Half a century of innovation
Final part of the Ping story
Posted: 13 January 2009
by Golfmagic special correspondent
|
The innovative and iconic Ping Eye2 iron, cast with distinctive identification address and loft and lie colour coding
|
In the final part of our feature celebrating 50 years of Ping, we trace the company's introduction of custom-fitting and some of its innovations.
IN THE 1970s company founder Karsten Solheim perfected his patented loft and lie gauge and developed a unique colour code system for custom-fitting and custom-building its cast irons for its customers.
He identified that because golfers are not all the same height, he could colour-code clubs to suit the tall, the average and the short to help them hit the ball straighter and enjoy the game more.
|
Karsten Solheim Sr introduces the Ping robot
|
It was another Solheim innovation that challenged a golf industry to follow along its footsteps and today there's a huge movement towards having clubs tailor-made to a golfer's personal specifications, rather than merely purchased 'off the shelf' based on brand or design preference.
The decade of the 1970s also saw Solheim develop 'Ping Man', a robot which simulated the human golf swing with wrist-cock and shoulder turn. He used it for research and development to improve his golf clubs and combining it with ultra high-speed cameras, unlocked secrets of the golf swing and later captured invaluable photos of golf club-ball contact at millions of frames per second.
The result was the birth in the 1980s of arguably the most successful Ping iron - the Eye2 - which, in its heyday, was played by millions of golfers and became the subject of the “Great grooves debate” when the USGA declared the club did not conform to the Rules of Golf. A lawsuit ensued, and an out-of-court settlement was reached in 1990.
Confirmation that the Ping Eye2 was the golfers’ club of choice occurred when readers of Golf Digest, the top-selling golf magazine in the US voted a set of the clubs be placed in the USGA's 100th anniversary time capsule along with other golf memorabilia.
Emerging at Solheim Sr's side at this time was son John, who became the company’s president in 1995 and assumed the Chairman and CEO role in 1999. He introduce the Ping ISi iron, produced for the first time in a nickel alloy for softer feel. It was followed by the Cushin shaft insert to reduce shaft vibration.
|
John Solheim maintained the innovations of his father
|
Solheim Jr also focussed his creative thinking to the development of the industry's largest custom-fit driver. The Ping TiSI, featured distance control, combining ISI technology with titanium. Today, the company’s popular G Series (G2, G5, G10) and Rapture Series drivers are among the highest performing and top-selling drivers on the market. and also include irons, fairway woods and hybrids.
Other Ping innovations during their 50 years include:
Investment casting
In 1969, Solheim Sr pioneered investment casting to improve quality and ensure consistency of Ping products.
Perimeter weighting
By distributing the weight to the extremities of a club, Solheim Sr was among the first to increase the size of the sweetspot and reduce twisting from off-centre hits.
Heel-to balance
Moving the weight from the centre of the putter to the heel and toe, created better putter head balance and less twisting from miss-hits.
Heat-treatment
Putters and irons are subjected to intense heat in vacuum furnaces to make the metal more malleable and permitting easier loft and lie adjustment.
Cavity-back putters
Prior to Solheim Sr applying his engineering theories to club design, most putters were either blade or mallet types. Cavity back putter design originated with Ping and created a giant leap forward.
Distinctive sound
The first Solheim Sr putter - the 1-A, for which a patent was filed March 23, 1959 and granted three years later - made a distinctive P-I-NNNNNN-G sound from which the brand name was born.
The Anser putter
Golf's most popular putter was created in 1966 and to date has more than 600 professional Tour wins. The Anser hosel helps golfers set their hands in the proper putting position and is a much-emulated design.
Colour-coding
A measurement system developed by Ping to establish the correct lie angle of an iron to suit a specific golfer. A loft and lie gauge has also been patented to manually adjust Ping irons for precision loft and lie calibrated to match others in every set.
Grooves
Ping pioneered the modern U-shaped or square grooves when revolutionary Ping Eye2 irons were introduced them in 1982. Later C-5, C-6, C-7, C-8, C-9 swingweights were introduced for custom-fit irons with lighter swingweights to help make golf easier for all golfers.
L-wedge
In 1985, Ping introduced the opportunity to perfect a new shot-saving club - a 60-degree club to enable golfers to play a high-soft-landing 'parachute shot.'
