Jackson Reid
Ping, Inc. (stylized as PING) is an American sports equipment manufacturing company based in Phoenix, Arizona, that focuses on golf equipment, producing golf clubs and golf bags. The company was founded by Karsten Solheim, who started making putters in his garage in Redwood City, California, in 1959. The name PING came from the sound that Solheim heard when the metal struck the ball. By 1960, Solheim had six designs and had made over 2,000 putters in his garage. In 1961, he moved his business to Phoenix, Arizona, where it remains to this day.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Company Name | Ping, Inc. (stylized as PING) |
| Type of Company | Golf equipment manufacturer |
| Products | Golf clubs, club bags, headwear, gloves, travel gear, and accessories |
| Founder | Karsten Solheim |
| Year Founded | 1959 |
| Headquarters | Phoenix, Arizona |
| Known For | Innovations in golf equipment, such as the "PING 1A" putter |
| Notable Users | John Barnum, winner of the 1962 Cajun Classic Open Invitational |
| Notable Events | Golf World Cup of 1965, where top players used PING putters |
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What You'll Learn
Ping Inc. is a golf equipment manufacturer
Ping, Inc. (stylized as PING) is a well-known American sports equipment manufacturing company based in Phoenix, Arizona, specialising in golf equipment. Karsten Solheim, an engineer at the General Electric company, founded the company in 1959. Solheim's interest in golf and frustration with the equipment available at the time led him to start making putters in his garage. He applied his engineering expertise to golf club design, which had previously relied heavily on trial and error. Solheim's innovative approach included transferring the weight of the clubhead to the perimeter and attaching the shaft in the centre rather than at the heel of the blade.
The name "PING" was inspired by the distinctive sound the clubhead made when striking the ball, which musician-golfer Murray Arnold identified as a 440-pitch used in tuning pianos. By 1960, Solheim had six designs, intentionally muffled the "ping", and had handcrafted over 2,000 putters in his garage. In 1961, he moved from Redwood City, California, to Phoenix, Arizona, establishing the permanent headquarters of Ping, Inc. Despite the growing sales of the PING putter, Solheim continued to refine his designs and experiment with new ideas, such as improving heel-toe weighting in his irons.
Ping, Inc. gained widespread recognition when John Barnum won the Cajun Classic Open Invitational in 1962 using a PING club. The Golf World Cup in 1965 further boosted sales as many top players chose PING putters during the televised event in Japan. In 1966, Solheim sketched a design for a new putter on a 78 RPM record sleeve, which he later named the "Answer," later shortened to "Anser" for trademark purposes. This putter became a huge success, with Julius Boros winning the PGA Tour's Phoenix Open using it in 1967.
Ping, Inc. has been at the forefront of golf equipment innovation, with other manufacturers following its lead. They were the first to offer high-quality cast clubs using investment casting, reducing costs and improving quality control. They also pioneered factory fitting, providing a variety of clubheads with different lies and offsets. Today, Ping, Inc. continues to be a leading manufacturer of golf equipment, offering a range of products beyond golf clubs, including club bags, headwear, gloves, travel gear, and accessories.
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Ping was founded by Karsten Solheim in 1959
Ping, Inc. (stylized as PING) is an American sports equipment manufacturing company based in Phoenix, Arizona. It was founded by Karsten Solheim, a Norwegian golf club designer and businessman, in 1959. Solheim was born in Bergen, Norway, and emigrated to the United States with his family in 1913, settling in Seattle, Washington. He worked as an engineer at the General Electric company and took up golf in 1954 when he was 42. He quickly became fond of the game but found that his main problem was putting, so he designed a revolutionary putter for himself.
In 1959, Solheim started making putters in his garage in Redwood City, California, and began selling them the same year. He named his new putter the "PING 1A", derived from the sound the metal made when striking the ball. By the end of 1960, he had six designs, intentionally muffled the "ping", and had made over 2,000 putters. In 1961, he moved to Phoenix, Arizona, where he continued to create his putters single-handedly in his garage after departing General Electric. That year, he also invented his first set of irons, which he named "69", reflecting a good round of golf.
Solheim's designs were targeted to make the game less challenging for average golfers. He applied scientific principles to golf club design, which had previously been largely based on trial and error. He transferred much of the weight of the club head to the perimeter by attaching the shaft in the center of the blade instead of at the heel. In 1962, sales of the PING putters began to rise steadily when John Barnum won the Cajun Classic Open Invitational using a PING club. The Golf World Cup of 1965 brought even greater sales as many of the top players used PING putters during the televised event in Japan.
In 1966, Solheim designed a new putter, naming it the Anser (shortened from "Answer", as suggested by his wife Louise). The following year, he resigned from General Electric, moved his business from his garage to a factory, and established Karsten Manufacturing Corporation (KMC), the maker of the Ping brand of clubs in Phoenix, Arizona. The patent for the PING Anser putter was obtained on March 21, 1967, and the first major championship to be won using a PING putter came in 1969 at the Masters.
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Ping's innovations became industry standards
Ping, Inc. (stylized as PING) is an American sports equipment manufacturing company based in Phoenix, Arizona. It was founded by Karsten Solheim, an engineer at the General Electric company, in 1959. Solheim started making putters in his garage in Redwood City, California, out of frustration with the equipment available at the time. He invented a new putter, the "PING 1A", which attached the shaft in the centre of the blade rather than at the heel, transferring much of the weight of the club head to the perimeter.
