Changes in Equipment Standards Under Applicable Rules of Golf Could Adversely Affect the Company’S Business

Changes in equipment standards under applicable Rules of Golf could adversely affect the Company’s business. The Company seeks to have its new golf club and golf ball products satisfy the standards published by the USGA and The R&A in the Rules of Golf because these standards are generally followed by golfers, both professional and amateur, within their respective jurisdictions. The USGA publishes rules that are generally followed in the United States, Canada and Mexico, and The R&A publishes rules that are generally followed in most other countries throughout the world. However, the Rules of Golf as published by The R&A and the USGA are virtually the same and are intended to be so pursuant to a Joint Statement of Principles issued in 2001. In the future, existing USGA and/or R&A standards may be altered in ways that adversely affect the sales of the Company’s current or future products. If a change in rules were adopted and caused one or more of the Company’s current or future products to be nonconforming, the Company’s sales of such products would be adversely affected. For example, the USGA and The R&A published the Distance Insights Project Report discussing the impact of hitting distances on the game of golf. The USGA and The R&A will be exploring this topic further and it is possible that they may ultimately propose new rules that could affect the golf industry and the Company. Additionally, the USGA and The R&A will be gathering input from stakeholders and manufacturers in the golf community through 2021 and the Company is an active participant. Based on the study and the compiled input, it is possible that the USGA and/or The R&A may propose rule changes that could potentially have an adverse impact on the Company’s products. The Company’s sales and business could be materially and adversely affected if professional athletes do not endorse or use the Company’s products. The Company establishes relationships with professional athletes, celebrities and other endorsers in order to evaluate and promote Callaway Golf, Odyssey, OGIO and TravisMathew branded products. The Company has entered into endorsement arrangements with members of the various professional tours, including the Champions Tour, the PGA Tour, the LPGA Tour, the PGA European Tour, the Japan Golf Tour and the Korn Ferry Tour. While most endorsers fulfill their contractual obligations, some have been known to stop using a sponsor’s products despite contractual commitments. If certain of the Company’s endorsers were to stop using the Company’s products contrary to their endorsement agreements, the Company’s business could be adversely affected in a material way by the negative publicity or lack of endorsement. The Company believes that professional usage of its golf clubs and golf balls contributes to retail sales. The Company therefore spends a significant amount of money to secure professional usage of its products. Many other companies, however, also aggressively seek the patronage of these professionals and offer many inducements, including significant cash incentives and specially designed products. There is a great deal of competition to secure the representation of tour professionals. As a result, it is expensive to attract and retain such tour professionals. The inducements offered by other companies could result in a decrease in usage of the Company’s products by professional golfers or limit the Company’s ability to attract other tour professionals. A decline in the level of professional usage of the Company’s products, or a significant increase in the cost to attract or retain endorsers, could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s sales and business. Any significant changes in U.S. trade or other policies that restrict imports or increase import tariffs could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s results of operations. A significant amount of the Company’s products are manufactured in Mexico, China, Vietnam and Bangladesh and other regions outside of the United States. In recent years, the U.S. government has implemented substantial changes to U.S. trade policies, including import restrictions, increased import tariffs and changes in U.S. participation in multilateral trade agreements, such as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) to replace the former North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The U.S. government has assessed supplemental tariffs on certain goods imported from China, resulting in China's assessment of retaliatory tariffs on certain imports of U.S. goods into China. In addition, the United States has assessed or proposed supplemental tariffs and quantitative restrictions on U.S. imports of certain products from other countries as well. U.S. trade policy continues to evolve in this regard. Such changes could prevent or make it difficult or more expensive for the Company to obtain the components needed for new products, which could affect the Company’s sales. The recent increase in import tariffs impacted the Company's business in 2019 and 2020, and it could continue to impact the Company's business in 2021. Further tariff increases could require the Company to increase its prices, which likely would decrease customer demand for its products. Retaliatory tariff and trade measures imposed by other countries could affect the Company’s ability to export products and therefore adversely affect its sales. Any significant changes in current U.S. trade or other policies that restrict imports or increase import tariffs could have a material adverse effect upon the Company’s results of operations. 21.

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