Callaway Golf
Encyclopedia
Callaway Golf Company is a global sporting goods company that designs, manufactures, markets and sells golf equipment
Golf equipment
Golf equipment encompasses the various items that are used to play the sport of golf. Types of equipment include the golf ball itself, implements designed for striking the golf ball, devices that aid in the process of playing a stroke, and items that in some way enrich the playing...

, golf accessories and golf lifestyle-related products in more than 70 countries worldwide. The American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 company, based in Carlsbad, California
Carlsbad, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Carlsbad had a population of 105,328. The population density was 2,693.1 people per square mile . The racial makeup of Carlsbad was 87,205 White, 1,379 African American, 514 Native American, 7,460 Asian, 198 Pacific Islander, 4,189 from other...

, is the world’s largest maker of golf clubs.

Callaway Golf sells its products through golf retailers and sporting goods retailers, through mass merchants, directly online, and through its pre-owned and trade-in services. Callaway Golf licenses its name, trademarks and service marks for golf lifestyle products including golf apparel, golf shoes, golf bags, headwear, watches, rangefinders, practice aids and travel gear.

Callaway Golf also market products under the Odyssey putter brand, acquired in 1997, as well as the Top-Flite, Strata and Ben Hogan golf brands picked up following the bankruptcy of Spalding
Spalding (sports equipment)
Spalding is a sporting goods company founded by Albert Spalding in Chicago, Illinois, in 1876 and now headquartered in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The company specializes in the production of balls for many sports, but is most-known for its basketballs...

's former golf division in 2003.

History

Callaway Golf Company was founded by former Burlington Industries textile president, Ely R. Callaway, Jr. Callaway was raised in Lagrange, GA and was a graduate from Emory University
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...

. Callaway became very successful in the textile industry and was very fond of playing golf. At games, Callaway would use clubs by Hickory Sticks. The clubs were constructed of hickory-shafts with a steel core. At that time, Hickory Sticks was owned by Richard Parente and Dick De La Cruz. As Hickory Sticks started running low on funds, they sought investors to help the company and approached Callaway. At the time, he had just sold his vineyards for a $9 million profit. Then in 1982, he bought half of Hickory Sticks, the company was renamed to Callaway Hickory Stick USA. In 1984, Callaway bought the rest of the company for $400,000. In 1983, he became president and moved the company to Carlsbad, California
Carlsbad, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Carlsbad had a population of 105,328. The population density was 2,693.1 people per square mile . The racial makeup of Carlsbad was 87,205 White, 1,379 African American, 514 Native American, 7,460 Asian, 198 Pacific Islander, 4,189 from other...

 where he sold clubs out of his Cadillac
Cadillac
Cadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...

. The company eventually changed to its present name in 1988.

In 1985, the company hired Bruce Parker, as head of sales, who later became the company's Chief Merchant and through his tenure with Callaway Golf as head of sales was responsible for sales in excess of $3.0 billion. As a key member of management, Parker was involved in all major decisions during the company's growth.

In 1986, Callaway hired a billiard cue designer, Richard C. Helmstetter, as a consultant. Helmstetter later became chief club designer that same year and introduced computer-controlled manufacturing machines. With his help and the help of Glenn Schmidt, the company's master tool maker, the company developed the original Big Bertha
Big Bertha (golf club)
Big Bertha is the name given by Callaway Golf to a number of its lines of golf clubs. The name was chosen to evoke the famous German Big Bertha howitzer.The original Big Bertha driver was launched in 1991...

 driver using large-volume (190cc) steel clubhead. The Big Bertha driver grew to 290 cc in 1997.

In 1996, the company hired Roger Cleveland as chief club designer and in 2002, launched the Callaway Golf Forged Wedges. These wedges were constructed from carbon steel and a face with modified U grooves.

In that same year, Callaway announced the development of a new golf ball, under the leadership of Chuck Yash, the former head of Taylormade Golf. Callaway Golf spent three years developing its new golf ball and a state-of-the-art production facility. The company’s entry into the market represented a $170 million investment in the research and development of the ball, construction of the 225000 square feet (20,903.2 m²) production facility, and development and purchase of special manufacturing equipment. Callaway’s manufacturing facility and its equipment were designed specifically for the unique production requirements for the new ball.

