If you have ever played golf or watched the sport played on television you have undoubtedly heard of the Callaway Golf Co. With its products sold in more than 100 countries and sales totaling $950.8 million in 2009, the company has become a household name in the world of golf.
History
After selling his winery in 1981, Ely Callaway became half owner of Hickory Stick USA, a company that manufactured steel-core hickory shafted golf wedges and putters. By 1983, he had taken over as the company’s president and changed the name of the company to Callaway Hickory Stick USA. During that early period, Ely Callaway personally delivered clubs to his customers in his Cadillac. He could not do that by 1988 when sales reached $4.8 million and the name of the company became Callaway Golf. Callaway Golf went public in 1992 trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ELY. Ely Callaway served as the company’s President and CEO until shortly before his death in 2002.
Club Innovations
Since its inception, Callaway Golf has been at the forefront of innovation, motivated by Ely Callaway’s words, “to create something in the way of value that didn’t exist before.” In 1986, Callaway was the first company to use a computerized milling machine to ensure uniform flatness on the surface of its putters. Two years later Callaway introduced a new technology to their irons that they dubbed S2H2. This innovation was a short, straight, hollow hosel that allowed the weight to be lower and more in the perimeter of the clubhead. They added Tru-bore--that extends the club shaft into the sole-- to their S2H2 design resulting in a club with improved feel and control. Over the years, Callaway added other innovations to their club designs including precision notch weighting, VTF technology and Hyperbolic Face technology.
Irons
The Callaway Golf slogan: “#1 Irons in Golf” is not just hyperbole. According to Golf Datatech market research as of June 2010, the best-selling iron brand for 13 consecutive years-- 1997 to 2009—is Callaway Golf. Irons from Callaway Golf range from models for beginning players to those geared towards the professional golfer. In keeping with Ely Callaway’s idea that the company should strive to make golf an accessible sport for all, Callaway also makes iron sets for women and children.
Divers
In 1991, Callaway Golf introduced perhaps not the best, but certainly the most recognized driver in golf history: The Big Bertha. Named after the huge gun used by the Germans during World War I to drop shells on Paris from six miles away, the oversized driver was the number one driver for the Senior PGA tour, Hogan tour and the LPGA tour in 1992 and the PGA tour in 1994. As of 2010, Callaway Golf produced five models of drivers: FT-iz, FT-iz Tour, FT Tour, Diablo Edge and Diablo Edge Tour.
Famous Ties
Watching Arnold Palmer, at age 74, play in his 50th and final Masters Tournament in 2004 is an event that few avid golf fans will soon forget. The outing was especially memorable for the Callaway Golf Company because Palmer chose to carry only Callaway clubs for his final Masters round. In 2010, Phil Mickelson had a Callaway Driver, Fairway wood, Hybrid, 4 iron, 5 iron, wedges and putter in his bag when he won his third green jacket at the Masters tournament and Graeme McDowell won the US Open using Callaway clubs.
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