I've tried various drivers over the last few years. I've gone back to a 2017 Taylormade M2. It's as long as drivers from 2024 for me. So I won't be wasting £569 on any of these. I think people are seeing through all the marketing rubbish
You're probably better off spending your money on last year's driver , the Callaway paradigm AI smoke and keep $200 to $300 in your pocket. I can't see how any 2025 model Callaway driver could be significantly better and worth the extra money.
The big E is pretty unsightly but from the crown (which really is the only thing that matters as far as looks) it looks like any other driver. It’s funny to see the comments on the gloss vs matte and who prefers what because in the reviews I saw seems like people are pretty much split. Also as someone not planning to upgrade, I would go back and read comments about the og paradym when it first released… it was widely panned for looking like a bowling ball and now we’re calling it one of the best looking drivers 😂.
I certainly think that dark grey / black / matte is the general theme of 2025 drivers and that actual performance will be very close - therefore personal preference regarding brands and appearance will likely be significant for potential buyers. Whether or not Callaway release a custom option for the appearance of their 2025 drivers is yet to be seen as the bright green accents won't be to everyone's taste, nor is the high-gloss finish of the TD model's crown (the matte carbon crown on the Standard and X models looks great IMO). Oh, and the "Elyte" name is a play on words referencing Callaway's founder Ely Callaway Jr (i.e. Ely / Elite). I can appreciate it could just be seen as a gimmicky name without context, although knowing this I think there has been, and will be, worse names for clubs out there. Cheers
If an inexpensive club performs well, I dont care how it looks. I might just call it the ugly duckling. If it is an expensive club that looks cheap then I don't want it. 600 dollars can get a club just as good and with a nice look. Also, No 600 dollar club should have empty screw holes.
I like the fact it looks abit like the epic … I still use an epic speed and I’d play this … the last 2 callaway drivers had a ridge… not a massive fan of that but …
Callaway hasn't made a beautiful looking driver since the original Rogue in my opinion, BUT, that hasn't stopped me from trying almost all of them. The first Paradym was great. The AI Smoke sacrificed distance for forgiveness. I'm hoping this next one combines distance and forgiveness and I'm willing to pay for it as Callaway seems to be ahead of the field in the technology aspect of club design.
It looks like the base model Kia of the driver industry. Also, what's with the misspelling of words as a branding method? How is a 'Y' instead of an 'I' somehow more appealing?
Ive watched Rick Shiels earlier with these but then went and watched his review when he tested the Epics....All models of the new Callaway didnt perform aswell as the Epics....They got beaten for distance....carry...and spin. So what exactly have Callaway produced...🤔
I thought the AI Smoke looked dirty. I just didn’t like the “smoke” look to it. Went and got fitted and hit the Smoke the best. Ended up with the triple diamond. I don’t mind the look as long as the score goes down!
It came to a point where even Tour Edge actually made better looking club than Callaway for half the price. I'm still doing great with my Stealth Plus that bought last year for $280.
Callaway has always used the founder's first name, Ely, whenever they can. So instead of "Elite" which is how they want you to pronounce it, they spell it "Elyte" as a tip of the cap to Mr. Callaway. It's part of their dna apparently, unfortunately they seem to have lime green in their genetics these days as well...
I think they trued to make it look nice and classy (like the opus wedge line) then someone decided it needed a colour way to stand out. Then they chose green to give it an "epic" vibe as an afterthought making it look dated rather than classic. Even the head-covers look awful.
The new gear…every six months, is just plain old schtick. Even Callaway’s website says that the average tester saw a 1.8 yard increase in distance over the Paradym AI Smoke. Wow. 2 paces.🙄 They will come out with the Elyte TD Max this summer, with the matte crown. It will cost $700. It looks like a rebranding of the green and white Epic.🥱
Couple things- 1. You should never see a driver in the bag. Head cover ON. 2. I’m an average golfer. I haven’t bought a new driver since the time when a new Taylormade was $300 (r7), much less $600 every year or two. WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?!
