it plays way up hill on approach.... not getting there in 2
Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Drivers
The Ai-smoke Max D continues to perform so well for me. I have been keeping my tee shots in play more and it is leading to much better scores. The sound and feel on center strikes is amazing and I can really get away with some poor strikes more than any driver I recall.
Really struggled with the AI Max for the first few weeks it was in the bag. It was better in the fitting my Ping G430 Max, but just wasn't able to get it to translate on the course. Decided to order some heavier weights just to see if that would spark anything.
I picked up the weights Friday night and finally got a chance to play on Sunday and man what a difference. First shot with it was 250 right down the middle into a club wind. That's a really good drive for me with my swing speed. Highlight of the round was a par 5 down wind. 285 center stripe. It's been a long time since I was able to legitimately go for that green in two. Very happy with the results so far.
I picked up the weights Friday night and finally got a chance to play on Sunday and man what a difference. First shot with it was 250 right down the middle into a club wind. That's a really good drive for me with my swing speed. Highlight of the round was a par 5 down wind. 285 center stripe. It's been a long time since I was able to legitimately go for that green in two. Very happy with the results so far.
Just one round in but I'm very happy with the 9.0° head and Denali shaft 
I wish I was that consistent with my driver
Not a great last two days with the driver. Yesterday was a scramble, so I won't put too much stock into that, but my round Sunday wasn't the best with the driver. Was fighting a bit of a left miss (though I did pull two balls to the right on the day). I think that I just need to focus a bit more on my setup as I think that the ball is creeping back in my stance just a bit. Still, I definitely do see a forgiveness boost on the toe compared to my ZX5 Mk II driver. I also played from the tips on Sunday and still scored okay despite not having the best driving day.
Had my best day of driving since getting the GolfTec lesson at a scramble recently. We used my tee ball on 16 of 18 holes. This driver is working well now that I'm getting to a better position at the top of my backswing
That's some good driving
SpartyMatt
Member
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2024
- Messages
- 74
- Reaction score
- 31
I have the D. Mind if I ask what shaft you are using?
I think the performance of this driver is just so well documented here, I hope everyone has seen it. I wanted to give a bit of feedback of what I hope Callaway *keeps* from this driver for all future editions.
There were a number of brand new things that came out with the AI Smoke drivers that I see as technological revolutions that I hope continue:
Just wanted to do a slightly different review of what I love about this driver, that I hope to continue to see in Callaway's lineup
There were a number of brand new things that came out with the AI Smoke drivers that I see as technological revolutions that I hope continue:
- AI designed faces - this helped remove jailbreak and saved weight that was added for better forgiveness and performance
- Swing Code - testing the AI design based on not just robot testing but real player swings to improve the experience of the golfers that get these drivers
- AI Iterations - as explained to us, they kept iterating on AI designs until they couldn't see measurable improvement in dispersion and distance (for these drivers that was 50k iterations, but may differ in the future). Keeping the commitment of iterating until it is as good as it gets is what I hope we continue to see
- Micro Deflections - these sound like marketing speak but I really credit the dispersion and forgiveness performance to how the face is designed. I live ALL over the face and knowing that there's a spot designed for me near where the ball will be struck gives me a ton of confidence
- Carbon in the driver design - the Carbon Chassis saved a lot of weight that again was distributed to other places. I've had no durability or issues with the chassis and I hope we continue to see innovation in saving weight and moving it where it's needed
- Weight adjustability - this is always an fun debate. Adjustability costs weight for a slider or screw which could be used elsewhere to improve the performance. However, it is something a LOT of golfers want (just in case) I hope some form continues to exist so that we can tweak and test different settings with the driver
- Callaway adapter - Callaway's adapter I think is the best in the business, being able to change the settings without altering the alignment of the grip and shaft is something I cherish and hope remains!
Just wanted to do a slightly different review of what I love about this driver, that I hope to continue to see in Callaway's lineup
Are we using the shaft driver/wood shafts? Twins!
- Joined
- Sep 11, 2013
- Messages
- 80,327
- Reaction score
- 97,261
- Location
- Ponte Vedra, Florida
- Handicap
- 12.5
I continue to be amazed by just how much the Ai Smoke Max has transformed my game off the tee. My confidence with driver in hand is at an all time high. Don’t get me wrong I do lose one way right or left at times, but that is more of a swing thing versus a driver thing.
Let’s look at some stats:
FIR 2024 (Ai Smoke Max) - 66%
FIR 2023 (Rogue Max D) - 51%
Avg Disrance (Ai Smoke Max) - 248yds
Avg Distance (Rogue Max D) - 229yds
Strokes Gained (Ai Smoke Max) - 2.29
Strokes Gained (Rogue ST Max D) - 1.08
I’m honestly not sure where Callaway can go to improve with this latest line in the Ai Smoke.
Stats are trending well up!!!! That’s great to see! Gained quite a few yards also!
Those are the factors that have really improved my tee game this year. Yes, % of fairways hit has gone up compared to last year, but even more significant than that has been how many fewer penalty strokes I've taken from errant tee shots and how the Ai Smoke has diminished the severity of my misses. A lot of my missed fairways have only been by a few yards or less, so I'm not putting myself in bad positions as often. Of course I still end up in those spots sometimes when I hit a real stinker that no driver could save, but overall the forgiveness is nothing short of amazing.
Unsurprisingly for a mid-handicap, my game is erratic and volatile - some days I'm hitting the ball well and smoking my drives, other days I'm just off and can't seem to find the center of the face. I love the bombs I hit on the good days, but it's those bad days when the Ai Smoke really shows its magic by keeping me in play and rewarding me with a lot better results than I deserve.
- Joined
- Sep 11, 2013
- Messages
- 80,327
- Reaction score
- 97,261
- Location
- Ponte Vedra, Florida
- Handicap
- 12.5
I think the eye opener for me is the consistency. While increased distance is great hitting second shots from the fairway leads to better GIR
That’s the thing that still blows my mind is how good the misses are.
The good shots will always be good. It’s the other 80% that have been a huge difference maker with this club.
Birdman03
Well-known member
Those are impressive improvements! For comparing one driver vs another those are the numbers I like to see.
I can definitely believe that the AI Smoke is significantly better design/technology than the Rogue ST. However in my case I am comparing AI Smoke to Ping G430 Max and I have not been able to find a clear advantage.
Based on the reviews I have read the G430 is near the top in most categories as is the AI Smoke.
- Joined
- Sep 11, 2013
- Messages
- 80,327
- Reaction score
- 97,261
- Location
- Ponte Vedra, Florida
- Handicap
- 12.5
It has been very interesting as when I had the Rogue ST Max in the bag if you asked me I would have been told you I was happy. After almost a year of data I’m awe struck the improvements.
Yea makes the game more fun from the fairway! I have definitely seen consistently better dispersion!
I 100% agree, I am finding missing the fairway is rare unless I really check out. I was talking about doing a Titleist fitting in the future with a Titleist homer friend of mine the other day and he said you’d be wasting your money as this Ai Smoke TD Max just wants to go straight or can easily draw. Luv it!
That’s some great performance enhancements!