Karsten Manufacturing Corporation

Is Karsten Manufacturing publicly traded?

No. Karsten Manufacturing Corporation is a private company owned entirely by the Solheim family. It has never issued public stock and operates essentially without debt.

When was Karsten Manufacturing founded?

Karsten Solheim founded the company in 1959, building putters in his Redwood City, California garage before relocating operations to Phoenix, Arizona, where the company remains headquartered.

Who owns Karsten Manufacturing?

The Solheim family owns the company outright. John A. Solheim, son of founder Karsten Solheim, serves as chairman and CEO. His son John K. Solheim is president and expected successor.

What is Karsten Manufacturing's annual revenue?

The company does not publish financial statements. Industry estimates place annual revenue between $500 million and $750 million, generated entirely through PING golf equipment sales.

Where is Karsten Manufacturing headquartered?

The company is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, USA, operating from a campus along Interstate 17 that houses engineering, assembly, and corporate functions.

What brands does Karsten Manufacturing own?

The company operates one brand: PING, covering golf clubs, bags, and accessories. Unlike multi-brand competitors, all resources support the single PING name.

The company began informally in 1959 when Karsten Solheim, a Norwegian-born engineer working at General Electric, built a putter in his Redwood City, California garage. His design redistributed weight to the edges of the clubhead, a concept he called perimeter weighting, and produced a distinctive sound that became the PING name.

Solheim's wife Louise managed orders and bookkeeping while his sons helped with assembly. When GE transferred him to Phoenix, the garage operation relocated too, and professional golf wins, notably Julius Boros's 1967 Tour victory using a PING putter, convinced Solheim to leave GE and commit to the company full-time.

The 1966 Anser putter became the most copied club design in the sport's history. Its plumber-neck blade shape is still the template for putters across the industry. PING irons followed, carrying the same forgiveness-first design logic into cavity-back iron construction that influenced an entire category.

The 1980s brought both growth and a defining fight. The PING Eye2 iron's square grooves were ruled non-conforming by the USGA in 1989, and the company's lawsuit produced a settlement grandfathering existing clubs. The battle reinforced the brand's engineering-led identity and its willingness to confront golf's governing bodies.

Karsten Solheim died in 2000, weeks before his induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame. His son John A. Solheim assumed leadership as chairman and CEO, maintaining the debt-free operating model and Phoenix manufacturing concentration through industry cycles that saw competitors merge, sell to conglomerates, or go public.

Under the third generation, with John K. Solheim now president, the company has expanded the G-series product line through the G410, G425, G430, and G440 families, deepened its global fitting network past 3,000 authorized locations, and continued tour staff investment. The Phoenix campus grew with expanded putter production, the Gold Putter Vault commemorating every professional win with PING equipment, and modernized assembly lines.

The company celebrated 65 years in 2024, still privately held, still family-run, and still operating from the same Arizona base the founder established after leaving General Electric.

The company holds no B Corp or formal sustainability certifications. Its durability-driven product philosophy, engineering clubs intended to last for years rather than annual replacement, produces lower consumption pressure than fast-cycle competitors, though this is product strategy rather than a certified environmental program.

Employee welfare has historically been a stated priority. Programs include long-service benefits, health resources, and profit-sharing practices described in company histories. The Solheim family also supports philanthropic work in Arizona, though no large-scale corporate ESG reporting exists.

Karsten Solheim was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2001 for his contributions to club design and the industry. The Solheim Cup, the biennial women's team competition between the United States and Europe, is named for the family in recognition of its support for the women's professional game.

PING products regularly top independent testing, including MyGolfSpy Most Wanted rankings and Golf Digest Hot List gold medals across putter, iron, and driver categories. The Anser putter is widely cited as the most influential equipment design in golf history.

The square groove dispute of the late 1980s remains the defining controversy. When the USGA ruled PING Eye2 irons non-conforming in 1989, Karsten Manufacturing sued and reached a settlement allowing existing clubs to remain legal. A 2010 USGA groove rule change later revoked the Eye2 wedges' status for tour play, prompting the company to protest the decision publicly.

Beyond equipment rules, the company has maintained an unusually clean record. No major product recalls, labor disputes, or environmental actions are on record against Karsten Manufacturing.