Callaway Golf's New Big Bertha C4 Driver Ships to Retail With Worldwide Coordinated Launch On February 14

February 13, 2002 at 8:04 AM EST
CARLSBAD, Calif., Feb 13, 2002 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Callaway Golf (NYSE: ELY) is giving golfers a special present this Valentine's Day: a chance to fall in love with Big Bertha(R) all over again through the launch of the new Big Bertha C4(TM) Driver. This innovative composite driver -- the largest, most forgiving driver in Callaway Golf history -- was unveiled last October and has been put in play by many prominent golfers on the world's professional tours this year. Now golfers will finally have the chance to try the Big Bertha C4 Driver when it arrives in selected golf shops around the world on Thursday, Feb. 14.

A creative TV and print advertising campaign that has built anticipation for the arrival of Big Bertha C4 Drivers at retail will culminate with full-page ads in USA Today and Investor's Business Daily. To ensure that golf shops will receive their shipments that day, Callaway Golf has partnered with UPS to create and execute a coordinated launch plan.

Consumers will be greeted by a large promotional effort at participating golf shops on Feb. 14. Callaway Golf has provided key accounts with Big Bertha C4 launch kits, which include banners, posters, window and floor stickers, point-of-sale materials and special C4 logo hats for sales associates. Callaway Golf product experts will also be conducting a number of radio interviews on sports and talk stations across the United States.

Callaway Golf will follow the official launch of the Big Bertha C4 Driver with a demo day blitz starting on Friday, Feb. 15. Golfers will have a chance to try the C4 and all the other exciting new Callaway Golf products at golf facilities across the Sunbelt and West Coast. Locations can be found using the Demo Day Locator on the Callaway Golf website at www.callawaygolf.com/locator/locator_search.asp.

The Big Bertha C4 Driver looks and performs unlike any other driver on the market today. Callaway Golf developed the unique Compression Cured Carbon Composite material that is lighter and stronger than steel and titanium. Six years of research and development led to a breakthrough design for a driver that is 360 cubic centimeters -- the largest clubhead Callaway Golf has made to date -- but still significantly lighter than other oversize drivers. This allows more than 50 grams of weight to be concentrated around the interior perimeter of the driver head using heavy strips of proprietary Tungsten-Loaded Urethane. The striking black clubhead is finished with an aluminum soleplate, resulting in a driver design that is noticeably lighter with a tremendously high level of forgiveness and a classic, solid sound.

Several professional golfers have put the Big Bertha C4 Driver in play on the world's professional tours, including Charles Howell III, Jesper Parnevik, Bruce Fleisher, Jim Dent, David Graham, Carlos Franco, Per-Ulrik Johansson and Nick Dougherty. Howell, one of the game's rising stars, used the Big Bertha C4 Driver to post a driving distance average of 295.4 yards at the Sony Open, while Fleisher finished second at the Royal Caribbean Classic the first week he put the driver in play.

The Big Bertha C4 Driver conforms to the Rules of Golf according to the USGA and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews and is legal for recreational and tournament play around the world. The Big Bertha C4 Driver is available in right-and left-handed models with an ultralight graphite shaft in five flexes: Ladies, Light, Regular, Firm and Strong. The suggested retail price for the Big Bertha C4 Driver is $540.

Callaway Golf Company makes and sells Big Bertha(R) Metal Woods and Irons, including Big Bertha C4(TM) Compression Cured Carbon Composite Drivers, Big Bertha ERC(R) II Forged Titanium Drivers, Big Bertha ERC Forged Titanium Fairway Woods, Big Bertha Hawk Eye(R) VFT(R) and Big Bertha Hawk Eye VFT Pro Series Titanium Drivers and Fairway Woods, Big Bertha Steelhead(TM) III Stainless Steel Drivers and Fairway Woods, Hawk Eye VFT Tungsten Injected(TM) Titanium Irons, Big Bertha Stainless Steel Irons, Steelhead X-14(R) and Steelhead X-14 Pro Series Stainless Steel Irons. Callaway Golf Company also makes and sells Odyssey(R) Putters, including White Hot(R), TriHot(TM), and Dual Force(R) Putters. Callaway Golf Company makes and sells the Callaway Golf(R) HX(TM) Blue and HX Red balls, Rule 35(R) Firmfeel(TM) and Softfeel(TM) balls, the CTU 30(TM) Blue and CTU 30 Red balls, and the CB1(TM) Blue and CB1 Red balls. For more information about Callaway Golf Company, please visit our Web sites at www.callawaygolf.com and www.odysseygolf.com.

CONTACT:
Callaway Golf Company
Larry Dorman / Mick McCormick / Millie Speirs
760/931-1771