TaylorMade has been designing unique logos to adorn the bags and hats of staff players who compete in major championships for years. Here are the secret meanings of the company's 2010 U.S. Open logo:
The '8' in the middle of the logo represents the layout of Pebble Beach Golf Links, which coils over and around the rocky shores of the Pacific Ocean in a path that looks like an eight.
The clam shell at the bottom symbolizes the annual Clam Bake hosted by Bing Crosby that eventually became the PGA Tour's AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.
The center of the design features the grill from a 1936 Duesenberg, a classic American car. Each year on the third Sunday of August, along the Pebble Beach's 18th fairway, the resort hosts the Concourse d'Elegance, a vintage car and motorcycle competition.
The angel-shaped hood ornament with a flame in the center represents the Lone Cypress Guardian Angel. In 1984, the famous 'Lone Cypress,' a 200-hundred year old tree that sat solemnly atop a rock on the Monterey, caught fire. A woman living nearby noticed the blaze, alerted Pebble Beach Security and the tree, was saved.
Under the car's grill and the angel is a wall—similar to the seawall that runs alongside the 18th fairway and green. It's that made from five stones which represent the five U.S. Opens that Pebble Beach has hosted (1972, 1982, 1992, 2000, 2010).
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Titleist staff players who use a Scotty Cameron putter are getting a gift at this year's U.S. Open. Once again, Cameron has designed a special headcover for the pros, as well as members of clubcameron.com. This one was in the bag of Jason Dufner.
See-Try-Buy: Learn more about Titleistclubs, and schedule your fitting with GolfTEC.
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — During the Waste Management Phoenix Open in February, several Ping staff players had a chance to see and try clubs the company plans to release later this year.
Hunter Mahan liked the company's yet-to-be-released S56 irons so much he said that he'd put them in his bag that week. Unfortunately, the S56 irons hadn't been approved for play by the USGA at that time, and Ping was not ready to release the clubs to the world, so Mahan (who won that week at TPC Scottsdale) and other Ping pros had to wait ... until now.
Ping brought several sets of S56 irons to Pebble Beach this week; the clubs are an updated-version of Mahan's beloved Ping S57 irons and feature several of the same design features.
The S56 irons have a compact head, minimal offset and only a touch of perimeter weighting. A weight cartridge nestled behind the face absorbs vibrations and allows Ping to adjust the swing weight of each club to match a golfer's preferences.
And like the S57, the S56 irons also feature a tungsten weight in the toe area to extend the sweet spot that direction. To help maintain balance, Ping lengthened the hosel of the S56 (thereby adding weight to the heel area), which also broadens the sweet spot in that direction too. The result is a slightly more forgiving blade that will still allow better golfers to carve and shape their shots.
According to Matt Rollins, a PGA Tour rep for Ping golf, the sole of the S56 has been designed to work more effectively through the turf -- a feature that tour players who hit the irons in February all noticed and liked.
Don't look for the S56 to add yards to your game. Like other iron sets designed with accomplished players in mind, they were built with an emphasis on consistency and accuracy instead of power.
Look for the clubs to arrive in pro shops in mid-September for a cost of $127 per club.
See-Try-Buy: Learn more about Pingclubs, and schedule your fitting with GolfTEC.
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Dustin Johnson has won the last two PGA Tour events played at Pebble Beach Golf Links. I had a chance to chat with him for a few minutes on Monday, and I asked him about his equipment plans for this week.
Companies will be handing out plenty of schwag to staff players competing at the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.
Adidas will be presenting a pair of limited edition Tour360 4.0 golf shoes to players like Sean O’Hair, Kenny Perry, Dustin Johnson, and 2003 U.S. Open winner Jim Furyk. The white shoes with blue and red trim feature an American flag on the rear quarter and the company's THiNTech low-profile technology. You can read more about the shoes here.
Only 3,500 pairs will be produced, but if you'd like one, mark July 12th on your calendar. That day, 300 pairs will be made available at shop.adidasgolf.com for $180.