Looks dont bother me a bit, with a face like mine it would make no sense to worry about "appearances" However, compared to the Cobra Adapt, Tour Edge Exotics and even the new Cleveland Hi Bore it looks cheap. Then you put it next to the blue Paradigm it's not even close. Paying that sort of money I can understand people being put off.
They are changing the name every couple years because people were not purchasing version 2 drivers. It's all marketing but interesting they dropped the jail break technology, or whatever they called it last year.
Could it be that Callaway doesn't have the ability to launch an evolved, better driver this year? The Epic was widely regarded as a very good driver, could it be that they are trying to recreate the success of the Epic through a similar look? Design before performance?
I'm focus performance, that said, the triple diamond looks even bigger and more forgiving than tunes other models, BTW I'm almost sure the name Elyte comes from Callaway founder Ely.... I rather prefer an old Biggest Big Bertha shape with the top and some bottom part of Carbon fiber 460 cc😊
People would be much better off spending money on an older driver with a premium shaft than a new driver with a stock shaft. There is no room to improve driver heads bc of the restrictions from the USGA/R&A
Sole of the club looks way to busy with all the graphics. Crown just looks like last year's model. On the other hand TaylorMade took their driver head to the next level.
I'll never understand why people get so hung up over what a club looks like. For me, the important stuff is how it performs because I'm not entering any golf club beauty contests.
It’s about confidence over the ball. The same reason they make so many different putter head looks. It’s whatever helps the individual feel and see the shot.
Never liked Callaway drivers or fairway woods. Gotta say though that my biggest disappointment with the Elyte lineup is they didn’t push the price to $700 across the board. Maybe next release.
I think it looks kind of ugly but I haven’t seen one in person. I prefer to buy 1 or 2 year old drivers when I upgrade but I’m not their target consumer.
The Elyte looks like the OG Epic driver with the first Jailbreak. The channel & coloring. Only difference between that and this 2025 is the 10X Ai Face vs Jailbreak. At $649 you're up against the cleaner and SLEEKER Titleist GT family which are extremely hot. I, for one, won't buy this new but may buy the head mid year when everyone sells it for a loss. No way in hell are these Elyte heads gonna keep any value in the pre-owned market. Nice try Callawy but I agres with Alex, this is ONE BIG MISS when compared to your competitors. Ugh.
The videos of this driver hit RUclips less than 30 hours ago, and this is the first so-called "negative" review. Who really cares about a club that is so expensive that a lot of folks can't afford to begin with.
Looks like a cheap copy you’d find in a department store. Downright ugly. And now you have to be like Ping and actually detached the weight and move it to another location rather than just use a sliding track weight as in the 2021 Epic? I’ve watched a lot of reviews over the years on the 2021 epic release and at the same club head speeds. The distances are every bit as good as this or better. If after both Paradym versions 2023/2024 they haven’t figured a face out to be the best after thousands and thousands of iterations, this is all hype. I wouldn’t pay $10 for it.
Callaway hasn’t looked good for years. I get RBZ vibes from this thing. Cobra learnt about tacky drivers and look what they have now. The best looking driver in golf.
Truly am not a fan of the look even if they do perform. After seeing the previous gen drivers up close, i have to say that i have a soft spot for the look of the Rogue. Simple and elegant.
Its a solid driver bro stop nick picking i have the ai smoke td its staying in the bag this year i think it looks better than this years but its still a callaway
The fact a significant number of you are stuck on cosmetics instead of performance in this day and age says it all, including the creator. Your respect level just drops. Try all of them before you buy and use the club that works best for ‘you’. Do not listen to anyone else but you, even Tiger if he shows up at your course. No one living knows you better than you and if that isn’t the case, you are in the wrong sport lol. Try all the clubs, don’t be lazy and use the ones that best fit ‘you’. Don’t listen to these guys who just want your clicks. They are just like the Trumps and the Clintons of the world, you mean nothing to them.
Looks don't matter as much as performance. To get hung up on looks is vain and fickle. It makes me question your objectivity and integrity. My concern isn't looks but price. I don't care how a club looks, I care about how it performs. I'm 70 years old and need a forgiving club. Looks be damned. I just with the drivers were cheaper. Golf is a game after all. I'll continue to buy used or pre-owned clubs at a discount.
