Ping

Ping is a well-known brand name for high-quality golf equipment. The manufacturer behind the catchy name is the US company Karsten Manufacturing Corporation (KMC), headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona.

Ping was founded by the Norwegian Karsten Solheim. Along with Titleist, Callaway Golf, Nike, TaylorMade, Cleveland Golf and Cobra Golf, Ping is now one of the best-known brands for clubs and other equipment.

Consistently dissatisfied

In the late 1950s, Karsten Solheim, then an engineer at General Electric, was a golfer himself but was consistently dissatisfied with the range of putters on the market. The resourceful mind did not want to settle for what he could buy.

Therefore, in 1959, he developed and designed his own putter, which he built by hand in his garage at home. It was given the name "Ping 1A". The name "Ping" is supposed to recall the sound made when the club hits the ball.

Ugly club head

In the early days, it is said, many called the club "ugly" with its angular head, stressing that it reminded them more of a metal mop. And yet the special putter with its novel weight distribution in the club head (called "heel-toe balance") was considered absolutely revolutionary for its time.

As early as 1962, John Barnum won the PGA's first professional tournament with a putter from Karsten Solheim's Ping forge. Today, Ping is still one of the leading manufacturers in the field of putters.

Around 2300 victories with Ping putters

A total of 2300 tournament victories (including 47 successes at the majors) have been achieved with Ping putters since 1962.

In addition, of course, the manufacturer's portfolio has long been expanded to include, among other things, sets of clubs as well as drivers. The entire line of clubs can be assigned to different needs by color coding.

Today Ping offers complete equipment for golfers in the hobby as well as professional area.

From a hand-held operation in the founder's garage, Ping became one of the world's leading golf equipment companies. Innovations in manufacturing contributed to this.

Engineer Karsten Solheim took advantage of the technical innovations of his time, such as techniques of mold metal foundry or heat treatment of metal. Among other things, Solheim acquired shares in foundries and specialist companies.

Pioneer in "custom fitting

Ping was a pioneer in customizing clubs to individual players, known as "custom fitting" - and had been doing so since the 1970s.

In 1989, Ping introduced the "Bag Stand," a golf bag with a three-legged stand that unfolds when the bag is set down, ensuring that the bag stands securely.

Many professional golfers equipped

A number of successful professional golfers are outfitted by Ping. On the men's side, these include Major winners Ángel Cabrera, Mark Calcavecchia as well as Lee Westwood, Miguel Ángel Jiménez, Ryder Cup players Hunter Mahan and Chris DiMarco and long hitter Bubba Watson.

Among the top pros on the women's side are world number one and major winner Lorena Ochoa and Sherri Steinhauer.

[Sources: https://eu.ping.com/de-de & Wikipedia]

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