Callaway AI-Smoke Max Fairway Wood Review

The Callaway Paradym AI-Smoke Max fairway wood is said to be sweeter no matter where shots hit the face. My review finds out if it delivers.

The Callaway AI-Smoke Max fairway wood is packed with the same AI-assisted Swing Code technology as the brand’s new 2024 drivers. It’s taken a huge amount of time and research but the company has tracked the impact locations of 250,000 swings from all types of golfers across the globe.

They then cleverly used the data to task their super-computer with designing different faces to optimize the speed, launch, accuracy, and forgiveness of each of their four new AI-Smoke fairway woods. The company says these are their most player-tailored fairway woods ever.

Callaway reckons there are definite similarities in their AI and Swing Code story from drivers to fairways. But in designing the best fairway woods, which are hit from the turf much more often, there’s also a huge difference in impact location and misses compared to drivers.

Much more often, club golfers, impact shots low on the face with a huge percentage of golfers (bar very elite players) chopping down onto the back of the ball. The company says there’s a need for four different fairway wood models to ensure a good fit no matter what your speed or ability.

Here’s my guide on how to choose which Callaway Paradym AI-Smoke fairway wood best suits your game.

Video: How does the Callaway AI-Smoke Max compare to other leading 2024 fairway woods?

What’s new and different about the Callaway AI-Smoke Max fairway wood?

No Batwing or Jailbreak tech

MOI boosting Batwing tech and ball speed enhancing Jailbreak bars have been part of Callaway fairway woods for several years. Both don’t make an appearance on the AI-Smoke. The reasoning is that Callaway says their super-computer has got so good at optimizing faces for each model’s intended audience, that it’s now possible to build both technologies into the design of the springy-maraging steel face.

Full carbon fiber chassis

Callaway has stuck to using full 360 carbon fiber chassis’ on their most recent drivers as the design is the best way to optimize weight placement and forgiveness. The tech hasn’t spread though to fairway woods as the demands of hitting carbon fiber sole heads from the tee and turf, can throw up some durability issues.

This time around though they’ve taken a similar approach to their 360 carbon fiber chassis drivers. Thanks to improving the support structure inside the head the AI-Smoke (barring the Triple Diamond) is the brands first ever carbon sole fairway wood.

The move sees a significant weight saving of 24g, which in terms of golf club design is absolutely huge. 12g has been repositioned within the tungsten weight cartridge low and forward on the sole, which helps up launch and lower spin. A further 12g has been moved lower and deeper to elevate MOI forgiveness levels well above the original Paradym fairway wood.

There’s a degree of adjustability      

Hosel adjustability, which allows you to customize loft, face angle, and lie is great so long as it gets used. But you’ve got to appreciate building the housing to accept a hosel adaptor ties up 8g of weight in a position you really don’t want it.

For the AI-Smoke family, Callaway has built-in adjustable hosels on the Max, Max D, and Triple Diamond 15° 3-wood and 16.5° High Launch 3-wood. As they believe this is the area adjustability most often comes into play. All other lofts and the whole Max Fast family come with fixed hosels, as the choice of lofts more than adjustability allows golfers to choose the ball flight they desire.     

How to decide whether the Callaway AI-Smoke Max fairway wood suits you

Callaway AI-Smoke Max fairway wood

RRP: $349.99

Lofts: 3W – 15° / 3 HL – 16.5° / 5W – 18° / HVN – 20° / 7W – 21° / 9W – 24° / 11W – 27°

Stock shafts

Project X Denali Black

Mitsubishi Tensei AV Series Blue

Project X Cypher 2.0

Mitsubishi Tensei Silver (Max Fast Men’s)

Mitsubishi Eldio (Max Fast Women’s)

Stock grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360, Winn Dri-tac Lite (Max Fast)

Typical golfer traits

Swing Speed: Mid Speed

Impact:

Uses most of the face

Moderately down attack angle

Slightly out to in path

The Max is the core AI-Smoke model, which means it will fit the most amount of golfers. For average and above-speed players it will be the most forgiving fairway wood within the family and will likely outstrip the others put together in terms of sales.

Expect a very shallow face profile which is incredibly easy to launch high off the turf. If you hit a lot of fairway woods from tee’s, check you’re comfortable with the face depth before making a purchase. As someone who usually struggles to launch a 15° fairway from the deck, I had absolutely no issues with the Max, which was a real surprise.

I really like how the face sits extremely square at address, much like the Ping G430 Max which really boosts confidence and encourages you to go at it full tilt. A great fit for most club golfers, who are comfortable with their speed, and don’t naturally fight a slice. Expect a high launching, low spin, and neutral ball flight. Seven lofts give plenty of fitting options.

Callaway Paradym AI-Smoke Max D fairway wood

RRP: $349.99

Lofts: 3W – 15° / 3HL – 16.5° / 5W – 18° / 7W – 21°

Stock shafts

Project X Denali Black

Mitsubishi Tensei AV Series Blue

Project X Cypher 2.0

Mitsubishi Tensei Silver (Max Fast Men’s)

Mitsubishi Eldio (Max Fast Women’s)

Stock grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360, Winn Dri-tac Lite (Max Fast)

Typical golfer traits

Swing Speed: Slower

Impact:

Mostly low on the face from heel to toe

Significantly downward attack angle

Out to in path

Like the Callaway Paradym AI-Smoke Max D driver, the matching fairway should only come into play for golfers who have counteracting a slice as their number one goal. Remember the model has an AI-designed face specifically to aid this player’s natural impact location.