The Paradym looks like Tom Cruise while the Elyte looks like Donald Trump. Definitely gone backwards in the looks department , first impressions is important when parting with £570 of hard earn cash.
Personally I like the look of the driver. But for me I am about performance. During my fitting it was better than my current driver (Titleist GT3) in ball dispersion. distance was about the same. Will see how it performs when it arrives. Thanks for the great video.
I've tried various drivers over the last few years. I've gone back to a 2017 Taylormade M2. It's as long as drivers from 2024 for me. So I won't be wasting £569 on any of these.
I think people are seeing through all the marketing rubbish
You're probably better off spending your money on last year's driver , the Callaway paradigm AI smoke and keep $200 to $300 in your pocket. I can't see how any 2025 model Callaway driver could be significantly better and worth the extra money.
You can say that about the Smoke, and the one before that,and the one before that…..
The smoke at least looks so much better
The Callaway Rogue ST Maxx LS was one of the best Callaway Drivers ever made you can get it online for $200 maybe slightly more😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Looks like their edge package set woods, might perform but looks cheap
Exactly. The Edge Package that you can buy in Costco for £500.
In fact the new Cleveland Hi bore driver looks way better🤦♂️
The big E is pretty unsightly but from the crown (which really is the only thing that matters as far as looks) it looks like any other driver. It’s funny to see the comments on the gloss vs matte and who prefers what because in the reviews I saw seems like people are pretty much split.
Also as someone not planning to upgrade, I would go back and read comments about the og paradym when it first released… it was widely panned for looking like a bowling ball and now we’re calling it one of the best looking drivers 😂.
No way these drivers are worth what is being charged.
Just another money grab
Please sell me a driver that isn’t USGA compliant. As a weekend warrior I’ll take a 1.6 Smash
I certainly think that dark grey / black / matte is the general theme of 2025 drivers and that actual performance will be very close - therefore personal preference regarding brands and appearance will likely be significant for potential buyers. Whether or not Callaway release a custom option for the appearance of their 2025 drivers is yet to be seen as the bright green accents won't be to everyone's taste, nor is the high-gloss finish of the TD model's crown (the matte carbon crown on the Standard and X models looks great IMO).
Oh, and the "Elyte" name is a play on words referencing Callaway's founder Ely Callaway Jr (i.e. Ely / Elite). I can appreciate it could just be seen as a gimmicky name without context, although knowing this I think there has been, and will be, worse names for clubs out there. Cheers
Prefer the looks and price of the new Wilson woods will go nicely with my Dynapwr forged irons.
If an inexpensive club performs well, I dont care how it looks. I might just call it the ugly duckling. If it is an expensive club that looks cheap then I don't want it. 600 dollars can get a club just as good and with a nice look. Also, No 600 dollar club should have empty screw holes.
It’s the year of the ugly driver, across the board. Titleist has the looker .
I like the fact it looks abit like the epic … I still use an epic speed and I’d play this … the last 2 callaway drivers had a ridge… not a massive fan of that but …
Callaway hasn't made a beautiful looking driver since the original Rogue in my opinion, BUT, that hasn't stopped me from trying almost all of them. The first Paradym was great. The AI Smoke sacrificed distance for forgiveness. I'm hoping this next one combines distance and forgiveness and I'm willing to pay for it as Callaway seems to be ahead of the field in the technology aspect of club design.
It looks like the base model Kia of the driver industry. Also, what's with the misspelling of words as a branding method? How is a 'Y' instead of an 'I' somehow more appealing?
I think it is because of Ely Callaway.
Ive watched Rick Shiels earlier with these but then went and watched his review when he tested the Epics....All models of the new Callaway didnt perform aswell as the Epics....They got beaten for distance....carry...and spin.
So what exactly have Callaway produced...🤔
Could also Rick getting worse 😂
@warriorrob1 🤣🤣
New drivers aren’t worth buying?! Is there any actual news?
I thought the AI Smoke looked dirty. I just didn’t like the “smoke” look to it. Went and got fitted and hit the Smoke the best. Ended up with the triple diamond. I don’t mind the look as long as the score goes down!
