Thursday, December 7, 2006

Callaway Golf

Over the years, the name Callaway has become analogous to the term Golf. It’s hardly surprising, given the fact that Callaway Golf is the best known brand for golf equipment recognized worldwide. This American company manufactures primarily golf equipment: golf clubs and golf balls. Over time, their market ventures included sports apparel, footwear, timepieces and watches and various assortments of accessories. The Odyssey brand, Top Flite brand and the Ben Hogan brand are also owned by Callaway Golf.

No one could ever forget how Mr. Ely achieved iconic status, or rather his first masterpiece the “Big Bertha”. He was then a retired Burlington Industries Textile President with a big idea. The big idea was a cheap wooden driver inspiration which used to make his design which would later be realized as the Big Bertha. After having acquired the services of Richard C. Helmstetter who was also a brilliant billiard cue designer, the Big Bertha was made. A marvel club at that time that showcase a 190cc steel club head that can hit the furthest and can hit even with minimal skill. The Big Bertha completely revamped the existing golf clubs and set new standards for golf.

With a highly successful Product, Callaway Golf became public on the New York Stock Exchange.

Callaway Golf did brilliant publicity stunts too, to further its image line. For example when Bill Gates featured in the tongue-in-cheek commercial endorsement for the Callaway Golf Clubs, it was received with quite a reception. And Bill Gates isn’t that great in golf (with a notoriously high handicap). Other celebrities and distinguished personalities with remarkable golfing feats also contributed Callaway Golf in to becoming a household name, such as Alice Cooper and Celine Dion. Even Pro Golfers like Arnold Palmer and Gary Player are considered image line enhancements when Callaway Golf obtained the rights for their playing equipment.

While other emerging successes of the Callaway Golf product line like Fusion Fairway Woods, Wide Sole Irons, X-18 Irons, and several golf balls particularly the HX Series golf balls did garner some successes, the Big Bertha still remains the flagship for Callaway Golf. The Big Bertha Line already has several technology touches on the design feature. The latest is the Fusion FT-3 Driver which won several matches already; Phil in his 2006 Masters Victory and Annika Sorenstam who used endorsed Callaway FT-3 Driver to several recent championship victories.

The most notable feature of the Big Bertha is the shortened design of the traditional hosel length by several inches, allowing some weight to be shifted nearer the club head. This allows more weighty punch on the golf ball, multiplying power to an otherwise moderate swing. This highly marketable innovation was dubbed S2H2 (Short, Straight, Hollow, Hosel).

Milos Pesic is an avid golfer and owner of the most comprehensive Golf Information Pages. Visit now to find out all you wanted to know about golf, golf equipment, tips, resorts and much more.

By Milos Pesic

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Milos_Pesic

Sunday, December 3, 2006

Corporate Golf Apparel

The way your employees conduct themselves and what brand names they are carrying on their clothing communicates things about the product or services your company is offering to the people. In such matters, the impression you create in turn creates a corporate identity or image for your company in the minds of people.

Your company could also offer corporate gifts to people or promote your corporate golf apparel by offering a huge variety of clothes items and accessories to go with them. People tend to keep these items as a memento of the pleasant moments they have had at your company’s golf games. Some of the best examples of corporate golf apparel are Levi Strauss and Nike.

Corporations prefer to sell long-sleeved golf t-shirts these days mostly to women. Untucked shirts are a popular fashion amongst men these days. Selling the shirts with V-neck, scoop neck or the Cardigan vest types is a great idea. These are some of the most popular types of golf shirts today.

Golf bags, bats and caps are increasingly being sold by most corporations; some corporations hold team events in which they gift pens, custom t-shirts and other fancy items. You could alternatively follow such examples and even offer golf-related magazines, training courses and workshops for golf at a reasonable price. Other promotional ideas are corporate golf holiday packages, where people go on a holiday to play their favorite game. However avoid overdoing promotional programs.

If you need better and more professional ideas, you need to take the services of either an advertising agency or an event management agency.