Expect a larger volume and more flattened, squashed appearance at address than the Max, which will help up forgiveness for more moderate-speed players. A more upright lie angle aids turning shots over from right to left (for a right-hander) and will help keep a severe slice in check.

To my eye, the black carbon fiber crown is a huge step forward over last year’s Paradym blue. Just make sure you’re comfortable with the gloss finish which is prone to glare in bright sunlight.

Callaway Paradym AI-Smoke Max Fast fairway wood

RRP: $349.99

Lofts: 3W – 15° / 5W – 18° / 7W – 21° / 9W – 24°

Stock shafts

Project X Denali Black

Mitsubishi Tensei AV Series Blue

Project X Cypher 2.0

Mitsubishi Tensei Silver (Max Fast Men’s)

Mitsubishi Eldio (Max Fast Women’s)

Stock grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360, Winn Dri-tac Lite (Max Fast)

Typical golfer traits

Swing Speed: Slower

Impact:

Mostly low on the face heel to toe

Significantly downward attack angle

Out to in path

The Max Fast is a brand-new model in the US and Europe, but Callaway has made something similar in Japan for several years. It replaces the previous Paradym Star fairway wood which cut their teeth on being super lightweight and easy to launch.

The idea is very much like that found in the Wilson Staff D300 fairway wood which simply boosts club speed thanks to being so lightweight and lively. Expect a fixed hosel as this design is optimized to deliver speed to those that don’t
have it. Thanks to a 40g shaft and a very lightweight grip this hi-tech model is a strong option for slower-speed players, many of whom are likely to be senior-aged golfers.

Callaway Paradym AI-Smoke Triple Diamond fairway wood

RRP: $349.99

Lofts: 3W – 15° / 5W – 18° / 7W – 21°

Stock shafts

Project X Denali Black

Mitsubishi Tensei AV Series Blue

Project X Cypher 2.0

Mitsubishi Tensei Silver (Max Fast Men’s)

Mitsubishi Eldio (Max Fast Women’s)

Stock grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360, Winn Dri-tac Lite (Max Fast)

Typical golfer traits

Swing Speed: Higher Speed

Impact:

Mostly centered

Slightly downward attack angle

Neutral path

The Triple Diamond is the only AI-Smoke fairway with a steel sole (the others are all carbon fiber), which comes down to the durability concerns of this head being predominately played by higher-speed players. Expect Callaway’s most compact fairway wood shape with a deeper face and simple non-offensive look at address, there’s also no alignment aid unlike the others within the family.

This model is best suited to stronger players with higher head speeds, as a more forward CG helps deliver the lower more penetrating ball flight that decent players feel generates maximum control. This model will be played by world #3 Jon Rahm and #6 Xander Schauffele which says everything you need about who it’s aimed at. 

Verdict: Callaway Paradym AI Smoke Max fairway wood

The entire Callaway AI Smoke family has taken me by surprise this year as time and again it has performed brilliantly on our 2024 test data spreadsheets. The Max fairway wood hasn’t let the side down either. Both myself and our test pro love the really shallow profile, and found it incredibly easy to launch high from the turf. A trait our test data totally supports as shots launched and flew higher than average while spinning just below it, numbers that will add distance if you have reasonable levels of speed.

It’s well worth pointing out that the AI Smoke is the only fairway wood we’ve tested this year that comes with a full-on carbon fiber sole, very much like the brand’s latest drivers (Callaway introduced the idea on the standard Paradym fairway wood last year). It’s a really bold move, as strong as carbon fiber is in one direction it can also be incredibly fragile in others. My gut feeling though is this carbon fiber chassis frees up just a bit more weight to squeeze out a fraction more performance than some of the leading competition, in exactly the same way as engineers have employed on the latest Paradym AI Smoke drivers. We’re talking tiny amounts but if we’re looking for optimal performance the AI Smoke Max to my eye is more maxed out than most.

Our test data has the AI Smoke Max down as our 3^rd longest fairway wood of the year, just 3 yards back from the TaylorMade Qi10, a result which my experience says could be reversed on another day. Throw in a lovely head shape, along with a shot area 36.2% tighter than our test average and an adjustable hosel in the 3W so you can dial in launch, spin, lie, and face angle and you have one of my top five performing fairway woods of 2024.     

Data comparison: How does the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max compare to leading competitor fairway woods?

