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