I’ve reviewed a lot of the best golf drivers, but this new model will take some beating in 2025
By Rob Jerram, Digital Editor. Tour golf nerd. World No.1 at three-putting.
Last updated:
Callaway Elyte Driver with Today's Golfer Logo
At a glance
TG Rating4.8 out of 5
Owner RatingNot yet rated
Pros
Fast and forgiving
Distance gains over Ai Smoke
Confidence inspiring crown and sound
Clean design
Cons
Hosel adaptor limited compared to some brands
What we say...
Callaway poured more R&D and tech into the Elyte driver than they have with any other model… and it shows. Here’s why I think their tech-packed and highly-adjustable 2025 core model will prove hard for its rivals to beat.
Callaway’s R&D team were set a simple but daunting task for their 2025 drivers – take us from good to elite. So confident are they that they’ve created the year’s best driver (and their best ever!) that they’ve even called it Elyte. Yes, I know, that’s not how you spell elite – Callaway have been loving a seemingly random Y in their product names for the past couple of years but this one makes sense as a nod to the brand’s founding father, Ely Callaway.
Through thorough testing with our Local Testing Pro Neil Wane for our Best Drivers Awards, we have picked the Callaway Elyte Driver as our Expert’s Choice for 2025. This is the driver that we would recommend to all amateur golfers for 2025, due to the versatility and forgiveness on offer in a clubhead that provides confidence down at address and impressive ball speed across the face. If you are an amateur golfer who needs a driver that ticks all the boxes for forgiveness, versatility and overall performance, we strongly recommend the Callaway Elyte as your first option to try.
You can find out exactly how they went about getting to the next level with our in-depth guide to all the Elyte tech and the three other driver models in our handy everything you need to know page, but here are the headlines before we dive into the full driver review.
Callaway invested $2m into a new 3D printer to allow them to create more than 75 driver prototypes before being satisfied they couldn’t the Elyte driver any better. Previously, they’ve been limited to a handful.
They’ve made significant changes to the 460cc head shape to improve speed after identifying a lot of drag around the heel and shaft in the downswing in last year’s Ai Smoke model.
There’s an all-new Thermoforged Carbon crown, made from aerospace grade materials, which was easier to extend further around the driver body, creating a larger crown to boost speed and optimize launch and spin.
They’ve taken their Artificial Intelligence to new levels in the face, throwing loads more data into their computer to produce a face, Ai10x, that has 25,000 control points and “no dead spots”. To put that into context, Ai Smoke’s face had 1,500 control points. What that means is the new face creates fast ball speeds, tighter dispersion, and optimized launch wherever you hit it… and as someone who used Ai Smoke and has now been using Elyte for several rounds, it really does.
“Elyte is effectively 11k MOI effective while remaining within all of the legal limits,” Callaway told us during the product launch in Spain.
And there’s a new weight system – adjustable perimeter weighting. Gone is the rear track and sliding weight found in Paradym and Paradym Ai Smoke, replaced with a moveable single 13g tungsten weight and three ports to help you overcome your miss and create your perfect flight. Couple that with the various loft and lie settings in the OptiFit hosel and a shaft fitting and, like me, you’ll dial in your best-ever driver performance.
As well as the Elyte drivers, there are fairways, hybrids and irons (which are incredible btw), which you can read about at the links below.
But let’s dive into my full Callaway Elyte driver review and find out why I think this will challenge for not only the best driver honors, but longest driver and most forgiving driver prizes in 2025.
And be sure to check back later this month when I’ll reveal all the Elyte driver data and how it compares with the rivals. Our pro is currently carrying out head-to-head testing of more than 30 of this year’s models to further aid your buying decision.
The look of the Elyte driver is understated. On first sighting the sole didn’t blow me away because there’s nothing that screams or shouts excitement. Black, white, and silver with some flashes of ‘Epic’ green. It’s more intriguing than exciting with the new shaping and weight ports. That isn’t to say it’s not a good-looking driver, more that the sole wouldn’t be the one that jumps out from 2025’s offerings. One colleague suggested it looked a little like a driver you would find in a high-end package set. That’s a harsh view. It’s perhaps not as eye-grabbing as Ai Smoke, and it certainly doesn’t have the rack appeal of the new Elyte irons (which are a thing of beauty), but would you rather have a Ferrari that performs like a family car or a family car that performs like a Ferrari? This is the latter, going almost unnoticed on the forecourt before leaving you in its dust away from the lights.
In fairness, it does look great at address, which is what matters to the player standing over it. The matt chrome crown has a neat almost flecked finish with subtle Elyte branding. The darker topline contrasts superbly, with the crown and, coupled with the famous Callaway Chevron, makes alignment a breeze. There’s nothing here that distracts the eye. Its size and shape inspire confidence and the colour of the Ai10x face doesn’t contrast heavily with the topline or head.
It sounds phenomenal. Like the design, it is crisp and clean from the middle, and through the hands it just feels fast and solid. While the looks are on the sedate side, the sound shouts power. Even when you catch one low or out of the toe, it’s a satisfying noise that gives your playing partners no real clue that you haven’t buttoned the shot – and thanks to the Ai10x Face, the result won’t reveal it, either.
