New vs Old Callaway Drivers: 2024 Paradym AI Smoke vs 2004 ERC Fusion

On this page

New vs Old Callaway Drivers: 2024 Paradym AI Smoke vs 2004 ERC Fusion

Louis Pringle
Oct 07, 2024
8 minutes

Callaway is well established as one of the main forces in the golf industry. They sponsor some of the biggest stars of the sport, both pros and social media sensations, and make some of the best products on the market. Callaway’s secret possibly lies in the massive investments they made in AI to push the boundaries of golf clubs manufacturing. But where did it all start for Callaway? What will we find if we were to take a trip back in time?

In search for answers to these questions, we tasked our expert Lou with the mission of comparing two Callaway drivers to see just massive of a push those AI innovations represent for Callaway, and more specifically their drivers. Using one of Callaway’s latest models, the Paradym AI Smoke, released earlier this year, we’ll see just how far their drivers have evolved from the 2004 released ERC Fusion. We’ve looked at Callaway drivers in a previous comparison test, but the AI Smoke was not involved in that one, so we decided to take this new test on!

Shop Callaway Drivers

Differences between Paradym AI Smoke & ERC Fusion Drivers

First up, let’s address a few of the obvious differences between the two drivers involved in our test. Obviously, 20 years can have quite an impact on not only looks, but technological, as well as the specs as the specs for modern drivers have greatly evolved from the turn of the century. But let’s take a closer look at all these aspects to help paint a clearer picture for you.

Specs

As usual, when it comes to our comparison test, we look to use driver models that you guys at home can get your hands on. This means that both or drivers will be tested in stock condition with the shaft models offered by the manufacturer.

For this specific test, we had two drivers with clubfaces at 9 degrees of loft angle. In the case of the Paradym AI Smoke Triple Diamond, we used a regular length Project X Denali Black shaft, in the stiff flex. We used this shaft as it is a retail option offered with the Paradym AI Smoke.

As for the ERC Fusion, it was also equipped with its original retail shaft, in this case, it was the Callaway RCH 55 shaft. Here again, we also used a stiff flex to offer as fair as a comparison between our two models as possible.

Looks

When considering the specs from both drivers, you’ll quickly notice the difference in clubhead sizes, as showed in the video linked at the top of this article. Additionally, a quick glance at both clubheads will also show a massive discrepancy when it comes to the materials. Let’s dive into this by first looking at the Paradym AI Smoke driver, the most recent of our two clubs.

The club face features titanium and other metal alloys, while the crown and the rest of the clubhead is mostly made from carbon. This combination is very typical of modern drivers and woods. This carbon build allows for a greater MOI at impact and allows the player to have more control over the center of gravity inside the clubhead.

Off the bat, we must acknoledghe the incredible look of the Paradym AI Smoke’s clubhead with the smoky look of the paint job. It’s a very unique and bold look, but Callaway nailed it with this one.

On the other hand, we’ve got the ERC Fusion, which is clearly made from various type of aluminum and titanium alloys, but you’ll also find a good bit of carbon on there as it was Callaway’s first foray into the world on carbon clubhead drivers.

Here again, the inclusion of carbon to the clubhead allowed Callaway to reposition the CG inside the clubhead to create more forgiving offering that launches the ball with more ease.

Tech

We’ve already touch on how carbon-related innovations inside the clubheads can help optimize the center of gravity to ultimately deliver better strikes, but there’s even more difference between our two drivers when it comes to technological perks.

Starting with the AI Smoke, tech-wise, its main draw is the optimized AI Smart Face technology, which Callaway improved upon from the original Paradym, released in 2023. This improvement on its AI powered club face is said to give you up to 12 extra yards on off-centre strikes nearing the heel or the toe of the clubhead, compared to previous models. Definitely something we’ll keep an eye on.

Tech-wise, much like the R540 XD from our TaylorMade drivers’ comparison test, the ERC Fusion doesn’t have much to offer in the tech department. Of course, the inclusion of carbon in the build of the clubhead was innovative at the time, but now, it’s the norm for all modern drivers, which leaves the ERC Fusion to look a little lackluster compared to one of those modern models, like the AI Smoke.

