CARLSBAD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 15, 2004--Callaway Golf Company (NYSE: ELY) today announced the introduction of a significant addition to the best-selling Great Big Bertha II family of titanium drivers and fairway woods. The new Great Big Bertha(R) II 415 Titanium Driver is the largest driver Callaway Golf has ever brought to market, with a clubhead that measures 415cc. The size increase over the original 380cc Great Big Bertha II Titanium Driver allows the Company's engineers to increase stability and overall performance for golfers of all skill levels, making the new Great Big Bertha II 415 Titanium Driver the most forgiving Great Big Bertha ever. This impressive new driver is scheduled to ship to retail accounts this month.

"The Great Big Bertha II family of titanium drivers and fairway woods has been very well received in the marketplace over the past year," said Ron Drapeau, Chairman and CEO of Callaway Golf. "By adding the new Great Big Bertha II 415 Titanium Driver to the lineup, we now offer an exciting option to golfers looking for a Callaway Golf driver with a larger clubhead and more forgiveness."

Callaway Golf engineers have used the extra 35cc of volume designed into each Great Big Bertha II 415 Titanium Driver to increase the driver's Moment of Inertia (MOI). A higher MOI means the clubhead is more stable at impact. The Great Big Bertha II 415 Titanium Driver is designed to provide consistent ball speed, backspin and launch angle on shots struck across a large area of the club, which helps minimize any losses in distance or accuracy on off-center hits. And the ultra-thin, strong titanium clubface features a special beta titanium alloy to provide the maximum Coefficient of Restitution (COR) without exceeding USGA and R&A performance limitations, further increasing your potential for greater distance on shots struck on a wide area of the clubface.

All of the Great Big Bertha II Titanium Drivers feature patented Callaway Golf technology, including Short Straight Hollow Hosel (S2H2(R)) and Tru-Bore(R) Technology. These longstanding design principles play a large part in the performance of these new drivers, helping to optimize the clubhead shape and increase the MOI and forgiveness of the drivers. Meanwhile, the new Great Big Bertha II 415 Titanium Drivers utilize the same proprietary series of high-performance graphite shafts that have generated positive feedback in the original Great Big Bertha II Titanium Drivers. The GBB(TM) System 60 and GBB Gems(TM) 50 shafts are lightweight, low resin-content graphite shafts with high strength and exceptional responsiveness. The GBB System 60 graphite shaft is a 45-inch shaft available in Light, Regular, Firm and Stiff flexes, while the GBB Gems 50 is a 44-inch ladies flex shaft. Great Big Bertha II 415 Titanium Drivers are also available with four of today's hottest after-market shafts -- the Aldila Green NV 65, Grafalloy ProLite 35, Graphite Design YS-6 and Fujikura Vista Pro 70 -- factory-installed at no extra charge.

The new Great Big Bertha II 415 Titanium Driver is available in three lofts for right-handed golfers (9, 10 and 11 degrees) at a suggested retail price of $500. The Great Big Bertha II 415 Titanium Driver conforms to the Rules of Golf as administered by the USGA and the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews. A version of the Great Big Bertha II 415 Titanium Driver that exceeds the limits on COR enforced by the USGA will be marketed outside of North America. This driver, the Great Big Bertha II 415+ Titanium Driver, has a hot face that exceeds the 0.830 limit on COR and is conforming for use in non-tournament rounds outside of USGA jurisdictions.

Callaway Golf Company makes and sells Big Bertha(R) Metal Woods and Irons, including ERC(R) Fusion(R) Drivers, Great Big Bertha(R) II Titanium Drivers and Fairway Woods,Great Big Bertha II 415 Titanium Drivers, Big Bertha Titanium Drivers and Big Bertha Stainless Steel Fairway Woods, Hawk Eye(R) VFT(R) Tungsten Injected(TM) Titanium Irons, Big Bertha Stainless Steel Irons, Steelhead X-16(R) and Steelhead X-16 Pro Series Stainless Steel Irons, Callaway Golf Forged+ Wedges and Callaway Golf Forged Wedges. Callaway Golf Company also makes and sells Odyssey(R) Putters, including White Hot(R), TriHot(R), DFX(R) and Dual Force(R) Putters. Callaway Golf Company makes and sells the Callaway Golf(R) HX(R) Tour balls, HX Blue and HX Red balls, Big Bertha(TM) Blue and Big Bertha Red balls, and the Warbird(TM) balls. Callaway Golf also owns and operates The Top-Flite Golf Company, a wholly owned subsidiary that includes the Top-Flite(R), Strata(R) and Ben Hogan(R) brands. For more information about Callaway Golf Company, please visit our websites at www.callawaygolf.com, www.topflite.com and www.odysseygolf.com.

CONTACT:
Callaway Golf Company, Carlsbad
Larry Dorman or Patrice Hutin, 760-931-1771

SOURCE: Callaway Golf Company