Nina Caldwell
Ping, Inc. (stylized as PING) is an American sports equipment manufacturing company based in Phoenix, Arizona. The company 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. The name PING came from the sound that Solheim heard as the metal struck the ball. In 1961, Solheim moved from California to Phoenix, Arizona, where the company would find its permanent home.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Company Name | Ping, Inc. (stylized as PING) |
| Founder | Karsten Solheim |
| Founder's Origin | Austrheim, outside Bergen, Norway |
| Founder's Migration | Moved to Seattle, Washington as a toddler |
| Headquarters | Phoenix, Arizona |
| Year Founded | 1959 |
| Origin of Name | The sound made when the clubhead strikes the ball |
| Origin of Business | Garage in Redwood City, California |
| Year of Relocation to Phoenix | 1961 |
| Notable Innovations | PING Anser putter, K1 stainless cast steel iron set, color-code fitting system |
| Notable Users | Julius Boros, Tony Finau, Viktor Hovland, Louis Oosthuizen, Sahith Theegala, Bubba Watson, Lee Westwood |
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What You'll Learn
Karsten Solheim founded Ping in 1959
Solheim founded Ping, Inc. (stylized as PING) as an American sports equipment manufacturing company based in Phoenix, Arizona. The company focuses on golf equipment, producing golf clubs and golf bags. Before starting Ping, Solheim worked as an engineer at the General Electric company. In 1954, he took up golf and quickly became frustrated with the equipment of the era, particularly with putting. He then began designing his own putter in his garage in Redwood City, California, in 1959. Known as the ""PING 1A", Solheim's putter featured a unique design where the shaft was attached to the centre of the blade rather than the heel. This transferred much of the weight of the club head to the perimeter.
Solheim's innovative design quickly gained popularity, and by the end of 1960, he had created 6 different designs and made over 2,000 putters in his garage. In 1961, he moved from California to Phoenix, Arizona, where he continued to create putters in his garage despite increasing sales. That same year, he invented his first set of irons, which he named "69", reflecting a good round of golf.
In 1967, Solheim resigned from General Electric to focus on developing the PING company. He moved his business from his garage to a factory and established Karsten Manufacturing Corporation (KMC), the maker of the Ping brand of clubs. The patent for the PING Anser putter, which featured a special bend in the shaft, was granted in 1967, and it quickly gained acceptance. The first major championship won using a PING putter was in 1969 at the Masters.
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Ping is based in Phoenix, Arizona
Ping, Inc. (stylized as PING) is an American sports equipment manufacturing company based in Phoenix, Arizona. The company 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. He was frustrated with the equipment available at the time, so he invented a new putter known as the "PING 1A". Unlike other putters, the shaft was attached to the centre of the blade, not the heel.
In 1961, Solheim and his family moved from California to Phoenix, Arizona, where the company would be permanently based. Despite increasing sales of the PING putter, Solheim continued to make his putters by hand in his garage after leaving his job at General Electric. That same year, he created his first set of irons, which he named "69", considered a good score in golf.
In 1967, Solheim resigned from General Electric and moved his business from his garage to a factory. He established Karsten Manufacturing Corporation (KMC), the maker of the Ping brand of clubs, in Phoenix, Arizona. The Anser putter, with its offset hosel, gave golfers a clear view of the putter face and was another of Solheim's innovations.
Ping has continued to innovate, introducing irons based on perimeter weighting in 1969, which were quickly successful. The company was the first to offer factory fitting and high-quality cast clubs using investment casting, which reduced costs and improved quality control. Ping has maintained endorsement deals with many professional golfers, including Tony Finau, Viktor Hovland, and Lee Westwood. Today, Ping golf clubs are known for their commitment to excellence, and the brand is still based in Phoenix, Arizona, with John A. Solheim, Karsten and Louise's youngest son, as Chairman and CEO.
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The name 'Ping' comes from the sound the metal makes when striking the ball
Karsten Solheim founded Ping, Inc. (stylized as PING) in 1959. It is an American sports equipment manufacturing company based in Phoenix, Arizona. Solheim founded the company after working as an engineer at the General Electric company. He started making putters in his garage in Redwood City, California. The name "Ping" comes from the sound that Solheim heard when the metal struck the ball.
