Callaway Big Bertha Fusion Driver

Callaway has finally released the Big Bertha Fusion FT-3 Neutral Driver that its tour pros have been playing in recent months. Michael Campbell used it to win the US Open Championship, and Phil Mickelson and Annika Sorenstam have also driven it to wins.

The idea is that the composite head allows them to redistribute weight where its needed to shape shots.

You can read Callaway’s press release below:

Callaway Golf Launches the Big Bertha Fusion FT-3 Driver; ``New Science of Distance with Accuracy’’ Sweeping the Pro Tours Will Soon Be Available to Golfers Everywhere

CARLSBAD, Calif., Jun 21, 2005 (BUSINESS WIRE)—Callaway Golf Company (NYSE:ELY) today introduced the Big Bertha® Fusion® FT-3(TM) Driver, a new 460-cc multi-material breakthrough driver designed to deliver the ultimate in high performance. The FT-3 Driver combines Callaway Golf’s patented internal weight-shifting technology with a precision-tuned face to deliver the new science of distance with accuracy—explosiveness and forgiveness unlike anything you have experienced in a driver. The FT-3 Driver, available in both standard and Tour lofts, will be in authorized golf retail stores and green grass shops on July 4 with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $499.

The new FT-3 Driver already has been a huge hit. Last week Callaway Golf Staff Professional Michael Campbell used it to help him win the United States Open Championship at Pinehurst. Callaway Golf Staff Professional Phil Mickelson has used it in his three 2005 wins, and Annika Sorenstam has dominated the LPGA circuit with six wins, including two major championships. The FT-3 Driver notched 10 professional wins, including three major championships, before launch.

“This is our most exciting driver launch in years,” said Bill Baker, Chairman and CEO of Callaway Golf. “The new FT-3 Driver delivers on our mission to make every golfer a better golfer because of design intricacies that make it functionally superior. Our club designers and engineers have solved the riddle of how to best distribute weight in the clubhead, and have come up with a driver that can benefit every sort of golfer—from pro to weekend player, from a golfer who hooks to one who slices and everyone in between. We have always believed in the superiority of Fusion Technology, and now we have packaged much of what we know about it into a driver that works for everybody.”

Fusion Technology is all about the marriage of two distinctly different materials in the clubhead: an ultra-hot titanium cup face and a superlight carbon composite body. The body of the clubhead is so light, it frees up 44 grams of discretionary weight—nearly a quarter of the weight of the entire clubhead—which is distributed inside various parts of the head to benefit golfers’ unique swing types and ball flights. The titanium cup face, with patented Variable Face Thickness (VFT®) Technology, has a much larger effective hitting area for greater distance on off-center shots. And because it is tuned to comply with maximum USGA limits on Characteristic Time, the face of the FT-3 Driver generates greater ball speed for increased distance. Callaway Golf designers and engineers—as well as touring pros—agree that the FT-3 gives golfers the chance to hit the ball longer than with any other driver the Company has made.

The pro tours have been the proving grounds for the validation of Fusion Technology. Mickelson, Sorenstam, Campbell and dozens of other tour pros have verified, through their own improved driving performances, the real advantages of multi-material constructions.

“The new FT-3 really made a difference for me in the U.S. Open,” Campbell said. “I was driving it miles and still hitting a ton of fairways. It was a big part of my win.”

All the discretionary weight in the FT-3—far more than any competitor’s driver—gave Callaway Golf club engineers the latitude to precisely position it to maximize stability and generate corrective-spin characteristics. This is as important to amateurs of all levels as it is to top-tier pros. And now with Callaway Golf’s OptiFit(TM) Fitting System developed in conjunction with the FT-3 Driver, golfers can customize their driver simply by choosing the setup that best fits their individual swing type. No fiddling with wrenches, screws or gadgets. They can choose from three Center of Gravity (CG) choices: Neutral for maximum workability; Draw for reducing a slice or fade and promoting a draw; or Fade for reducing a hook and promoting a fade or straight ball.

The FT-3 Drivers’ 460cc clubhead is the largest allowable head volume under the Rules of Golf. It serves to increase Moment of Inertia (MOI) for extreme forgiveness on off-center hits and exceptionally consistent ball speed up, down and across the face.

The FT-3 and FT-3 Tour Drivers are very similar in design. The Tour version comes in half-degree lofts to distinguish it from the standard version. The face angle is slightly more open than the standard lofts, and the shaft, an Aldila NVS 65, is available in regular and stiff flexes that complement the swing speeds and styles of more accomplished players.

The new Big Bertha Fusion FT-3 Driver is available in lofts of 9 degrees, 10 degrees, 11 degrees, and HT (High Trajectory) and comes standard with the proprietary Callaway Golf Fusion NVS graphite shaft from Aldila® (Light, Regular, Stiff and Ladies flexes), which promotes a higher ball flight. The Big Bertha Fusion FT-3 Tour Driver comes in 8.5 degree and 9.5 degree lofts with Regular and Stiff flexes. Left-handed versions of the Big Bertha Fusion FT-3 Driver are available in 10 degree and 11 degree lofts. The left-handed FT-3 Tour is available in the 9.5 degree loft.

Through an unwavering commitment to innovation, Callaway Golf 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 accessories, under the Callaway Golf®, Top-Flite®, Odyssey® and Ben Hogan® brands. For more information visit http://www.callawaygolf.com

SOURCE: Callaway Golf Company

Callaway Golf Company Larry Dorman, 760-931-1771