Louise Crozier Solheim
1918-2017
Louise Crozier Solheim was the wife of the late Karsten Solheim and was instrumental in building the
golf club manufacturer PING (Karsten Manufacturing Corporation) as well as The Solheim Cup – the biennial female team event between Europe and the United States.
Highlights
- She is credited with naming one of the most famous of all Karsten’s putters, the Anser.
- Louise prepared the company’s early legal contracts by studying other similar contracts and enrolled in a Seminar on Foreign Trade at Arizona State University so she could process customer orders
- Louise served on the Arizona District Export Council for six years from 1978 to 1984 and was the first woman to serve on the council.
- In 1992, Louise received an Honorary Doctor of Science degree from Arizona State University: one of her prized honours because Louise always wanted to go to college and get her degree. Circumstances curtailed her wish to attend the University of Washington where she enrolled at the age of 17.
- A gracious and always tactful woman, she dined with numerous dignitaries and elected officials and visited the Oval Office of the White House with the victorious 1994 Solheim Cup Team. She has always been a true ambassador of golf for the state of Arizona.
- Louise and Karsten were recipients of the LPGA Tour Commissioner’s Award. This award is presented to a person who has contributed uniquely to the LPGA and its members and who has furthered the cause of women’s golf.
- In 2001, Louise was recognised, by the Standard Register PING Board of Governors, who voted her the recipient of the Linda Vollstedt Award for Service and Leadership in Women’s Sports.
- In 2003, Louise was the recipient of the very rare Distinguished Service Award from the Swedish Golf Federation. It is the highest award within the Federation and has only been presented twice before in the SGF’s 100-year history.
- In 2004, at a civic luncheon, the Arizona Board of Regents honoured Louise with the Regents Award for Outstanding Service to Higher Education.
- Louise passed away on 8th July 2017, at the age of 99.
Helena Alterby Nordström
In 2016, Helena Alterby Nordström accepted Honorary Membership of the Ladies European Tour in recognition of her commitment and service to the organisation.
The Swede earned Full Membership of the Ladies European Tour in 2003 and played on Tour for four years from 2004. She was elected to join the Board of Directors in 2007 and became Vice Chairman in 2010, before holding the role of Chairman from September 2013 until December 2016, alongside her role as a banker.
Highlights
- Having turned professional as a golfer in 2002, Helena was inspired to join the LET after attending The 2003 Solheim Cup at Barsebäck in her native Sweden, when she decided that she could hit the ball just as well as the competitors! Her career as a banker also started at the golf course, after she made contact with SEB at The 2007 Solheim Cup in Halmstad, Sweden.
- During her 10-year service, Helena was involved in developing the Ladies European Tour into a global sport organisation spanning five continents. As a Member of the Board of Directors, she was directly involved in the successful staging of five Solheim Cups, as well as the impressive bidding process for The 2019 Solheim Cup, won by Scotland.
- Helena became the second Honorary Member of the LET, joining Louise Solheim, who was bestowed Honorary Membership in September 2011 in recognition of her contribution to the Tour as a founder of The Solheim Cup, professional golf’s international match play competition for women.
Roland Specker
German businessman Roland Specker accepted Honorary Membership of the LET after nearly 12 years of service as a Non-Executive Director on the Board of Directors.
Specker, who built and sold a successful investment counselling and property business, joined the LET Board in December 2004 and he was involved in major strategic decision making.
Highlights
- Specker studied Economic Sciences in Berlin and as a student, in 1969, he founded his own company, which he successfully sold in 1990.
- Free from business obligations, he supported a variety of art and culture projects. He was responsible for gaining permission from the German Parliament and realising the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Wrapped Reichstag art project in Berlin 1971-1995.
- For 10 years from 1999 until 2009, he was president of the prestigious and oldest golf club in Germany: Golf-und Land-Club Berlin-Wannsee.
- His connections to the golf scene in Germany helped to bring The 2015 Solheim Cup to Golf Club St. Leon-Rot.
- A keen golfer with a 5 handicap, he is a six-time winner of the German Senior Team Championships.
- He married his wife, Renate, in 1973 and the couple have two daughters, two sons-in-law and four grandchildren. They live in Berlin and Mallorca.