By Richard Romando

Corporate Apparel provides detailed information on Corporate Apparel, Custom Corporate Apparel, Custom Embroidered Corporate Apparel, Corporate Golf Apparel and more. Corporate Apparel is affiliated with Engineering Professional Development.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Richard_Romando

History Of Golf Balls

1. Until the early17th century, People used wooden balls for playing golf. Then the Featherie ball was invented. A Featherie is a hand sewn cowhide bag stuffed with goose feathers and coated with paint. The Featherie remained the standard Golf ball for more than two centuries, due to its superior fight characteristics. 2. In 1848, Robert Adam Paterson invented the Gutta Percha ball. Gutties had textured surfaces to improve their aerodynamic qualities and where also cheaper to produce. They only replaced feathered balls completely within a few years. 3. In the 20th century, multi layer balls were developed, first as wound balls consisting of a solid or liquid-filled core wound with a layer of rubber thread and a thin outer shell. This design allowed manufacturers to fine-tune the length, spin and "feel" characteristics of balls. Wound balls were especially valued for their soft feel. 4. These days golf balls are made of cores of titanium compounds, hybrid materials, softer shells and a more pressurized core. They usually consist of a two-three, r four layer designs, consisting of various synthetic materials like surlyn or urethane blends.

Characteristics of modern golf balls:

* The minimum of allowed diameter of golf ball is 42.67mm and its mass may not exceed 45.93g. * Modern golf balls have a two, three, or four layer design constructed from various synthetic materials. * The surface of the ball usually has a pattern of 300-400 dimples designed to improve the balls aerodynamics. * Materials and the method of construction used greatly affect the ball's paying characteristics such as distant trajectory, spin and feel. * Harder materials such as surlyn are used, which result in ball's traveling longer distances. * Softer covers such as balata tend to generate higher spin, more "feel" and greater stopping potential.

Golf balls are separated into 3 groups depending on their construction two, three, or four-piece covers generally four-piece golf balls tend to be the most expensive but price is no assurance of quality.

Aerodynamics:

* When we hit a golf ball, the impact which lasts less than a millisecond, determines the ball's velocity. Launch angle and spin rate, all of which influences its trajectory. * A ball moving through air experiences two major aerodynamics forces. 1. lift 2. drag 3. Drag slows the forward motion. Whereas lift acts in a direction perpendicular to it. The magnitude of these forces depends on the behavior of the boundary layer of air moving with the ball surface.

* Dimples are designed to increase the shape and lift and drag forces by modifying the behavior of the boundary layer. It should be noted that drag and lift forces exists also on smooth balls. Dimpled balls fly farther than non dimpled balls due to the combinations of two effects. * The backspin as we discussed before generates the lift by deforming the airflow around the ball. A back spinning ball experiences a upward lift. * The order to keep the aerodynamics optimal, the ball needs to be clean; golfers can wash their balls manually. Mechanical ball washers available.

by Acario Daire

Maximum Moves: Utilizing The 5 Best Moves In Golf

Although sometimes portrayed as a daunting sport that requires intense concentration (not to mention self-control from throwing your clubs in a lake), golf is easier to learn and excel at than one might think. With these five simple actions, you too can become an excellent golfer.

The first action I will discuss is that of the foot. The positioning of a golfer's feet is instrumental in creating a solid foundation for the player's stance. You can choose one of three stances: the square, the closed, or the open stance. The square stance is the basic stance and requires both feet to be equidistant from the line of flight between the ball and the target. The closed stance consists of the left foot nearer to the line of flight then the right. The closed stance is desirable for players wishing to hook the ball. The open stance requires that the right foot be closer to the line of flight then the left, which creates an opportune position from which to slice or fade the ball.

The next step marries foot action with leg and knee action. This move, which when executed consists of the legs moving in the shape of the letter K, is critical in creating a balanced and powerful swing. Start by rolling your left foot back against your braced right leg, and keep your motions in sync.

The third step is a combination of loading momentum and preparing for the downswing. Turn your shoulders against your right hip; the more flexibly this move is executed, the more powerful the downswing becomes. The left shoulder will become tucked under your chin as your body prepares for the downswing and momentum is built.

Fourth, utilize the power of your forearms to swing the club downward and connect with the ball. Focusing on the ball and, subsequently, the place the ball was after it is hit ensures maximum contact performance. Make sure to follow through completely as well.

Finally, the fifth action one should take to execute their golf swing is maintenance of hand/wrist positioning. First, line up the knuckles closest to the fingertips on your bottom hand (right if you're right-handed, left if you're left-handed) with the knuckles furthest from the hands on your top hand. Then grip the club firmly, and step up to take that swing... you've mastered it now.

by Victor Nunn