The elusive sweet spot is the dead center of a golf club and the attendant musical “whack” that accompanies a well-struck and -compressed shot. As I’ve grown older and my clubhead speed has slowed down to a snail’s pace, I’ve had a hard time producing both distance and altitude with my irons, a state of affairs that has sometimes soured me on the game, though of course I’ll never stop trying to return to the glory days of my youth.
But just when disappointment and despair were curbing my zeal for golf, along comes Callaway with their new Paradym Ai Smoke HL irons, tailor-made (excuse the pun) for players who pray for higher launch, more distance (who doesn’t want that?) and consistent ball-striking. Along with a realization that my old preference for stiff shafts no longer matched my swing speed, I’ve recently started using the Smoke HL’s with a Project X Cypher graphite shaft and dramatically changed my ball flight and carry overnight! Hallelujah.
For the record, I had been playing the Paradym X with a regular steel shaft and loved both the forgiveness and workability that the “forged face” offered. Pure forged irons are above my pay grade at this point, but I loved the soft feel and player’s look of the X’s. The Smoke HL’s are definitely a game improvement design, but without apologies: the company used data collected from thousands of real golfers to incorporate face orientation, swing speed and club delivery, resulting in a face that launches higher and with more spin. No argument from me on that score!
As a result of all that number-crunching, Callaway was able to increase the club length in the long and mid irons without giving up control. When the clubs are even a half-inch longer, distance follows, aided by the Ai Smart Face and a deep cavity-back construction to create tight dispersion. Those with moderate swing speeds (guilty as charged!) will benefit greatly from these design elements, while the longer blade length and optimal sole and topline widths create a clean look at address.
Give credit to the sci-fi eggheads in Callaway’s r&d department for the genius of the Paradym HL’s, but also their handy supercomputer that simulated untold thousands of impacts to create a face that improves launch and spin and thus keeps the ball in the air longer. For those of us who dream of hitting high, feathery shots into Augusta’s unforgiving greens, these irons are heaven-sent. Forgiveness, distance and more spin? Yes please! For the record, the Smoke HL’s have literally restored my faith in my game, and addicted me to the pleasures of golf once again. Will wonders never cease?
By David Weiss
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