The Chairman’s Page
An interview with John A. Solheim, CEO of Ping

By Edward F. Pazdur, Chairman & CEO

How John Solheim boldly restructured Ping's management team and grew the company to new prominence, his way.

Ping was founded in 1959 and John has managed to maintain Ping's status as the world's most successful family-owned golf equipment manufacturing company.

John A. Solheim Chairman & CEO, Ping, Inc.

Phoenix, Arizona: John Solheim loved the engineering genius of his father, Karsten. He was consumed-even as a youngster-with the idea of helping his dad design and manufacture the best their ingenuity could produce.

What's interesting is that in spite of differing business management philosophies, Karsten and John have succeeded in separate ways, at different times, and in different styles.

Here are some interesting and significant historical events that fashioned the Solheim family into golf prominence.

John Caught Karsten's Chip Shots
Karsten unbelievably took up the game in 1958 when he was 42 years old. He practiced relentlessly and attained a 5-handicap within a few years. His youngest son John, even then, was there to help Dad. John would stand at one end of the yard with a first baseman's glove and catch Karsten's chip shots.

The putter frustrated Karsten. He knew he could improve his putting if the putter would make the ball grip the green quicker. His frustration prodded him into designing a putter that would contact the ball in such a way that it would roll off the face of the club, instead of jumping off the face.

He got busy and created a home-made putter that actually kept the ball from bouncing and skipping on the green for better control. It revolutionized golf club design and changed putting techniques forever.

Karsten was amused that every time his putter struck the ball it emitted a tuning fork sound: Ping. He happily named the putter "Ping" and unwittingly launched one of the world's most celebrated golf club companies. Today, Ping products are sold in over 70 countries. Karsten founded the company in 1959 and John took over 36 years later, in 1995.

John A. Solheim (left) is pictured in the early ‘90s with his father and founder of Ping, Karsten Solheim. John was fascinated with design and stayed close to Karsten since the day he was born.

A Stitch In Time-Named John
John, in most ways, is a chip off the old block. Like Karsten he is quiet, soft spoken, blessed with dogged determination and inherited a love for engineering challenges.

Engineering is one thing, management is another. John believes in delegating authority, in teamwork, in risk-taking with employee ideas, in producing blade irons, aesthetics in club design, setting trends and negotiating. John tests competitor's clubs, Karsten never did.

John put into motion a team that he says is the best and strongest in Ping's history of management. "It used to be Karsten and me," said John. "It was too individualized. What I enjoy most is doing design and leaving the business details to Doug Hawken because I have a lot of confidence in him."

One of John's most worthy decisions was the appointment of non-family members, such as Doug Hawken and Pat Loftus, to top positions with authoritative freedom. Hawken helped put into motion a plan to cut the time to bring new products to market from two years to nine months and can now ship new orders within two days.

Pat Loftus was named vice president of sales and marketing and has revitalized the Ping sales force.

In spite of differing business management philosophies, John and Karsten Solheim have succeeded in separate ways, at different times, and in different styles.

John molding clay to bring life to an idea.

“Ping will always remain a family-owned company. It’s my goal and my brother Allan’s goal to hand the company down like it was handed down to us.” — John Solheim

"You know the best part isn't being the ultimate decision maker because decisions are tough," said John. "But I have to make them. It's not easy.

"The best part is that you get to play golf at beautiful places with great golf courses to promote your products," said John, smiling with sparkling eyes.

"Also," he added, "it's listening to ideas put forth by the engineering department. It's being able to sit down with my engineers and challenge them to push a little further on their projects."

Being A Pilot Saved His Life
A brush with mortality probably matured John's personal and business goals. Fate, luck, and flying played important roles in saving his life. He learned to fly in 1967 and maintained his pilot's license until 2004.

"I learned to fly in 1967 and enjoyed it," said John. "Back then, to keep your pilot's license, all you had to do was to have five touch-and-goes.

"Today, you are required to take a physical biannually.

"When I was getting my pilot's license physical in the '80s, my doctor suspected a kidney problem and urged me to see a urologist. My dad and I decided to go to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. They told me I'd need a kidney transplant in about 12 years."

John maintained a 22-year vigil tracking his ailing kidney before undergoing a transplant donated by his sister-in-law, Marion Prince, on June 9, 2004. And in August, just two months later, he was back at work.

John Gets A Third Kidney
"Did you have to have both of your kidneys transplanted?" I asked.

John at his favorite golf course — St. Andrews.

"No, no," smiled John. "I still have my own kidneys. They're both ticking away. The doctors put a new entry into my bladder and it doesn't affect my existing kidneys. I get the function of my two kidneys in addition to the new one."

"Are you saying you have three kidneys?"

"Yes," replied John," I have three kidneys."

"The third one supports the other two, right?"

"Well, it carries the load. Because of the decreased load from the new kidney, my original kidneys perform better.

John's Biggest Mistake
Engineering is what John loves most. It's important and challenging. You need to push the envelope to learn, to achieve and to create. I thought I would surprise him with this question: "What," I asked, "was your biggest mistake?"

It caught him off guard. "My biggest mistake?"

"Yes. And don't say 'Trying Aunt Jemima's pancakes.'"

"OK," John laughed, "my biggest mistake was trying Starbucks Frappuccino."

"I knew you'd say something like that."

"I'm just trying to think of what... Oh, yeah. The biggest mistake I ever made was not responding to the metal wood market fast enough."

John whipped Ping into shape by trimming the fat. He felt they were losing their focus with too many businesses unrelated to the golf manufacturing industry. For instance, he downsized employees and sold the Moon Valley Country Club, a vacuum bracing facility, a shopping center, a powder coating facility, and a very precise machine shop.

"We are now a pure golf product manufacturing company," claimed John, "with the exception that our foundry does a few outside jobs. Those companies just took too much time away from our core existence; namely, golf products.

"Now," said John, "we're focused on what we do best and that's engineering better products and helping golfers enjoy the game more."

You may write John Solheim c/o Ping, 2201 West Desert Cove, Phoenix, Arizona 85029; phone (602) 870-5000; or visit their web site at: pinggolf.com.

To contact Edward Pazdur, write Executive Golfer, 2171 Campus Drive, Suite 330, Irvine, California 92612; or you may email him at: edward@executivegolfermagazine.com.