Here's a few more items I picked up at the meeting.
Callaway commercials featuring Celine Dione and a famous sushi chef whose name I can't remember will soon be airing.
The Bill Gates commercial happened because Bill Gates decided to buy his sisters some clubs, and went to Callaway headquarters to have them fitted. Ely and Don Dye talked to Bill Gates for four hours and convinced him it would be good for his image.
Alice Cooper spoke briefly, and said that many rock stars were taking up golf. I got the impression that Callaway intends to use him to make golf appear "cool".
The new irons are still surpassing expectations. They have more orders than they can fill at the moment.
Rumors of discounting are false. Price declines at certain shops are because those retailers are cutting their markup. Callaway has not, and does not intend to discount its prices.
Rumors of excessive club breakage are false. I saw the repair section of the palnt myself (I took the tour), and it was the only part of the plant that wasn't busy.
Here is some more news:
Callaway Golf Wraps Up Court Victory In Sweden
CARLSBAD, Calif., April 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Callaway Golf Company
(NYSE: ELY) has announced the conclusion of successful litigation against a
company selling counterfeit and illegal copies of the California firm's
popular Big Bertha(R) golf clubs.
In Stockholm, Sweden, Sportz & Golf recently paid a court-approved
settlement to Callaway Golf. The settlement covered most of Callaway Golf's
cost of prosecution.
The payment wraps up a successful litigation that began in 1997 when
Callaway Golf learned that Sportz & Golf was selling counterfeit Big Bertha(R)
Irons and Great Big Bertha(R) Drivers. Acting on information provided by
Callaway Golf's lawyers, Swedish authorities seized Sportz & Golf's entire
inventory of counterfeit clubs as well as its stock of copycat golf clubs,
which included Rident Big Cavity and Canterbury Big Brother irons. The value
of the 1997 seizure was estimated to be in excess of $25,000.
Callaway Golf makes and sells Big Bertha(R) metal woods and irons,
including Big Bertha(R) War Bird(R) Stainless Steel Metal Woods, Great Big
Bertha(R) Titanium Metal Woods, Biggest Big Bertha(TM) Titanium Drivers, Big
Bertha(R) X-12(TM) Irons and Great Big Bertha(R) Tungsten*Titanium(TM) Irons.
Big Bertha(R) Drivers are the number one drivers in use on the PGA, Senior
PGA, Ladies PGA, Nike and European PGA Tours. Callaway Golf's wholly-owned
subsidiary, Odyssey Golf, Inc., makes and sells Odyssey(R) putters and wedges
with Stronomic(R) and Lyconite(TM) inserts. Odyssey(R) putters are the number
one putters in use on the Senior PGA, Ladies PGA and Nike Tours.
A limited number of press kits, including photographs of the products
involved, are available to recognized media representatives.
For more information about Callaway Golf Company, please visit Callaway's
web site on the Internet at callawaygolf.com.
SOURCE Callaway Golf Company
/CONTACT: Krista Mallory of Callaway Golf, 760-931-1771/
/Web site: callawaygolf.com
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