Karsten Solheim
Karsten Solheim ( born September 15, 1911 in Bergen ( Norway), † February 16, 2000 in Phoenix (Arizona ) ) was a Norwegian- burly Americans. The constructed by him putter and iron club revolutionized the construction of golf clubs and are known under the brand PING.
Origin
As a child Solheim emigrated with his family from Norway. Professionally, he followed his father and became Schuster. His technique enthusiasm drew him towards aircraft. In 1953 he joined the General Electric Company. Indirectly, he came by with Golf in contact. Colleagues at General Electric took him to play golf. He quickly became an ambitious and ambitious players.
Dissatisfaction with conventional sputtering
Because he had difficulty putting and holding conventional putter insufficient, he constructed in 1959 its own putter and built it in the garage at home. He was given the name "PING 1A ". Ping was here for the bright sound generated upon contact of bat and ball. Characteristic of this bat was a different weight distribution than conventional models. Since the weight was not distributed evenly over the entire club head, but reinforced at the heel and toe, the putter was easier to keep on a line. A more accurate meeting of the ball was easier. Visually, the bats differed in that he started shank in the middle of the head and not, as in the usual blade putters around the edge. The engineer Solheim formulated his approach later said: " I saw immediately did by using the simple laws of physics and mechanics it would be possible to make something more efficient than a blade, and ran thus avoid seeking off-line putts ."
First iron bat
1961 Solheim already had moved to Phoenix ( Arizona). Here is today the headquarters of the company. This year for the first time, he developed iron. Innovations were a weight distribution with a lower center of gravity and a recess on the back of the club head, called " cavity back ". The iron were given the name "69", as Solheim held 69 strokes for an excellent result of a round of golf.
Development of the " Anser " putter
A further improvement of the putter came Solheim 1966 as a brainstorm. Instead of paper he held her so firmly on the dust cover of a record. A lower center of gravity and the opening at the back improved the properties of the racket huge. The name " Anser " is derived from the English word " Answer". The batter should be the answer to inaccurate putts. Supposedly suggested Solheim's wife Louise, the "w" to omit to make the name fit on the clubhead. Due to the unusual design of the putter was initially mocked professional tournaments. That changed when Julius Boros in 1967 with the Phoenix Open won the first PGA tournament with a Ping putter. In 1969, the first Masters was won with this racket. A total of 500 victories on the PGA Tour has been made with him. Thus, he is considered the most successful putter ever.
Founded by Karsten Manufacturing
1967 Solheim was due to the increasing demand on his job at General Electric. He professionalized the bat production, previously largely expired by hand, and founded the company, Karsten Manufacturing. As a result, Solheim developed a whole series of innovations. Under the brand name "Ping" in addition to iron and putters and wooden clubs, bags and other equipment were brought to the market.
Solheim Cup
Solheim was the driving force behind the start of the Solheim Cup named after him, the female counterpart to the Ryder Cup. For him, the best professional golfers in America take on their counterparts from Europe. It was first held in 1990 and takes place every two years. Solheim therefore applies as a promoter of women's professional golf. Karsten Solheim has been a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame since 2001.