Callaway Golf Ball Company engineers, recruited from Du Pont and Boeing, used aerodynamic computer programs (first used by Boeing and General Electric) to evaluate more than 300 dimple patterns and more than 1,000 variations of ball cores, boundary layers, and cover materials to create the new Rule 35 ball. Callaway engineers designed only two models of the Rule 35 ball—choosing to develop a "complete-performance" ball rather than separate balls developed for spin, control, distance, and durability. Ely Callaway explained the company’s product development objectives as follows: "We have combined all of the performance benefits into one ball so players no longer need to sacrifice control for distance, or feel, or durability. Each Rule 35 ball contains a unique synergy of distance, control, spin, feel and durability characteristics. This eliminates confusion and guesswork in trying to identify the golf ball that is right for each individual golfer."

In 1997, Odyssey Sports was acquired expanding Callaway's line of putters. This eventually led to the release of the Odyssey White Hot putter line in 2000.

Ely Callaway resigned as CEO and President in 1996 stepping aside for Donald H. Dye to take over as CEO and President, but Callaway continued to be an integral part of the company as Chairman of the Board and as President and CEO of Callaway Golf Ball Company and in a promotional role for all of Callaway's products. He later returned in 1998 to reassume his position as President and CEO of Callaway Golf Company but died of pancreatic cancer on July 5, 2001 which left the position to Ron Drapeau.

In 2003, Ron Drapeau, announced the intended purchase of Top-Flite Golf, as well as its Ben Hogan Golf division, soon after it filed for Chapter 11. Following competition from Adidas
Adidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...

 the acquisition would eventually cost Callaway Golf $169 million.

Financial

In February 1992, Callaway Golf went public on the New York Stock Exchange
New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located at 11 Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City, USA. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed companies at 13.39 trillion as of Dec 2010...

 with a market capitalization of $250 million. By late 1997, it reached a market capitalization of over $3.0 billion.

Endorsements

Callaway has endorsement deals with many professional golfer
Professional golfer
In golf the distinction between amateurs and professionals is rigorously maintained. An amateur who breaches the rules of amateur status may lose his or her amateur status. A golfer who has lost his or her amateur status may not play in amateur competitions until amateur status has been reinstated;...

s who play on the world's leading tours. They also have commercial relationships with some of the legends of the sport including Arnold Palmer
Arnold Palmer
Arnold Daniel Palmer is an American professional golfer, who is generally regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of men's professional golf. He has won numerous events on both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour, dating back to 1955...

 and Annika Sörenstam
Annika Sörenstam
Annika Sörenstam is a Swedish-American professional golfer whose achievements rank her as one of the most successful golfers in history. Before stepping away from competitive golf at the end of the 2008 season, she won 90 international tournaments as a professional, making her the female golfer...

, and celebrities such as Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...

. After being endorsed by Callaway late in his career, Seve Ballesteros expressed his gratitude to Ely Callaway by giving him a vintage Rolex, one he had worn since he first signed with the watchmaker.

PGA Tour

Stuart Appleby
Stuart Appleby
Stuart Appleby is an Australian professional golfer.-Early life:Appleby was born in Cohuna in rural northern Victoria, and grew up on a nearby dairy farm. He began in golf by hitting balls from paddock to paddock after his farm chores were completed...

 Ian Baker-Finch
Ian Baker-Finch
Ian Michael Baker-Finch is an Australian professional golfer, who is best known for winning The Open Championship in 1991.-Early years:...

 Cameron Beckman
Cameron Beckman
Cameron Reid Beckman is an American professional golfer.Beckman was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and was raised in the Twin Cities' suburb of Burnsville. He graduated from Burnsville Senior High School in 1988. He attended Texas Lutheran University, where he majored in Art and was a member of...

 Rich Beem
Rich Beem
Richard Michael Beem is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour.Beem was born in Phoenix, Arizona, grew up in El Paso, Texas, and played golf at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico....

 Notah Begay Mark Brooks
Mark Brooks (golfer)
Mark David Brooks is an American professional golfer.Brooks was born in Fort Worth, Texas. He attended the University of Texas at Austin, where he was a three-time All-American as a member of the golf team. He turned professional in 1983.Brooks has seven wins on the PGA Tour, including one major,...

 Alex Čejka
Alex Cejka
Alexander Čejka is a Czech/German professional golfer.Čejka was born in Marienbad, Czechoslovakia. He left Czechoslovakia with his parents as a refugee at the age of nine, eventually settling in Munich, where he lived for many years, becoming a German citizen...

