[MyGolfSpy]

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.

Color-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.


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.

[JohnBarry]

Very neat stats, quite a list Ping has done for the game

[NGage]

That's quite a list of innovation, and I personally like that Ping has -- at least historically, if not now -- almost exclusively concerned itself with function, not form.

[Addicted2Golf]

We've made jokes on this forum about how many companies have copied Ping's putter designs (particularly the Anser). But, others are copying a lot more than that based on this list. I didn't realize that some of these were originally Ping innovations. Wow.

[NGage]

Addicted2Golf, on 30 March 2010 - 04:31 PM, said:

I didn't realize that some of these were originally Ping innovations. Wow.

Old Man Solheim was all about the science -- no matter where it took them. IMHO, since then, they've tried to go a bit more conventional.

[GolfSpy Matt]

I knew about a lot of these, but not all of them, it's really quite a list. It always seems to me like Ping doesn't get the credit and/or market share that it deserves for the amount of innovation they've brought to the game.

[phil.b89]

I knew a fair amount of these after recently finishing reading Karsten's Way. A rather interesting read for any golf fan!

[MyGolfSpy]

I finished that book just a few months ago and really enjoyed it.

phil.b89, on 31 March 2010 - 02:24 PM, said:

I knew a fair amount of these after recently finishing reading Karsten's Way. A rather interesting read for any golf fan!

[JohnBarry]

I have a question, where did they come up with the name "Ping."?

[NGage]

JohnBarry, on 31 March 2010 - 02:37 PM, said:

I have a question, where did they come up with the name "Ping."?

IIRC, it came from the sound that came from the first putter Karsten Solheim (the original) created.

[JohnBarry]

NGage, on 31 March 2010 - 04:23 PM, said:

IIRC, it came from the sound that came from the first putter Karsten Solheim (the original) created.

I had a feeling it was from the sound of a club hitting a ball.

I have a friend who has a metal plate in his head, and we are always trying to hit a golf ball off it, to see if it makes a "ping." He doesn't like this game very much.

[NGage]

JohnBarry, on 01 April 2010 - 08:31 AM, said:

I had a feeling it was from the sound of a club hitting a ball.

I have a friend who has a metal plate in his head, and we are always trying to hit a golf ball off it, to see if it makes a "ping." He doesn't like this game very much.

So do you call him "Ping" or "Pong'?

[jamo]

What about the notch in the hosel, that is a Ping innovation.

[NGage]

jamo, on 01 April 2010 - 07:00 PM, said:

What about the notch in the hosel, that is a Ping innovation.

In fact, I think it is......because it's put there in the casting process.