PING

PING is the golf-equipment brand of Karsten Manufacturing Corporation, an American company headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. It was established by engineer Karsten Solheim, whose dissatisfaction with the putting equipment of the late 1950s led him to design and build a new putter in his Redwood City, California, garage. The first PING putter, the PING 1A, moved the shaft attachment toward the center of the clubhead rather than placing it at the heel. Solheim also redistributed mass around the perimeter of the head, applying engineering principles to improve stability and forgiveness. The brand name came from the distinctive sound produced when the metal clubhead struck a golf ball. PING began as a small, hands-on garage operation in 1959. In 1961, Solheim and his family moved to Phoenix, where the business developed its long-term base. Solheim initially continued to manufacture putters himself while expanding the range. That same year, he created the 69 iron design and continued investigating heel-toe weighting and cavity-back construction. PING gained early competitive credibility when John Barnum won the 1962 Cajun Classic Open Invitational with a PING club. Exposure at the 1965 Golf World Cup, where leading players used PING putters during a televised event in Japan, helped accelerate demand. A regulatory challenge followed in 1966, when the United States Golf Association ruled that most PING putters were not acceptable for tournament and handicap play because of a shaft configuration considered advantageous. The Anser putter, however, was permitted. Its success helped restore momentum, and Julius Boros won the 1967 Phoenix Open with the design. In 1967, Solheim left General Electric, moved the operation from his garage into a factory, and formally established Karsten Manufacturing Corporation as the maker of PING clubs. The Anser patent was granted that year. PING later introduced perimeter-weighted irons, including a 1969 iron line based on the same stability principles as its putters. These designs influenced the wider golf-equipment industry, particularly the adoption of cavity-back and perimeter-weighted irons. PING's identity has remained closely tied to technical development, investment casting, club customization, and fitting. It was an early adopter of high-quality cast clubheads and developed manufacturing methods that supported consistent production of complex designs. The company also became an early advocate of factory fitting, offering clubheads in different lies and offsets and using player measurements, swing characteristics, common miss patterns, and distance data to recommend specifications. Its fitting approach eventually expanded into a structured multi-step process covering a full set of clubs from driver to putter. The brand's core business is golf equipment rather than apparel or general sporting goods. Its main categories include drivers, fairway woods, hybrids, irons, wedges, putters, and golf bags. PING also maintains visibility through professional player endorsements and equipment relationships, with players associated with the brand in reference materials including Tony Finau, Viktor Hovland, Louis Oosthuizen, Sahith Theegala, Bubba Watson, and Lee Westwood. PING remains an active international golf brand whose strongest identity centers on performance engineering, forgiveness, consistency, fitting, and long-term equipment innovation.

PING originated with Karsten Solheim, an engineer who worked at General Electric and approached golf-club design through mechanical analysis rather than relying solely on traditional trial and error. In 1959, frustrated by the difficulty of putting with the equipment then available, Solheim designed a putter in his Redwood City garage. He called the club the PING 1A, a name inspired by the sound produced when its metal head contacted the ball. Its most notable structural feature was a center-shafted arrangement, while its head redistributed weight toward the perimeter to increase stability on off-center strikes. Solheim produced the early clubs by hand. By the end of 1960, he had developed several designs and made more than 2,000 putters. The Solheim family moved from California to Phoenix in 1961, establishing the city as the company's enduring home. Solheim continued refining putters while extending his ideas to irons. His 69 iron design reflected his interest in achieving a good golf score, and subsequent work explored cavity construction and heel-toe weighting to make irons more forgiving. PING's first major professional breakthrough came in 1962, when John Barnum won the Cajun Classic Open Invitational using PING equipment. The brand received further exposure during the 1965 Golf World Cup in Japan, where leading players used PING putters in a televised competition. Increasing popularity brought a significant rules problem in 1966. The USGA prohibited PING putters other than the Anser for tournament and handicap play because a bend in the shaft beneath the grip was judged to provide a special putting advantage. The Anser itself emerged from an improvised design process. In 1966, Solheim sketched a new putter on the dust cover of a 78 RPM record when no paper was available. His wife, Louise, suggested the name "Answer," reflecting the club's intended solution to putting problems. The name was shortened to "Anser," both to fit the clubhead and to make trademark protection possible. The model gained acceptance after Julius Boros won the 1967 Phoenix Open with it. The Anser patent was granted on March 21, 1967. That year marked PING's transition from a garage enterprise to a formal manufacturing business. Solheim left General Electric, relocated production to a factory, and established Karsten Manufacturing Corporation in Phoenix as the company behind the PING brand. PING's first major-championship victory followed in 1969, when a PING putter was used to win the Masters. The company also introduced irons based on perimeter-weighting principles, and competing manufacturers subsequently adopted similar cavity-back and stability-focused approaches. Manufacturing and fitting became central to PING's long-term differentiation. The company was an early producer of technically sophisticated cast clubs and used investment casting to support complex geometries, manufacturing consistency, and quality control. It also developed factory fitting around player characteristics, club lie, offset, swing tendencies, and distance. By the early 1980s, PING had formalized a fitting program, and later versions used extensive player data across a multi-stage fitting process. Special notches in some iron heads allowed fitters to adjust lie specifications while reducing the risk of damage during bending. Over time, PING expanded beyond its original putter focus into a full line of golf clubs and bags. Its product portfolio now encompasses woods, hybrids, irons, wedges, putters, and bags, while its reputation remains particularly connected to putter design, perimeter weighting, forgiveness, and custom fitting. Professional-player relationships have continued to support the brand's presence on leading tours. The company's history is therefore defined by a combination of garage invention, engineering-led club design, equipment regulation, professional validation, and manufacturing systems designed around individualized fitting.

