Callaway Elyte Driver; Triple Diamond Max Model?

[mitchdoc]

On 4/16/2025 at 2:28 PM, tickyboy said:

 

Interesting.

 

I played around with the Smoke Max last weekend but couldn't find any good reason to switch away from my TD Max besides I like the shape a bit more?  Was a bit slower but felt good.

 

Have you tried the Elyte TD yet?  I think I like the Elyte core looks better but from reviews the TD is a fantastic head.  Wondering what your results were like.

only tried the core model. The Elyte TD max not out yet

[BIGDUB512]

Mine showed up today and was able to get some range time and 9 holes in with it. 
 

coming from a GT3 I found the TD Max is more forgiving and maintains spin levels better on miss hits. Consistently just as long as my GT3 and hit a couple that were well beyond what I ever got out of that club. My left miss was markedly less severe as well.
 

Early results looking awesome. Looking forward to getting it on the TrackMan and validating.

 

 

[tomg1969]

I want to pull the trigger on an Elyte TD Max, but I was not a fan of the Ai Smoke TD max. For some reason I just couldn’t get much out of it. Played the regular Ai Smoke last year and really liked it. Yes, it’s fade biased, which I don’t love but didn’t have issues with it. 
Toying around with trying a TD TD instead of the TD max. 
Any real world experience/opinions would

Be welcome. 

[Wardonation]

MY LOCAL GG HAS 8 TOTAL 5 MAX'S AND 3 TD'S.. I LIKE THE SHAPE OF THE TD BUT IT SITS WAY TOO OPEN FOR ME...

[Hedgehog]

Anyone that have the 10,5° Elite TD Max, can you take a pic on grass or grass like surface of how it sits with NS and then in +1 & +2? Thanks!

[Harmcyn]

What’s thoughts on the TD TD so far?

Im currently gaming current Elyte TD standard version


My miss is right. Sometimes bad ha. But 115-120 mph CHS

Worth trying?

[pearls24]

I have 2 rounds in so far with my TD Max 9* with Ventus Blue 6x.  I've been using Titleist drivers for the last 6+ years and haven't used a Cally driver since the original Alpha Black Diamond.  I really like the looks although I'd prefer a one pc crown like the TSR/GT.  It seems to be minimizing my misses pretty well.  Not sure if it's longer than the TSR but it's about the same but too early to tell and weather hasn't been warm enough to really compare.  The head sits a bit open at address to my eye so I've caught myself adjusting the face at address which has led to more left misses.  When I trust it how it lays at address I'm hitting a nice baby draw.  So I think once I get used to it then I'll be more comfortable with it.  I used to have a big right block miss that rears it's head from time to time.  It caused some scar tissue over the years so trusting the ball won't go way right with how it sits at address is a very important for me.  

[blakesmittkamp]

I’m playing the elyte triple diamond max 9* head turned up 1* to get the face angle more square.  

[JimmyD]

On 4/20/2025 at 7:54 PM, Harmcyn said:

What’s thoughts on the TD TD so far?

Im currently gaming current Elyte TD standard version


My miss is right. Sometimes bad ha. But 115-120 mph CHS

Worth trying?

I haven’t played outdoors yet but on the Sim my TD TD has been great.  Coming from an Ai Smoke TD Max I really am a fan of the slightly smaller head and actually prefer the glossy black.  Sound and feel is better as well IMO.  Definitely an upgrade for me.  First round scheduled for tomorrow.

[BigtimeHC]

A few rounds now under my belt with the TD Max. Absolutely loving it. Cut the 1k black down to play 45" and ordered weights from Shaft Connect. Currently have a 6 in the front and 12 in the back and the balance is perfect. Hitting some monsters with it but not seeing toe balls fall out of the sky and head too far left. 

 

I think this is a personal thing for every golfer, but I am much more sensitive to the weights flipping than I would have thought. Have played two nines with the heavy weight forward and I am much more prone to hit it low in the face and my consistency plummets. Flipping back has me making some of the most consistent center face contact I can remember. Spin isn't that big of a difference either IMO. Seeing lots of big bounces and plenty of roll with healthy carry numbers. Toying with a shaft upgrade but struggling to reconcile what kind of gain (if any) I could get with a Shogun, Diamana, or Ventus over the 1k Black.

[slappy78]

Anyone compared the AI Smoke TDM to the Elyte TDM?

[ANimz]

I'm not seeing any on course performance for the Elyte TD Max that is better than the AI Smoke Max.  Less fade bias than I experienced with the AI Smoke TD Max.  

 

I actually lifted it down to 8 degrees today.  Still has plenty of launch, and hit little baby fades all day.  71% FIR, and a couple misses were good balls that went to far for the dog legs. I think that's more the shaft as I got the 1K black vs the HZRDUS RDX black in the smoke.  Middling contact much more in the 1k black.  

 

Always tempted to try the TD model, but fear that would be a mistake.  Might send it back for a TD though since performance is very similar to the AISM.  

[Ned Ryerson]

Very much enjoying the Elyte TD coming from the AI Smoke TD Max. Not seeing anyone who has directly compared the Elyte TD to the Elyte TD Max. Don’t see it in YouTube or in the comments here. Anyone?

