TO SUCCEED
NEARLY TWO DECADES AFTER ELY CALLAWAY ’ S PASSING , HIS WORLD-RENOWNED GOLF BRAND REMAINS A REFLECTION OF HIS ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT .
BY LARRY URISH
Ely Callaway , the founder of Callaway Golf Co ., the Carlsbad-based leader in golf equipment
and lifestyle products , led a life of repeated success — in the textiles and wine industries — long before he turned a $ 400,000 investment into what today is a $ 2 billion juggernaut . Callaway did so with his whip-smart business savvy , a lively entrepreneurial spirit and a willingness to listen .
“ Last year , [ the ] Callaway [ brand ] was ranked No . 1 among golf equipment producers in drivers , fairway woods , hybrids and irons ,” says company spokesman Jeff Newton . “ And our Odyssey putter is the No . 1 putter in golf .”
This is nothing new . The Los Angeles Times in 1994 referred to Callaway clubs as “ the game ’ s greatest innovation since balls stopped being stuffed with feathers .” Callaway pros , past and present , include such luminaries as Phil Mickelson , Sergio García , Michelle Wie , Johnny Miller , Arnold Palmer , Gary Player , Annika Sörenstam and many others .
Nearly two decades after Ely Callaway died , his golf company ’ s continued success , like its spectacular growth years earlier , remains a part of the man ’ s legacy as an icon of the sport .
“ Today , we [ still ] have Mr . Callaway ’ s sense of spirit of creating a great product ,” says Austie Rollinson , chief designer of Callaway ’ s Odyssey putter . “ He was a product guy who always put quality over the bottom line .”
Jason Finley , Callaway ’ s global director of brand management for golf balls , concurs . “ He had a huge impact on the mentality of how we operate ,” Finley says . “ His influence is bred into our culture to this day .”
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