| Ely Reeves Callaway, Jr., the president of | | | | edge Fusion irons. |
| Burlington Textile, was an avid golfer. When he | | | | Six years later, Callaway Golf introduced its |
| player, Callaway always used wooden golf clubs | | | | forged wedges. Constructed with carbon steel, |
| manufactured by a company called Hickory Sticks. | | | | the golf wedges featured a club face that |
| Like many of the old wooden club manufacturers, | | | | contained special U shaped grooves. Soon |
| Hickory Sticks was in financial difficulty and began | | | | Callaway was offering a complete line of high tech |
| looking for investors to bail them out. One of the | | | | golf woods, irons, wedges and putters. Many of |
| people they approached was Callaway. He had | | | | these are featured in our Golf Equipment and Tips |
| just sold his wine vineyards for a nice profit and | | | | articles and videos. |
| was looking for a new investment. Why not, he | | | | Also in 2002, Callaway Golf introduced the |
| thought, combine business with pleasure. | | | | Callaway Golf ball. Their engineers used |
| In 1982, Ely Callaway purchased 50% of Hickory | | | | sophisticated computer programs to analyze and |
| Sticks and changed the company's name to | | | | evaluate hundreds of dimple patterns and over |
| Callaway Hickory Sticks, USA. Six years later the | | | | 1,000 golf ball cores and cover materials. The |
| Hickory Sticks name was dropped all together. | | | | result was the Rule 35 ball that combined distance, |
| Realizing that golf club manufacturing was on the | | | | control, spin and durability into one golf ball. |
| brink of a technical explosion, Callaway knew the | | | | Today Callaway Golf, through its acquisitions and |
| company needed a new direction. In 1986 he | | | | internal development, sells golf clubs and |
| asked Richard Helmstetter, of all things a billiard | | | | accessories under the Callaway Golf, Ben Hogan |
| cue designer, to consult with the company about | | | | and Top-Flight Brands. Once the home of only Big |
| better club design and the new technology in | | | | Bertha, now every golfer, from amateur to PGA |
| materials and manufacturing. His ideas were well | | | | professional can carry a complete set of Callaway |
| received and he soon became the Callaway Golf's | | | | golf clubs. |
| chief club designer. | | | | Ely Callaway, who took Callaway Golf from those |
| Under Helmstetter, Callaway Golf soon introduced | | | | old hickory sticks to one of golf's great innovative |
| computerized club manufacturing and their first | | | | companies, resigned as Chief Executive Officer in |
| major success was the indomitable Big Bertha | | | | 1996. Two years later he returned to again run |
| driver. The original Big Bertha had a very large | | | | the company, but sadly passed away from |
| steel club head that measured 190 cubic | | | | pancreatic cancer in 2001. |
| centimeters. A later version, introduced in 1997, | | | | Callaway Golf's goal is to design and manufacture |
| grew to 290 cc's. Big Bertha revolutionized the | | | | golf equipment that will make every golfer a |
| golf driver and became the cornerstone of | | | | better golfer. Golf clubs and accessories from |
| Callaway Golf. | | | | their many brands are frequent visitors to |
| Roger Cleveland, founder of Cleveland Golf, joined | | | | significant publications like the Golf Digest "Hot |
| Callaway in 1996 as chief club designer and soon | | | | List" and Editor's Choices. |
| the company was working to develop cutting | | | | |