 Brandel Chamblee
Brandel Chamblee
Brandel Eugene Chamblee is an American professional golfer.Chamblee was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He attended the University of Texas where he was an All-American. He has a home in Phoenix, Arizona and has three children: sons Brandel Jr., Brennen, and a daughter, Bergen...

 Ernie Els
Ernie Els
Theodore Ernest "Ernie" Els is a South African professional golfer, who has been one of the top professional players in the world since the mid-1990s. A former World No. 1, he is known as "The Big Easy" due to his imposing physical stature along with his fluid, seemingly effortless golf swing...

 Scott Gutschewski
Scott Gutschewski
Scott Gutschewski is an American professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour.-Amateur career:Gutschewski was born in Omaha, Nebraska. He played college golf at the University of Nebraska and helped lead the Huskers to a 14th-place finish at the NCAA Championships in his senior year...

 J. J. Henry Jim Herman
Jim Herman
James Robert Herman is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour.Herman was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. He played golf at St. Xavier High School and graduated in 1996. Herman played college golf at the University of Cincinnati. He turned professional in 2000.Herman played on the...


J.B. Holmes Trevor Immelman
Trevor Immelman
Trevor John Immelman is a South African professional golfer and winner of the 2008 Masters Tournament.-Early years:Immelman was born in Cape Town, South Africa. Born into a golfing family , he took up golf at the age of five. He attended Hottentots Holland High School...

 Fredrik Jacobson
Fredrik Jacobson
Fredrik Ulf Yngve Jacobson is a Swedish professional golfer.Jacobson was born in Kungsbacka. He turned professional in 1994 and was a member of the European Tour in 1995 and from 1997 to 2004. In 2003 he won his first European Tour title, and went on to claim two more victories that season...

 Lee Janzen
Lee Janzen
Lee McLeod Janzen is an American golfer who is best known for twice winning the U.S. Open, in 1993 and 1998.-Early years and amateur career:...

 Colt Knost
Colt Knost
Colt Knost is an American professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour.-Amateur career:Knost was born in Cleveland, Ohio and grew up in Pilot Point, Texas. He was the Class 3A State Champion his senior year of 2003. He graduated from Southern Methodist University in 2007. While at SMU,...

 Greg Kraft
Greg Kraft
Greg Kraft is an American professional golfer who has played on the Nationwide Tour and the PGA Tour.Kraft was born in Detroit, Michigan. He graduated from the University of Tampa in 1986 and turned professional later that year. He played on the Nationwide Tour in 1990, 1991, and 2005; and on the...

 Derek Lamely
Derek Lamely
Derek Lamely is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour and the Nationwide Tour.Lamely was born in Belleville, Illinois. He was a member of the Texas State Championship team at Montgomery High School. He played college golf at Florida Gulf Coast University before...

 Shaun Micheel
Shaun Micheel
Shaun Carl Micheel is an American golfer who is best known for his surprise victory in 2003 in one of golf's major championships, the PGA Championship....

 Phil Mickelson
Phil Mickelson
Philip Alfred Mickelson is an American professional golfer. He has won four major championships and a total of 39 events on the PGA Tour. He has reached a career high world ranking of 2nd in multiple years. He is nicknamed "Lefty" for his left-handed swing, even though he is otherwise right-handed...

 James Nitties
James Nitties
James Evangelo Nitties is an Australian professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour.-Amateur career:Nitties was born in Melbourne, Australia. He suffered from juvenile arthritis as a child and young adult, which restricted his flexibility. This caused him to have to take pain killers to restrict...

 Paul Stankowski
Paul Stankowski
Paul Francis Stankowski is an American professional golfer who has played on both the Nationwide Tour and the PGA Tour....

 Brian Stuard Nicholas Thompson
Nicholas Thompson
Nicholas Thompson is an American professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour.Thompson was born in Coral Springs, Florida. He graduated from Georgia Tech in 2005 with a degree in business management and was a member of the 2002 ACC championship team...

 Tyler Yates
Tyler Yates
Tyler Kali Yates is a right-handed pitcher in Minor League Baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates organization....


European Tour

Thomas Bjørn
Thomas Bjørn
Thomas Bjørn is a professional golfer from Denmark who plays on the European Tour. He is the most successful Danish golfer to have played the game having won thirteen tournaments worldwide on the European Tour. In 1999 he also became the first Dane to qualify for a European Ryder Cup team...

