “Future of Performance is Elyte”.  

Going Elyte

Callaway Elyte Drivers

Thanks to the debacle that is the USGA Conforming List, as well as some social media golf sleuths, you have more than likely seen the new Elyte drivers from Callaway and already formed some opinions based on the name, or maybe even the return of green as an accent color. However, trust me when I tell you, those pictures have given you no clue as to just what is going on under the hood.  

Callaway is working with the tagline, “Going from good to Elyte”, but being honest, that is short selling both what this new driver release is, as well as what the Ai SMOKE was. The brand is likening this lineup to their Tour staffer and superstar, Xander Schauffele, someone who has always been top-tier, but made it a point to go back and look at all aspects of his game to re-evaluate. The result there was a breakthrough winning two Majors this season, and with Callaway Golf taking the same path of re-evaluation, one of the biggest manufacturers on the planet feel they too are poised for a breakthrough with Elyte.   

Now, it needs to be understood that the belief Elyte puts them on the brink of a breakthrough is not at all a ding on what Ai Smoke has been. In fact, the past season that lineup has been on fire for Callaway, being lauded by Tour players, reviewers, and amateurs alike. The thing is, driver design has always been a trade off between speed or forgiveness, a give and take that has always improved with disruptive innovations, but always continued to exist. Callaway believes they have found a way to blend it all, eliminating the tradeoff battle to unlock the next generation of driver innovation.  

The Elements of Callaway Elyte Drivers

Yes, the green is back. Yes, it will be a love it or hate it thing, but do yourself a favor and don’t assume the return of the EPIC color scheme is a step back to that design concept because this is a new animal. Callaway believes they have everyone’s needs covered, with four different Callaway Elyte Drivers coming to market. The key to that is the implementation of advancements in shape, materials, and of course, AI.  

Callaway Elyte Drivers

When looking for speed we always think about CG location being key, and it is very important, but the shaping of a head is equally critical. Historically, when you make the shape faster it usually also means smaller, which impacts forgiveness via CG movement. The one short coming that Ai Smoke had for Callaway was it struggled in airflow, costing overall speed, so, the shape has changed. You will notice in all of the Elyte heads, the heel side now has a lower profile compared to the toe and the crown has been pulled a little higher and deeper as well.   

The face of the Callaway Elyte X Drivers

These changes were made possible by the two million dollar investment Callaway has made in 3D printing with their own machines to allow rapid prototyping. What used to take months to get a handful of heads made and tested, became seventy-five protos with the Elyte driver design, many iterations being done in just days. This many prototypes let the company find the most efficient shaping possible which was faster through the entire swing. Usually companies look for 0.2 MPH of head speed gains as a good improvement, Elyte has generated 1.3 MPH among testing across the spectrum of swing speeds. By the way, that gain is before the testers were fit/dialed in shaft wise.  

However, the key was still battling the historic tradeoff of the shape changing also raising the CG of the head. That, is where the material change comes into play with Elyte through the development of Thermoforged Carbon Fiber. This aerospace grade material is even lighter, stronger, and has a new level of precision molding potential which means more carbon wrapped around the perimeter. Why is that important? Because it let the titanium portions be moved to lower the CG compared to Ai Smoke, despite the shape change. This in the same broad skill testing by Callaway is yielding 2.1 MPH more ball speed across all swing speeds.  

The crown of the Callaway Elyte Drivers

All of this is tied together in a bow with AI. The Smoke release was a massive leap in innovation with Ai Smart Face creating multiple “micro deflection” sweet spots all across the hitting surface. This year with Ai10x there are 10x more control points, meaning more data entered into the AI systems refining the Callaway “Swing Code”. The results are more micro deflection zones than ever, all across the face, improving the spin consistency and downrange dispersion. Where MOI is the trendy marketing term, Callaway prefers dispersion as the average golfer can digest that better, and Elyte has 19% tighter dispersion than Ai Smoke.

The face difference between Callaway Elyte Drivers and Ai Smoke

As mentioned, there will be four different driver heads offered in the Elyte release from Callaway, but we will get to those momentarily as there is another very cool tidbit to discuss first. Along with the other premium shaft offerings we will present, Callaway is also the exclusive launch partner with ARETERA for their new EC1 driver shafts. The EC1 uses “CONTROL CENTR™” technology to provide a smooth balanced feel with higher launch conditions while still minimizing spin on off center strikes and providing consistent contact with fluid loading.  What will be a $320.00 premium shaft upon its release, will be available in all Elyte drivers for just a $100.00 upcharge.  

