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John and John K Solheim: Striving to Lead the Golf Industry by Building Products that Last

Feb 24, 2021

John Solheim is the son of Karsten Solheim, who founded PING, a golf equipment company, in 1967. Karsten, the patriarch of the family, started making putters in 1959, and in 1967 quit his engineering job at General Electric to develop PING. The name PING came from the sound of the golf ball hitting the metal club. John grew up in the garage with his father Karsten, making these infamous putters and as the company flourished John became primarily involved in product development and spearheaded the organization’s relationship with the USGA. In 1995 John became CEO and Chairman of the company. Now, John’s three sons have taken executive responsibility in the company, including John K. Solheim, who you’ll hear from in this episode.

 

John and John K join me today to discuss what it’s like running one of the largest companies in the golf world and how family dynamics have always played a role in the companies structure. They share some memories of how brilliant of an inventor Karsten was, how he would walk the shop floor and often leave company meetings if he didn’t find them interesting. John and John K also share the meticulous time and care that go into creating some of the world’s best golf clubs and how the best products might be ten years away from seeing the light of day. We discuss the challenges of being born into a family business and how they make decisions when it comes time to pass on the crown.

 

“Build a product the way it should be built, as well as possible. Too many things are built with a lifecycle now.” - John Solheim

 “We’ve constantly been generous with our profits. It’s awesome to be able to give to people.” - John K Solheim

 “I want to lead an industry and my dad wanted to lead an industry. If you don’t push in every little place, you’re not going to lead.” - John Solheim

 

This week on The Wow Factor:

  • John K’s experience following his grandpa Karston around the companies headquarters
  • Karstens ability to develop products and why he was known as a “Maverick”
  • Why Karsten priced his putters above the other putters on the market
  • The families desire to be leaders in the industry
  • PING’s responsibility to the customer
  • How PING treats the players they sponsor like family
  • The challenges of passing on leadership roles within the family
  • The fierce competition for patents in the golf world and dealing with club knockoffs
  • PING’s involvement in the Wounded Warriors Project
  • PING’s infamous “gold putters”, made for PGA tour winners

 

John Solheim’s Words of Wisdom:

Look after your people, they represent you. Make sure they know your ethos and represent you well.

 

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