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Jul 01, 2023

Callaway Paradym Star woods and irons are lighter for more distance

Every recreational golfer would love to step up to the tee and pound a drive down the middle with the power of Jon Rahm or hit iron shots with the laser-guided precision of Xander Schauffele or Rose

Every recreational golfer would love to step up to the tee and pound a drive down the middle with the power of Jon Rahm or hit iron shots with the laser-guided precision of Xander Schauffele or Rose Zhang. However, most of us lack the swing speed to create a 300-yard drive and don’t find the sweet spot in our irons often enough either.

Golfers who lack speed and who need to maximize forgiveness need equipment that is designed very differently than the gear made for elite golfers, which tends to be heavy, rigid and unforgiving on mis-hits. So, for several seasons, Callaway has offered ultra-lightweight equipment under the “Star” family, including the 2017 GBB Epic Star and 2021 Epic Star Max woods and irons. These clubs were designed for golfers who can get more overall distance by hitting higher shots and maximizing carry distance instead of roll.

Callaway has now released the Paradym Star woods and irons, a family of clubs that utilize the technologies found in this season’s Paradym drivers, fairway woods, hybrids and irons, along with ultra-lightweight components so slower-swinging golfers can generate more clubhead speed and more distance.

Callaway Paradym Star driver. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

Price: $699.99 with UST Mamiya ATTAS Speed Series 40 shaft and Winn Dri-Tac Lite gripSpecs: Titanium face with carbon fiber crown and 455 Carpenter steel cup face. 10.5 and 12.5 degrees

Like the standard version of the Paradym driver, the center portion of the Paradym Star is made entirely out of carbon fiber to allow engineers to shift extra weight to the back of the head, to increase stability. However, instead of sliding a 15-gram weight in the back of the head, Callaway added a 3-gram screw. The Paradym Star does, however, still have Callaway’s updated internal Jailbreak with Batwing system to help redirect more energy created at impact back into the ball.

Designing the Paradym Star with a lighter weight in the back, removing the tracking and forgoing an adjustable hosel helped Callaway design this driver to be 38 grams lighter than the standard Paradym. It also comes with a 40-gram shaft at 45.75″ and a 25-gram grip, so golfers should be able to swing it faster with the same amount of effort.

According to Callaway, the Paradym Star produces the highest ball flight among the Paradym drivers.

Callaway Paradym Star fairway woods. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

Price: $399.99 with UST Mamiya ATTAS Speed Series 40 shaft and Winn Dri-Tac Lite gripSpecs: Stainless steel body with carbon fiber crown and 455 Carpenter steel cup face. Available in 16-degree (3-wood), 19-degree (5-wood), 22-degree (7-wood) and 25-degree (9-wood) versions

Like the driver, the key to the Paradym Star fairway woods was taking the best aspects of the standard Paradym fairways but making them lighter and focusing on carry distance. The carbon fiber crown helps to reduce weight on the top and lower the center of gravity location. It is complemented by the tungsten bar in the sole that is positioned behind the leading edge. Referred to as a Speed Cartridge, it helps to boost ball speed and reduce spin while the Jailbreak with Batwing stiffens the chassis at impact.

The clubs come standard with slightly-higher lofts (the 3-wood has 16 degrees of loft) and a more-upright lie angle to create a draw bias.

In all, the Paradym Star fairway woods are 28 grams lighter than the standard Paradym fairways.

Callaway Paradym Star hybrids. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

Price: $349.99 with UST Mamiya ATTAS Speed Series 50 shaft and Winn Dri-Tac Lite gripSpecs: Stainless steel body and chassis with 455 Carpenter steel face cup. Available in 21-degree (4H), 24-degree (5H), 27-degree (6H) and 30-degree (7H) versions

The Paradym Star hybrids have the same 455 Carpenter steel cup face that is found in the standard Paradym hybrids, to enlarge the sweet spot and help golfers generate more ball speed, but like the Star versions of the driver and fairway woods, the hybrids are lighter and lack the adjustable hosel mechanism found in the previously-released Paradym offerings.

They have an oversized head to make them easier to hit, Jailbreak with Batwing to stiffen the head at the moment of impact and a Tungsten Speed Cartridge located in the sole to pull the center of gravity down and forward.

The Paradym Star hybrids produce the highest ball flight of any Paradym hybrid offering, have a slight draw bias and are 33 grams lighter than the standard model.

Callaway Paradym Star irons. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

Price: $250 each with UST Mamiya ATTAS 23 Black 50 graphite shafts and Winn Dri-Tac 2.0 Lite gripsSpecs: Hollow-body design with forged 455 cup face, stainless steel body and internal urethane microspheres.

The Forged 455 stainless steel cup face and distance-enhancing Speed Frame chassis design found in the standard Paradym irons have been added to the Paradym Star irons, and cosmetically they look very similar to the standard Paradym, but these irons have more offset, a slightly-longer blade length and weaker lofts. Why add loft in an iron designed to help moderate- and slower-swinging golfers get more distance? By boosting the loft and driving the center of gravity down, Callaway is trying to make it easier to hit shots higher in the air, and for players who struggle to generate clubhead speed, more carry distance should translate into more overall distance.

The hollow-body clubs are filled with vibration-dampening urethane microspheres to enhance sound and feel without impeding the face from flexing at impact.

The Paradym Star irons are each 33 grams lighter than the standard Paradym irons, and they are 0.25″ longer to help players generate extra clubhead speed.

See more equipment: Best irons and best drivers