[Braddles]

8 hours ago, Ned Ryerson said:

Very much enjoying the Elyte TD coming from the AI Smoke TD Max. Not seeing anyone who has directly compared the Elyte TD to the Elyte TD Max. Don’t see it in YouTube or in the comments here. Anyone?

This video is worth watching. Tom starts hitting the Elyte Triple Diamond Max and ends with the Elyte Triple Diamond.

 

 

[gioguy21]

5 hours ago, Braddles said:

This video is worth watching. Tom starts hitting the Elyte Triple Diamond Max and ends with the Elyte Triple Diamond.

 

 

that's as much of an advert for the clubs as it is for the new balls. sheesh. 

[Hageman11]

I was able to hit the Elyte TD, TD Max and TD TD.  I hit the TD and TD Max both well with the Max edging it out with a bit better dispersion.  When I went to the TD TD i kept losing everything to the right, which is the exact opposite of what I thought would happen!

[Hageman11]

Just now, Hageman11 said:

I was able to hit the Elyte TD, TD Max and TD TD.  I hit the TD and TD Max both well with the Max edging it out with a bit better dispersion.  When I went to the TD TD i kept losing everything to the right, which is the exact opposite of what I thought would happen!

All heads at 9* with stock Tensei 1k Black

[underwater]

On 4/20/2025 at 5:54 PM, Harmcyn said:

What’s thoughts on the TD TD so far?

Im currently gaming current Elyte TD standard version
 

 

I picked up a Tour Draw after about 90 minutes of testing in the sim.

 

Initially after hearing about it I was confused.  I thought the Tour Draw was based on the 460cc Triple D Max.  But the Tour Draw is a 450cc "less fade biased" Triple Diamond Standard.  (everyone here knew this but me).  When I found this out I had to go test it. 

 

My problem is that I love the Triple-D and TD Max but I have a bit of an inside-out path and my miss is a straight right PUSH.  With how the Triple-D Standard sits wide-open, I can pound my miss straight right into the driving range from the 9th tee box 🙂

 

So enter the TD Tour Draw - and as I said I worked it out for well over an hour and it's definitely not your "Diablo Draw HT" which sits 5° closed, built for your 30hc slicer.  Again, it's a less fade biased Triple-D standard.  In fact I was having to induce effort to turn the Tour Draw over - mostly straight, but you CAN draw it.   Its draw capabilities are subtle.  But it doesn't fly over the first basemen's head if you're sometimes 5-6° inside-out like I am when I'm late or stuck.  Took it to the outdoor range and found performance to largely match my experience in the sim.  First round will be next Wednesday.  

 

 

(For the record with a neutral driver like a GT2/GT3, Ping Max, Qi10 Core, I typically hit straight or a 5 yard draw)

 

 

Edited April 25 by underwater

[underwater]

On 4/22/2025 at 8:58 AM, BigtimeHC said:

A few rounds now under my belt with the TD Max. Absolutely loving it. Cut the 1k black down to play 45" and ordered weights from Shaft Connect. Currently have a 6 in the front and 12 in the back and the balance is perfect. Hitting some monsters with it but not seeing toe balls fall out of the sky and head too far left. 

 

I think this is a personal thing for every golfer, but I am much more sensitive to the weights flipping than I would have thought. Have played two nines with the heavy weight forward and I am much more prone to hit it low in the face and my consistency plummets. Flipping back has me making some of the most consistent center face contact I can remember. Spin isn't that big of a difference either IMO. Seeing lots of big bounces and plenty of roll with healthy carry numbers. Toying with a shaft upgrade but struggling to reconcile what kind of gain (if any) I could get with a Shogun, Diamana, or Ventus over the 1k Black.

 

...but I'm toying with a shaft upgrade.  You were born for WRX.

[BigtimeHC]

20 minutes ago, underwater said:

 

...but I'm toying with a shaft upgrade.  You were born for WRX.

That’s exactly what I’m afraid of 😂

 

If there’s something out there that can make me 1% better (or 1% less worse haha), I’m going to try to find it. 

[BlkNGld]

12 hours ago, BigtimeHC said:

That’s exactly what I’m afraid of 😂

 

If there’s something out there that can make me 1% better (or 1% less worse haha), I’m going to try to find it. 

 

That running water sound is the collective drooling at aftermarket shaft companies. 🤤

[halfsumo]

After taking out my Elyte mini for a range session, I'm now thinking about an Elyte driver. I'm going back and forth in my head which head, I suppose I should get fit.

 

I already owned the Elyte TD earlier this year and played one round and was hitting everything off the planet right. I joked that I hit one fairway all day and it was on the wrong hole. So I actually traded it in for the Mini during the 1.5x trade bonus and went back to my GT3. 

 

I like the TD look and feel so the Draw and Max intrigue me, but also the Standard Elyte head might be the one? It has pretty similar specs to the PING 440 LST with MOI over 9000 and seems to be super low spin. 

