CARLSBAD, Calif., Nov. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Callaway Golf Company
(NYSE: ELY) today introduced the new Big Bertha(R) Irons. These new stainless
steel irons evoke some of the best features of the legendary Big Bertha Irons
the Company initially introduced in 1994 while featuring a new, wide sole that
increases forgiveness and dramatically improves playability. The 2002 Big
Bertha Irons join the Hawk Eye(R) VFT(R) Tungsten Injected(TM) Titanium Irons
and the Steelhead(TM) X-14(R) Irons in the Callaway Golf(R) irons product
line.
"Simply put, these irons reinforce the values that the Big Bertha name
stands for," said Ron Drapeau, president, chairman and CEO of Callaway Golf.
"The Big Bertha Irons are all about forgiveness, through and through. They
are designed to make the game of golf more enjoyable for golfers of all skill
levels, especially average golfers who need every bit of forgiveness they can
get. These irons are truly 'demonstrably superior and pleasingly different,'
and they are excellent representatives of the Big Bertha tradition."
The new Big Bertha Irons have a bold design that features a thick, rounded
sole that is of uniform width in each iron. This design serves several key
performance functions. For example, the sole width allows the center of
gravity to be positioned extremely low and deep in each iron, which will help
shots climb more easily into the air on a high trajectory. The sole design
also reduces digging on "fat" shots, promoting crisper contact on
less-than-perfect swings. The wide sole and top line also instill confidence
with the long irons, which are remarkably easy to hit.
"There's no mystery to these irons: they were built to be forgiving,
forgiving and forgiving," said Richard C. Helmstetter, senior executive vice
president of research and development and chief of new products for Callaway
Golf. "The original Big Bertha Irons are still very easy to hit. So we took
the principle technologies of that design -- things like S2H2(R) (Short
Straight Hollow Hosel), Tru-Bore(R), the 360-degree undercut channel and the
wide top line -- and added what we've learned about irons in the last seven
years. The result is a set of irons that is remarkably friendly and fun to
hit."
As with all current Callaway Golf clubs, Variable Face Thickness (VFT)
Technology is an important element in the Big Bertha Irons. VFT has been used
to make the face area of each iron thinner, freeing mass to be moved to the
perimeter and sole. This increases perimeter weighting and forgiveness while
tuning the face for solid feel and sound, even on off-center hits.
In addition to a unique design, the Big Bertha Irons also employ a unique
set makeup, which includes a new 10-iron. The Big Bertha 10-iron is part of a
new short-iron loft configuration that eliminates "gaps" in loft -- especially
the large gap traditionally found in the iron sets between the pitching wedge
and the sand wedge -- by spacing the loft of each club four degrees apart.
This loft progression has been found to help golfers achieve more consistency
and distance control through the "scoring clubs."
The new Big Bertha Irons are expected to ship to retail accounts in early
January 2002. Big Bertha Irons will be available in 1-iron through 10-iron
and Pitching, Sand and Lob wedges. A set of eight irons with graphite shafts
carries a suggested retail price of $1130, and a set of eight irons with steel
shafts carries a suggested retail price of $880.
Callaway Golf Company makes and sells Big Bertha(R) Metal Woods and Irons,
including Big Bertha ERC(R) II Forged Titanium Drivers, Big Bertha C4(TM)
Compression Cured Carbon Composite Drivers, 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) Red and HX Blue balls, Rule 35(R)
Firmfeel(TM) and Softfeel(TM) balls, the CTU 30(TM) Red and CTU 30 Blue balls,
and the CB1(TM) Red and CB1 Blue balls. For more information about Callaway
Golf Company, please visit our Web sites at http://www.callawaygolf.com and
http://www.odysseygolf.com .
SOURCE Callaway Golf Company
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Related links:
http://www.callawaygolf.com
Company News On-Call:
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/124825.html
CONTACT:
Larry Dorman, Mick McCormick, or Millie
Speirs of Callaway Golf Company, +1-760-931-1771
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