Topgolf Callaway Brands (MODG) Risk Factors

We are dependent on a limited number of suppliers for our clubheads and shafts. Furthermore, some of our products require specially developed manufacturing techniques and processes which make it difficult to identify and utilize alternative suppliers quickly. In addition, many of our suppliers may not be well capitalized and prolonged unfavorable economic conditions could increase the risk that they will go out of business. If current suppliers are unable to deliver clubheads, shafts or other components, or if we are required to transition to other suppliers, we could experience significant production delays or disruption to our business. We also depend on a limited number of suppliers for the materials we use to make our golf balls. Many of these materials are customized for us. Any delay or interruption in such supplies could have a material adverse impact on our golf ball business. If we experience any such delays or interruptions, we may not be able to find adequate alternative suppliers at a reasonable cost or without significant disruption to our business.

Topgolf. The Topgolf business operates primarily in the consumer entertainment industry, which remains highly competitive. Consumers today have a wide variety of options when deciding how to spend their leisure time and discretionary entertainment dollars. Topgolf's venues compete for consumers' time and discretionary entertainment dollars against a broad range of other out-of-home entertainment options, as well as increasingly sophisticated forms of home-based entertainment. Other out-of-home entertainment options against which we compete include other dining and entertainment venues, sports activity centers, traditional driving ranges and other establishments offering simulated golf or multi-sport experiences (including Toptracer Range and Swing Suite licensees), arcades and entertainment centers, movie theaters, sporting events, bowling alleys, nightclubs, casinos, bars and restaurants. In many cases, these businesses, or the entities operating them, are larger than us and have significantly greater financial resources and name recognition, longer operating histories, and concepts with which consumers may be more familiar, and are better established in the markets where venues are located or are planned to be located. As a result, these competitors may be able to invest greater resources or implement more aggressive strategies to attract consumers, including with respect to pricing, and, accordingly, may succeed in attracting those who would otherwise come to Topgolf's venues, causing us to lose market share or sales, or forcing us to reduce our prices to meet the competition. Home-based entertainment options against which Topgolf's venues compete include internet and video gaming, as well as movies, television and other on-demand content from streaming services. Further, in some cases consumer demand has shifted towards home-based entertainment options and away from out-of-home entertainment, including Topgolf's products and services, including as a result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which may result in greater competition from home-based entertainment options in the future. The failure of our Topgolf venues to compete favorably against these other out-of-home and home-based entertainment options could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. We also face intense competition across our other Topgolf business lines. In particular, the International and Toptracer business lines compete against other companies to attract and retain qualified franchisees and licensees. WGT and the content we produce through Topgolf Studios also competes for consumer attention and leisure time against the other home-based entertainment alternatives described above, particularly content focused on sports, including golf. From a commercial perspective, we also compete against other businesses seeking corporate sponsorships and other commercial partners, such as sports teams, entertainment events and television and digital media outlets, and competes against television and digital content providers seeking advertiser or sponsorship income. Our Topgolf growth strategy and prospects will be materially impaired if we are unable to compete successfully in these aspects of our business. Golf Equipment. The golf equipment business, which is comprised of golf club and golf ball products, is highly competitive, and is served by a number of well-established and well-financed companies with recognized brand names. The golf ball business, in particular, includes one competitor with an estimated U.S. market share of over 50%. With respect to golf club sales, new product introductions, price reductions, consignment sales, extended payment terms, "closeouts," including closeouts of products that were recently commercially successful, and significant tour and advertising spending by competitors continue to generate intense market competition. Furthermore, downward pressure on pricing in the market for new golf clubs could have a significant adverse effect on our pre-owned golf club business as the gap narrows between the cost of a new club and a pre-owned club. Successful marketing activities, discounted pricing, consignment sales, extended payment terms or new product introductions by competitors could negatively impact our future sales. With respect to golf ball sales, our competitors continue to incur significant costs in the areas of advertising, tour and other promotional support. We believe that to be competitive, we also need to continue to incur significant expenses in tour, advertising and promotional support. In addition, we have invested, and may continue to invest in the future, significant capital