Crazy Money! Story of Ping Golf

It’s Crazy Money Day!

Karsten Solheim grew up working in his father’s shoe-repair shop learning quality workmanship, business, and management skills. During WWII, he took an accelerated engineering course, and his extraordinary abilities led to immediate jobs. When invited to play a round of golf with colleagues, he assumed he could compete using logic and physics, but he was frustrated with the lack of consistency in his putter. So, he designed his own. He filed for a patent and fabricated new designs. The putters made a sound upon impact that he referred to as a “ping”. When Sports Illustrated mentioned the “musical” new putter in 1959, people wanted one. Karsten eventually left his daytime job and moved production from his garage to a building in Phoenix which became the PING Golf campus. His sons and daughter joined him and the rest is history!

Before passing away in 2000, Karsten and Louise founded the prestigious Solheim Cup for women. They supported missionaries around the world with millions of dollars and funded recreation centers at Moody Bible Institute and LeTourneau University. Son, John Solheim, now Chairman and CEO of Ping, learned the importance of excellence and stewardship. He understands and appreciates one of his father’s favorite verses even more since taking over the company. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

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