It came to a point where even Tour Edge actually made better looking club than Callaway for half the price.
I'm still doing great with my Stealth Plus that bought last year for $280.
I hate glossy finishes. Horribly distracting in the sun. Dude probably loves chrome finish wedges too.
Callaway has always used the founder's first name, Ely, whenever they can. So instead of "Elite" which is how they want you to pronounce it, they spell it "Elyte" as a tip of the cap to Mr. Callaway. It's part of their dna apparently, unfortunately they seem to have lime green in their genetics these days as well...
I think they trued to make it look nice and classy (like the opus wedge line) then someone decided it needed a colour way to stand out. Then they chose green to give it an "epic" vibe as an afterthought making it look dated rather than classic. Even the head-covers look awful.
Design team blew it! Last years driver looked incredible!
They both look great it either works for you or not. I have kept my stealth woods because of the matte look
When you showed the sole of the driver I thought it was the new offering from Cobra 🤔🤔
The new gear…every six months, is just plain old schtick.
Even Callaway’s website says that the average tester saw a 1.8 yard increase in distance over the Paradym AI Smoke. Wow. 2 paces.🙄
They will come out with the Elyte TD Max this summer, with the matte crown. It will cost $700.
It looks like a rebranding of the green and white Epic.🥱
The spelling of the name is a play on Ely Callaway, the founder.
The fact he doesn't know that is more concerning than the clubs looking different.
No problem for me both this range and last year’s look good to me. Just don’t understand why they have writing on the crown
It looks horrendous, that huge E on the bottom whats that about
Couple things-
1. You should never see a driver in the bag. Head cover ON.
2. I’m an average golfer. I haven’t bought a new driver since the time when a new Taylormade was $300 (r7), much less $600 every year or two. WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?!
Looks dont bother me a bit, with a face like mine it would make no sense to worry about "appearances" However, compared to the Cobra Adapt, Tour Edge Exotics and even the new Cleveland Hi Bore it looks cheap. Then you put it next to the blue Paradigm it's not even close. Paying that sort of money I can understand people being put off.
They are changing the name every couple years because people were not purchasing version 2 drivers. It's all marketing but interesting they dropped the jail break technology, or whatever they called it last year.
Could it be that Callaway doesn't have the ability to launch an evolved, better driver this year? The Epic was widely regarded as a very good driver, could it be that they are trying to recreate the success of the Epic through a similar look? Design before performance?
I'm focus performance, that said, the triple diamond looks even bigger and more forgiving than tunes other models, BTW I'm almost sure the name Elyte comes from Callaway founder Ely.... I rather prefer an old Biggest Big Bertha shape with the top and some bottom part of Carbon fiber 460 cc😊
People would be much better off spending money on an older driver with a premium shaft than a new driver with a stock shaft. There is no room to improve driver heads bc of the restrictions from the USGA/R&A
Well I think the Elyte range are fantastic! They knocked the price of t,he AI Smoke driver down so I grabbed one at £330 😂
I’ve seen about 10 reviews 8-10 like the non glossy better. As do I
It looks like a driver out of a Costco box set
Epic Miss in looks , am sure it will work well
IDK, I'll have to see it in person before passing judgement.
Sole of the club looks way to busy with all the graphics. Crown just looks like last year's model. On the other hand TaylorMade took their driver head to the next level.
I'll never understand why people get so hung up over what a club looks like. For me, the important stuff is how it performs because I'm not entering any golf club beauty contests.
It’s about confidence over the ball. The same reason they make so many different putter head looks. It’s whatever helps the individual feel and see the shot.
Looks are subjective. Different strokes for different folks.
Never liked Callaway drivers or fairway woods. Gotta say though that my biggest disappointment with the Elyte lineup is they didn’t push the price to $700 across the board. Maybe next release.
My friends would laugh at me for gaming that. They’d fall over if I told them I laid $600 for it. I’d never live that shame down.
So how can they only give 4.5 / 5 without any "cons"? Should be a 5 /5 then surely?
