50 Words or Less
The Callaway Paradym hybrid produces impressive ball speeds – even without perfect contact. New Cutwave Sole enhances performance in tough turf conditions. Smallish fairway look, powerful sound.
Check out the new Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke hybrid HERE
Introduction
With hybrids showing up in more and more touring professionals’ bags, it’s no surprise that OEMs have put more emphasis on the category. Callaway’s offering of just two hybrid models in the Paradym lineup, down from three in the Rogue series, may seem contrary. But Callaway designers are smart – really smart – and have added adjustability along with a host of other technology features to their latest offerings. In this review I’ll focus on the standard model Paradym hybrid.
Looks
The Callaway Paradym hybrid has a lovely round silhouette that’s more akin to a small version of a fairway wood. The gloss black crown is adorned with a classic Callaway chevron that denotes the center of the strike zone. Face on, the hybrid has well balanced proportions that communicate “hit me out of the rough or off a tee – I’m good either way.”
The sole of the hybrid is very reminiscent of the Paradym fairway wood [full review HERE] with its CutWave Sole midsection, gold tungsten weight pod, and “Jailbreak AI.” I was a bit critical of the Paradym headcover in my fairway review, but it has a lot of bag appeal at the smaller hybrid scale.
Sound & Feel
Raking in a few balls on the range with the Paradym hybrid, my ears were picking up a hollow sounding metallic ‘tink’. The hollowness completely disappeared with my first swing, switching to a mid-pitch “TINK” that resembled a hammer strike on an anvil. Off-center strikes were duller, but still sounded powerful.
A solid feel aligned nicely with the sound. Feedback to my hands was subtle – in a good way. To me it reflects a club that’s built for consistency.
Performance
I love those first few swings with a new club where my mind is free – free of expectations and free from swing thoughts. I find that first handful of swings allows the club to do the speaking. The Paradym hybrid said “take a look at those numbers,” so I did. 1.51, 1.51, 1.50… it wasn’t until my fifth swing – an over the top fatty – that my smash dropped below 1.5. Whether dead centered or just fair contact, my ball speeds remained strong.
Seeing similar results in my Paradym fairway testing, I have no hesitation stating that the all-new Jailbreak Batwing technology is legit. Moving the stiffening elements to the perimeter, thus allowing the face to flex more, delivers faster ball speeds. And equally important for most golfers, fast speeds over a larger area of the face.
Speaking of the face, Callaway again utilized A.I. in the design process to optimize not only the speed, but also spin. To consistently deliver spin in the mid-zone, Callaway positioned the CoG low and forward by means of a Tungsten Speed Cartridge located forward in the sole.
Find even more forgiveness in the Callaway Paradym X hybrid HERE
That low CoG made it easy for me to get the ball airborne from the fairway or rough. To enhance turf interaction Callaway employed an all-new Cutwave Sole. The groovy name may seem more apropos for a surf board, but the fluted rails did fulfill Callaway’s objective “to cut through the turf with ease.” And not only did it help maintain clubhead speed through the grass, it kept the club head square to my target line.
As I became more comfortable with the Paradym hybrid, my dispersion tightened and I was actually hitting a slight fade. The Paradym hybrid responded nicely when I attempted to work the ball left or even further right. To finish off my testing, I engaged the adjustable hosel, added a degree of loft, and was instantly hitting my more typical straight ball.
Conclusion
What really stood out to me was the consistency of the Callaway Paradym hybrid. That’s not to say I don’t appreciate the power, but getting repeatable performance even when I don’t hit the face dead center is highly rewarding. And for those of us who occasionally miss the fairway, the Cutwave Sole is a really nice feature. For golfers across the skill spectrum, the Callaway Paradym hybrid is worthy of serious consideration.
Visit Callaway HERE
Callaway Paradym Driver Price & Specs
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8 Comments
Matt, wonderful review of a great club, thank you. I have the Paradym 4 and 5 hybrids (21* & 24*) and find all of the points you make accurate. After having both Callaway Rogue hybrid generations, plus their Epic and Mavrik hybrids, I can say this is Callaway’s best work (plus I find it a beautiful club). Lastly, the HZRDUS Gen 4 shafts are excellent too. I have the Graphite Design Tour AD HY shaft in one (75-S, I’m in my 60’s, 8 hcp) and the Gen 4 (65g, 5.5) in the other and find the performance comparable, especially price-adjusted.
I just put the Paradym X 5-hybrid in my bag. And agree with everything in this article. I has replaced my 5-iron & 3-hybrid. It’s adjustable, accurate on good contact & very forgiving on mis-hits.
How does it compare with the Maverick Max Hybrid?
I didn’t review – or hit – the Mavrik Max Garry, so I can’t offer anything more than you can glean from reading that review. If you get the chance to hit each of them, let us know your thoughts.
– Meeks
Looking forward to trying them. Enjoy my Rouge ST Max 5 and 6 hybrids now with Tensei Blue 65g regular flex shafts. Not a big fan of Hzrdus shafts, but maybe they’ve improved from the ones they had on the Maverik and Epic lines…
The Rogue St Max 6 hybrid has a 26 degree loft, and I believe the paradigm 6 hybrid has a 27° loft. I wish they would have had an adjustable hostle on the road. ST max hybrids.
Thanks for the review. I am not sure if you had a chance to hit the Paradym fairways but if so, how would you compare the two? I understand its a bit apples and oranges but I am in between a Paradym fairway 5W or hybrid. In general, I hit both very similar and don’t have a problem getting the ball high. Thanks.
Dan,
We have a review of the Paradym FW here: https://pluggedingolf.com/callaway-paradym-fairway-wood-review/
Best,
Matt