Callaway Elyte Driver 

Callaway Elyte Driver sole

This is the meat and potatoes driver of the Elyte lineup, the one that will fit the biggest portion of golfers. The Elyte will be offered in 9, 10.5, and 12 degree options for both RH and LH golfers. The head is built on being fast with high MOI as well as low spin. According to Callaway, this is an extremely neutral clubhead.  

The Elyte showcases the new Thermoforged Carbon crown in matte, a Titanium sole, and a new adjustable perimeter weighting system which has been cleaned up and simplified. The adjustable weighting in this particular head will have three locations in the rear for draw, neutral, and fade options. Additionally, the Elyte head also has a single forward weight port in the sole and Opti-Fit adjustability as well.  

Shaft options for Elyte will be the Project X Denali Charcoal (50 – R/S, 60 – S/X), Mitsubishi Chemical Vanquish (40 – R2), or the upcharge Aretera EC1 Blue (65 – S/X, 75 – S/X).  

Callaway Elyte X Driver

Callaway Elyte X Driver sole

The Elyte X is a bit of a new animal, while it is built around speed as well as high MOI and a draw bias, this is not simply the new Max D. Offered in 9, 10.5, and 12 degree lofts for RH and LH golfers, this showcases all the bells and whistles of the matte Thermoforged Carbon crown, Titanium sole, and refined adjustable weighting with neutral and draw locations along with Opti-Fit adapter.  

While this technically replaces the Max D from the Smoke lineup, the head as whole aims to be much a much broader fitting option. According to Callaway, with the adjustable weight in the draw setting it is more left than the Max D, but in neutral it is also more right than last time around. Not only that, even though 10K is not one of the main talking points here, this is the head capable of hitting that number with correct weight setup.  

Shaft options will be the Project X Denali Charcoal (50 – R/S, 60 – S/X), Mitsubishi Chemical Vanquish (40 – R2/R), or the upcharge Aretera EC1 Blue (65 – S/X, 75 – S/X).  

Callaway Elyte MAX FAST Driver

Callaway Elyte Max Fast driver

The MAX FAST offering isn’t likely to be the most talked about of the Elyte lineup, but personally I love that it is becoming a staple of the main release rather than an after the fact one as we have seen at times in the past. The head will be offered in 10.5 and 12 degrees for both dexterities and is all about speed.  

This is the lightest head weight and total weight of the Elyte drivers with high MOI as well, achieved via the matte Thermoforged Carbon crown, a carbon fiber sole, and new adjustable weighting with neutral and draw options. Perhaps biggest of all though, this head now includes the Opti-Fit adjustable hosel.  

Shaft options are the Mitsubishi Chemical Vanquish (40 – R2) or Mitsubishi Chemical Eldio (40 – L). 

Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond Driver

Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond Driver

Admit it, you were worried for a moment, you shouldn’t have been though, of course the Triple Diamond is back. Not only is it back, but it has become a staple in drivers being the #1 model in both usage on global tours as well as #1 in global wins. With 11 Majors, 98 Tour wins, a Gold Medal, and a Grand Slam to its name, the Triple Diamond is going nowhere. However, it is ever evolving.  

The 450cc head will be offered in 8, 9, and 10.5 for right handed golfers with 9 and 10.5 for our lefty friends and it also showcases the tour preferred shape we have come to expect. It features a 360 carbon chassis with gloss finish crown and also continues to use the dual weight screw sole design as well as the Opti-Fit adapter. What has changed though is just how neutral the Triple Diamond is now, with the Elyte version being so straight in testing Callaway was as first concerned it may not be workable for their Tour staff, though testing proved that a non-issue.  

Overall, this head remains about speed maximization with low spin, but the technology is making it more accessible for golfers of all skill levels with each new generation. Shaft options will be the Project X Denali Charcoal (50 – S), Mitsubishi Chemical Tensei 1K Black (65 – S/X, 75 – S/X), or the upcharge Aretera EC1 Blue (65 – S/X, 75 – S/X).  

The Details

As you can see, the Callaway Elyte drivers are not just a filler release. No, the company has bigger expectations than ever for this release, believing they have truly had a breakthrough in what is possible for driver design for blending speed and forgiveness. All models will be available for pre-sale on 1/17/25 and will hit retail on 1/24/25. Price point on the Elyte, Elyte X, and Elyte MAX FAST will be $599.99 with the Elyte Triple Diamond at $649.99. 

For more information, head over to www.callawaygolf.com.

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James is a staff writer for The Hackers Paradise along with being a professional educator. With his background in education James seeks to broaden his own knowledge while also sharing it with all those who share his passion for the game.