into upgrades to our manufacturing and assembly facilities, including our golf ball manufacturing facility in Chicopee, Massachusetts, to remain on the forefront of technological and competitive innovation. Unless there is a change in competitive conditions, these competitive pressures and increased costs will continue to adversely affect the profitability of our golf equipment business. Active Lifestyle. Our Active Lifestyle segment includes the TravisMathew golf and lifestyle apparel and accessories business, the Jack Wolfskin outdoor apparel, gear and accessories business, the Callaway soft goods business and the OGIO business, which consists of golf apparel and accessories (including golf bags and gloves), storage gear for sport and personal use, and royalties from licensing of our trademarks and service marks for various soft goods products. We face significant competition in every region with respect to each of these product categories. In most cases, we are not the market leader with respect to our apparel, gear and accessory markets, and many of our competitors have significant competitive advantages, including longer operating histories, larger customer bases, greater brand recognition and greater financial resources. Our competitors may be willing to discount prices and accept lower profit margins to compete with us and, as a result, we may lose market share and sales, or be forced to reduce our prices to meet competition. If we are unable to grow or maintain our competitive position in any of our business areas, it could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may be adversely affected by legal or governmental proceedings brought by or on behalf of guests, Playmakers, suppliers, commercial partners, franchisees, licensees or others through private actions, class actions, administrative proceedings, regulatory actions or other litigation. The outcome of such proceedings, particularly class actions and regulatory actions, is difficult to assess or quantify. In recent years, a number of companies in our industry and adjacent industries have been subject to lawsuits, including class action lawsuits, alleging violations of federal and state law regarding workplace and employment matters, discrimination and similar matters, and a number of these lawsuits have resulted in the payment of substantial damages by the defendants. We could also face potential liability if we are found to have misclassified certain Playmakers as exempt from the overtime requirements of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act and state labor laws, or if we are found to have failed to provide or continue health insurance or benefits to Playmakers in violation of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act or the PPACA of 2010. Additionally, we face potential liability if we are found to have failed to comply with data privacy laws relating to the collection and processing of information about Playmakers, employees, and other individuals, such as the collection and use of biometric information under state biometric information statutes. We have had, from time to time, such lawsuits pending, and there can be no guarantee that we will not be named in any such lawsuit in the future or that we will not be required to pay substantial expenses and/or damages at the conclusion of such future lawsuits. In addition, from time to time, guests file complaints or lawsuits against us alleging that we are responsible for some illness or injury they suffered at or after a visit to a venue. From time to time, animal activist and other third-party special interest groups may bring claims before government agencies or lawsuits against us relating to the impact of our venues. We are also subject to a variety of other claims in the ordinary course of business, including personal injury, lease and contract claims. We are also subject to "dram shop" statutes in certain states in which our venues are located. These statutes generally provide a person injured by an intoxicated person the right to recover damages from an establishment that wrongfully served alcoholic beverages to the intoxicated individual. We have been in the past, and may be in the future, the subject of lawsuits that allege violations of these statutes. Recent litigation under dram shop statutes has resulted in significant judgments and settlements against other businesses and establishments similar to our Topgolf venues. Because these cases often seek punitive damages, which may not be covered by insurance, such litigation if successful could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Regardless of whether any claims against us are valid or whether we are liable, claims may be expensive to defend, generate negative publicity, divert time and money away from core operations and hurt financial performance. Similarly, claims brought against Topgolf franchisees and licensees may generate negative publicity that could harm our brand and reputation. Although we maintain what we believe to be adequate levels of insurance to cover any liabilities we may face, insurance may not be available at all or in sufficient amounts with respect to these or other matters. Any negative publicity concerning such claims, whether involving us or franchisees or licensees, or any judgment or other liability significantly in excess of our insurance coverage or not covered by insurance, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We are subject to income taxes in the United States and numerous foreign jurisdictions. Our effective income tax rate in the future could be adversely affected by a number of factors, including: changes in the mix of earnings in countries with differing statutory tax rates, changes in the valuation of deferred tax assets and liabilities, changes