Callaway Golf Extends The Odyssey White Hot Putter Line With Two
New Models: White Hot “2-Ball” And White Hot Rossie Putters
CARLSBAD, CA., Nov. 15, 2001 – Callaway Golf Company (NYSE:
ELY), today announced two additions to the growing family of Odyssey®
White Hot® Putters. The new Odyssey White Hot “2-Ball”
and White Hot Rossie® Putters join the existing 11 White Hot
models marketed by Odyssey Golf, a brand of Callaway Golf. The White
Hot “2-Ball” Putter is a unique mallet design with innovative
alignment aids, while the White Hot Rossie Putter combines one of
the most popular putter designs of the past five years with Odyssey’s
White Hot insert technology. Both putters are scheduled to hit golf
shops in January 2002.
The Odyssey White Hot “2-Ball” Putter has a large mallet
head with two golf ball-sized alignment aids positioned directly
behind the center of the face on the top of the putter. At address,
golfers will see their ball with the “2-Ball” alignment
system immediately behind it, providing an accurate preview of the
true aim of the putter. This helps ensure the putter is square to
the target, and also helps golfers to better see the line their
ball will travel after impact. The White Hot “2-Ball”
Putter also has a unique design that lowers the center of gravity
and pulls weight away from the face of the putter, helping eliminate
skidding and skipping for better roll characteristics.
“We think the Odyssey White Hot ‘2-Ball’ Putter
is unlike any other putter on the market,” said Richard C.
Helmstetter, senior executive vice president of research and development
and chief of new products for Callaway Golf. “In our testing,
the vast majority of golfers who used the White Hot ‘2-Ball’
Putter increased their accuracy compared with their previous putter.
Improved accuracy is a function of seeing the line better, and that
leads to golfers feeling more comfortable – which results in
a more confident putting stroke on a regular basis.”
Paul Lawrie, the 1999 British Open champion, was the first touring
pro to win a tournament with the Odyssey White Hot “2-Ball”
Putter. Lawrie's 40-foot birdie putt on the final hole of the Dunhill
Links Championship at St. Andrews, Scotland, in October provided
an emphatic and instant validation for the new putter. “For
many years I have had a problem in lining my putter up, but the
new Odyssey White Hot ‘2-Ball’ Putter suddenly changed
all that,” Lawrie said. “I am able, for the first time,
to feel confident in where I’m aiming. The putter really helps
me keep control of my swing path. It feels easy. Because of that
I am able to also control the pace I want to swing the putter.”
The Odyssey White Hot Rossie Putter retains the smooth, rounded
lines of the Odyssey Dual Force® Rossie II Putter – still
one of the most popular mallet putters on the world’s tours
and winner of multiple major championships. The face-balanced mallet
head and double-bend shaft helps to keep the putter stable throughout
the stroke, and substantial perimeter weighting helps increase accuracy
on off-center putts.
Both new putters feature the Odyssey White Hot insert. This soft,
resilient insert is made from a urethane blend similar to the covers
of Callaway Golf’s CTU 30™ and Rule 35® golf balls.
Unlike some soft inserts, the White Hot insert provides consistent
distance control regardless of the type of golf ball used. Putters
featuring the White Hot insert have been used to win dozens of professional
tournaments since the beginning of 2000.
“Odyssey Golf is the No. 1 putter brand in golf – both
at retail and in usage on the world’s five major professional
tours combined this year,” said Ron Drapeau, president, CEO
and chairman of Callaway Golf. “We are pleased with that success,
but we are not going to rest on those laurels. We will continue
to strive to bring innovative putters to market, and we believe
that the Odyssey White Hot ‘2-Ball’ and White Hot Rossie
putters reflect that philosophy and that they will be embraced by
golfers of all skill levels around the world.”
The Odyssey White Hot “2-Ball” Putter has a suggested
retail price of $215, and the Odyssey White Hot Rossie Putter has
a suggested retail price of $140. Both putters will be available
in right-handed and left-handed models in lengths from 33 to 36
inches.
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