(Jan. 26, 2006) -- Wander the entire PGA Merchandise Show & Convention floor and you’ll see many large booths. But did you know that the biggest exhibitor at this year’s Show is Callaway Golf, which has been displaying its products annually here in Orlando for the better part of 20 years? That long-term commitment is part of the importance of Callaway’s relationship with The PGA, and emphasizes the importance Callaway places on PGA Professionals.
“We greatly value our relationships with PGA Professionals. We’re pleased to support them in every way,” says Larry Dorman, Callaway’s senior vice president of global public relations, who indicates there may be some surprise celebrity drop-ins at the Callaway booth this week. “We’re constantly looking for ways to enhance our relationship to benefit PGA Professionals and Callaway Golf.”
The company has been on a roll with Phil Mickelson, Michael Campbell and Annika Sorenstam having had huge years in 2005. In fact, its equipment was used to win five of the eight majors on the 2005 PGA and LPGA Tours. And 2006 could be an even more-stellar year for the Carlsbad, Calif.-based manufacturer under the direction of president and CEO George Fellows, who replaced interim CEO William Baker on Aug. 1.
Callaway – a PGA of America Title and Supporting Sponsor of various events, Golf Retirement Plus Presenting Partner and PGA Golf Properties Product Demonstration Partner – recently introduced an entirely new two-piece Big Bertha ball with HEX aerodynamics and a proprietary formulation that yields an ultra-low compression, highly-resilient core for soft feel and more distance; the HX Pearl, a translucent ball for women; a more-durable version of the HX Tour 56 ball; an all-new HX Tour ball. There are also New X-Tour wedges, forged from soft 1020 carbon steel – the 58- and 60-degree versions feature Phil Mickelson’s PM Grind and “Mack Daddy” grooves for more spin, trajectory and distance control; FT-Hybrid club with Fusion Technology, multiple clubhead materials and optimized perimeter weighting; three-piece, stainless steel X fairway woods with a new X-Sole design to ensure consistent alignment, square face and good turf interaction; oversized Fusion Wide Sole irons made of Tunite, lightweight 6-4 titanium and a special TPU SenSert vibration-dampening insert in the back cavity; and all-titanium X460 and X460 Tour drivers.
As for Callaway’s sub-brands, new products include the Odyssey Tri-Ball SRT putter; Odyssey White Steel 2-Ball SRT putter; Odyssey Dual Force 2 putters in seven models; Top-Flite XL Extreme, XL Plus and XL distance balls; the colorful Top-Flite Quartz ball; classic-looking Ben Hogan Apex wedges that are forged from 1020 carbon steel and feature traditional Hogan styling; and Ben Hogan CFT ti hybrids.
