Callaway Golf Balls Win Four Gold Medals On 2012 Golf Digest "Hot List"

CARLSBAD, Calif., May 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Buoyed by its new Tour-level offering, the HEX Black Tour™ golf ball, and the breakthrough technology of the HEX Chrome™ golf ball, Callaway Golf Company (NYSE: ELY) earned four Gold Medals in Golf Digest's 2012 Golf Ball "Hot List", which appears in the magazine's May issue. The Ball Hot List is a comprehensive evaluation of golf balls that combines input from scientists, manufacturers, robot testing and a panel of 20 player testers with a range of golf handicaps. This is the first time in the nine-year history of Golf Digest's Golf Ball "Hot List" that Callaway has won four Gold Medals. The Company's 2012 line of golf balls won Gold in all three categories: $38 and over (per dozen), $25-$36, and $20 and under.

"It is extremely satisfying to be honored with four 'Hot List' Gold Medals from among our various Callaway golf ball offerings," said Steve Ogg, Vice President, Global Golf Ball Category, Callaway Golf. "It took a great deal of effort from our golf ball R&D and Operations teams to develop not only our new HEX Black Tour ball, but also the new HEX Chrome product. Our goal is to offer the best performing golf ball at every price point and we feel we have achieved that with these new golf balls and the rest of our 2012 offerings." 

Callaway, which earned more Gold and Silver Medals than any other manufacturer within the Equipment Hot List that Golf Digest released earlier this year, struck Gold with the HEX Black Tour golf ball, currently being played by Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els and a host of other elite professionals. This new five-piece offering earned a Gold Medal in the $38 and over category. Golf Digest awarded the HEX Black Tour 4 1/2 stars (out of five) for Performance, 4 1/2 stars for Innovation, and four stars for Feel. The HEX Black Tour is now available at retail for $46 per dozen.

In Golf Digest 's $25-$36 category, Callaway's new HEX Chrome golf ball dominated the field, capturing "Category Leader" distinctions in both Performance and Innovation. The magazine wrote of the new three-piece ball: "In all the right ways, HEX Chrome is a tour ball. In one way, though, it thankfully isn't: price." The HEX Chrome, which features a softer core than the HEX Black Tour to deliver more ball speed for players that don't possess top-end swing speeds, is the best three-piece urethane ball Callaway has ever made. It was engineered for complete performance from tee to green, allowing golfers to take advantage of high spin around the greens and penetrating distance off the tee. The HEX Chrome is now available at retail for $36 per dozen.

The HX Diablo Tour™, another three-piece offering that retails for $26 per dozen, earned a Gold Medal in the $25-$36 range for the second consecutive year. Golf Digest called the HX Diablo Tour, "A reliable performer on all swings, it gives what most golfers want from their tee shots; high launch and low spin, but with the added benefit of greenside control."

In the $20 and under category, the two-piece Callaway HX Diablo™ earned Gold for the second consecutive year. Awarding it 4 1/2 stars for both Performance and Feel, Golf Digest called the HX Diablo "a distance ball with a soft feel that doesn't become mushy. That's no easy feat." The HX Diablo retails for $20 per dozen.

High-resolution images of all Callaway Golf products are available for immediate download via the Media Center portion of Callaway Golf's website: www.callawaygolf.com/Global/en-US/MediaCenter.html.

Through an unwavering commitment to innovation, Callaway Golf Company (NYSE:ELY) creates products and services designed to make every golfer a better golfer. Callaway Golf Company manufactures and sells golf clubs and golf balls, and sells golf apparel, footwear and accessories, under the Callaway Golf® and Odyssey® brands in more than 110 countries worldwide. For more information please visit www.callawaygolf.com or shop.callawaygolf.com.

CONTACT:
Tim Sweeney
Callaway Golf
(760) 804-4017
[email protected]

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SOURCE Callaway Golf