After interning with Callaway Golf for eight months, Murray accepted a role in the
company's Operations Leadership Program, which consists of six-month assignments across
various departments, to gain exposure to various business functions while preparing
for future leadership roles. With the rigorous student-athlete schedule demands that
prevented any career internships or co-ops, the program was the perfect way for him
to get a better idea of what he wanted to pursue long term.
"As a product engineer, I've been rotating across different functions of the business,
and getting a good variety of experience, learning from talented people and leading
meaningful projects," Murray says. "It's been very beneficial for me and I'm fortunate
for the opportunity from Callaway."
That led to the design of the tactical drivers, which featured a green, smoky design
and an AI Smart Face welded onto the driver's body. The clubs, released over Father's
Day weekend, sold out within a few hours and received rave reviews.
"Typically, clubs have an even thickness across the face, which doesn't support consistent
golf shots at any impact location on the face," says. "The AI Smart Face technology
is designed with a variable face thickness across the fact, which helps control ball
flight and tightens shot dispersion to give golfers better accuracy on an off-center
hit."
As lead product engineer for this "tactical" themed project, Murray found it fitting
that his first product would be green, which is symbolic of his time at UNT and which
he directly contributes to the position he is in today.
"I sampled and prototyped a lot of different cosmetic finishes," Murray says. "I was
able to have my hands and fingerprints on pretty much every part of the development
process -- from the decals, manufacturing, component qualification, all the way down
to the selection of the matte finish. I took pride in making sure that the green finish
really connected with the customers."
Even as he soars to new heights in his engineering career, Murray remains a loyal
eagle by giving back the best way he knows how: through basketball.
"We put together a North Texas alumni basketball team that competed in The Basketball Tournament for a million dollars this summer. It's a nationally televised tournament so, at
the very least, we get exposure for the university and we get people talking about
UNT," Murray says. "Living in California makes it difficult, but I support UNT Athletics as much as I can."