Book that chronicles life of Callaway golf legend will debut April 8 on the Hammock Coast
Callaway is synonymous with golf.
Be it, putters, woods or wedges – and certainly, the company’s iconic “Big Bertha” driver – or just the balls themselves emblazoned with the well-known Callaway logo, the company has been a staple on golf courses since Ely Callaway formed the company in 1982.
Now, a book written by Callaway – but unpublished until now – will make its International debut at a special event Tuesday, April 8, at Kimbel’s at Wachesaw Plantation on South Carolina’s Hammock Coast, one of the nation’s most-loved areas for golf. The 11 a.m. luncheon event is part of the Moveable Feast.
The book is not available to the general public until April 29 – not even on Amazon. But those attending the April 8 Moveable Feast in Murrells Inlet can get a copy!
Titled “The Unconquerable Game: My Life in Golf & Business,” the 288-page book was written by Ely Callaway, who died in 2001 at the age of 82, but the book was not completed until recently by his son, Nicholas, who will be the keynote speaker at the Murrells Inlet book event.
Tickets to the luncheon are $40 each. In addition to the presentation by Nicholas Callaway, lunch will be by Kimbel’s master chef. A donation will be made, from proceeds, to The Wachesaw Historical Committee.
During the event, signed copies of the hardcover book will be available at the Moveable Feast for $35 each. Following the event, signed books will be available at My Sister’s Books and various local pro shops for $40. The official publication date for the memoir is April 8.
Among the 40 million active golfers in the world today, Callaway is recognized by touring pros and amateurs alike for having created the most compatible golf equipment ever made.
Indeed, Callaway’s revolutionary approach to research and manufacturing changed the game, and how people approached it, for the largest subset of players in history. However, many may not know that the company was founded by one man, Ely Callaway (1919-2001), who, at the age of 65—after enjoying successful careers in textiles and wine—began it as a garage start-up in southern California.
Within 10 years, Ely built the Callaway Golf Co. into the largest golf club company in the world and one of the sport’s most prestigious brands. Golf was Callaway’s passion project: he had spent 50 years playing the game as an amateur; following the example of his hero and first cousin, Grand Slam winner Bobby Jones; analyzing the golf industry; and reflecting on the true meaning of the game. The success of the Callaway Golf Co. was a direct result of its charismatic leader, who made a deep impression on everyone he met.
He was beloved by millions around the world, from golfers to presidents, pop stars, to corporate titans, and most importantly, the weekend players who often struggled with their game.
In the last years of his life, Callaway wrote a book about the secrets of his success. He wanted to share his outlook on life with others, and why he kept at “the unconquerable game” for as long as he did. He died on July 5, 2001, from pancreatic cancer, however, before he was able to publish the book. Now, a generation later, the “lost book” of Ely Callaway is finally edited and compiled by his son, Nicholas.
Now, for the first time, are Ely Callaway’s stories from his lifetime in the game of golf, the people he met along the way, as well as vignettes from his career in business.
Sports Business Journal noted in a March 3, 2025, article that the book is also being released with an ultra-modern twist. The audio version of the book is read by Ely Callaway himself — that is, with the help of AI.
According to an article by Josh Carpenter, the book will have an audio edition as an “AI-enhanced” with the late Callaway’s voice. According to the article, Nicholas Callaway only agreed to the plan if he and others who knew his father well couldn’t tell the difference between his father’s voice and the AI treatment. Apparently, the voice is so close that family and close friends couldn’t tell the difference.
In an obituary for Ely Callaway in 2001, The New York Times called the legendary businessman – and a late-in-life champion of golf – “versatile and charismatic.”
“Under his direction, Callaway Golf grew from a four-person company into a multibillion-dollar corporation that generated $840 million in sales (in 2000),” the Times’ Clifton Brown wrote. “It is approaching $6 billion in sales of golf clubs. The backbone of his company’s success was the Big Bertha driver, developed in 1991, that allowed even mediocre players to get the ball airborne more quickly and with more distance.”
The Times said when Callaway’s company developed the Big Bertha, it revolutionized golf.
“(Callaway) predicted from his own experience that the new driver would revolutionize the golf industry,” Brown wrote and quoted Callaway saying: ”I knew that if a 72-year-old man could hit this driver off the ground, that anybody could hit it off the tee. Prior to Big Bertha, the most feared, shunned, disliked golf club in most everybody’s bag was the driver. Now, it’s most everybody’s favorite. What we did in creating that club was to transform an attitude among the masses. We made the driver easier to hit. We took the fear out of it.”
Callaway was a man who loved his work and sport and life, and organizers for the Moveable Feast event said his wisdom is embedded in the pages of the book for all to read.
A major feature article in The New York Times is set to be published April 8, 2025, as the newspaper’s lead coverage for Masters week. The book is being given at the annual Golf Writers’ Association of America event on Wednesday night at The Masters, a great honor for the book.
But attendees at the Moveable Feast will get the book before anyone else!
To register for the luncheon, follow this link. Submit the form and indicate whether you wish to pay by check (CLASS, PO Box 2884, Pawleys Island, SC 29585) or credit card.
For more information, e-mail Linda Ketron at linda@classatpawleys.com or call 843-235-9600.
South Carolina’s Hammock Coast is one of the best areas in America for golf. The Hammock Coast Golf Trail is a collection of 12 public-access golf courses and includes Caledonia Golf and Fish Club, just named one of the Top 5 public golf courses in the nation.
— By Mark A. Stevens, director of tourism development for the Georgetown County Chamber of Commerce and South Carolina’s Hammock Coast
Main image from Callaway Golf media relations.
