Form of Notice of Grant of Stock Option and Option Agreement


 Exhibit 10.61 
  

					
	 NOTICE OF GRANT OF STOCK
 OPTION AND OPTION AGREEMENT
	  	 	  	 CALLAWAY GOLF COMPANY
 ID: 95-3797580
 2180 RUTHERFORD ROAD
 CARLSBAD, CA 92008

		
	 	  	 PLAN: 2004 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN


  
 1. Grant of
Option. Effective                              (“Effective Date”), you have been
granted a Non-qualified Stock Option (“Option”) to buy shares of Callaway Golf Company (the “Company”) common stock upon the following terms: 
  

							
	 SHARES

	 	 EXERCISE PRICE

	 	 SCHEDULED VESTING DATE

	  	SCHEDULED EXPIRATION DATE


	 	 	 	 	 	  	 
	 	 	 	 	 	  	 
	 	 	 	 	 	  	 
	 	 	 	 	 	  	 
	 	 	 	 	 	  	 

  
 The Option is granted
to you pursuant to the terms and conditions of this Notice of Grant of Stock Option and Option Agreement (this “Agreement”), and the Company’s 2004 Equity Incentive Plan (as amended and restated from time to time, the
“Plan”), the provisions of which Plan are by this reference incorporated in this Agreement. In the event of any conflict between the provisions of the Plan and the provisions of this Agreement, the provisions of the Plan shall be
controlling. The Company has provided you with a copy of the Plan and a Prospectus for the Plan. 
  
 The exercise price must be paid in the form of cash, unless otherwise determined by the Board of Directors or Committee administering the plan
(“Committee”) in their sole discretion. Upon exercise of the Option, you must pay in the form of a check or cash or other cash equivalents to the Company any such additional amount as the Company determines that it is required to withhold
under applicable laws in respect of such exercise. In this regard, you authorize the Company and/or its subsidiary to withhold all applicable tax-related items legally payable by you from your wages or other cash compensation paid to you by the
Company and/or its subsidiary or from proceeds of the sale of shares of Common Stock. Alternatively, or in addition, if permissible under local law, the Company may (1) sell or arrange for the sale of shares of Common Stock that you acquire to
meet the withholding obligation for tax-related items, and/or (2) withhold from the shares of Common Stock otherwise issuable to you upon the exercise of the Option that number of shares having an aggregate Fair Market Value (as defined in the
Plan), determined as of the date the withholding tax obligation arises, equal to the amount of the total withholding tax obligation; provided, however, that, the number of shares so withheld shall not have an aggregate Fair Market Value in excess of
the minimum required withholding. You acknowledge that the ultimate liability for all tax-related items legally due by you is and remains your responsibility and that Company and/or its subsidiary (a) makes no representations or undertakings
regarding the treatment of any tax-related items in connection with any aspect of the option grant, including the grant, vesting or exercise of the option, the subsequent sale of shares of Common Stock acquired pursuant to such exercise and the
receipt of any dividends; and (b) do not commit to structure the terms of the grant or any aspect of the option to reduce or eliminate your liability for tax-related items. 
  
 2. Vesting. Subject to Section 3 (Term and Termination) and Section 4 (Cancellation,
Forfeiture and Rescission) of this Agreement, and subject to the accelerated vesting provisions, if any, set forth in any employment agreement between you and the Company or its subsidiary, as the same may be amended, modified, extended or renewed
from time to time, the Option shall vest in accordance with the vesting schedule set forth above. The Committee may in its discretion accelerate the vesting schedule (in which case it may impose whatever conditions it considers appropriate on the
accelerated portion). In addition, the entire Option shall vest and become exercisable immediately prior to any Change in Control, if you are an employee or consultant of the Company or its subsidiary at that time, provided, however, that the Board
of Directors, or appropriate committee thereof, in its sole discretion, may provide that such Option does not vest and become exercisable immediately prior to any such Change in Control, and instead provide that the Option shall be assumed or that
an equivalent option or right shall be substituted by a 









 
successor company, in which case the amount and price of such assumed or substituted option shall be determined by adjusting the amount and price of the
Option consistent with the terms of the transaction giving rise to the Change in Control. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Committee elects to provide that the Option does not vest in connection with a Change in Control and your employment is
terminated for any reason within one year following such Change in Control, then the entire assumed or substituted option shall vest and become exercisable immediately upon such termination of employment. For purposes hereof, “Change in
Control” shall have the meaning set forth in Exhibit A attached hereto. 
  
