The Driver

Ely did …

Ely built his career in textile industry and had risen to be President … but when he was passed over for Chairman he quit and moved his family to California to start a winery.

It was a long shot … however things went well and a few years later he sold it for a healthy profit.

At 60, Ely was ready to relax and started playing golf again … one day on the course he tried a new club from a small manufacturer. They were called Hickory Sticks … a hickory shaft around a steel core.

Ely was so impressed he called the company’s founders to tell them so.

Well it turned out the tiny firm needed some investors … so Ely bought in and then he eventually bought the owners out and changed its name.

Ely focused the company on introducing new products in order to raise its profile and revenues. With innovative new clubs and an oversized driver plus a state-of-the art golf ball … sales exploded.

Today, Ely’s company, the one he took over when he was 60 has more than 2,000 employees, sales of almost $1 billion annually and is still named after him … Ely Callaway.

Callaway is a Great Idea because a good driver can help the shots you take be much more playable.