May 1st, 2023 – Surely other golf club manufacturers have processes as good and similar as this one, but as the video reflects, it becomes clear that PING’s way of producing custom-built clubs guarantees perfection.

It all starts with a work order. From the unique PING loft and lie process to the fascinating laser-aligned grip application, this video take us through every step inside the company’s factory in Phoenix, Arizona (USA) – just like happens at its European headquarters in Gainsborough, England -, discovering the unparalleled level of craftsmanship that goes into every custom-built golf club of the brand.

PING’s long-held reputation for delivering the highest quality golf equipment can be traced to the early days of the company in the garage of its founder Karsten Solheim. It was there where he began his quest to raise the standards for the way golf clubs were made. A true craftsman dating back to his days as a shoe repairman during the Great Depression, Karsten employed new manufacturing methods and sought the best materials to bring golfers a level of performance from their equipment never seen before. He soon developed his own processes even making his own machinery to assemble and calibrate every PING Club to his precise and exacting standards.

His insistence on adhering to this approach eventually helped him earn induction into the World Hall of Fame. The only club engineer and manufacturer so honored.

Today that commitment carries on every day at the company’s 50-plus acre facility in Phoenix Arizona, where hundreds of loyal and highly skilled club builders come to work dedicated to custom building PING clubs for golfers all over the world. Many of them with more than 30 years of experience.

Every PING driver, fairway wood, hybrid, iron, wedge and putter is carefully assembled and calibrated to precise specifications. It’s a well-orchestrated process. No detail is overlooked, as every worker plays the role of Quality Inspector, to ensure the absolute accuracy of every specification.

As we said, it all starts with a work order which includes all the pertinent information for the individual club or set of clubs. It serves as the instructions for the club builder at every station in the process and assigns a serial number to the clubs which id recorded in the company’s database, allowing PING to easily reference the club specifications in the future should a golfer need a replacement or want to add a club to the set built to the same specifications.

When that order reaches the production floor, it begins a journey which includes multiple steps. Passing through the hands of more than 20 craftsmen before it is ready for shipment, the work order is scanned prior to each operation before moving down the line.

Custom building an iron set or wedges involves the most steps, including a stop at the all-important digital loft and lie edge, where irons and wedges are calibrated to their specific color code, as determined in the custom fitting session. Before it arrives there, the set is shafted using high strength epoxy while being properly seated into the hustle.

A brief startup in the oven accelerates the curing time of the epoxy to keep the process moving at an efficient pace. At arrival to the Loft and Lie station, the work order is scanned, sending virtual instructions to the digital gauge, which houses a small camera for reading the grooves of the club to measure the Loft and Lie. From there, a series of adjustments are made by bending the heat-treated heads until the proper loft and lie angles are achieved.

Importantly, the digital gauge is programmed to allow the worker to move on to the next club only after the current one is properly calibrated further, ensuring quality and precision in every club that leaves the factory floor. The clubs are then custom built to length using an automated saw to trim every club to its prescribed length. Note the set remains together for the entire process. At no time as the set separated throughout its journey.

The clubs will then grip using a fascinating process where double-sided tape is expertly applied by twirling the club on a spindle with amazing accuracy. This is always a favorite stop on factory tours as visitors marvel at the unique process. The tape is then lubricated and the proper grip type and size also determined in the fitting process is slid on and squared up using a laser light.

Next stop is the waiting process where the clubs are calibrated and balanced for the swing weight. Depending on the iron or wedge model, each club is weighed and assigned specific toe and shaft weightsto achieve the desired swing weight.

At this point the set is fully assembled and calibrated, leaving only some final cleanups and finishing details before it is boxed, and ready for shipping. It then moves to the shipping area, where an automated conveyor system labels and sorts the boxes before sending the package on its final step in the journey, eventually into the hands of a grateful golfer.

Metal woods and putters are custom built using similar processes and receive the same attention to detail as irons and wedges, to ensure consistent performance throughout the bag. In the case of metal woods, each head undergoes a multi-part inspection process to ensure they deliver every yard of performance engineered into them.

It’s clear Karsten Solheim knew the value that came with building one club at a time, and recognized every golfer was different. He put a premium on quality and built the foundation of his company around the idea that clubs made with care and consistency using the best materials give golfers the best chance of success.

He went on to instill that belief in his employees creating a culture of pride and satisfaction, knowing their work made a difference in someone’s golf game. He also knew his loyal employees made the biggest difference. He knew the human touch was the best way to make PING golfclubs one of a kind.

Por REDACCIÓN