 3. Term and Termination. Subject to Section 4 (Cancellation, Forfeiture and Rescission) hereof, the Option shall expire on the earlier of (i) the scheduled expiration date set forth
above or (ii) in the case of an Option that has vested, one (1) year from the date on which you cease to be an employee or consultant of the Company or its subsidiary for any reason including death. Subject to Section 2
(Vesting), if you cease for any reason to be an employee of the Company or its subsidiary, that portion of the Option which has not yet vested shall be terminated. 
  
 4. Cancellation, Forfeiture and Rescission. 
  
 (a) If during your employment or during any period thereafter that you are receiving Special Severance from
the Company, you directly or indirectly disclose or misuse any confidential information or trade secrets of the Company then: 
  
 (1) any unexercised portion of the Option is automatically cancelled as of the date you first committed the act or acts described above
(the “Cancellation Date”); and 
  
 (2)
any exercise of all or any portion of the Option exercised on or after the Cancellation Date or during the “Look-Back Period” preceding the Cancellation Date shall be rescinded, and you shall be required to pay to the Company, within ten
days of receiving written notice from the Company, the amount of any gain realized as the result of any such rescinded exercise (the “Option Gain”). 
  

The Company shall notify you in writing of any such rescission within two years of any such exercise. If you are still an employee on the Cancellation Date, the
“Look-Back Period” is ninety days. If you are no longer an employee on the Cancellation Date, the “Look-Back Period” is the longer of ninety days or the number of days elapsed from the date of termination of your employment to
the Cancellation Date. For purposes of this Agreement, an “indirect” use of the Company’s confidential information or trade secrets shall be presumed to have occurred if you take a comparable position with a competitor in which case
you shall have the burden of proving that no use or disclosure of confidential information or trade secrets occurred or will occur. For purposes of this Agreement, and in the absence of proof of actual gain on the date of exercise, “Option
Gain” shall mean the New York Stock Exchange closing price on the date of exercise minus the exercise price of the Option, multiplied by the number of shares you purchased upon the exercise, without regard to any subsequent market price
decrease or increase. 
  
 (b) In lieu of paying
to the Company any Option Gain required to be paid to Company pursuant to this Section 4, you may return to the Company the number of shares purchased upon exercise of the Option. You hereby agree that the Company may set off against any
amount the Company may now or hereafter owe you the amount of any Option Gain required to be paid by you to Company under this Section 4. This Section 4 does not limit any other legal or equitable remedy available to the
Company. As a condition of each exercise of all or any portion of the Option, you will be required to certify to the Company on a form of notice of exercise acceptable to the Company that you have not committed any of the acts described in paragraph
(a) above. 
  
 You acknowledge that you have read each provision of this
Section 4 and have had an opportunity to ask questions with respect to this Section. You acknowledge that you understand that the Company is granting the Option subject to the terms of this Section 4. 
  
                      (Optionee) 
  
 5. Severability. The provisions of this Agreement shall be deemed to be severable and the invalidity or unenforceability of any provision
shall not affect the validity or enforceability of the other provisions hereof. If any provision of this Agreement, or the application thereof to any person or any circumstance, is held to be invalid or unenforceable under present or future laws
effective during the term of this Agreement, such provision shall be fully severed, and in lieu thereof there shall automatically be added as part of this Agreement a suitable and equitable provision in order to carry out, so far as may be valid and
enforceable, the intent and purpose of such invalid or unenforceable provision. 
  

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 6. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the
internal laws of the State of Delaware and applicable federal law. 
  
 7. Irrevocable Arbitration of Disputes. 
  
 (a) You and the Company agree that any dispute, controversy or claim arising hereunder or in any way related to this Agreement, its interpretation, enforceability, or applicability, that cannot be resolved by
mutual agreement of the parties shall be submitted to binding arbitration. The parties agree that arbitration is the parties’ only recourse for such claims and hereby waive the right to pursue such claims in any other forum, unless otherwise
provided by law. Any court action involving a dispute which is not subject to arbitration shall be stayed pending arbitration of arbitrable disputes. 
  
 (b) You and the Company agree that the arbitrator shall have the authority to issue provisional relief. You and the Company further
agree that each has the right, pursuant to California Code of Civil Procedure section 1281.8, to apply to a court for a provisional remedy in connection with an arbitrable dispute so as to prevent the arbitration from being rendered ineffective.

  
 (c) Any demand for arbitration shall
be in writing and must be communicated to the other party prior to the expiration of the applicable statute of limitations. 
  
 (d) The arbitration shall be administered by JAMS pursuant to its Employment Arbitration Rules and Procedures. The arbitration shall be
conducted in San Diego by a former or retired judge or attorney with at least 10 years experience in employment-related disputes, or a non-attorney with like experience in the area of dispute, who shall have the power to hear motions, control
discovery, conduct hearings and otherwise do all that is necessary to resolve the matter. The parties must mutually agree on the arbitrator. If the parties cannot agree on the arbitrator after their best efforts, an arbitrator will be selected from
JAMS pursuant to its Employment Arbitration Rules and Procedures. The Company shall pay the costs of the arbitrator’s fees. 
  
