Callaway Golf Co . apparel
LIFE ON THE LEADERBOARD
Success came early for Callaway . At age 10 , he flipped $ 150 earned selling copies of The Literary Digest into an acre of land with peach trees whose first crop yielded $ 750 . During World War II , Callaway gained notice as a procurement specialist for the Army , at the time the youngest ever in that position .
He later spent 27 years in the textiles industry , serving in a variety of executive positions and playing a key role in the introduction of new polyester blends . Never daunted by risk , Callaway left textiles and , in 1973 , purchased 140 acres of land in Temecula , California , to create the region ’ s first winery . He sold Callaway Vineyard & Winery in 1981 , walking away with a $ 9 million profit .
Golf had always been in Callaway ’ s DNA . A distant relative of the legendary Bobby Jones , Callaway won the championship tournament at LaGrange , Georgia ’ s Highland Country Club from 1936 to 1939 .
After retiring , Callaway fell in love with the Hickory Stick brand one day while on the fairway . The retro-looking clubs each had a hollowed wooden shaft containing a steel rod . After buying into the company for $ 400,000 in 1982 , Callaway renamed the company Callaway Hickory Stick and sold the clubs out of the trunk of his car .
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