Karstan Solheim had an unusual arrival on the golf scene when the putter he was building had a ring to it every time the ball was struck. Soleheim, at the time a General Electric mechanical engineer, stroked putts with his newly designed putter which had a distinct ring whenever the ball was struck and that is where the name “Ping” came from.  Ping Golf has been an industry leader ever since those first few “pings” took place in Solheim’s garage in 1959.

Soon after, Karstan moved from his home in Redwood, California to Phoenix, Arizona where he started Ping Golf Corporation.  At this time one of his first developments was the Ping Anser putter which is still in use in Today’s PGA Tour events.  The Anser putter was named by his wife.  She asked Karsten what the name of his new putter was and he said he “did not have an answer”.  His wife said “the name for your new putter will be anser without the W”!….and so it was. 

In the 1970’s Ping Golf acquired a casting foundry and heat treating plant which allowed Solheim to control the entire club making process.  This was a major step towards having the kind of built in quality that he desired in his golf clubs.  Giant strides were made in building custom fitted clubs for everyone that ordered Ping golf clubs with the Ping Eye fitting system.  There were a series of color codes which corresponded to a slight difference in the clubs (lie, loft, flex etc.).  A golfer was measured at a Ping dealer and from those measurements a color code was assigned to the player. 

In the 1980’s the Eye 2 irons, the L-Wedge and lightweight carry bags were developed.  During this period the “square grooves” were also incorporated in the Ping golf club design.  There was much controversy with the U.S.G.A. and the PGA over the square grooves but eventually the debate was resolved in Ping’s favor.  In the 80’s Ping putters dominated the majors by winning 26 out of 40 grand slam events, including all four in 1988.

Solheim’s youngest son John Solheim assumed control of Ping Golf in 1995.  At that time he introduced the TiSL driver, Isopur putter, i3 irons and Hoofer carry bag.  John operates the company differently than his father because he invites key customers to his factory whereas his father was much more secretive.  In 1999 Ping Golf celebrated it’s 40th Anniversary in the golf industry.  Ping Golf, in every way, is truly an American success story.

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A Golf Club Set should be made up of, according to the U.S.G.A. Rules of Golf, 14 clubs.  There are the long irons 1-4, the mid irons 5-8 and the short irons, which include the 9 iron, Pitching Wedge and Sand Wedge. Next are the 1 and 3 metal woods and the putter. This has been what most people refer to as the “standard set” for most of the 20th Century.  Today’s technology has provided many more options for the modern golfer.

One of the biggest advances in golf club technology came with the advent of the Lob Wedge.  Most companies now make pitching wedges in several different loft angles. Some examples are clubs that have 52, 54, 56, 58 and 60 degrees of loft.  Many players that carry two wedges have to give up another club in their Golf Club Set in order to stay within the 14 club rule.
 
Another addition for today’s Golf Club Set is the hybrid iron.  A hybrid club head is shaped like a metal wood, however, it is much smaller in size.  The shaft is just a bit longer than your typical 2 or 3 iron.  The hybrid was designed to allow the player to hit a long, high shot that has a lot of backspin.  A shot hit correctly with a hybrid will land much “softer” than a typical long iron due to the high amount of backspin.  Once again, if a hybrid is added to the set another club has to be removed.

Usually the only two additions to the Golf Club Set have been the extra wedges and/or the hybrids.  As rare as it may be, some players will carry two drivers. Phil Mickelson, notorious for his erratic driving, carried two drivers in several major tournaments.  His Callaway driver’s were each slightly different from the other.

A Golf Club Set is an individual’s choice.  The clubs that make up your set should be based on “comfort and feel”.  Your clubs, no matter what kind they are, have to “feel” right.  If you are more comfortable with two putters it shouldn’t matter what everyone else is doing.  As long as your set “feels right” it is right….as long as it is within the 14 club rule!

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Located in Carlsbad, California Callaway Golf Co. manufactures golf equipment such as woods, wedges, putters, irons and golf balls.  The company also owns and manufactures products such as Odyssey, Top Flite and Ben Hogan.  It was founded by Ely Reeves Callaway, Jr.  Callaway, originally in the textile business, was fascinated with the game of golf and purchased  a company called Hickory Sticks in 1982.  The company was renamed Callaway Hickory Sticks and 6 years later the name was again changed to Callaway Golf. 

Callaway Golf introduced a computer-controlled manufacturing process in 1986 which was a completely new method of club manufacturing .  In that same year the company developed a driver known as Big Bertha using a very large steel clubhead. Roger Cleveland was hired in 1996 and promoted to chief club designer in 2002.  He soon created the Callaway Golf Forged Wedges which were constructed from carbon steel.  Shortly after the Callaway Wedge was introduced a new golf ball was developed by the company at a cost of $170 million. 