 (e) The arbitration will be decided upon a written decision of the arbitrator stating the essential findings and conclusions upon which
the award is based. The arbitrator shall have the authority to award damages, if any, to the extent that they are available under applicable law(s). The arbitration award shall be final and binding, and may be entered as a judgment in any court
having competent jurisdiction. Either party may seek review pursuant to California Code of Civil Procedure section 1286, et seq. 
  
 (f) It is expressly understood that the parties have chosen arbitration to avoid the burdens, costs and publicity of a court
proceeding, and the arbitrator is expected to handle all aspects of the matter, including discovery and any hearings, in such a way as to minimize the expense, time, burden and publicity of the process, while assuring a fair and just result. In
particular, the parties expect that the arbitrator will limit discovery by controlling the amount of discovery that may be taken (e.g., the number of depositions or interrogatories) and by restricting the scope of discovery only to those matters
clearly relevant to the dispute. However, at a minimum, each party will be entitled to at least one (1) deposition and shall have access to essential documents and witnesses as determined by the arbitrator. 
  
 (g) The provisions of this Section shall survive the
expiration or termination of the Agreement, and shall be binding upon the parties. 
  
 THE PARTIES HAVE READ SECTION 7 AND IRREVOCABLY AGREE TO ARBITRATE ANY DISPUTE IDENTIFIED ABOVE. 
  

			
	                            
(Employee)	 	                
(Company)        

  
 IN WITNESS WHEREOF,
the undersigned have executed this Agreement as of the Effective Date. 
  
 CALLAWAY GOLF COMPANY 
  

									
					
	 By:
	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 

  

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 EXHIBIT A 

 
 A “Change in Control” means the following and shall be deemed to
occur if any of the following events occurs: 
  
 (a) Any person, entity or group, within the meaning of Section 13(d) or 14(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) but excluding the Company and its subsidiaries and any employee benefit or stock
ownership plan of the Company or its subsidiaries and also excluding an underwriter or underwriting syndicate that has acquired the Company’s securities solely in connection with a public offering thereof (such person, entity or group being
referred to herein as a “Person”) becomes the beneficial owner (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act) of 30% or more of either the then outstanding shares of Common Stock or the combined voting power of the
Company’s then outstanding securities entitled to vote generally in the election of directors; or 
  
 (b) Individuals who, as of the effective date hereof, constitute the Board of Directors of the Company (the “Incumbent Board”)
cease for any reason to constitute at least a majority of the Board of Directors of the Company, provided that any individual who becomes a director after the effective date hereof whose election, or nomination for election by the Company’s
shareholders, is approved by a vote of at least a majority of the directors then comprising the Incumbent Board shall be considered to be a member of the Incumbent Board unless that individual was nominated or elected by any Person having the power
to exercise, through beneficial ownership, voting agreement and/or proxy, 20% or more of either the outstanding shares of Common Stock or the combined voting power of the Company’s then outstanding voting securities entitled to vote generally
in the election of directors, in which case that individual shall not be considered to be a member of the Incumbent Board unless such individual’s election or nomination for election by the Company’s shareholders is approved by a vote of
at least two-thirds of the directors then comprising the Incumbent Board; or 
  
 (c) Consummation by the Company of the sale, lease, exchange or other disposition (in one transaction or a series of related transactions) by the Company of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets or a
reorganization or merger or consolidation of the Company with any other person, entity or corporation, other than 
  
 (i) a reorganization or merger or consolidation that would result in the voting securities of the Company outstanding immediately prior
thereto (or, in the case of a reorganization or merger or consolidation that is preceded or accomplished by an acquisition or series of related acquisitions by any Person, by tender or exchange offer or otherwise, of voting securities representing
5% or more of the combined voting power of all securities of the Company, immediately prior to such acquisition or the first acquisition in such series of acquisitions) continuing to represent, either by remaining outstanding or by being converted
into voting securities of another entity, more than 50% of the combined voting power of the voting securities of the Company or such other entity outstanding immediately after such reorganization or merger or consolidation (or series of related
transactions involving such a reorganization or merger or consolidation), or 
  
 (ii) a reorganization or merger or consolidation effected to implement a recapitalization or reincorporation of the Company (or similar transaction) that does not result in a material change in beneficial ownership of
the voting securities of the Company or its successor; or 
  
 (d) Approval by the shareholders of the Company or an order by a court of competent jurisdiction of a plan of complete liquidation or dissolution of the Company. 
  

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