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Ping, Inc. (stylized as PING) is an American sports equipment manufacturing company that produces golf clubs and golf bags. The company was founded by Karsten Solheim in 1959, following a career as an engineer at the General Electric company. The PING factory is located in Phoenix, Arizona, in the United States of America. The factory offers tours that showcase the different stages of club production, including the design, engineering, assembly, and packaging of the golf clubs.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Location | Phoenix, Arizona |
| Founders | Karsten Solheim and Louise Solheim |
| Year founded | 1959 |
| Headquarters | Gainsborough, Lincolnshire |
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What You'll Learn
Ping's golf factory is in Phoenix, Arizona
Ping, Inc. (stylized as PING) is an American sports equipment manufacturing company with its factory 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. In 1967, he resigned from his job at General Electric to develop the PING company, moving his business from his garage to a factory in Phoenix, Arizona. The name "PING" came from the sound that Solheim heard when the clubhead struck the ball.
Solheim's passion for golf and engineering led to the creation of the "PING 1A" putter. Instead of attaching the shaft at the heel of the blade, he attached it in the center, applying scientific principles to golf club design. This innovation transferred much of the weight of the club head to the perimeter, revolutionizing the game. By the end of 1960, Solheim had six designs, intentionally muffled the "ping," and had handcrafted over 2,000 putters in his garage.
In 1961, Solheim moved from Redwood City, California, to Phoenix, Arizona, establishing the permanent home of the PING brand. Despite the increasing sales of the PING putter, Solheim continued to innovate and experiment with his designs, including irons and other golf equipment. The PING brand quickly gained popularity, with the first PGA Tour victory using a PING club occurring in 1962 at the Cajun Classic Open Invitational.
Today, PING is a family-owned golf manufacturer, renowned for its commitment to innovation, performance, and quality. The company has evolved beyond just a brand, fostering a community of golf enthusiasts united by shared values and a love for the game. PING's factory in Phoenix, Arizona, serves as a testament to the company's dedication to craftsmanship and its unwavering focus on enhancing the golf experience for players worldwide.
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Ping is a family-owned golf manufacturer
Ping, Inc. (stylized as PING) is an American, family-owned golf manufacturer, founded in 1959 by Karsten and Louise Solheim. The company is based in Phoenix, Arizona, and focuses on golf equipment, including clubs and bags.
Karsten Solheim, a golfing legend, founded Ping after a career as an engineer at the General Electric company. In 1959, he started making putters in his garage in Redwood City, California. Frustrated with the difficulties he faced when playing golf with the equipment available at the time, he invented a new putter, the "PING 1A". Unlike other putters, he attached the shaft in the centre of the blade, rather than at the heel. The name "PING" came from the sound the clubhead made when striking the ball.
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, as it "was an answer for the vexing problems in putting". The name was shortened to "Anser" to make it easier to trademark. In 1967, Solheim 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.
Ping 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. The company was also the first to offer factory fitting, providing a variety of clubheads in different lies and offsets. Ping has since expanded into clothing, bags, headwear, and accessories, all designed with the golfer in mind, ensuring optimal performance without compromising on comfort or style.
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Ping's founder, Karsten Solheim, was born in Norway
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. Solheim founded the company in 1959 and started making putters in his garage in Redwood City, California.
Karsten Solheim, Ping's founder, was born in Norway, in the town of Austrheim, outside Bergen. As a toddler, he moved with his family to Seattle, Washington, in its Ballard neighbourhood. His father, Herman, was a shoemaker, and Karsten graduated from Ballard High School in 1931. He enrolled at the University of Washington two years later, intending to become a mechanical engineer. However, due to financial difficulties during the Great Depression, he had to withdraw from his studies after his freshman year.
Solheim then worked in the family shoe shop and, with the outbreak of World War II, resumed his engineering studies through University of California extension courses. He joined the defence industry, working at Ryan Aeronautical in San Diego. After the war, Solheim returned to the University of Washington to complete his mechanical engineering degree. He then began working at General Electric, where he would later invent the PING 1A putter in his garage.
