THE WOMAN BEHIND THE SOLHEIM CUP: BEFORE THE RIVALRY, THERE WAS LOUISE

Solidarity, Support and Sisterhood – it’s our time.

When International Women’s Day comes around, there is often a temptation to write about what has not yet been achieved, and how far we still have yet to go: the recent Winter Olympic controversy between the USA Men and Women’s Ice hockey teams providing a far too prime example of such a topic.

However, at its heart, today is a day for celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women, globally.

So, while it remains apposite to note where we must continue to speak out and challenge those all too common perceptions that unwittingly follow women’s sport, let us also ensure we take this time to applaud those who have paved the way ahead of what is set to be the biggest and best event in women’s golf.

With only six months to go now until the 20th edition of the Solheim Cup, where 24 of the best golfers from Europe and the U.S. go head-to-head, what better way to mark International Women’s Day than by diving into one of its most trailblazing figures, Louise Solheim.

Wife of PING founder Karsten Solheim, Louise. Louise was described in a Go Norway article as “the woman who convinced (Karsten) to turn his golf club business into his career and then worked by his side to help turn it into one of the most successful companies in the history of the game.”

Put simply by her own granddaughter, without Louise “the PING Company would probably not be here today,” and by extension, neither would the Solheim Cup.

Louise’s early career saw her working with Convair (now General Dynamics), holding the title of ‘Computer’. She also took positions as a Statistical Technician and as an assistant for John Conlan, a two-term State Senator for Arizona, before happily supporting her husband.

But Louise was far more than just a supportive presence in the background for Karsten. She was a sharp businesswoman, a trusted partner in the company’s evolution and held a steady hand in shaping its legacy.

Louise held multiple roles within the family business, bringing her intelligence, grace and humility that would leave a lasting imprint on, not just PING, but on the world of golf.

With their success in equipment manufacturing, they turned to how they could make an impact on the game of golf. Having felt that men’s tours were doing well, it was the women who Louise and her husband felt needed to gain more recognition for their golf talent and so they began their sponsorship of female events in 1975, sponsoring the LPGA’s Karsten-PING Open held in Phoenix, and three other LPGA events on the schedule in the coming years. 

But, it was the sponsoring of the new ‘Ryder Cup-like’ competition for women in 1990 that really put both Karsten and Louise’s name on the map.

Supporting the Solheim Cup - and creating a stage worthy of the world’s best female golfers - was an “easy” decision, according to Louise’s granddaughter, Stacey Pauwels (Executive VP, PING).

More than backing an event, PING and the Solheim family helped build a movement, one that is giving women’s golf a global platform equal in stature, passion and prestige to the men’s game, which hasbenefited from such a stage for 67 years prior.

Through the Solheim Cup, generations of players have been showcased at the highest level, competing with pride, intensity and visibility that has redefined perceptions of women’s sport. What began as belief in equality of opportunity has become one of the most powerful and symbolic stages in global golf - elevating not only the athletes who compete, but the future of the women’s game itself.

This year, we celebrate the 20th edition of this remarkable event with the U.S. Captain Angela Stanford and Team Europe’s Captain Anna Nordqvist ready to boast to the rest of the world what their teams will be able to achieve.

The stage is set for it to be the biggest and best Solheim Cup yet and while we marvel at the exquisite drives, chips and pitches let us not forget the humbling beginnings of the young girl born in 1918 in Spokane, Washington, who helped nurture and educate the world of sport to prove that women’s golf deserved the platform it is now being able to enjoy.