In developing the new Callaway golf ball the company recruited engineers from DuPont and Boing to help design the dimple pattern of the ball.  More than 300 dimple patterns were evaluated with over 1000 variations of golf ball cores and cover materials.  The final result of their work was the new Callaway Rule 35 ball.  It was decided by the team at Callaway to create a ball that satisfied every golfer’s need for distance, spin, feel and durability.  The Callaway ball encompasses all of the most important characteristics in one ball which saves a player from having to find a particular ball to fit their needs. 

In 1996 Ely Callaway resigned his position with Callaway Golf at which time Donals H. Dye became the CEO and President.  He later returned to the company as President in 1998 but succumbed to a terminal illness in 2001.  Ron Drapeau followed as CEO and soon announced the aquisition of Top-Flite as well as the Ben Hogan Golf Division with a total cost of $125 million.

There are many well known players that are presently using Callaway Golf equipment such as Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els and Rocco Mediate. Among the Senior players Johnny Miller, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player presently use Callaway Golf equipment.

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Have you had your clubs custom fitted?  Most people playing the game today do not use clubs that are fitted to their swing specifications.  If you plan to purchase a new set of clubs be sure to take the opportunity to have them fitted.  In days past, the only players that had their clubs “fitted” were club professionals and PGA Tour players.  Today it is much different and everyone can have custom fit golf clubs.

The first matter of concern should be the person who is going to “fit” your clubs to your swing style. Usually club fitting is done by a qualified PGA professional but sometimes it can be accomplished by a highly trained store employee.  The process is started by placing a special tape on the flange (bottom of clubface) of an iron from the set you wish to purchase.  You will be asked to take several shots in the practice area.  The club fitter will examine the tape on the bottom of the club to check for scuffs. The marks made on the tape will determine the lie of the club.  The results may be that in your normal address position the toe (or heel) of the club may be set too high off the ground.  If that is the case, the toe has to be lowered by a repair technician so that it will be in a level position during address.  The lie of the clubhead is a very important factor in custom fit golf clubs and it also determines your shot making capabilities.

Next, you will be asked to grip the club so your grip size can be determined.  When gripping the club your fingertips should just barely meet the lower extension of your thumb.  If this is not the case your grips will need to be adjusted accordingly.  It usually requires a re-gripping of the set.  Custom fit golf clubs also require the proper shaft flex.  There are three varieties of shafts: soft, medium and stiff.  The type of shaft flex depends on how fast a golfer’s swing is.  A swing under 75 mph requires a soft flex, from 75 to 90 mph. a medium flex and anyone that swings over 90 mph. should be using a stiff flex.
Remember, even a used set of clubs can be custom fit so make it a point to do so the next time you visit your local pro shop or retail golf outlet.

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Can there be anything more important to golfer’s than their Golf Clubs?  Other than a golf course to play on, nothing is more important than a good set of golf clubs.  Everybody has different tastes and requirements when it comes to their clubs.  These “requirements” are dictated by a golfer’s physical capabilities and swing characteristics.  Everyone should have a set of clubs that are fitted especially for them.  The “fitting” process is very simple and requires just a few swings to measure the correct angle of lie and some simple measurements to decide shaft length and grip size.  It is quite painless
and not too costly.  Once the clubs have been fitted a start can be made to correct any bad swing habits you may have.  It is pretty difficult to make swing corrections if the clubs you are using are not fitted properly.

If you are just starting to play the game and are looking for a new set of Golf Clubs you will have some important decisions to make.  The first one concerns the name brand.  There is so much competition that every company builds a lot of quality into their clubs.

One tip might be to choose a club that is very widely used by Tour players.  Once you’ve picked the brand of club your next choice is whether to buy a Forged or Cast design.  Forged clubs are generally much less forgiving because of their smaller “sweet spot”.  Cast clubs, which are the most widely used, are much easier to hit and have a much wider “hitting area”.

Next you need to decide on the type of shaft to use. The most popular shafts at present are graphite but you can also choose steel/aluminum.  Next comes the shaft flex which is the degree of pliability in the shaft. The kind of flex you decide on depends on the velocity of your clubhead at impact.  Usually a fast swing speed means a stiffer shaft and the opposite is true for slow swing speeds.  Selecting Golf Clubs can require several trips to your local retail store or pro shop.  You should
not, in any way, be pressured to buy a set that does not “feel” right.  Remember, when you buy clubs the single most important criteria to use in your decision process should be how the clubs feel when you are in the address position and when you swing with them.  Never be in a hurry to purchase clubs because as the old saying goes ” act in haste and repent in leisure”! Repentance in the way of much lower golf scores.

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