Distance and Spin: 5/5
Callaway had shown me the work they’d done to increase speed but I’m a sceptic so took my first few swings with low expectations. It’s safe to say Callaway’s R&D wizards have walked the walk. I slotted the 10.5º head into the shaft I’d had fitted for Ai Smoke and within five swings I could tell it was quicker than its predecessor. It just felt easier to swing and get through the ball. The numbers back that up. I’ve gained an average of 1mph of head speed over my Ai Smoke, which has given me more ball speed. My spin rate is also down, which Callaway tell me is due to that combo of the new head shape and the new Thermoforged carbon optimizing the launch and spin through lower CG and higher MOI. In total I’ve gained about 2.5 yards. It might sound small, but that’s a significant gain on a year-old driver that had already given me decent gains on my previous Paradym head. And that’s before I mention the increased forgiveness…
Forgiveness and Control: 5/5
Callaway set out to bridge the gap between drivers that are fast but lack forgiveness, and drivers that are forgiving but lack speed. I think they’ve achieved that with aplomb.
I’ve spoken about the speed above, but the forgiveness is exceptional.
I swore and instantly dropped my head after three tee shots during my opening round with this driver because I was utterly convinced I’d hit an awful shot. Each time I looked up and saw my ball bounding down the fairway. A poor swing doesn’t equal a poor result with this club. It’s up there with Ping’s G430 Max 10k when it comes to forgiveness.
I put Elyte straight in play after a morning of testing it at La Reserva Club in Sotogrande during Callaway’s launch event and only missed one fairway – and that was nothing to do with the club, more the 30 yards left the face was pointing through impact. Ai10x is good, but it can’t fix that!
My Ai Smoke is impressively forgiving, but if I catch it out of the heel or toe I still can’t guarantee that the face will save me. That does not feel like the case with Elyte. In the several rounds I have played with the new driver. It’s safe to say that I have made contact with every part of the new face and it has, somehow, managed to keep me in play. Most impressively, perhaps, is that there is no significant drop off in distance regardless of the area you hit it from. Of course, when I have buttoned it out of the middle with one of those rare perfect swings and strikes, it has outperformed those shots where I haven’t but like the majority of you reading this, I am a very inconsistent golfer, so that is not guaranteed, meaning a face that still gives me more than enough distance to be up with my playing partners when I haven’t hit it out of the screws is a godsend.
I play with a gentle fade (that is sometimes less gentle) and feel more comfortable than ever repeating that shot with Elyte.
Our Equipment Editor, Alex Lodge, echoed similar thoughts to me in his long-term testing of this club, trying to find the perfect product to solve his turbulent game:
“As I am a high speed player, I’ve always been directed to the lower spinning, more compact heads, whilst I prefer a larger head due to the forgiveness on offer. With Callaway’s Elyte offering for 2025, the core model became a unicorn club for me straight away. The ability to mould this club to suit my swing via the adjustability on offer, yet keep the spin down but the speed up is something I haven’t experienced for several years. This club went in the bag in January, and it’s still there now!”.
Technology and Components: 5/5
All the new tech is working together so it’s impossible to judge it individually because one element wouldn’t work without another. But it’s clear that the ability to print prototypes quickly and have more opportunities to test and improve makes that $2m some of the most sensible money Callaway have ever invested. It’s allowed them to push the envelope with the shaping and materials, knowing they’d be able to tinker more if things didn’t work.
The new shape and materials have undoubtedly increased speed, but it’s the Ai10x face that really stands out for me. To be able to feel confident that you can hit your driver almost anywhere across the face and not be horrifically punished is just a huge confidence booster.
I was surprised to see Callaway move away from the sliding weight system, but I’ve tested Elyte in all three rear slots, and the weight does make a noticeable difference to my shot shape. I’m not sure I’ve seen the 20 yards of difference each way that Callaway are claiming they’ve produced in testing, but it has been significant.
The OptiFit loft sleeve remains more limited than the options from some of their rivals, especially with brands like Cobra releasing 33-option adaptors in the new DS-Adapt range, but if they and their fitters are confident they can dial me in and the results are there then why would they change it, so it cannot be marked down for that, either.
Ultimately, Callaway don’t shirk when it comes to tech and materials – they want to produce the best products so they put the best into them.
Final thoughts
It’s going to take something special to get Elyte out of my hands in 2025. It looks great at address and it makes hitting driver a pleasure not a chore. It’s a model I quickly felt I could trust to give me distance and forgiveness and it’s clear that all the tech work Callaway have done has genuinely improved performance and not just been for a marketing campaign. It’ll be at the top end of most people’s budgets, but the fact Callaway have put so much money and tech into this product and not pushed a price increase on 2024 is another tick. Ultimately, the Elyte driver is a consistency machine and that’s all I’m looking for when I reach for the big stick.
Alternative Options
Callaway are offering four drivers in the Elyte range in 2025. You’ve just read all about the core model, but there’s Elyte X, Elyte Triple Diamond, and Elyte Max Fast. There’s also a mini driver, which we’ll be seeing and testing early this year.
Elyte X replaces the Max D of previous years and is the maximum forgiveness, high-launch model for players who need a little more help. Elyte Max Fast is, as the name suggests, a fast driver that targets moderate swing players and will feature all the tech found in Elyte X, with an adjustable hosel in this model for the first time. And Elyte Triple Diamond is a better-player driver (although its forgiveness levels mean it’s surprisingly accessible to a lot more amateurs) with a smaller 450cc head that creates lower spin and launch, and suits those who want to see a neutral to fade bias.
Interestingly, Callaway will also keep 2024’s driver, Ai Smoke, in their 2025 line-up, dropping the RRP considerably and offering fewer custom options in those models, but if your budget doesn’t stretch to the $599/£569 price tag for Elyte then that’s still a great option.
Rob specializes in the DP World Tour, PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and the Ryder Cup, spending large chunks of his days reading about, writing about, and watching the tours each month.
He’s passionate about the equipment used by professional golfers and is also a font of knowledge about golf balls, trolleys, and bags, having tested thousands over the years.