 Michael Campbell
Michael Campbell
Michael Shane Campbell, CNZM is a New Zealand golfer who is best known for having won the 2005 U.S. Open and the richest prize in golf, the £1,000,000 HSBC World Match Play Championship, in the same year. He is a member of the European Tour.Ethnically, he is predominantly Māori, from the Ngati...

 Nick Dougherty
Nick Dougherty
Nicholas Dougherty is an English professional golfer.Dougherty was born in Bootle, Merseyside, and attended Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School near Blackburn, Lancashire. He is a protégé of former professional golfer, Nick Faldo, and had an exceptional amateur career...

 David Drysdale
David Drysdale
David Drysdale is a Scottish professional golfer.Drysdale was born in Edinburgh. He turned professional in 1995.Drysdale currently competes on the European Tour, having graduated through qualifying school for the fourth time at the end of 2008...

 Niclas Fasth
Niclas Fasth
Niclas Fasth is a Swedish professional golfer.Fasth was born in Gothenburg. He turned professional in 1993 and won three events on the second tier European Challenge Tour that year. Since 1994 he has been a member of the European Tour for every season except for 1999. He qualified for the U.S...

 Alastair Forsyth
Alastair Forsyth
-Amateur career:Forsyth was born in Glasgow, Scotland. He was a member of a winning Great Britain & Ireland Jacques Léglise Trophy team in 1994 and he won the 1996 Scottish Amateur Stroke Play Championship.-Professional career:Forsyth turned professional in 1998...

 Anton Haig
Anton Haig
Anton Jason Haig is a South African professional golfer.Haig was born in Nelspruit. He turned professional on 1 September 2004 and plays on the Sunshine Tour and the Asian Tour. He has won four times worldwide with his biggest win to date occurring at the multi-tour sanctioned Johnnie Walker...

 Thongchai Jaidee
Thongchai Jaidee
Thongchai Jaidee is a Thai professional golfer who plays on the Asian Tour and the European Tour. He holds the record for most career victories and most career earnings on the Asian Tour....

 Danny Lee
Danny Lee (golfer)
Danny Jin-Myung Lee is a professional golfer from Rotorua, New Zealand. Lee was born in South Korea and emigrated to New Zealand at the age of eight. His name in Hangul is 이진명. He became a naturalized New Zealander on 2 September 2008 at Rotorua, where he attended Rotorua Boys' High...

 Michaël Lorenzo-Vera
Michael Lorenzo-Vera
Michael Lorenzo-Vera is an French professional golfer.Lorenzo-Vera was born in Bayonne, Pyrénées-Atlantiques in South-West France....


Ross McGowan
Ross McGowan
This article is about the golfer. For the anchorman for KTVU, see Ross McGowan Ross Ian Thomas McGowan is an English professional golfer....

 Christian Nilsson
Christian Nilsson
-Professional career:Nilsson was born in Karlstad, Sweden. He turned professional in 1999 with a plus 3 handicap. Nilsson played on the Challenge Tour full time since 2004, playing few events before then. His first event on the European Tour was the 2005 Open Championship where he missed the cut....

 Alexander Norén
Alexander Norén
Alexander Norén is a Swedish professional golfer who currently plays on the European Tour.Norén was born in Stockholm. He attended Oklahoma State University in the United States before turning professional in 2005....

 Álvaro Quirós
Álvaro Quirós
Álvaro Quirós García is a Spanish professional golfer.Quirós was born in Guadiaro, a borough of San Roque, Cádiz. He turned professional in 2004.-Professional career:...

 Marcel Siem
Marcel Siem
Marcel Siem is a German professional golfer.Siem was born in Mettmann. He turned professional in 2000. He has been a member of the European Tour since 2002 and his first and only win on the Tour to date came at the 2004 Dunhill Championship...

 Jeev Milkha Singh
Jeev Milkha Singh
Jeev Milkha Singh is the first Indian professional golfer to become a member of the European Tour. He is the highest ranked Indian golfer in the world and first broke into the top 100 in October 2006.-Early life:...

 Danny Willett
Danny Willett
Daniel John Willett is an English professional golfer.Willett was born in Sheffield, England. As an amateur, he won the English Amateur Championship in 2007 and competed in the 2007 Walker Cup at Royal County Down. In March 2008 he became the number one ranked amateur in the world.Willett also...

