Ping putters are pure innovation by a man called Karsten Solheim (1911-2000) who founded a giant golf equipment company, KMC. Karsten was a Norwegian-born American who worked as an engineer with General Electrics. He is known to have created the ping putters after he realized that putting was not his greatest asset.
History of Ping Putters
At the age of 42, Solheim was invited by a group of friends to join them at golf. He was frustrated that he just could not put well. To solve this problem, he began to design his own putters from his garage using scientific principles for the right golf club design. Till the date when he began the game of putting, putters had their shafts attached to the edge of the blade. Instead of fixing the shaft at the heel of the blade, he attached it at the centre of the club head. He thereby, transferred much of the weight of the club to the edges instead of focusing it on the centre.
He named the newly designed putter as the ping putter owing to the peculiar sound “ping’ that emanated when the putter head hit the golf ball. He moved onto develop a unique kind of putter called Anser. This putter had a cavity at the back of the putter head and perfect centre of gravity and soon became one of the most preferred putter to be used in all times. After the design of ping putters soon became popular, Solheim left General Electrics and started on his own with a company called Karsten Manufacturing Company (KMC).
Ping putters
Till date, ping putters continue the reign the world of golf supremacy where it is known to have gathered more than 2000 tour wins. The putter Anser still continues to be a very popular sale. USGA has however, banned quite a number of ping putters manufactured by KMC because they seem to provide a great deal of leverage to the golfer does not let him/her the natural skills acquired through practice. It is only the Anser putter that is still popular among golfers.
The new range of ping putters have more lines and provide complete freedom of increased feel as well as confidence to putt well. The company which is now run by Karsten’s son has launched the latest iWi-series of putters which are sure to get any golfer hooked to the game of putting. In this series, the company has tried to provide a putter which fits the needs and requirements of any golfer. Some of the putters have inserts that help in shifting the centre of gravity along the cavity of the putter.
Ping putters are very popular owing to their affordability and success rate. They are based on sound scientific principles such that a golfer feels very comfortable when the putter makes a solid contact with the ball.
