Posthumous Memoir By Ely Callaway(1919-2001), Founder of Callaway Golf
Hardcover Book and Groundbreaking AI Audiobook Bring Ely Callaway’s Voice Back to Life
Orlando, FL – Callaway Arts & Entertainment is pleased to announce the upcoming publication of The Unconquerable Game: My Life in Golf and Business, by Ely (pronounced EE-lee) Reeves Callaway, Jr. (1919–2001), a pioneering entrepreneur and founder of Callaway Golf Company. The book will be released worldwide on March 25, 2025 (MSRP: $40.00).
Ely Callaway’s life story is one of charisma, insight, and determination. Born in LaGrange, Georgia, his journey spanned multiple industries and regions, reflecting his passion for innovation and his relentless pursuit of excellence. From his early days in textiles to his pioneering role in the California wine industry, he embodied the American spirit of reinvention.
After uncovering corporate corruption at the world’s largest textile corporation, Ely was fired, and turned to winemaking, establishing Callaway Vineyard & Winery in Temecula, California, in 1973. His impact was profound, elevating American wines to compete with the finest European vintages.
At age 63, he embarked on his most influential chapter, founding Callaway Golf Company in a Palm Desert garage in 1982. His revolutionary Big Bertha driver, introduced in 1991, transformed golf by making the game more accessible and enjoyable for players of all levels. Under his leadership, Callaway Golf became the world’s largest golf equipment manufacturer and the first to go public on the New York Stock Exchange.
Beyond business, Ely Callaway was a champion of civil rights and higher education and believed deeply in ethics, innovation, and leadership. The Unconquerable Game captures his voice, values, and lessons on golf, business, and life. The memoir, originally started in the 1990s, has been completed by his son, Nicholas Callaway, and co-editor Andrew Moorhead.
“We are honored to share Ely’s amazing life story with the world,” says Nicholas Callaway, publisher and Ely’s son. “His story is not just a chronicle of remarkable achievements, but a testament to the power of resilience, innovation, and integrity. Ely had an uncanny ability to see ahead and the insights he has to share with us are profound and resonant right now.”
The Making of the World’s First AI Posthumously-Narrated Audiobook
In a groundbreaking achievement, The Unconquerable Game will be released as an AI-enhanced audiobook, posthumously narrated in Ely Callaway’s own voice.
This innovative process was made possible through a collaboration between AI voice engineers, linguistics experts, voice actor Vincent Marcus and renowned actor, comedian (and La Grange, Georgia native) Fred Newman, to authentically recreate Ely’s distinct Southwest Georgia accent and storytelling cadence.
This is a grand story about innovation, business, self-reinvention—and, of course, the technology and magic of golf. Ely Callaway transformed
the game even as he was continually transforming himself.”
—Walter Isaacson, Best-selling biographer of Steve Jobs and Elon Musk
With a twinkle in his eyes and a captivating Southern drawl, Ely Reeves Callaway, Jr. (1919–2001) was a man of extraordinary charisma and insight, leaving an indelible mark on both the world of golf and the broader landscape of 20th-century American business. After successful careers in textiles and wines, at the age of 63 he founded Callaway Golf Company in 1982 in a garage in Palm Desert, California, and began a remarkable journey that would change the golf industry forever.
Born on June 3, 1919, in LaGrange, Georgia, to a textile family, Ely epitomized the American spirit of innovation, determination, and self-reinvention. His entrepreneurial spirit was evident from a young age when he became the chief procurement officer for all uniforms for the U.S. Army during World War II.
In the 1950s and ’60s, Ely’s driving ambition fueled his steady rise through the ruthlessly competitive American tex- tile industry. As president of Burlington Industries, the world‘s largest textile corporation, he made product, marketing, and advertising breakthroughs that transformed Burlington into a globally-recognized consumer brand. But his 30-year career in textiles came to a surprising end when he uncovered a corporate scandal at Burlington. This conspiracy and cover-up – a story never told until now – posed a moral dilemma for Ely that forced him to leave New York and start over in the desert in Southern California at the age of 53.
Ely’s leap into winemaking with the establishment of Callaway Vineyard & Winery in Temecula, California, in 1973 earned him further acclaim. As one of the foremost premium varietal California vintners, Ely spearheaded the ascen- dancy of American wineries, placing their products on par with the finest European vintages.
In 1981, Ely sold his winery to the liquor giant Hiram Walker and returned to his first and lifelong passion: golf. He invested in a fledgling startup called Hickory Stick USA and within ten years built it into Callaway Golf Company, the world’s largest golf equipment manufacturer and the first to ever go public on the New York Stock Exchange.
At the heart of Ely’s success was the iconic Big Bertha driver, introduced in 1991. Big Bertha revolutionized the sport, making it more accessible and pleasing to players of all skill levels. Under Ely’s direction, Callaway Golf’s ac- celerated pace of technological innovation, combined with relentless new product creation and brilliant marketing, disrupted the industry and helped grow the game into a mass global sport.
Ely was one of the first corporate titans to warn about the decline of American industry as far back as the 1950s. He championed civil rights and equal opportunity for higher education beginning in the 1960s and 1970s with the UNCF. He put into practice his belief that good ethics is good business, and he was the antithesis of the “greed is good” corpo- rate ethos of his time.
At first glance, Ely’s life would appear to be a string of unbridled successes. But as he might say, that perception is something less than the truth. He was fired twice, married four times, and faced financial ruin on multiple occasions. Time and again, what saved him was his fearless risk taking, uncanny ability to anticipate future trends, eye for talent, unwavering moral integrity, and good luck.
Though the Callaway name is still synonymous with golf, the man himself has largely been forgotten. This memoir, begun in the 1990s and now completed by his son, Nicholas, and co-editor Andrew Moorhead, preserves Ely’s legacy for this and future generations, capturing his unique voice, values, and spirit, while offering invaluable, timeless wisdom on the unconquerable games of golf, business, and life.
About the Editors
Nicholas Callaway is the Founder & CEO of Callaway Arts & Entertainment, a cross-platform media company that works with renowned artists to bring their work to a global audience. The company creates print, digital, and audio books; computer-animated television series; mobile and tablet applications; design-driven life- style brands, and immersive exhibitions. Recent titles include Bob Dylan: Mixing Up the Medicine; The Beatles: Get Back; The Sistine Chapel trilogy; Mark Rothko at Pace; and Leonardo by Leonardo.
Andrew Moorhead is a playwright, book editor, historical researcher, social satirist, and science communicator from Piedmont, California, now based in New York City.
• Memoir/Golf and Business
• 8½” × 5½”, Portrait
• Hardcover with Jacket
• 362 pages including 64 pages of previously unseen images from Ely Callaway’s personal archives
• US $40.00 CAN $50.00 UK £35.00
• isbn 9781737205142