in tax laws, the outcome of income tax audits in various jurisdictions around the world. We regularly assess all of these matters to determine the adequacy of our tax provision. In addition, new income, sales, use or other tax laws, statutes, rules, regulations or ordinances could be enacted at any time, or interpreted, changed, modified or applied adversely to us, any of which could adversely affect our business operations and financial performance. We are currently unable to predict whether such changes will occur and, if such changes occur, the ultimate impact on our business. To the extent that such changes have a negative impact on us, our suppliers or customers, including as a result of related uncertainty, these changes may materially and adversely impact our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Over the past several years, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (the "OECD") has been working on a base erosion and profit shifting ("BEPS") project that seeks to establish certain international standards for taxing the worldwide income of multinational companies. As part of the OECD's BEPS project, over 130 member jurisdictions of the OECD Inclusive Framework have joined the Two-Pillar Solution to Address the Tax Challenges of the Digitalisation of the Economy, which includes a reallocation of taxing rights among jurisdictions and a global minimum tax rate of 15%. As a result of these developments, the tax laws of certain countries in which we do business could change on a prospective or retroactive basis, and any such changes could increase our liabilities for taxes, interest and penalties, and therefore could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

There is heightened concern and awareness over the security of personal information transmitted over the Internet, consumer identity theft and data privacy. While we have implemented security measures, our information systems and those of our third party vendors are nevertheless susceptible to numerous and evolving cybersecurity risks that threaten the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information systems and personal information, proprietary information belonging to our business and other confidential information (together, "Sensitive Information") used in our business, including through electronic or physical computer break-ins, viruses and malware (e.g., ransomware), social engineering/phishing, malicious code, fraud, malfeasance by insiders, human or technological error, misconfigurations, "bugs" and other vulnerabilities in our and our vendors' software, and other disruptions and security compromises involving the loss or unauthorized access of Confidential Information. Technologies and techniques used to obtain unauthorized access to or sabotage systems are constantly evolving, change frequently, and generally are not recognized until after they have been launched against a target. Even if identified, we and our vendors may be unable to adequately investigate, remediate or recover from breaches or cybersecurity incidents, or avoid a material adverse impact to our information systems, Sensitive Information or business, including due to threat actors increasingly using tools and techniques-including artificial intelligence-that are designed to circumvent controls, avoid detection, and remove or obfuscate forensic evidence. There can also be no assurance that our cybersecurity risk management program and processes, including our policies, controls or procedures, will be fully implemented, complied with or effective in protecting our information systems and Sensitive Information, and we and certain of our third party vendors have and expect to continue to experience cyber-attacks and other incidents in varying degrees. For example, in August 2023, a threat actor obtained access to certain Company systems through social engineering. Customers experienced a temporary outage in e-commerce services, and certain personal information of approximately one million customers was affected, though no full payment card numbers or government identification numbers (such as Social Security numbers) were affected. We notified affected individuals, various regulators and law enforcement as a result. Moreover, we have acquired and continue to acquire companies with cybersecurity vulnerabilities and/or are similarly susceptible to the risks described above, which exposes us to significant cybersecurity, operational, and financial risks. Any perceived or actual unauthorized or inadvertent disclosure of personal information or adverse impact to the availability, integrity or confidentiality of our information systems or Sensitive Information, whether through a compromise of us or our third party vendors' information systems by an unauthorized party, employee theft, misuse or error, cyber-attack or otherwise, could harm our reputation, impair our ability to attract or retain customers and Playmakers, require us to notify payment brands if payment card information is accessed or compromised, compel us to comply with federal and/or state breach notification laws and foreign equivalents, subject us to costly mandatory corrective action, or subject us to regulatory investigations and enforcement actions, claims or litigation (including class actions) arising from damages suffered by consumers, fines and penalties, and/or significant incident response, system restoration and future compliance costs, all of which could adversely affect our operations, financial performance and condition. Any losses, costs or liabilities may not be covered by, or may exceed the coverage limits of, any or all applicable insurance policies, and applicable insurance may not be available to us in the future on economically reasonable terms or at all.