By Leonard Finkel
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Anser putter, PING introduced a limited-edition version of the iconic model made from the original molds, assembled with components made in the U.S. and supplied by the vendors used in 1966. Each putter’s sole is also hand ground by PING Chairman & CEO John Solheim, just as he did 50 years ago in his family’s garage.
The limited-edition high-tensile manganese bronze putters come in a commemorative presentation box with a leather putter cover and a certificate of authenticity personally signed by John Solheim.
The original concept for the Anser putter was sketched on a 78-rpm record sleeve by PING founder Karsten Solheim in early 1966 and was patented the following year. The name was inspired by his desire to find an “answer” to the popular putter at the time. His wife, Louise, suggested he call it “Answer” but Karsten was concerned it was too long to fit on the toe. She told him to leave out the “w” and the rest is history. It went on to become the winningest putter model in golf, with more than 500 tour titles to its credit, including 19 men’s major championships.
The limited-edition model is sand-cast using both of the original tools (one machined by Karsten and one by his son, Allan) at East Bay Brass Foundry, the Richmond, Calif., company that also sand-cast the original Anser. True Temper (Emory, Miss.) supplied the high-step shaft, and Golf Pride (Southern Pines, N.C., now a division of Eaton Corp.) molded the PING PP58 grip, both of which were designs used in the original model. 3M (St. Paul, Minn.), which supplied the grip tape in 1966, is the manufacturer of the grip tape in the new model.
The limited-edition Anser is finished and assembled at PING’s headquarters in Phoenix. Tungsten heel and toe weights are inserted and precisely milled with other key surfaces in the company’s machine shop. Solheim is hand grinding the sole of every head before they are lightly tumbled and aged prior to assembly.
“Most people don’t realize the amount of hand work that went into the original Anser putters 50 years ago,” added Solheim. “The radiuses on both of the hand-machined tools were finished with a file and sandpaper by Karsten. I built most of the original Ansers in the garage, starting with machining and grinding the raw castings and continuing on through final assembly. My brother Allan machined the second mold, which is slightly different and often referred to as the ‘slope-side’ mold. We wanted to bring that hand crafted approach back as part of the Anser’s 50-year celebration and its remarkable contribution to golf.”
PING will produce and serialize 1,550 right-handed 50th anniversary Ansers, 775 from each mold. The putters will be distinguished by either a “K” (Karsten’s mold) or “A” (Allan’s mold) in the serial number on the inside of the hosel. Left-handed models are also available.
Leonard Finkel is the author of The Secrets to the Game of Golf & Life and former editor in chief of Golf Journeys Magazine. His work has been featured in almost 200 publications including Golf Magazine, Golf Digest, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Golf Illustrated, Golf Tips and Player Magazine. He has written more than a dozen cover stories for Golf Today Magazine. He has written extensively about golf and travel and has added poker to his writing repertoire. Finkel also works as a marketing and public relations consultant. His specialty niche is writing advertorial copy. Prior to his career in golf, Finkel owned a chain of retail stores and a consulting and import company based in Asia. He attended the University of Utah.