Solheim was frustrated with the golf equipment available at the time, so he decided to create his own putter, known as the "Ping 1A." He applied his engineering knowledge to golf club design, which had previously been largely based on trial and error. Solheim's innovative approach involved transferring much of the weight of the club head to the perimeter by attaching the shaft in the center of the blade rather than at the heel.
The Ping 1A made a distinct "ping" sound when it struck the ball, which is described as a short, high-pitched noise. Popular musician-golfer Murray Arnold shared in 1960 that the clubhead, on striking the ball, rings out with the 440 pitch used in tuning pianos. By the end of that year, Solheim had intentionally muffled the "ping" and created over 2,000 putters in his garage. Despite the increasing sales of the Ping putter, he continued to refine his designs and create new putters single-handedly in his garage.
In 1961, Solheim moved from Redwood City, California, to Phoenix, Arizona, where he established the permanent home of the company. That same year, he invented his first set of irons, which he named "69," reflecting his idea of a good round of golf. Solheim continued to experiment with heel-toe weighting in his irons and milled a cavity into the steel back of the irons for added forgiveness. The Ping brand of clubs gained wider acceptance when Julius Boros won the PGA Tour's Phoenix Open in early 1967, using Solheim's "Anser" putter.
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Ping's Anser putter is its most popular design
Ping, Inc. (stylized as PING) is an American sports equipment manufacturing company based in Phoenix, Arizona. The company was founded by Karsten Solheim, an engineer at the General Electric company, who started making putters in his garage in Redwood City, California, in 1959. The name "PING" came from the sound that Solheim heard as the metal struck the ball.
Karsten Solheim's first putter design was the 1-A model, but it was the toe and heel-weighted Anser, released in 1966, that cemented Ping's reputation as a leading putter manufacturer. The Anser putter was so successful that it was the only Ping putter not outlawed by the USGA, golf's governing body, at the end of 1966. The Anser's popularity continued to grow when Julius Boros won the PGA Tour's Phoenix Open using the putter in 1967, and it was the first putter to win a major championship at the Masters in 1969.
The Anser's innovative design featured a bend in the shaft located under the grip, which was thought to give players a special advantage in the putting stroke. This design has since been copied a million times, and many modern putter designs bought today are based on the shapes and profiles perfected by Solheim over 60 years ago.
Ping has continued to innovate and improve upon the original Anser design, and in 2025, they offer two putter families: the PLD Milled and the multi-material 2024 models. The Ping PLD Anser 2D, in particular, has been designed with tour player input and features a wider, more stable modern blade. Tony Finau has won multiple tour events with this model, and it is known for its simplicity, precise look, and responsive impact feel.
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Ping's innovations have become 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.
Solheim's first putter, known as the "PING 1A", was designed with a unique feature: the shaft was attached to the centre of the blade, rather than at the heel, which transferred much of the weight of the club head to the perimeter. This innovative design, guided by scientific principles, set PING apart from its competitors, whose designs were largely based on trial and error.
One of PING's major innovations was the introduction of irons based on the principle of perimeter weighting. In 1969, Ping irons were quickly successful, following in the footsteps of the PING putter, which had already achieved victory at the Masters in 1969.
Another significant contribution by PING to the golf equipment industry was their K1 stainless cast steel iron set. PING was the first manufacturer to offer high-quality cast clubs using investment casting, which reduced costs and improved quality control for high-tech features. They were also the first company to offer factory fitting, providing a variety of clubheads in different lies and offsets.
PING's innovations have had a lasting impact on the golf equipment industry, with other manufacturers quickly adopting their advancements and making them industry standards. Today, PING continues to be a leading brand in golf equipment, known for its commitment to innovation and performance.
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Frequently asked questions
Ping Golf, or PING, is an American sports equipment manufacturing company based in Phoenix, Arizona.
Ping Golf was founded by Karsten Solheim, who was born in Norway but moved to Seattle, Washington, as a toddler.
The name "Ping" came from the sound that Solheim heard when the metal struck the ball.
Karsten Solheim started making putters in his garage in Redwood City, California, in 1959. In 1961, he moved to Phoenix, Arizona, where the company would find its permanent home.
