Anser

The Ping Anser sits at the root of the slug this entry carries, "ping-and-various-copycat-manufacturers-anser," a name that tells you plainly how much of the putter world traces back to this one head. Paulhurrion.com credits the design to Karsten Solheim, with a patent dated 1967 and, by that same account, an expiry in 1984, a window that lines up with how widely the shape was picked up and reworked once it lapsed.

On performance, the record we hold leans on the same source: paulhurrion.com lists George Archer's 1969 Masters as the putter's notable win. That's the extent of what's on file for this release, a designer credit, a patent date, an expiry, and a tournament win, all from the one outlet, none of it verified beyond that reporting.

Against the rest of the Anser line, this is the putter everything else measures itself by, including, per our other entries, Ping's own later Redwood-era return to a non-insert Anser head. What's held here is thin but load-bearing: a name, a year, and a major win, attributed to paulhurrion.com and not independently confirmed.