[getitdaily]

39 minutes ago, halfsumo said:

After taking out my Elyte mini for a range session, I'm now thinking about an Elyte driver. I'm going back and forth in my head which head, I suppose I should get fit.

 

I already owned the Elyte TD earlier this year and played one round and was hitting everything off the planet right. I joked that I hit one fairway all day and it was on the wrong hole. So I actually traded it in for the Mini during the 1.5x trade bonus and went back to my GT3. 

 

I like the TD look and feel so the Draw and Max intrigue me, but also the Standard Elyte head might be the one? It has pretty similar specs to the PING 440 LST with MOI over 9000 and seems to be super low spin. 

What's your handicap?

[halfsumo]

21 minutes ago, getitdaily said:

What's your handicap?

2.0 

 

I'm leaning toward the standard head or the TD Draw in 10.5. Lol, but I suppose the TD Max would be a combo of those two....I'm going to try to hit some tomorrow. 

[getitdaily]

7 minutes ago, halfsumo said:

2.0 

 

I'm leaning toward the standard head or the TD Draw in 10.5. Lol, but I suppose the TD Max would be a combo of those two....I'm going to try to hit some tomorrow. 

Imo...your decision should be

 

1. Definitely not the TD TD. 

2. Td max if start line is really important and you want a start line that rarely is left of your target (for a righty)

3. Elyte std if you don't mind the start line getting left every now and then. 

 

You'll find elyte std to be a touch faster and lower spin than td max. 

 

Td max vs std is almost 100% based in start line. They perform nearly the same otherwise.

[halfsumo]

26 minutes ago, getitdaily said:

Imo...your decision should be

 

1. Definitely not the TD TD. 

2. Td max if start line is really important and you want a start line that rarely is left of your target (for a righty)

3. Elyte std if you don't mind the start line getting left every now and then. 

 

You'll find elyte std to be a touch faster and lower spin than td max. 

 

Td max vs std is almost 100% based in start line. They perform nearly the same otherwise.

Great info. I never thought to think in terms of start line and this really helps differentiate the heads.

Edited April 25 by halfsumo

[underwater]

16 hours ago, getitdaily said:

Imo...your decision should be

 

1. Definitely not the TD TD. 

2. Td max if start line is really important and you want a start line that rarely is left of your target (for a righty)

3. Elyte std if you don't mind the start line getting left every now and then. 

 

You'll find elyte std to be a touch faster and lower spin than td max. 

 

Td max vs std is almost 100% based in start line. They perform nearly the same otherwise.

There's not enough information here to determine if he should be in one head over another.  Stating he should definitely not be in the Tour Draw is unknowable.
 

If he is missing the standard triple diamond right, it could be because he's overly steep therefor cutting it right, or it could be because he is shallow but inside-out and the open face is aligned with his path causing him to pound it straight right with no curvature.

 

His GHIN handicap is irrelevant.

 

I would ask member halfsumo why he is dramatically missing the standard triple diamond to the right. Is he inside-out and not getting the club all the way closed? The triple diamond sits more open than just about any driver out there.  The standard triple diamond with its 45.75 inch shaft, nearly 3° open club face, and flat lie angle can be tough to square even for scratch golfers if they have a certain swing characteristic.

 

- The Tour Draw *could* be a good fix depending on his move.  But not necessarily.

 

- The TD Max *could* be a bad decision.  But not necessarily. (both the standard TD and TD Max have the same open face at address)

 

...more information is required.

 

 

 

Edited April 26 by underwater

[blakesmittkamp]

Any more long term reviews or comparisons to the ai smoke td max??? 

[defjamz]

Just received my Elyte TD Max on Friday and had 2 range sessions so far. Here are my initial impressions vs the Ai Smoke TD Max I have gamed the past year.

- Elyte TD Max (9* turned up to 10* / HZRDUS Black 4G 6.0 60g)

- Ai Smoke TD Max (9* turned up to 10* / Denali Black 6.0 60g)

- Elyte 'feels' a pinch softer, like the ball stays on the face a bit longer - could be the shaft difference that is causing this, not sure

- Elyte launches higher - again this could the shaft difference but both shafts are Project X and considered low launch/low spin

- Subjectively, Elyte performs a bit better on mishits (low face, high toe) as I felt it was retaining ball speed and launch fractionally better than Ai Smoke

- From the middle of the face, there is really no difference (both maxed out at around 290 total yards for me)

- Ball speed overall was maybe 1-2 MPH faster (at least according to Top Tracer) for Elyte, but overall distance was about the same which leads me to speculate that Elyte may spin a touch more than Ai Smoke (which might explain the slight improvement in forgiveness).

- I already loved the Ai Smoke TD Max, but surprisingly I love the performance of the Elyte TD Max even more. Although in my opinion the Ai Smoke looks better from a cosmetic perspective.

 

I have to admit that there does seem to be some incremental gains for Elyte vs Ai Smoke, even if I initially thought they'd be exactly the same. The guy in the bay next to me asked what driver I was hitting, then looked it up on his phone to order one LOL. I highly recommended that he not do that, and suggested he demo (or better yet get fit) before he buys a new driver..

Edited July 29 by defjamz