If the idea of curing your slice for good has you in the market for a draw driver, we’ll let you in on a little secret: Not all draw drivers are created equal. As part of our 2024 Best Golf Drivers test, we examined the performance of the Callaway Ai Smoke Max Draw and the PING G430 SFT. Both drivers claim to help fix your slice. Here’s what we found.
Distance
The Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max D was the best golf driver we tested for distance. This one led the entire test in the distance category, not just the draw drivers. It had an average carry distance of 241.38 yards and ranked in the top five for carry distance for 40 percent of the test pool.
We ranked the Paradym Ai Smoke Max D as the third-best driver of 2024, thanks in large part to its 9.4/10 distance rating.
Carry distance for the PING G430 SFT was about eight yards shorter and the same in total yardage. The PING’s distance ranking was 6.2, its lowest performance metric.
The bottom line: If you need to hit a straighter shot but also want it to travel farther, the Paradym Ai Smoke Max D is likely the better choice.
Accuracy
When we compared the accuracy of these two drivers, we looked at the straight shot percentage and the playable shot percentage. The PING G430 SFT outperformed the Callaway.
Interestingly, when we look at straight shot percentage, we widen the target area. The further a shot is hit, the more room for error it has. Even with that in mind (and that the Callaway is the longer driver), PING still comes out on top.
The accuracy scoring for PING was 8.4 versus 7.2 for Callaway. Here’s where you must make one of those difficult big-kid golf decisions. More yards or more fairways?
Forgiveness
Draw-biased drivers should be all about forgiveness. After all, fixing that slice is the main reason to invest in one of these models. For forgiveness, we look at carry distance deltas, ball speed deltas and dispersion.
Again, the PING G430 SFT comes out on top.
PING had a forgiveness score of 9.2, making it the third most-forgiving driver in the test. Callaway had an 8.7 forgiveness rating.
When calculating the MGS best driver total scoring, 40 percent goes to distance, 35 percent to accuracy and 25 percent to forgiveness. Callaway ends up with a 9.4 total and PING an 8.1.
Looking a little deeper into the data (not just the total score), we can easily see the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max D is a great driver for golfers who need distance and are trying to catch a piece of the fairway.
The PING SFT, on the other hand, is the smartest choice for accuracy and forgiveness.
Value
The Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max D is $599. The PING G430 SFT is $399. The price difference is significant so it’s easy to look at the PING and call it the better deal.
However, for golfers who really struggle with total distance, it’s important to remember that, sometimes, it takes sacrificing a little distance to get the ball in the fairway.
When you compare the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max D to the PING G430 SFT, it’s not about which one comes out on top. It’s more about finding the right fit for your golf game.
Callaway versus PING: Which is right for you?
Who’s it For?
✅ Golfers who need distance: The Paradym Ai Smoke Max D ranked in the top five for carry distance for 40 percent of the testing pool.
✅ Players fighting a slice: The adjustability and draw bias help.
Who’s it not for?
❌ Anyone who draws the ball naturally: Your draw will be exaggerated with the Paradym Ai Smoke Max D.
❌ Golfers who need workability: This is probably not the best choice for lower handicap golfers who value shot placement over distance and forgiveness.
Who’s it For?
✅ Someone looking for more forgiveness. The PING G430 SFT is the third-best driver for forgiveness in the 2024 test.
✅ Anyone who needs accuracy. Higher accuracy rating than the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke.
Who’s it not for?
❌ Players who lack distance: Nearly eight yards shorter on average than the Callaway and the shortest PING driver in the test.
❌ Anyone who is particular about the top-down look: Several testers mentioned the “turbulators” on the top of the club were distracting and took away from the look of the golf club.
Click here for full results of 2024 Most Wanted Driver Testing
Indyvic(required)
2 years ago
Sure you can and not break the bank. Just adjust the sample model to fit ‘your game.’ Callaway offers this in a Star Model not cheap but also the X model with a Aldila Ascent 40gm shaft with 12 loft. You can get all the benefits at a lighter weight and probably pick up some lost swing speed to boot = distance. The Aldila shaft is a stable light weight shaft that I use in my Callaway F/W btw and it preforms exceptionally for me and trust me at my age now I have lost some swing speed too! Also go to Callaway preowned for better pricing and even Ebay as there are sellers there that move dealer overstock, returns there at much lower prices.