Serial numbers
All Ping irons have individual serial numbers used to register the specifications of each club with the company. The numbers are stored on computer to replace any lost, stolen or damaged iron with an identical replica. Ping also cast the company name and address (including zipcode/postcode) into the cavity of its putters and later its irons reasoning that 'word of mouth' advertising was vital, especially when a golfer hit a good shot.
|
Beryllium-headed club - the first of its kind in an exotic metal.
|
Exotic alloys
Ping clubs were the first to be manufactured with such high-tech manganese bronze, beryllium copper and beryllium nickel.
Custom-fit titanium drivers
In 1998, John Solheim developed the TiSI driver -- the largest custom-fit, custom-built driver in the industry at the time--featuring more distance, control and customization with several unique advances in driver design.
Cushin insert
Selective filtering with a cushin insert into golf shafts, was a significant leap forward in golf technology. Based on vibration frequencies it improves the feel of Ping irons.
Stand-up carry bags
The most successful lightweight stand bag in the industry was designed by John Solheim. Originally called the L-8, it has evolved into the L-8+ and The Hoofer and continues to dominate the junior and collegiate ranks.
The Solheim Cup
The Solheim family created a series of matches for professional women golfers between the US and Europe in 1990 modeled on the men’s Ryder Cup with singles, foursomes and fourball matchplay.
Visible numbers
Ping wanted golfers to see how far their clubs were being hit, so they put numbers visibly on the back of irons and later added them to the upper toe on the clubface so golfers could verify their club choice at address, without having to look at the bottom of the club. They also devised a pick-up flange on the back of their putter to help golfers pick up the ball more easily.
|
Discuss this story
Ping were the ultimate in putters when I was a kid just started playing in the 80s. Top of the range were about £50. I could be wrong here, but I'm pretty certain that Seve's putter he was using when he was fist-pumping on the 18th at St Andrews was a Ping he had recently bought for £50 in a pro shop. I had several Ansers but the best was the Pal 2 which I believe was a long-headed version. Ping are also one of the original pioneers in custom fitting. Anyone with a Scotty Cameron should thank Ping for designing it about 30 years ago!!!
Posted: 09/01/2009 11:45
When I started playing golf again I ditched the blades that I learnt with and went with Ping eye2s (illegal version) they made an amazing difference and my h'cap went from 14 to 6 in one year. However you never knew when one of them would take off and go that extra 15 yds with no warning. My anser was always my "fallback" putter right up until last year, still in demand as it fetched £45 on ebay!!
Posted: 09/01/2009 12:02
I have a Ping Anser putter which I bought in 1980. It is currently in my substitutes bag at the moment. Apart from my lob & sand wedge the rest of my bag is Ping. I have Ping G10 driver, 3 wood & 2 rescue. I also have 3-PW i10 irons. I was custom fitted for these and they are brilliant
Posted: 09/01/2009 16:06
Had many from Ping over the years.. Eye2s, Zings but hated i3s! Got a G2 driver in the cupboard and an old pal putter which makes the odd appearance. made some great wedges too - I wish I still had my eye 2 copper lob wedge...I have one of the new versions, but miss the old one!
Posted: 09/01/2009 16:11
Fifty years of Ping
What's in your bag? Not PING!!! 
Posted: 09/01/2009 17:22
Not one Ping club in my bag. As a Scotty owner I am grateful to PING for designing a classic which has been ripped off by many. Golfing technology doesn't gradually evolve it seems to jump forward every now and then. PING alone stepped forward the putters and then followed that up with cavity backs and then again set the standard for fitting. So why have I never considered them when looking at new clubs ? I suppose I see the PING image as an old man's club. I may be wrong in this and it seems everyone who buys Pings irons would never go to another brand so they must be doing something right. That said I would love to get a 2nd hand set of Pings and get them set up for me. Maybe I have to get together a 2nd bag of equipment !
Posted: 09/01/2009 17:58
It was very much aesthetics for me, looking down on my eye2s I thought I should be chopping wood with them rather than trying to strike a ball. The new Pings, like the si59s?, look very nice and are a real shift from those wood choppers. Used to be in awe of a guy who had the berylium copper ones at the club when I was a kid, used to think "wow, he must be a Pro"
Posted: 09/01/2009 18:05
Ping G5 driver Ping G10 6-PW Ping Tour W 52 and 58 wedges never had a ping putter - very happy with my SC Futura and also have just bought a 2nd hand Yes Victoria 2 which is also excellent
Posted: 09/01/2009 20:38
Zing 303 Redwood fitted for me. Superb quality and balance IMO, it feels like part of me on the green, gives me loads of confidence. - Can't understand why my putting is still such sh*t*  .