Clearly, the Paradym AI Smoke has the edge in the tech department, but how does that translate to performance? Well, let’s see what sort of data Lou was able to get from his time with the drivers.

Lou’s Impressions After Testing the Paradym AI Smoke Triple Diamond:

“I have to be honest, at first, I was truly perplexed by the performance of this driver. This then turned into confusion, which eventually led me to properly appreciating the performance of the Paradym AI Smoke. It definitely took some time to adjust to it, but once I found my groove with this driver, it was a true pleasure to hit.

My original gripe with the Paradym AI Smoke stemmed from a disappointing showing when I first tested it on our Trackman-powered simulator. The stats were decent enough, but nothing out of the ordinary, which is always somewhat of a letdown, especially when you’re testing a brand-new driver model.

But, fortunately, my issues where quickly alleviated when I actually got to take this club out for a spin on the course and play a few hole with it. Out on the course, it felt and performed much better than it had on the simulator. Plus, I had to struggle with a bad hook on the Sim, which never showed up on the course.

But overall, while it’s not a complete standout, the Paradym AI Smoke Triple Diamond delivers exactly what you want out of a modern-day driver, fast ball speed, loads of forgiveness, and massive clubhead of extra confidence at address.”

Shop Callaway Paradym AI Smoke Triple Diamond Driver

Lou’s Impressions After Testing the ERC Fusion:

“It truly felt like the world was upside down with this comparison test. When I got to testing the ERC Fusin, I’d already tested our newer model, so the performance from our older club stood out right away on the Sim. I felt like the dispersion was tighter, the consistency was better, and most importantly, the distance was the same.

But once again, I felt compelled to take this club out for some action, and boy was that crucial to my review. While the change wasn’t as drastic as it was with the Paradym AI Smoke, there was a notable shift in performance with the ERC Fusion.

Not so much in terms of speed of length, but an obvious one when it comes to off-centre strikes that would miss the fairway, left or right. The limited forgiveness of older drivers like ERC Fusion really showed itself on the course.

While a near perfect drive will deliver all the goods, inconsistent strikers may find this club to be handful off the tee. But the fact remains that distance-wise, the ERC Fusion has nothing to envy from the more recent models.”

Complete comp between Paradym AI Smoke and ERC Fusion

For a more complete outlook, let’s directly compare the performance from one club against the other. Both clubs almost delivered identical performances in the distance department with the ERC Fusion averaging 223 carry yards per drives, while the Paradym AI Smoke was 0.2 yards shy of that same mark.

The main difference lies in the total distance department where we see a proper edge for the AI Smoke. The discrepancy is far from outlandish, but it significant, especially if you’re someone looking to upgrade their driver.

The difference is almost six yards, which is notable, but not massive enough to truly justify the gap in prices between those two models. But the question remains, how do these 2 clubs, with a 20-year difference, manage to produce the same carry distance, but end up with different total distance figures.

Distance Performance

The best place to start is to look at club and ball speeds.

If we first look at club speed, we’ll quickly see that there’s barely any difference between the two models as they both average 97.6 and 97.4 miles per hour for the AI Smoke and the ERC Fusion, respectively. Since the club speed for both clubs is so similar, this most likely means it won’t explain our discrepancy.

If we look at ball speed, however, there is a more noticeable difference as the AI Smoke is more than 3 miles per hour faster than the ERC. While this certainly is only a slight difference, it can certainly help to explain the total distance difference between the two drivers we tested.

Additionally, the extra ball speed of the AI Smoke can easily be attributed to the years of innovations that have led to Callaway’s signature AI-built clubfaces.

Spin Rates & Launch Angles

Additionally, spin rates and launch angles also had a massive impact on the results from our test.

The Ai Smoke benefited from lower launch angles and lower spin rates on average during our test. In both cases, these should promote a longer roll out of the ball after its original carry.

To be fair to the ERC Fusion, its figures are very impressive as the 12.6 degrees of launch angle is nearing the optimal 13 to 14 degrees sweet spot, and the spin rates a pretty low for a club that is not specifically designed for this.

What if the launch conditions and spin rates were reversed?

With the launch and spin conditions of the AI Smoke, it’s easy to imagine that the ERC’s carry distance would naturally be shorter.

