Callaway Golf Company (NYSE: ELY) has announced the introduction of an all-new family of drivers and fairway woods carrying the beloved Big Bertha name and state that the new Big Bertha Titanium Driver and Big Bertha Stainless Steel Fairway Woods combine the performance and forgiveness golfers expect from Callaway Golf with exceptional value. The new Big Bertha Driver and Fairway Woods are expected to ship to retail accounts in January 2004, joining the new ERC Fusion Driver and Great Big Bertha II Titanium Drivers and Fairway Woods in the company’s woods product line.
The new Big Bertha Titanium Driver and Stainless Steel Fairway Woods feature significant enhancements. For the first time, Callaway Golf has paired a titanium driver with stainless steel fairway woods in a product family. The Company has used the expertise gained from nearly a decade of titanium driver design and production to create a large, forgiving titanium driver that can be sold at a price point formerly reserved for stainless steel drivers. As a result, the Big Bertha Titanium Driver is a 360cc driver that provides outstanding performance and value.
“We think golfers are going to be as excited by the new Big Bertha Titanium Driver as we are,” said Ron Drapeau, chairman and CEO of Callaway Golf. “There are consumers who have always longed for the power and performance of a Callaway Golf titanium driver, but have settled for lower-priced closeout models. Now they no longer need to sacrifice quality for a price point. With the Big Bertha Titanium Driver, we‘ve created a fun, friendly driver that delivers plenty of distance and forgiveness – and at a very friendly price point.”
The Big Bertha Titanium Driver is a totally new design creation. Most noticeably, Callaway Golf designers have made the driver head slightly longer from heel to toe than other Callaway Golf drivers. This produces a wide, forgiving hitting area that promotes confidence at address and stability on off-center hits. Of course, the name Big Bertha is synonymous with distance and the new Big Bertha Titanium Driver doesn‘t disappoint. Precise internal weighting is achieved by adjusting the thickness of the “ribbon” around the perimeter of the driver. This pinpoints the center of gravity to help golfers create a distance-enhancing trajectory that maximizes both carry and roll. And the driver’s consistently thin, strong titanium face provides a powerful efficient transfer of energy from clubhead to golf ball.
Meanwhile, the Big Bertha Stainless Steel Fairway Woods feature a fresh new design with a nod to Callaway Golf’s long history of stainless steel fairway woods that are tour-proven and amateur-friendly. The new Big Bertha Fairway Woods have a refined version of the three-piece construction used in the Company’s Steelhead series of fairway woods, which marries a heavy steel body and face area with a relatively light crown area. The third key element of the clubhead design is a precision-crafted internal weight chip welded inside each Big Bertha Fairway Wood. These three ingredients work together to lower the center of gravity in each fairway wood, helping golfers of all skill levels get the ball airborne more easily with a high, strong trajectory.
The new Big Bertha Stainless Steel Fairway Woods also incorporate an updated version of Callaway Golf’s classic War Bird sole – 10 years after this distinctive sole design was first utilized in the original Big Bertha Fairway Woods. The updated Warbird sole on the new Big Bertha Stainless Steel Fairway Woods has a keel-like ridge running down the center of the sole, with recessed areas to either side. This allows each fairway wood in the family to provide versatile performance all over the course – including the fairway, rough and sand.
The new Big Bertha Stainless Steel Fairway Woods comprise the largest family of fairway woods Callaway Golf has ever introduced. Right-handers will have their choice of 11 different fairway wood models. That includes the standard fairway woods that Callaway Golf has offered for several years: Strong 3-wood, 3-wood, Strong 4-wood, 4-wood, 5-wood, 7-wood, 9-wood and 11-wood. New for the Big Bertha Fairway Woods are the Strong 5-wood, Strong 7-wood and a 13-wood. The Big Bertha Strong 5-wood and Strong 7-wood were designed based on feedback from Callaway Golf Staff Professionals, who wanted more options in choosing fairway woods for the specific needs of their games. All of the “strong” fairway woods in the Big Bertha Fairway Wood family are smaller and have less loft than the standard version of the same wood. For example, a Big Bertha Strong 5-wood has the loft of a 4-wood, the shaft length of a 5-wood and the head size of a 7-wood. For left-handed golfers, five Big Bertha Fairway Wood models are available: 3-wood, 4-wood, 5-wood, 7-wood and 9-wood.
The Big Bertha Titanium Driver and Big Bertha Stainless Steel Fairway Woods are designed with golfers of all abilities in mind, but special women’s versions will also be available. Distinguished by a rich, champagne color, these clubs include a new driver with 13 degrees of loft. The added loft on this 13-degree driver is designed to help golfers with slower swing speeds launch their drives higher with less spin, giving them the potential for more distance. The women’s versions of the Big Bertha Titanium Driver and Big Bertha Stainless Steel Fairway Woods also have lighter, shorter Gems graphite shafts, smaller grips and lower swing weights – all to help golfers increase clubhead speed without swinging harder. The Big Bertha Titanium Driver and Big Bertha Stainless Steel Fairway Woods all feature Callaway Golf’s patented S2H2 and Tru-Bore Technologies.
The Big Bertha Titanium Driver will carry a suggested retail price of £229 with either an RCH 65w graphite shaft or a Gems 55w graphite shaft, while the Big Bertha Stainless Steel Fairway Woods will have a suggested retail price of £199 with an RCH 75w graphite shaft or a Gems 55w graphite shaft, or £149 with a uniflex steel shaft. Special-order shafts and grips are also available. The Big Bertha Driver and Fairway Woods conform to the Rules of Golf as administered by the USGA and the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews. A version of the Big Bertha Titanium Driver that exceeds the limits on COR enforced by the USGA will be marketed outside of North America. This driver, known as the Big Bertha+ Titanium Driver, has an even hotter titanium face that exceeds the USGA’s 0.830 limit on COR for tournament and handicap-recording rounds.
Callaway Golf Company www.callawaygolf.com
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