 Oliver Wilson
Oliver Wilson
Oliver John Wilson is an English professional golfer.Wilson was born in Mansfield, England, where his golfing career began at Coxmoor Golf Club....


LPGA Tour

Sandra Gal
Sandra Gal
Sandra Gal is a German professional golfer who currently plays on the United States–based LPGA Tour.-Childhood, college and amateur career:...

 Piper Miller Vicky Hurst
Vicky Hurst
Vicky Hurst is an American professional golfer currently playing on the LPGA Tour.She turned professional as a 17-year-old in 2008, while still in high school. Playing on the Futures Tour that year, she won five times and set a Tour record for single season earnings with $93,107.-Childhood and...

 Leta Lindley
Leta Lindley
Leta Lindley is an American professional golfer who captured her first LPGA Tour title after 15 years on tour at the 2008 LPGA Corning Classic....


Morgan Pressel
Morgan Pressel
Morgan Pressel is an American professional golfer, currently playing on the LPGA Tour. She turned pro at age 17 and is the youngest-ever winner of a modern LPGA major championship. Pressel has reached as high as fourth in the world rankings....

 Momoko Ueda
Momoko Ueda
is a female professional golfer who in 2007 at the age of 21 became the youngest player in the history of the Japan LPGA Tour to finish first on the money list. She is currently playing on the United State-based LPGA Tour.-Amateur career:...


Champions Tour

Olin Browne
Olin Browne
Olin Douglas Browne is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour as well as the Champions Tour.Browne was born in Washington, D.C. He graduated from St. Albans School in 1977. He then went on to Occidental College in 1981. He turned professional in 1984. He lives in Hobe Sound,...

 Mark McNulty
Mark McNulty
Mark William McNulty is an Irish/Zimbabwean professional golfer currently playing on the Champions Tour. He was one of the leading players on the European Tour from the mid 1980s to the mid 1990s, and cracked the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings for 83 weeks from 1987 to 1992.McNulty...


Eduardo Romero
Eduardo Romero
Eduardo Alejandro Romero is an Argentine professional golfer.Romero was born in Córdoba. He turned professional in 1982 at a relatively advanced age...

 Hal Sutton
Hal Sutton
Hal Evan Sutton is an American professional golfer.Sutton was born in Shreveport, Louisiana. A promising golfer at the Centenary College of Louisiana, he was named Golf Magazines 1980 College Player of the Year...


Icons David Leadbetter
David Leadbetter (golf instructor)
David Leadbetter is a leading golf instructor, originally from Worthing in England. He began his career on the European and Southern African tours, but had little success as a player...

 Johnny Miller
Johnny Miller
John Laurence Miller is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour. He was one of the top players in the world during the mid-1970s; he ranked second in the world on Mark McCormack's world golf rankings in both 1974 and 1975 behind Jack Nicklaus. He is currently the lead golf...

 Arnold Palmer
Arnold Palmer
Arnold Daniel Palmer is an American professional golfer, who is generally regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of men's professional golf. He has won numerous events on both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour, dating back to 1955...

 Gary Player
Gary Player
Gary Player DMS; OIG is a South African professional golfer. With his nine major championship victories, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of golf. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974. Player has won 165 tournaments on six continents over six...

 Annika Sörenstam
Annika Sörenstam
Annika Sörenstam is a Swedish-American professional golfer whose achievements rank her as one of the most successful golfers in history. Before stepping away from competitive golf at the end of the 2008 season, she won 90 international tournaments as a professional, making her the female golfer...

 Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...



Source

Current products

Drivers
  • i-MIX
  • FT-iZ
  • FT-Tour
  • FT-9
  • Diablo Edge
  • Diablo Octane
  • RAZR X & RAZR X Tour

Fairway Woods
  • FT
  • FT-iZ
  • Diablo Edge
  • Diablo Octane
  • RAZR Hawk

Hybrids
  • FT
  • FT-iZ
  • Diablo Edge
  • RAZR X & RAZR X Tour

Irons
  • X-Forged (2009)
  • X-22 & X-22 Tour
  • X-24 Hot
  • X Prototype
  • Diablo Forged
  • Diablo Edge
  • RAZR X & RAZR X Tour

Wedges
  • X Series Jaws
  • X Series Jaws CC
  • X-Forged

Balls
  • Tour i(s)
  • Tour i(z)
  • HX Bite
  • HX Hot Plus
  • Big Bertha Diablo
  • Solaire
  • Warbird Plus

Current products

Classic products

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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