30 Years of Excellence, and Our Best is Still to Come
Ely Callaway founded Callaway Golf with two key principles in mind – hard work and a commitment to producing and selling Demonstrably Superior and Pleasingly Different golf products that help golfers of all skill levels play their best game. Callaway Golf has held true to Mr. C's core values over the past 30 years, and we continue to set the industry standard on everything from drivers, irons and golf balls to apparel and accessories. Callaway has long been associated with excellence and innovation in the golf world – it's a testament to all that we have accomplished since our modest beginnings in 1982 and a nod to the superior ideas and equipment we will strive for in the years to come.
To understand this Company is to recognize how we've evolved from our formative years as Callaway Hickory Stick USA to the global business we are today. In less than a decade, Callaway grew from a small operation, where even Mr. C pitched in to help personally deliver clubs, to a thriving golf power after the release of the Big Bertha Driver, a club that ushered in a new era for all golf drivers. We've continued to challenge convention and create high-performing golf equipment, and our impressive portfolio of patents tops all other golf manufacturers. We make the best equipment for golfers of all abilities, and the proof is in our products.
Callaway has led the annual Golf Digest Hot List Gold Medal count for six consecutive years. We took drivers to unprecedented performance levels with the new RAZR Fit Driver, which earned a coveted Editor's Choice in Golf Digest's 2012 Hot List Issue. Our RAZR Fit and RAZR Hawk Drivers also incorporate revolutionary Forged Composite material that is lighter, stronger than titanium. We offer wedges created by Callaway Chief Designer Roger Cleveland, one of the most respected wedge makers in golf. We burst onto the golf ball scene with the Rule 35 and have forged ahead with the remarkable Tour i Series and our upcoming HEX Black Tour Ball. And we are the parent company of Odyssey Putters, the #1 Putter in Golf and on Tour. Odyssey led all putter manufacturers with over 70 professional wins last year, and continues to lead the Belly Putter Revolution that is taking golf by storm.
Callaway equipment has consistently helped all levels of golfers perform their best, including the game's greatest professionals. Phil Mickelson has won three of his four majors and gone from a superstar to living legend with Callaway clubs, and he's still a force on the PGA Tour. Ernie Els has won all over the world and is now a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame. Gary Player and Arnold Palmer won 16 combined majors on the PGA Tour, and have represented the Company as Callaway Staff Icons for nine and 11 years, respectively.
And Annika Sorenstam, perhaps the greatest player in LPGA history, won all 10 of her majors, shot a 59 and competed on the PGA Tour with Callaway equipment in her bag. We're proud to count five hall-of-famers, a bevy of major champions and a number of rising stars as Staff Pros who play Callaway equipment in competition. Our elite professionals continue to win tournaments and capture majors with Callaway products, and they won on all six of the major professional Tours last year. They trust the technology behind their equipment when everything is on the line, and provide further proof that winners play Callaway.
Callaway is still the leader in cutting edge golf equipment today, and we're excited to add another landmark chapter to our history in 2012. We proudly stand behind upcoming products that will help golfers hit their best shots, shoot their lowest scores and appreciate golf on a new level. Our past success provides us with the insight, experience and ability to make great golf clubs going forward. We've established the standard by which golf companies are measured, and we'll continue to revolutionize golf equipment in the months and years ahead.