Fairway Wood	Loft	Ball Speed	Launch Angle	Backspin	Height	Descent Angle	Carry Distance	Carry Distance Drop Off	Shot Area
TaylorMade Qi10	15°	154.5 MPH (1)	8.7°	2916 RPM	26 YDS	34.5°	251 YDS (1)	12 YDS (2)	379.2 SQ YDS (3)
Srixon ZX MK II	15°	153.9 MPH (3)	8.1°	2715 RPM	23 YDS	31.5°	249 YDS (2)	20 YDS	864 SQ YDS
Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max	15°	152.4 MPH	9.6°	2995 RPM	27 YDS	36°	248 YDS (3)	20 YDS	566 SQ YDS
Titleist TSR 3	15°	152.5 MPH	8.3°	2786 RPM	23 YDS	31.9°	245 YDS	29 YDS	1377.5 SQ YDS
Wilson Dynapower	15°	152.4 MPH	8.2°	2849 RPM	23 YDS	32.5°	245 YDS	16 YDS	838.4 SQ YDS
Cobra Darkspeed LS	14.5° @ 15.5°	152.3 MPH	9.6°	3189 RPM	28 YDS	37.4°	245 YDS	17 YDS	906.1 SQ YDS
TaylorMade Qi10 Max	16°	153 MPH	8.6°	3309 RPM	27 YDS	36.4°	244 YDS	22 YDS	693 SQ YDS
Ping G430 Max	15°	153.7 MPH	7.2°	2913 RPM	21 YDS	31°	244 YDS	9 YDS (1)	328.5 SQ YDS (2)
Mizuno ST-G	15°	150.4 MPH	9°	2666 RPM	23 YDS	31.6°	244 YDS	30 YDS	1302 SQ YDS
Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke TD	15°	154 MPH (2)	8.3°	2611 RPM	23 YDS	31.7°	243 YDS	46 YDS	3109.6 SQ YDS
Titleist TSR 2	16.5°	149.8 MPH	10.2°	3204 RPM	29 YDS	38.2°	242 YDS	24 YDS	907.2 SQ YDS
PXG 0311 Black Ops	15°	152.5 MPH	8.7°	3589 RPM	28 YDS	38.1°	241 YDS	25 YDS	815 SQ YDS
Cobra Darkspeed X	15°	152.6 MPH	7.5°	2952 RPM	23 YDS	32.7°	241 YDS	21 YDS	821.1 SQ YDS
Cleveland Launcher XL 2	15°	151.2 MPH	7.3°	2877 RPM	20 YDS	30.4°	240 YDS	17 YDS	382.5 SQ YDS
PXG 0311 XF GEN6	16°	151.7 MPH	9.9°	3699 RPM	31 YDS	40.3°	239 YDS	17 YDS	698.7 SQ YDS
Mizuno ST-Z 230	15°	150.8 MPH	8.3°	2714 RPM	22 YDS	31.7°	239 YDS	25 YDS	892.5 SQ YDS
TaylorMade Qi10 Tour	15°	150.7 MPH	8.8°	3239 RPM	27 YDS	36.8°	238 YDS	25 YDS	705 SQ YDS
Ram FX	15°	150.6 MPH	7.3°	2516 RPM	19 YDS	28°	236 YDS	15 YDS (T3)	579 SQ YDS
Sub 70 949 X	15°	150 MPH	7.6°	2874 RPM	21 YDS	31.4°	235 YDS	25 YDS	562.5 SQ YDS
Cobra Darkspeed Max	15.5°	151 MPH	7.4°	3841 RPM	25 YDS	36.2°	232 YDS	17 YDS	839.8 SQ YDS
Vega Alkaid	15°	148 MPH	8.3°	3554 RPM	24 YDS	35.7°	231 YDS	15 YDS (T3)	486 SQ YDS
PXG 0211	15°	146 MPH	9.3°	3092 RPM	25 YDS	35.7°	230 YDS	20 YDS	848 SQ YDS
Inesis 500	15°	145.1 MPH	10.7°	3401 RPM	30 YDS	39.9°	229 YDS	22 YDS	264 SQ YDS (1)
MacGregor V Max	15°	146 MPH	8.4°	4052 RPM	25 YDS	37.3°	222 YDS	24 YDS	993.6 SQ YDS
Average		151 MPH	8.6°	3106.4 RPM	24.7 YDS	34.5°	239.7 YDS	21.4 YDS	840 SQ YDS

About the author

Simon Daddow – Today’s Golfer Equipment Editor

Having tested and played more than 10,000 clubs in his life, what Simon doesn’t know about golf clubs isn’t worth knowing.

He spent a large part of his career as a golf club maker and product development manager, and has worked in the golf industry for more than 30 years. He joined EMAP Active (now Bauer Media) as Equipment Editor in 2006 and has worked for both Today’s Golfer and Golf World.

You can contact Simon via email and follow him on X (formerly Twitter) for loads more golf equipment insight.

Callaway Ai-Smoke Max fairway wood

RRP: $349.99

Lofts: 3W -15° / 3 HL -16.5 ° / 5 - 18° / HVN - 20° / 7 - 21° / 9 - 24° / 11 - 27°

Stock shafts

Project X Denali Black

Mitsubishi Tensei AV Series Blue

Project X Cypher 2.0

Mitsubishi Tensei Silver (Max Fast Mens)

Mitsubishi Eldio (Max Fast Womens)

Stock grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360, Winn Dri-tac Lite (Max Fast)

Visit the Callaway Golf website here