Ping started in 1959, when engineer Karsten Solheim began making putters in his garage in Redwood City, California, and named them after the "ping" sound his putter made when it hit the ball. He had only taken up golf a few years earlier. From that garage came the Ping 1A, then the Anser putter, a color-coded fitting system and a company that is still owned by the Solheim family today.
Who was Karsten Solheim?
Karsten Solheim was born on September 15, 1911, near Bergen, Norway. He worked as an engineer at Ryan Aeronautical and Convair, and later at General Electric. He took up golf in 1954, in his early 40s, while living in upstate New York, and like a lot of new golfers he struggled most with putting. Being an engineer, he started thinking about the putter instead of his stroke. His first experiments reportedly used sugar cubes and popsicle sticks to work out where the weight should go.
Why is it called Ping?
His idea was to move weight away from the middle of the putter head toward the heel and toe, so the face would twist less on off-center hits. When he built the design in metal, it made a distinct ringing "ping" at impact. That sound became the brand name. The first model was the Ping 1A, made in his Redwood City garage in 1959.
When did Ping move to Phoenix?
The Solheims moved from Redwood City to Phoenix, Arizona, in 1961, and Karsten kept making putters on the side while still working for GE. Phoenix is still Ping's home today.
How did the Anser change everything?
In 1966 Solheim designed the putter that made the company. His wife, Louise, suggested calling it "the answer." The full word didn't fit on the putter, so it became Anser. The patent was granted on March 21, 1967, and Julius Boros won the Phoenix Open with one that same year. Heel-toe weighted blades like the Anser have been copied by nearly every putter maker since. We cover that story in the Ping Anser putter and the design that changed putting.
In 1967 Solheim resigned from General Electric and set up Karsten Manufacturing Corporation in Phoenix to make golf clubs full time.
What is the Ping color code?
In 1972 Ping introduced its color code system. A golfer was measured for height and for the distance from fingertip to floor (wrist to floor today), and each set of irons was built to the lie angle that suited them, marked by a colored dot. Ping's chart today runs from 5 degrees upright to 4 degrees flat. Fitting clubs to the player is normal now, but making it a standard part of buying irons was a big step at the time. If you've ever seen a black, blue or orange dot on a Ping hosel, that's what it means.
What came after the putters?
Ping applied the same perimeter-weighting idea to irons. The Eye2, released in 1982, became one of the best-known cavity back irons ever made and later led to Ping's famous square-groove dispute with the USGA. Read the Ping Eye 2 story. Karsten and Louise also started the Solheim Cup, the women's team match between the United States and Europe, first played in 1990.
Who owns Ping today?
Karsten Solheim handed the company to his youngest son, John, in 1995. Karsten died in Phoenix on February 16, 2000, at 88, and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2001 in the Lifetime Achievement category. Ping is still privately held and run by the Solheim family, which is one reason the company can take its time between product launches. You can see that in drivers like the G425 and G430.
FAQ
Why is Ping called Ping?
Because of the sound Karsten Solheim's first putter made at impact.
When was Ping founded?
Solheim started making putters in his garage in 1959. He left General Electric and set up Karsten Manufacturing Corporation, Ping's parent company, in 1967.
Where is Ping headquartered?
Phoenix, Arizona, where the Solheims moved in 1961.
Is Ping still family owned?
Yes. It's privately held and run by the Solheim family.
What does the colored dot on Ping irons mean?
It shows the lie angle the irons were built to under Ping's color code fitting system, introduced in 1972.
Shop used Ping clubs: Ping drivers and used putters, each listed with its own specs and a 1 to 10 condition grade. Have Ping clubs you don't use? Get a number with our trade-in value calculator.
By Benjamin Stromberg, Co-Founder, GolfRoots. Sources: Ping company history, World Golf Hall of Fame, MyGolfSpy, Wikipedia.
