Callaway Paradym Fairway Review

The engineering here is genuinely unusual for a fairway wood. Callaway took the sole out of steel and made it from forged carbon composite, then moved the internal Jailbreak structure out to the perimeter in a batwing shape so the body stiffens while the face and sole stay free to flex. Between them those two changes free a serious amount of mass, and it went into a tungsten weight low and deep. The result is a club that produces the highest ball speeds in its class off both the tee and the deck, with a launch window that suits a player who struggles to elevate a 3 wood.

Turf interaction is good rather than exceptional, and a slightly heavy strike is punished more than it is by the best rails and sole shapes. The sound is the weak point, a bright metallic crack that some players find cheap. Four lofts and an eight way hosel cover the fitting. At $349.99 it delivers more distance per dollar than almost anything of its era.