• 2018

  Bergen putter is presented as a diplomatic gift

  [1]Ping (golf)en.wikipedia.org

  A PING Bergen putter is given to Donald Trump by Norwegian prime minister Erna Solberg during a White House meeting.

• 1980

  Formal fitting program develops

  [1]Ping (golf)en.wikipedia.org

  PING begins offering a structured fitting program based on player measurements, playing characteristics, common problems, and distances.

• 1969

  PING putter wins the Masters

  [1]Ping (golf)en.wikipedia.org

  A PING putter is used to win the Masters, marking the brand's first major-championship victory referenced in the source material.

• 1967

  Karsten Manufacturing Corporation is established

  [1]Ping (golf)en.wikipedia.org

  Solheim leaves General Electric, moves production into a factory, and formally establishes Karsten Manufacturing Corporation in Phoenix.

• 1967

  Anser patent is granted

  [1]Ping (golf)en.wikipedia.org

  The patent for the PING Anser putter is granted on March 21, 1967.

• 1966

  Anser putter is developed

  [1]Ping (golf)en.wikipedia.org

  Karsten Solheim develops the Anser putter, a design that would become one of PING's defining products.

• 1965

  Golf World Cup exposure

  [1]Ping (golf)en.wikipedia.org

  Use of PING putters by leading players at the televised Golf World Cup in Japan increases the brand's visibility.

• 1962

  First PGA Tour victory with PING equipment

  [1]Ping (golf)en.wikipedia.org

  John Barnum wins the Cajun Classic Open Invitational using a PING club.

• 1961

  Operations move to Phoenix

  [1]Ping (golf)en.wikipedia.org

  The Solheim family relocates to Phoenix, Arizona, which becomes the long-term base of the PING business.

• 1959

  PING begins as a garage putter business

  [1]Ping (golf)en.wikipedia.org

  Karsten Solheim designs and begins producing the PING 1A putter in his Redwood City, California, garage.

Performance-oriented golf equipment combining engineering-led design, forgiveness, consistency, investment-cast manufacturing, and custom fitting.

• Putter · 1959

  PING 1A

  The PING 1A was Karsten Solheim's first notable putter design. Made in his garage beginning in 1959, it used a center-shafted configuration and redistributed mass toward the perimeter of the head. The club established the engineering principles and naming identity that shaped the PING brand.

• Putter · 1966

  Anser

  The Anser was developed by Karsten Solheim in 1966 and named as a shortened form of "Answer." Its compact name was suitable for trademarking and clubhead marking. The design became PING's most historically important putter after gaining USGA approval, a Phoenix Open victory, patent protection, and later major-championship association.

• Irons · 1961

  PING irons

  PING irons developed from Solheim's experiments with heel-toe weighting and cavity construction. The brand's perimeter-weighted irons helped distribute mass away from the center and improve stability and forgiveness. PING's iron development also contributed to the wider adoption of cavity-back and investment-cast construction in golf equipment.

• Golf clubs

  PING golf clubs

  The broader PING club range includes drivers, fairway woods, hybrids, irons, wedges, and putters. Across these categories, the brand emphasizes engineering, clubhead stability, manufacturing consistency, and fitting options such as different lies and offsets. PING’s clubheads are designed to support both standard retail specifications and individualized fitting. Golf bags are part of PING’s equipment portfolio alongside clubs. The available reference material identifies bags as a principal product category but does not provide sufficient detail on specific current models, launch dates, or technical features.

• 1980

  Development of factory-based custom fittingStrategy

  Background

  PING sought to make customized club specifications more practical for ordinary golfers rather than limiting fitting to tour professionals or specialist workshops.

  Action taken

  The company developed a fitting program using physical characteristics, player tendencies, common problems, and distance information to select club specifications.

  Aftermath

  Custom fitting became a durable part of PING's brand proposition and manufacturing system.

  Source

• 1969

  Expansion of perimeter-weighting principles into ironsProduct launch

  Background

  PING had established perimeter weighting as a central design principle in putters and continued applying it to iron construction.

  Action taken

  PING introduced irons using related perimeter-weighting concepts and cavity-backed construction.

  Aftermath

  The approach was quickly successful and influenced other golf-equipment manufacturers, helping make perimeter weighting a standard industry concept.

  Source

• 1967

  Move from garage production to factory manufacturingStrategy

  Background

  Demand for PING putters had grown through professional wins and international exposure, while Karsten Solheim was still operating the business on a small garage basis.

  Action taken

  Solheim left General Electric, moved production into a factory, and established Karsten Manufacturing Corporation in Phoenix as the manufacturer of PING clubs.

  Aftermath

  The move created the formal manufacturing base from which PING expanded into a broader golf-equipment company.

  Source

• 2026.11.03

  Reported2026.11.03

  Ping G450 drivers added to the USGA conforming list[2]Ping G450 一号木进入 USGA 合规球杆名单news.google.com

  Today's Golfer reported that Ping G450 drivers had been added to the USGA conforming list.

  Weekdays and relative dates follow the original report; their exact calendar dates have not been verified.

Read more

1. 1Ping (golf)en.wikipedia.org
2. 2Ping G450 一号木进入 USGA 合规球杆名单news.google.com