Its ball speed numbers were already lower, which means less power at impact to help the ball travel in the air, and since we’re lowering the launch angle to the AI Smoke’s, the ball would obviously not be in the air for as long. All these factors would translate to lower carry distance for the modern driver.

It’s only saving grace would be the longer roll out thanks to lower spin rates and lower launch angles, but that would most likely not cover the loss in carry distance.

On the other hand, if the AI Smoke had benefited from the launch angle and spin rates of the ERC Fusion, I think we would have definitely seen a nice uptick in carry distance.

However, the difference in total distance would probably be negligible as the high spin rates would most likely limit the roll out of the ball after hitting the ground.

Key Takeaways from our test:

  1. Once again, we can see that newer, does guarantee longer strikes.
  2. While newer is not necessarily better, there’s no debating that it’s definitely more forgiving.
  3. The AI Smoke managed to produce higher ball speeds, which we expected, but only by a slight margin.

Is the ERC Fusion driver still worth the investment?

After all this testing, a question still remains: can a 20-year-old driver still hold up and match the performance of the newer models on the market?

Starting with the Paradym AI Smoke, it is a clear upgrade from the ERC Fusion that was released 20 years ago. It managed to push the ball further than the ERC and Lou can attest to the fact that the dispersion was much better with the AI Smoke, and so was the forgiveness level.

Poor strikes with the AI Smoke still produced decent balls, while the ERC’s mishits performed and felt much worse than the ones hit with the Paradym.

Now, is that margin important enough that it would motive the average golfers to spend close to $600 for the latest technology on the market when you know that the gains are possibly marginal? In some cases, yes, and to those golfers we say, don’t forget to trade or sell your old clubs with Golf Avenue, to help you save on your Paradym AI Smoke.

For the rest of golfers who are not willing to spend the big bucks for minimal gains, you can get your hands on the ERC Fusion or any other of the 10s of thousands of used golf clubs that you can find on our website. As this experiment as shown, just like in our previous wedge test, used golf clubs can certainly match the performance of the latest and greatest models. And be sure to check our ranking of the best affordable Callaway drivers.

Shop Used Callaway Drivers

As we previously mentioned, you can always trust Golf Avenue to make your life easier when it comes to upgrading your golf clubs (or simply getting your hands on your first clubs). We make your trade or sell process as seamless as possible and our in-house experts are available to meet with you and provide you with the advice you need to find your future clubs. Don’t be shy and upgrade today!

Until next time,

The Golf Avenue team

Callaway Golf has created a powerful chemical reaction with the introduction of the ERC Fusion Driver. This driver's explosive distance is the result of our breakthrough Fusion Technology, which blends the best elements of titanium and carbon composite material into an exciting new mixture. Titanium and composite, power and precision, technology and playability – ERC Fusion brings it all together.
2004

Callaway ERC FUSION Driver

Currently out of stock

Who's it best for

The Callaway ERC Fusion driver is best suited to golfers seeking maximum forgiveness and distance, particularly those with moderate swing speeds.

Club Highlights

  • Extremely forgiving on off-center hits, making it ideal for golfers who need more consistency.
  • Lightweight composite design helps generate faster swing speeds and added distance.
  • Older technology compared to newer drivers, which may lack the advanced adjustability features.

Ratings

( 7 )

Distance 4.5/5

Forgiveness 3/5

Accuracy 3.5/5

Shot Shaping 2.5/5

2024

Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond Driver

Currently out of stock

Who's it best for

The Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond driver is best-suited to skilled golfers looking for low spin and more control over ball flight.

Club Highlights

  • Provides low spin and high workability, making it great for experienced players who want to shape shots.
  • Compact, Tour-inspired head design offers excellent feedback and control.
  • Higher price tag, typical of premium, Tour-level drivers.

Ratings

Distance 4.5/5

Forgiveness 3.5/5

Accuracy 4/5

Shot Shaping 4/5

Further reading

See the evolution of TaylorMade drivers over the past 20 years. From the 2004 R540 XD to the 2024 Qi10, see how changes in technology and design impact performance.

Discover the top 10 beginner-friendly drivers of 2024. Our expert picked the easiest drivers for new golfers, ensuring forgiveness and performance at any budget.