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Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Fairway Wood Review

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SuperStroke
Jeff Spicoli said:
I continue to be impressed with the Smoke TD 3w. I played 9 today and hit it twice off the tee and once off the deck. The shot off the deck was the best shot I’ve hit with a 3w in a while. I had to hit a high fade around a corner and get it to land and hold on the green. I have a tendency to overdo the fade with that type of shot but was able to control it and carry it onto the green and it only rolled out about 15 feet from 270.

The Smoke 3w with the Apex UW at 19* is an absolute stellar combination for me. I’m getting great distance with the Smoke 3w and the forgiveness is a step up from the Paradym TD.
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Just a 270 yard fade off the deck. No biggie. :LOL:
 
Still waiting for my TD 3 and 5 woods, and posts like the last one are making it difficult!
 
COmedic said:
Still waiting for my TD 3 and 5 woods, and posts like the last one are making it difficult!
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Hopefully it will arrive soon. It’s worth the wait though. They are the best performing fairways I’ve hit.
 
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Jeff Spicoli said:
I continue to be impressed with the Smoke TD 3w. I played 9 today and hit it twice off the tee and once off the deck. The shot off the deck was the best shot I’ve hit with a 3w in a while. I had to hit a high fade around a corner and get it to land and hold on the green. I have a tendency to overdo the fade with that type of shot but was able to control it and carry it onto the green and it only rolled out about 15 feet from 270.

The Smoke 3w with the Apex UW at 19* is an absolute stellar combination for me. I’m getting great distance with the Smoke 3w and the forgiveness is a step up from the Paradym TD.
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The 3HL is such a reliable club off the deck for me. I can't lay claim to 270 yard bombs onto the green, but today we were playing a 473 yard par 5 and I hit the 3HL for my second shot after a 238 yard drive, ended up about 20 yards short of the green. I'm not used to being that close to the green in 2 on par 5s, it's a good feeling.
 
Anyone see something here? This is at Riviera btw.
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BigMac said:
The 3HL is such a reliable club off the deck for me. I can't lay claim to 270 yard bombs onto the green, but today we were playing a 473 yard par 5 and I hit the 3HL for my second shot after a 238 yard drive, ended up about 20 yards short of the green. I'm not used to being that close to the green in 2 on par 5s, it's a good feeling.
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Some of us mere mortals would be very happy with those results. It is great that you are seeing such results with the 3HL.
 
BigMac said:
The 3HL is such a reliable club off the deck for me. I can't lay claim to 270 yard bombs onto the green, but today we were playing a 473 yard par 5 and I hit the 3HL for my second shot after a 238 yard drive, ended up about 20 yards short of the green. I'm not used to being that close to the green in 2 on par 5s, it's a good feeling.
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I hit one with my 3w Max D that was just a rocket off the face. I had 275 yds into a Par 5 and just came up about 15 yds short which resulted in a birdie. The more time I put in with this line the more confident I am becoming.
 
I’m going to Demo Days this weekend at a local golf store. I may have some questions about the Max D.
 
💎💎💎 7W is a riot, but, I’m worried it might be TOO high flying for me at times. Might have to move from the Denali and see.
 
Just_Brad said:
Next up after today's irons camparison for the Paradym Ai Smoke, I wanted to look at how my old 3 wood fared against my new Paradym Ai Smoke 5 Wood and Heavenwood.

Another nagging thought after the fitting at ECPC, was that I might be missing out on something, or leaving something on the table by not having a 3 Wood in the bag. In fitting I put 3 of 4 bad swings on the ball with the 3 Wood, and we decided to switch to the 5 Wood slotted in behind driver, mainly for better turf interaction (hopefully with minimal performance drop off).

Part of this also plays into the large question I had after fitting, of if there were any gaps that we were missing. Going with Driver, 5 Wood, Heavenwood, and then to 5 iron honestly had me worried that there was some level of an unaddressed yardage gap in the top end of the bag. This was an attempt to try and answer another question that had been stuck in the back of my head.

Until today, I hadn't put my old 3W against new 5W, and it was time. Perform well, and either the old 3 Wood stays in the bag OR we go get fit for a Paradym Ai Smoke 3W or 3HL. Perform poorly? Well, that 3 Wood will be on the way out.

NEW: CALLAWAY PARADYM AI SMOKE 5 WOOD AND HEAVENWOOD - Tensei Blue, 65g, Regular flex
OLD: Cleveland Launcher HB Turbo 3 Wood - Miyazaki CKua, Regular Flex

I started with the 5 Wood, just to try and make sure the swing I was putting on each was similar. 5 Wood to start in the comparison, then 3 Wood, then Heavenwood.

All in all, I think today's swings were really typical of what we saw at ECPC. Problems with hitting the 3W consistently, and a 5W that more than covers for it (at least at the yardages that the current 3W was going.

The Ai Smoke 5 Wood and Heavenwood were just easier to hit, easier to make consistently better contact, and minimal dropoff in stats. Rather the Heavenwood outpaced the 3 Wood by itself, and the 5 wood improved upon the Heavenwood.

