public nyse ely genre golf founded 1982 founder ely reeves callaway jr. headquarters carlsbad california usa area served worldwide key people chip brewer ceo products golf equipment revenue us 887 million fy 2014 1 operating income us 31 million fy 2014 1 net income us 16 million fy 2014 1 total assets us 625 million fy 2014 2 total equity us 292 million fy 2014 2 subsidiaries odyssey ben hogan slogan winners play callaway website www.callawaygolf.com callaway golf company is an american global sporting goods company that designs manufactures markets and sells golf equipment golf accessories and golf lifestyle related products in more than 70 countries worldwide . the american company based in carlsbad california 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 3 as well as strata and ben hogan golf brands picked up following the bankruptcy of spalding s former golf division in 2003 . 4 contents 1 history 2 financial 3 endorsements 4 key events & dates in callaway history 5 current products 6 confirmed future products 7 awards 8 references 9 external links history edit callaway golf company was founded by former burlington industries textile president ely callaway jr. callaway was raised in lagrange ga and was a graduate from emory university . 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 dick de la cruz and tony manzoni . 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 1983 he became president and moved the company to carlsbad california where he sold clubs out of his cadillac . in 1984 callaway bought the rest of the company for 400 000 . the company eventually changed to its present name in 1988 . 5 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 driver using large volume 190cc steel clubhead . the big bertha driver grew to 290 cc in 1997 . 6 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 . 7 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 225 000 square foot 20 900 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 . 8 in 1997 odyssey sports was acquired expanding callaway s line of putters . 3 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 . 9 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 the acquisition would eventually cost callaway golf 169 million . 4 in 2003 callaway golf staff professional annika sorenstam announced that she would wear shoes from the new callaway golf r footwear collection . i m always looking to use the best golf equipment and that extends to my choice of shoes said sorenstam . 10 on november 8 2004 callaway golf named chairman and chief executive william c. baker president and coo as patrice hutin resigned from his positions . 11 april 4th 2012 callaway sold the top flite brand to dick s sporting goods citing declining sales . 12 financial edit in february 1992 callaway golf went public on the new york stock exchange with a market capitalization of 250 million . by late 1997 it reached a market capitalization of over 3.0 billion . endorsements edit callaway has endorsement deals with many professional golfers who play on the world s leading tours . they also have commercial relationships with some of the legends of the sport including arnold palmer and annika s renstam and celebrities such as justin timberlake . 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 . 13 key events & dates in callaway history edit 1984 ely callaway buys a stake in hickory stick a small clubmaker in temecula calif. that makes wedges equipped with a unique shaft that features a steel core and wooden veneer in an attempt to combine the performance of a modern steel shaft with the appearance of a hickory shaft . the company name is changed to callaway hickory stick . 1986 callaway buys out his partners and takes sole ownership of the company which he renames callaway golf . 1988 callaway golf introduces the s2h2 iron . it features a significantly shorter hosel than conventional irons ; the weight saved from making the hosel shorter is relocated low in the clubhead to increase forgiveness and ease of launch . 1991 the big bertha driver debuts and becomes an instant hit among golfers . big bertha s unique shape large size and wide body configuration give it a high degree of forgiveness that increases distance and accuracy of off center hits . 1992 callaway golf goes public in february 1992 on the new york stock exchange trading under the symbol ely with a market capitalization of 250 million . 1994 callaway introduces big bertha irons which incorporates two key innovations a thin flexible clubface and 360 degree undercut around the perimeter of the cavity which promote increased distance and forgiveness . 1995 callaway tour staff professional annika sorenstam wins the u.s. women s open . 1996 callaway tour staff professional annika sorenstam wins the u.s. women s open for the second time . renowned golf instructor david leadbetter joins the callaway teaching staff . wedge designer roger cleveland leaves the cleveland golf company to join callaway . 1997 callaway golf acquires the odyssey brand from tommy armour golf and quickly turns it into the world s number one brand of putters . 2000 callaway introduces its first golf ball rule 35 in two models red and blue . rule 35 red has a firmer feel rule 35 blue has a softer feel . whereas golf balls are traditionally sold in sleeves of three and boxes of 12 rule 35 is offered in sleeves of five and boxes of 15 . arnold palmer joins the callaway golf tour staff . 2001 callaway tour staff professional annika sorenstam wins the kraft nabisco championship . 2002 callaway tour staff professional annika sorenstam wins the kraft nabisco championship for the second time . 2003 callaway tour staff professional annika sorenstam wins the women s british open and the lpga championship . 2004 callaway tour staff professional phil mickelson wins the masters . callaway tour staff professional annika sorenstam wins the lpga championship for the second time . 2005 callaway tour staff professional phil mickelson wins the pga championship and callaway tour staff professional annika sorenstam wins the kraft nabisco championship for the third time and the lpga championship for the third time . 2006 callaway tour staff professional phil mickelson wins the masters for the second time and callaway tour staff professional annika sorenstam wins the u.s. women s open for the third time . 2010 callaway tour staff professional phil mickelson wins the masters for the third time . 2013 callaway tour staff professional phil mickelson wins the open championship . pga tour stuart appleby ian baker finch cameron beckman rich beem notah begay mark brooks jonathan byrd alex ejka brandel chamblee nicolas colsaerts harris english matt every jim furyk tommy gainey scott gutschewski j. j. henry jim herman fredrik jacobson lee janzen chris kirk colt knost greg kraft derek lamely shaun micheel phil mickelson sang moon bae james nitties pat perez patrick reed sam saunders paul stankowski henrik stenson brian stuard nicholas thompson gary woodland tyler yates european tour thomas bj rn michael campbell nick dougherty david drysdale niclas fasth alastair forsyth anton haig thongchai jaidee danny lee thomas pieters micha l lorenzo vera ross mcgowan christian nilsson alexander nor n henrik stenson lvaro quir s marcel siem jeev milkha singh danny willett oliver wilson lpga tour sandra gal piper miller vicky hurst leta lindley morgan pressel momoko ueda champions tour olin browne mark mcnulty eduardo romero hal sutton icons david leadbetter johnny miller arnold palmer gary player annika s renstam source current products edit drivers xr driver xr pro big bertha alpha 815 big bertha alpha 815 double black diamond big bertha v series women s big bertha alpha 815 women s big bertha v series women s xr fairway woods xr xr pro xr pro deep big bertha alpha 815 big bertha