What Pros Play With Ping Golf Clubs?

By Matthew DeBord

Ping (usually spelled PING) has been in the golf club business since the late 1950s. Founded by Karsten Solheim, it became initially well-known for its unusual putters. Later, it brought a process called "investment casting" to the manufacture of irons, which allowed for much more forgiving designs than the forged, blade-style clubs that had been common before. Based in Arizona, Ping now manufactures a wide variety of clubs, bags and accessories; it competes with Titleist, Callaway and TaylorMade; and it has achieved a loyal following among both amateurs and professionals on the PGA, LPGA and Champions tours. Many players who no longer carry a full bag of Ping clubs keep one or two of the company's clubs on hand, mainly its sand wedges and, of course, its putters. Tiger Woods' current putter is made by Titleist/Scotty Cameron, but it's based on a Ping design that Woods used as an amateur. Tiger also still uses a Ping putter grip.

PGA Tour and European Tour Ping Players

Mark Calcavecchia has played on the PGA Tour since 1982, and in 1989 he won the British Open. Miguel Angle Jimenez is a Spanish player, nicknamed "The Mechanic" due to his love of fixing cars as a hobby, who has competed alongside fellow Spaniard Sergio Garcia in Davis Cup matches. Chris DiMarco joined the PGA Tour in the late 1990s and has finished second in both the Masters and the British Open. Hunter Mahan, Ryan Moore and Bubba Watson are all young players who have recently joined the PGA Tour. Lee Westwood is from England and plays mainly on the European Tour.

LPGA Tour Ping Players

Lorena Ochoa, from Mexico, is the number-one ranked woman player in the world. She has won two professional major championships, the Kraft Nabisco and the British Open when it was played for the first time at St. Andrews in Scotland in 2007. Pat Hurst is a veteran LPGA player who has won one major, the 1988 Kraft Nabisco Championship. Carin Koch is originally from Sweden and plays both in the U.S. and Europe. Angela Stanford and Wendy Ward are regular players on the LPGA Tour. Sherri Steinhauer has won the Women's British Open three times.

Champions Tour Ping Players

American Bob Gilder and Englishman Mark James compete on the Champions Tour. To be eligible, one must be 50 or over. James was captain of the European team for the Ryder Cup in 1999.

About The Author

Matthew DeBord has written about sports, cars, and wine since 1994 for a variety of publications. Formerly the golf columnist for the “Improper Hamptonian,” he has covered major championship tournaments and played some of the best courses in America. He graduated from Clemson University and has a master's degree from New York University.

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