4.5/5 but no cons? Math isn’t mathing
I will stick with my Taylormade SLDR white edition from 12 years ago and be just fine ..😂
I think it looks kind of ugly but I haven’t seen one in person. I prefer to buy 1 or 2 year old drivers when I upgrade but I’m not their target consumer.
If people are complaining about the looks, and only the looks, then Callaway made the perfect driver.
My $137 Kirkland driver looks better.
The Elyte looks like the OG Epic driver with the first Jailbreak. The channel & coloring. Only difference between that and this 2025 is the 10X Ai Face vs Jailbreak. At $649 you're up against the cleaner and SLEEKER Titleist GT family which are extremely hot. I, for one, won't buy this new but may buy the head mid year when everyone sells it for a loss. No way in hell are these Elyte heads gonna keep any value in the pre-owned market. Nice try Callawy but I agres with Alex, this is ONE BIG MISS when compared to your competitors. Ugh.
Like most things, optics matter and this driver is "meh" at best. The Elyte irons look pretty sharp, but the driver - not so much.
The 2 piece faces are distracting at address. Sure it may work great, but having confidence at address is so much more important to me.
The videos of this driver hit RUclips less than 30 hours ago, and this is the first so-called "negative" review. Who really cares about a club that is so expensive that a lot of folks can't afford to begin with.
they are pronouncing it like elite. Saw a callaway video
Looks like a cheap copy you’d find in a department store. Downright ugly. And now you have to be like Ping and actually detached the weight and move it to another location rather than just use a sliding track weight as in the 2021 Epic? I’ve watched a lot of reviews over the years on the 2021 epic release and at the same club head speeds. The distances are every bit as good as this or better. If after both Paradym versions 2023/2024 they haven’t figured a face out to be the best after thousands and thousands of iterations, this is all hype. I wouldn’t pay $10 for it.
Callaway hasn’t looked good for years. I get RBZ vibes from this thing. Cobra learnt about tacky drivers and look what they have now. The best looking driver in golf.
A 600 dollar Powerbilt or Spalding driver? Pass or are they trying to get us to pay 50 bux more for the pretty one?
Truly am not a fan of the look even if they do perform. After seeing the previous gen drivers up close, i have to say that i have a soft spot for the look of the Rogue. Simple and elegant.
Its pronounced (E-leee-t) not E-light 😂
Kirkland Driver for the Win!
Its a solid driver bro stop nick picking i have the ai smoke td its staying in the bag this year i think it looks better than this years but its still a callaway
The fact a significant number of you are stuck on cosmetics instead of performance in this day and age says it all, including the creator. Your respect level just drops. Try all of them before you buy and use the club that works best for ‘you’. Do not listen to anyone else but you, even Tiger if he shows up at your course. No one living knows you better than you and if that isn’t the case, you are in the wrong sport lol. Try all the clubs, don’t be lazy and use the ones that best fit ‘you’. Don’t listen to these guys who just want your clicks. They are just like the Trumps and the Clintons of the world, you mean nothing to them.
Most drivers are the same, it's the looks and fashion sell
Trade in an AI Smoke Driver? I am going to say NO at the current price!! I can find a golfball that will get those few extra yards.
Looks like a crap version of the epic you be better off buying a paradym or big Bertha which you can get for 250 pounds now brand new
Buy it if you want.
Looks don't matter as much as performance. To get hung up on looks is vain and fickle. It makes me question your objectivity and integrity. My concern isn't looks but price. I don't care how a club looks, I care about how it performs. I'm 70 years old and need a forgiving club. Looks be damned. I just with the drivers were cheaper. Golf is a game after all. I'll continue to buy used or pre-owned clubs at a discount.
Callaway peaked at paradym.
Wazaki cyclone
The Paradym looks like Tom Cruise while the Elyte looks like Donald Trump. Definitely gone backwards in the looks department , first impressions is important when parting with £570 of hard earn cash.
Stop listening to all the marketing hype. Get one driver that works for you and spend the money you save on lessons
Personally I like the look of the driver. But for me I am about performance. During my fitting it was better than my current driver (Titleist GT3) in ball dispersion. distance was about the same. Will see how it performs when it arrives. Thanks for the great video.
they do look horrible & cheap
Why are you even making videos?