Chris Holiday, previously senior vice president of U.S. sales for Callaway Golf, has joined GolfGear International as senior vice president of sales and marketing.
Holiday, an accomplished executive, will build a high-performance sales team at GolfGear and run all aspects of sales and marketing, including launching new products, developing new markets and working closely with distribution channel partners. He will also oversee all customer service activities and lead GolfGear’s effort with its new direct response program.
“This is a very exciting and challenging opportunity for me,” said Holiday. “I feel as though I have turned back the clock to the days when Callaway was a much smaller company. I have been given the chance to bring GolfGear to new heights and I gladly accept the challenge.
“I selected GolfGear because I see many of the same characteristics that I did when I joined Callaway: superior product, brand recognition, strong management. The ingredients are all there. We are going to be successful.”
Holiday has more than 30 years of experience in the golf industry, the last 10 years of which were spent at Callaway, where he was credited with leading the company’s sales force from No. 6 to No. 1 in the industry, resulting in a compound annual growth rate in sales of 52 percent.
In one year at Callaway alone, he drove the golf ball sales from No. 5 to No. 2 with a 31 percent growth in sales. Company revenues grew from $20 million to $850 million during his tenure. Other notable accomplishments include establishing and building a five-store retail chain with gross sales of $6 million and No. 1 in market share. The stores were later ranked as one of the “Top 100 Golf Shops in America” three times in Golf Shop Operations.
Regarding the appointment of Holiday, GolfGear President Michael Piraino said: “Chris is a highly productive and energetic sales professional who brings tremendous strengths and valuable experience to the GolfGear team. His sound performance drove Callaway to significant growth in a very short period of time, and we look forward to the success he is certain to bring to our company.
“Chris’s key relationships within the industry will be invaluable. Clearly, he has the drive and ability to successfully execute GolfGear’s strategic and business objectives.”
GolfGear’s patent portfolio with respect to insert technology is the largest and most comprehensive in the golf industry, with seven domestic and two foreign patents issued related to forged-face insert technology, and additional patents pending. These patents incorporate a wide variety of forged-face insert materials, including titanium, beryllium copper, stainless steel, carbon steel, aluminum, and related alloys, and include technology for variable face thickness of the insert.
Don Anderson, who invented forged-face insert technology founded GolfGear in 1989. GolfGear’s entire line of state-of-the-art Tsunami drivers, fairway woods and irons uses forged-face insert technology.
GolfGear recently granted Nike Golf a non-exclusive, long-term, worldwide license to manufacture and sell golf clubs under GolfGear’s patents covering its proprietary forged-face insert technology. The license agreement grants Nike Golf the right to institute litigation against third parties for infringement of GolfGear’s patents.