The name "PING" came from the sound that Solheim heard as the metal struck the ball. By 1960, musician-golfer Murray Arnold confirmed that the clubhead produced a 440 pitch when striking the ball, the same pitch used in tuning pianos. By the end of that year, Solheim had created 6 designs, intentionally muffled the "ping", and had made over 2,000 putters in his garage.
In 1961, Solheim moved from California to Arizona, where he continued to create putters in his garage. He also invented his first set of irons, which he named "69", considered a good round of golf. Solheim's innovations in his irons included good heel-toe weighting and a cavity milled into the steel back for added forgiveness.
In 1966, Solheim sketched a design for a new putter on the dust cover of a 78 RPM record. His wife, Louise, suggested the name "Answer" for the new putter, shortened to "Anser" so it could be trademarked. The Anser putter gained acceptance when Julius Boros won the PGA Tour's Phoenix Open using it in early 1967. The patent for the PING Anser putter was granted on March 21, 1967, and the first major championship to be won using a PING putter came in 1969 at the Masters.
Ping's final major innovation of the 1960s was the K1 stainless cast steel iron set. The company was the first manufacturer to offer high-quality cast clubs using investment casting, which reduced costs and allowed better quality control for high-tech features. Ping was also the first to offer factory fitting, providing a variety of clubheads in different lies and offsets. These innovations became industry standards, with other golf equipment manufacturers soon following suit.
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Ping's putters rose in popularity in 1962
Ping, Inc. (stylized as PING) is an American sports equipment manufacturing company based in Phoenix, Arizona. It was founded by Karsten Solheim, an engineer at the General Electric company. Frustrated with the golf equipment of the time, Solheim began making putters in his garage in Redwood City, California, in 1959. He invented a new putter known as the "PING 1A", which involved attaching the shaft to the centre of the blade instead of the heel. This design applied scientific principles to golf club design, which was previously largely based on trial and error.
In 1962, John Barnum won the Cajun Classic Open Invitational using a PING club, giving the company its first PGA Tour victory. This win, along with the subsequent victory at the Golf World Cup in 1965, significantly increased the popularity of PING putters. Many top players used the PING putters during the televised event in Japan, leading to a surge in sales.
The success of PING putters can be attributed to Solheim's innovative approach to design. By transferring the weight of the club head to the perimeter, he addressed the issue of twisting that often occurred with traditional blade-style putters. This innovation set a new industry standard, with other golf equipment manufacturers quickly adopting similar designs.
The popularity of PING putters continued to grow, and in 1966, Solheim designed a new putter that would become one of the most iconic in golf history. This putter, named the "Anser," was a response to the popular Wilson 8802 putter used by Arnold Palmer. The name "Anser," suggested by Solheim's wife Louise, reflected its purpose as an "answer" to the challenges of putting. The PING Anser putter gained widespread acceptance when Julius Boros won the PGA Tour's Phoenix Open using this club in early 1967.
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Ping's first major championship victory was in 1969
Ping, Inc. (stylized as PING) is an American sports equipment manufacturing company based in Phoenix, Arizona. It was founded by Karsten Solheim, an engineer at the General Electric company, in 1959. Solheim started making putters in his garage in Redwood City, California, due to his frustration with the equipment available at the time. He invented a new putter known as the "PING 1A", which had the shaft attached to the centre of the blade rather than the heel, transferring much of the weight of the club head to the perimeter.
The name "PING" came from the sound that Solheim heard when the metal struck the ball. By 1960, musician-golfer Murray Arnold confirmed that the clubhead, upon striking the ball, rang out with a 440 pitch used in tuning pianos. By the end of that year, Solheim had created 6 designs, intentionally muffled the "ping", and had made over 2,000 putters in his garage. In 1961, he moved to Phoenix, Arizona, and invented his first set of irons, which he named "69", reflecting what he considered to be a good round of golf.
The first PGA Tour victory using a PING club came in 1962 at the Cajun Classic Open Invitational, won by John Barnum. The first major championship victory for PING came in 1969 at the Masters, marking the first major championship win for the company. George Archer won the tournament using the PING Anser putter, which had been patented in 1967. The Anser putter was designed by Solheim in 1966 and named by his wife, Louise, who suggested the name "Answer" because it solved problems in putting. The name was shortened to "Anser" to fit on the putter and allow for trademarking.
In 1969, Ping introduced irons based on the same principle of perimeter weighting, which quickly became successful. This innovation, along with the introduction of factory fitting, set industry standards for golf equipment manufacturers.
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Frequently asked questions
No, Ping Golf is not closed. It is open now.
Ping, Inc. (stylized as PING) is an American sports equipment manufacturing company based in Phoenix, Arizona. It manufactures golf equipment, including golf clubs, club bags, headwear, gloves, travel gear, and accessories.
Ping Golf is located in Phoenix, Arizona, United States.
Ping Golf was founded by Karsten Solheim, an engineer at the General Electric company. He started making putters in his garage in Redwood City, California, in 1959. In 1967, he resigned from General Electric to focus on developing the PING company. The name "PING" came from the sound that Solheim heard when the metal struck the ball.
Ping Golf has had several notable achievements. It was the first manufacturer to offer high-quality cast clubs using investment casting, reducing costs and improving quality control. Ping Golf clubs have been used in multiple PGA Tour victories, including the first win in 1962 at the Cajun Classic Open Invitational by John Barnum. In 1965, many top players used Ping putters during the Golf World Cup in Japan, further increasing their popularity.
