Solheim began PING golf as a garage business in 1959. His frustration during the game of golf resulted from his difficulty putting with the equipment of the era. The engineer from General Electric invented a new putter in his garage known as the "PING 1A". Instead of attaching the shaft at the heel of the blade, he attached it in the center. He applied scientific principles to golf club design, which had previously been based largely on trial and error, transferring much of the weight of the club head to the perimeter.