Zero Context - Quick Look Averaged Club to Club:
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So, by my eye, I don't think I need the 3 Wood slot. Looking at where it slots in (and inadvertently adding in some Driver numbers in there too), I don't know how much of a point there is in chasing a club to fill that gap between Driver and 5 Wood. I think maybe an unintended bonus to not being a bigger hitter, is that gap between driver carry and 3W/5W isn't crazy big. A total gap of like 30 yards from Driver to 5 Wood? Reasonable? Maybe at some point if my driver swing comes around, and I have like a 50 yard gap between driver and 5 Wood total distance, it might warrant it. As it sits, the HW would have probably been fine enough to eliminate the old 3W. And the 5W is an ok 10 yds past that.

Hoping that when the season comes around, the swings I am putting up now lead to even more improvement when I get to the course.

It is probably time to dump the old 3 Wood. If anything is going in that slot, it would probably be an Ai Smoke 3W or even a 3HL, but thats for a fitting to find out at another time.

I am curious though, what do you THPers think? Should I chase something that maybe isn't there, in needing the 3 Wood?
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I don't think you need a 3w at all. At least currently. You're smoking that 5w compared to your old 3w. And honestly, the HW is pretty close to your 5 as well. Though, I guess you could go 3w/HW if you really get curious about it
 
5w w/ Lin-Q Blue M40x is in hard ponder mode right now!
 
I hit the 7w 💎 out of the rough a few times and it got up quickly and respectable distance for the lie.
 
For you folks with the 5W max, what are you're thoughts? Is it the only FW you carry, or doing a 3/5 or even 5/7 or 5/9 combo?

I didn't have time to hit it but I saw the 5W max in the shop at the indoor range last night and it just looks like it could rip the ball off of any lie. That spot in the bag is a little troublesome for me at the moment, so it's a strong ponder.
 
hartman29 said:
For you folks with the 5W max, what are you're thoughts? Is it the only FW you carry, or doing a 3/5 or even 5/7 or 5/9 combo?

I didn't have time to hit it but I saw the 5W max in the shop at the indoor range last night and it just looks like it could rip the ball off of any lie. That spot in the bag is a little troublesome for me at the moment, so it's a strong ponder.
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I have the 5W Max, and the Heavenwood in the Max

I question my gapping on it. Maybe I shouldn't. I did t hit the 3W well in fitting for the 3 swings I took, and landed with the 5W instead.

I love the 5w indoors so far, and think the HW gaps in behind it good, but I wonder if I need something between driver and 5W to fill the gap though.
 
@BigMac I got to hit the Max D 3HL and Max D 7W today at a demo day. They are very good. The ball flight and numbers I was seeing were very good for me. I can see why you have been praising them here in the thread.
 
Bernoulli said:
@BigMac I got to hit the Max D 3HL and Max D 7W today at a demo day. They are very good. The ball flight and numbers I was seeing were very good for me. I can see why you have been praising them here in the thread.
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Glad you got a chance to try them! The "Max D" thing about the 3HL scared me, but it's probably the straightest FW I've ever hit. I had a few great shots with it again today, love that club when I just need to keep it straight and gobble up as much yardage as I can.
 
💎💎💎 7W reshaft needs to happen. 🤔
 
BigMac said:
Glad you got a chance to try them! The "Max D" thing about the 3HL scared me, but it's probably the straightest FW I've ever hit. I had a few great shots with it again today, love that club when I just need to keep it straight and gobble up as much yardage as I can.
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Literally took me three swings. It was that good.
 
Got my TD 3-wood in the mail yesterday and headed to hit it today! I ordered 1/2” short and requested D4 swing weight (honestly not that particular with head weights). I did pull the head to weigh it and it came in at 208 grams, with the front weight being 7 grams. Curious if this is where others are coming in at or if they adjusted?
 
Picked up an ai smoke 3w max HL on a whim bc sold my stealth 3w. Used it once in a round last week only off the tee. Nice and straight.
Took it to the sim yesterday and minus the one shot I tried to hit up on it off the tee this thing just goes. The feeling off the face and the sound are just awesome. Might need to put the triple D 7w in the bag too.
 

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My TD 3w showed up yesterday.

The pounding will have to wait, but I do want to hit some balls with it.
 
Took a few swings today and these sound amazing. Callaway really knocked out the sound on these and has the best sound I’ve heard to date on a wood.
 
hartman29 said:
For you folks with the 5W max, what are you're thoughts? Is it the only FW you carry, or doing a 3/5 or even 5/7 or 5/9 combo?

I didn't have time to hit it but I saw the 5W max in the shop at the indoor range last night and it just looks like it could rip the ball off of any lie. That spot in the bag is a little troublesome for me at the moment, so it's a strong ponder.
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I was at a Callaway demo day on Friday. I talked with the rep about gapping. For me, I hit the Max D 3HL very well. The Callaway rep suggested a 7W or Heavenwood as my next wood. That was based largely on the loft of the 3HL.
 
Golfers Anonymous said:
Took a few swings today and these sound amazing. Callaway really knocked out the sound on these and has the best sound I’ve heard to date on a wood.
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The sound really is pretty impeccable
 
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