Karsten Solheim’s first putter, the "1A," was manufactured in Redwood City, California in 1959. It appeared in Sports Illustrated in August of that year. He named his putter for the musical sound it made when it struck the ball. The name stuck, and he started manufacturing and selling the Ping 1A putter out of his garage.
In January of 1967, Solheim resigned from his position at General Electric to make golf clubs full time. Ping now makes a full range of irons and woods, but it was the putter which made Mr. Solheim a golf legend.