Solheim's Norwegian heritage was recognised during a White House meeting between President Donald Trump and Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg in 2018. Solberg presented Trump with a Ping "Bergen" Putter, symbolising the historical ties between the two nations and the history of Norwegian immigration to the United States.
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Ping was founded in 1959
Ping, Inc. (stylized as PING) is an American sports equipment manufacturing company based in Phoenix, Arizona. It was founded in 1959 by Karsten Solheim, an engineer at the General Electric company. Solheim began making putters in his garage in Redwood City, California, in 1959, frustrated by the difficulties he faced when playing golf with the equipment of that era.
Solheim invented a new putter in his garage, the "PING 1A", which attached the shaft to the centre of the blade rather than the heel. This design applied scientific principles to golf club design, which had previously been largely based on trial and error, 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 the end of 1960, he had six designs, intentionally muffled the "ping", and had made over 2,000 putters in his garage.
In 1961, Solheim moved from Redwood City, California, to Phoenix, Arizona, where the company would find its permanent home. Despite the increasing sales of the PING putter, he continued to create his putters single-handedly in his garage after departing General Electric. In 1962, the first PGA Tour victory while using a PING club was achieved by John Barnum at the Cajun Classic Open Invitational. The Golf World Cup of 1965 brought even greater sales of the garage-made PING putters as many of the top players used them during the televised event in Japan.
In 1967, Solheim resigned from his job at General Electric to develop the PING company, moving his business from his garage to a factory and establishing Karsten Manufacturing Corporation (KMC), the makers of the Ping brand of clubs in Phoenix, Arizona.
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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, he started making putters in his garage in Redwood City, California, out of frustration with the equipment available at the time. He applied scientific principles to golf club design, which had previously been largely based on trial and error, 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.
Solheim's first putter was known as the "PING 1A". Instead of attaching the shaft at the heel of the blade, he attached it in the center. By the end of 1960, he had six designs, intentionally muffled the "ping", and had made over 2,000 putters in his garage. In 1961, Solheim moved from Redwood City, California to Phoenix, Arizona, where he continued to create his putters in his garage. In the same year, he invented his first set of irons, which he named "69", and continued to experiment with the effects of good heel-toe weighting in his irons.
In 1962, John Barnum achieved the first PGA Tour victory using a PING club at the Cajun Classic Open Invitational. Sales of the PING putters rose steadily as popularity increased. The Golf World Cup of 1965 brought even greater sales of the garage-made PING putters as many of the top players used them during the televised event in Japan. In 1966, Solheim designed a new putter, sketching it on the dust cover of a 78 RPM record. His wife, Louise, suggested the name "Answer" for the new putter, later shortened to "Anser", as it "was an answer for the vexing problems in putting".
In 1967, Solheim resigned from General Electric, moved his business from his garage to a factory, and established Karsten Manufacturing Corporation (KMC), makers of the Ping brand of clubs in Phoenix, Arizona. The patent for the PING Anser putter came on March 21, 1967. The first major championship to be won using a PING putter came in 1969 at the Masters. In the same year, Ping introduced irons based on the same principle of perimeter weighting, and these were quickly successful. Ping 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. They were also the first to offer factory fitting, via a variety of clubheads in different lies and offsets. Other golf equipment manufacturers soon followed Ping's innovations, which became industry standards.
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Frequently asked questions
The Ping golf factory is located in Phoenix, Arizona.
The full address is 2201 W Desert Cove Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85029, US.
Yes, Ping offers a free 2-hour factory tour showcasing the different stages of club production.
You can book a reservation by calling the toll-free number 1-800-474-6434 or the international number (602) 687-5000. It is recommended to call 1-2 months in advance as tours fill up quickly.
On the Ping golf factory tour, you will learn about the history of the company, its founder, and the technology behind the golf clubs. You will also get to see the various stages of production, from design and engineering to assembly and packaging. One of the highlights of the tour is the opportunity to visit the Gold Putter Vault, where an engraved gold-plated putter is kept for every tournament won by a player using Ping equipment.