Posted: 10/01/2009 14:23
Ping Tour WRX T grind wedges with Nippon 1150gh shafts in 50, 54 & 58 degree. Love them to bits during the summer, can be a love/hate relationship in the winter off soft fairways due to the grind taking most of the bounce away but i wouldn't swop them for the world at the moment. Never used any other ping kit, but was quite amused to see that my mates G10 irons didn't really differ in design from the i2's he replaced.
Posted: 10/01/2009 18:23
Complete bag of Ping equipment since middle of last year. Swapped i10s for the new S57 irons. G10 driver, fairway and hybrid. Tour W wedges 54 and 58. Didn't really like the i10s - too light but the S57s are in a different league absolutely fantastic irons. Won a bag from Bob for a review I did on the G2i Craz-e some years ago - don't know where the bag is but still use the putter in the summer. Great clubs.
Posted: 10/01/2009 20:21
I have a Ping Si3 380 driver - it works and it's reasonably attractive compared to most of todays offerings. Also the G2 fairways were awesome by all accounts. However, like Chris, I doubt if I could play Ping irons (Hmmmm! - maybe the iSi's in BeNi) ... but the Scottsdale Anser putter is an icon. So - all things being equal Si3 380 driver, G2 fairways, iSi irons in BeNi and a Scottsdale Anser would see me right 
Posted: 10/01/2009 21:26
I've used and still own a Craz-e G5i mallet putter, it was actually my first putter ever, and to begin with was the dogs, however this putter shaft used a ball bearing to interference fit the shaft into the putter head, well that soon worked loose and giving it to my local pro to repair didn't go according to plan either, so to cut a long story short, despite playing with extra weight, length and grips, I never got on with it after that. Shame as its a nice putter, but I use blade putters now, and have looked at the Ping Anser style putters so you never know what the future holds. 
Posted: 11/01/2009 10:40
I still have a Ping Half Yellow, half Orange ball, unfortunately is cracked down the middle .. =0( I've borrowed a Ping Zing and once owned a Ping Pal 2 which seemed to have an obscene amount of loft on it. I know use and Odyssey which looks exactly like the Zing ! Ping are King of Putters
Posted: 12/01/2009 09:15
Got my G5 irons about two years ago. I agree with all the comments about them not being pretty - but with every approach shot I nail to the heart of the green, I care less about that. I don't have any Ping putters, though I do have a clone of a G5i-Craz-E which worked pretty well for a year or so until I had a putting lesson. The pro told me the shaft wasn't aligned correctly, and since then I've had trouble trusting it - and of course trust is everything with a putter. Still haven't found anything as good to replace it  (but won't buy a replacement from that pro on principle)!
Posted: 12/01/2009 12:22
Used to have an Anser 2 putter - was great for long putts (nice feel), but I found it hard to align on shorter putts. It was also 35", I might have got on better with it if it was cut down to 33" like my subsequent putters. I gave it to my dad 3 years ago, and he putts like a demon with it - much to my regret. Until semi-recently, I also played with a Ping i3 driver steel-headed driver, as I tried and failed with a number of jumbo headed drivers until eventually (successfully) persevering with a Benross V12. I also had a wee shot a couple of years ago with my b-i-l's Ping wedge. Not sure which model, but it was niiiiice.
Posted: 12/01/2009 14:34
Ping G10 irons 4-pw Ping Tour W Wedges 52 and 58 degree Ping Rapture V2 17 degree hybrid Needed forgiving irons after falling out my my titleists!!
Posted: 12/01/2009 20:45
I acquired a Ping Anser putter for £10 from a friend in 1980 as it was surplus to his requirements. I have not used another putter since. After switching to the Ping Anser my putting has always been pretty good. It's the best £10 I've ever spent on a golf club.
Posted: 13/01/2009 23:28
I have played a Ping Eye 2 SW for the last 15 years and still wont be without it. I have a Ping Anser BeCu which i regripped last year and have used it on occasion when the greens are slow. Had a Ping Zing 2 one iron back in the day and always liked the look of a Zing putter but they refused to work in anger. You can never argue with the quality of Pings they are not always the prettiest though!
Posted: 18/01/2009 22:24
G10 draw 10.5 degree driver tfc shaft G10 18 degree hybrid tfc shaft G2 2 iron for windy days G2 4 - SW G2 CRA-ZE PUTTER Love em to death even when I'm playing rubbish. Cannot see myself going back to anything else. As for looks, my G2's look pretty much the same as when I bought them; which you could not say about some of my playing partners Big Bertha's and TM RAC's both of which look ready for the bin
Posted: 18/01/2009 23:29
|
|
