DRIVER:Titleist 910D2 (7.5°) with a Mitsubishi Diamana Blue Board 63X shaft
FAIRWAY WOOD:TaylorMade Burner (13°) with a Mitsubishi Diamana Blue Board 63X shaft
HYBRID:Adams Idea Super XTD (17°) with a with a Mitsubishi Kuro Kage shaft
IRONS:Titleist 712 AP2 (4), 690MB (5-9) with True Temper Dynamic Gold shafts
WEDGES:Titleist Vokey Design SM4 (49°, 53°, 57°, 60°) with True Temper Dynamic Gold shafts
PUTTER: Scotty Cameron for Titleist Select GoLo
BALL:Titleist Pro V1x

See-Try-Buy: Learn more about TaylorMade clubs, and schedule your fitting with GolfTEC or Golfsmith.

Photos: See unique details from the pros' bags

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(Photo by David Dusek)

DRIVER: TaylorMade R11 (9°) with a Matrix Ozik shaft
FAIRWAY WOODS: Tour Edge Exotics CB4 (13°) with a Mitsubishi Diamana Blue Board 73X shaft
HYBRID: Adams Idea a12 Proto (20°) with a NVentix Nunchuk GH 2660 shaft
IRONS: Bridgestone J40 Cavity Back (4-PW) Aerotech SteelFiber i95 Constant Weight shafts
WEDGES: Bridgestone J40 (52°, 56°) with a  True Temper X100 shafts; Titleist Vokey Design Spin Milled (60°) with True Temper DG Spinner shafts
PUTTER: Odyssey White Hot XG Rossie
BALL: Bridgestone Tour B330 

See-Try-Buy: Learn more about Bridgestone, Odyssey and TaylorMade, and Titleist clubs and schedule your fitting with GolfTEC or Golfsmith.

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(Photo by David Dusek)

At the majors, TaylorMade's staff players are presented with new bags, hats, and accessories that are adorned with a commemorative logo. I always ask players what the various components of the logo mean, but they usually have no idea. Below is the logo you'll see on the bags of players such as Justin Rose, Darren Clarke and Dustin Johnson this week, along with its hidden meanings.

There is a violet on the top of the crown at the top of the logo. It represents Violet Talbot, who, being a close friend of Her Majesty Queen Mary, was able to help the course obtain its royal designation in 1926.

The 10 beads adorning each side of the crown symbolize the 10 previous British Opens that have been played at Royal Lytham and St. Annes. The three stars at the base of the crown are from the Clifton family's coat of arms. Several members of the Clifton family have been presidents of the club and Lady Eleanor Cecily Clifton donated a gold medal in 1889 to be presented each year to the club champion.

The red banner running through the logo represents the Challenge Belt, the original prize for winning the British Open until it was given permanently to three-time champion Young Tom Morris in 1870.

The main image within the logo is the Lytham Windmill, and the life preserver in the center of the windmill represents the Royal National Lifeboat Institution of St. Anne’s. It was founded in 1824 and according to TaylorMade, the lifeboats have saved more than 137,000 lives through November 2006.

The windmill’s three windows in the windmill  represent the first hole of Royal Lytham and St. Anne’s, the only par-3 opening hole among the courses in the British Open rota.

The TL at the base of the windmill stands for Tom Lehman, who won the tournament at Royal Lytham and St. Anne’s in 1996.

See-Try-Buy: Learn more about TaylorMade clubs, and schedule your fitting with GolfTEC or Golfsmith.

Photos: See unique details from the pros' bags

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At each major championship, TaylorMade designs a new, symbol-filled logo to put on its staff players' bags, hats and accessories. Here's what the company's designers created for this year's U.S. Open.

The "OFF THE AIR" and microphone, along with the "JF" and "55" at the top of the logo, all refer to Jack Fleck's upset of Ben Hogan at the 1955 U.S. Open at Olympic. NBC televised the tournament but signed off with Hogan, the four-time champion, in the clubhouse. While NBC switched to other programming, assuming Hogan had won, Fleck birdied the final hole and won an 18-hole playoff the next day.

The gold medal in the center of the logo pays homage to Olympic's status as the oldest athletic club in the United States. It was founded in 1861, and several of its members have competed in the Olympic Games.

In the background of the logo you can see the red cables and beams of the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, which is now 75 years old and visible from several locations on the course. 

"Daly City" references the club's actual location, straddling the borders of the city of San Francisco and Daly City, Calif.

The four stars represent the four previous U.S. Opens that have been contested at the Olympic Club -- 1955, 1966, 1987 and 1998.

Finally, the "5" in pinstripes is for Joe DiMaggio. The Yankees' Hall of Fame center fielder and former Olympic Club member was born 25 miles north of this year's U.S. Open site in Martinez, Calif.

Related Gallery: Unique details from pros' bags

See-Try-Buy: Learn more about TaylorMade gear and schedule your fitting with GolfTEC or Golfsmith.

Dustin Johnson (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

DRIVER: TaylorMade R11S (10.5°) with a Motore F1 2.0 shaft
FAIRWAY WOODS: TaylorMade RocketBallz Tour (17.5°), R9 (19°)with an Aldila RIP 90X shafts
IRONS: TaylorMade Tour Preferred Forged MB (3-PW) with True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 shafts
WEDGES: TaylorMade TP w/xFT (54°, 60°) with KBS Back Nickel shafts 
PUTTER: Scotty Cameron Newport 2 prototype
BALL: TaylorMade Penta TP5

See-Try-Buy: Learn more about TaylorMade and Titleist clubs, and schedule your fitting with GolfTEC or Golfsmith.

Photos: See unique details from the pros' bags

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"I'm using the new irons. They've got technology, a bigger sweet spot, and tey look good." — Luke Donald

DRIVER: TaylorMade RocketBallz (9.5) with an Accra XC 65 X shaft
FAIRWAY WOOD: TaylorMade RocketBallz (15) with an Accra XC 75 X shaft
HYBRID: Mizuno CLK FliHi (17) with an Aldila NV 85 X shaft
IRONS: Mizuno MP-59 (3-PW) with True Temper Dynamic Gold S300 shafts
WEDGES: Mizuno MP T-11 (54, 60) with True Temper Dynamic Gold Spinner shafts
PUTTER: Odyssey White Hot XG #7
BALL: Titleist Pro V1x

See-Try-Buy: Learn more about Mizuno, Odyssey, TaylorMade and Titleist gear, and schedule your fitting with GolfTEC or Golfsmith.

(Photo by Fred Vuich/SI)

"I always start with the sound [when picking clubs]. Sound gives a lot of feedback on how a club feels." — Camilo Villegas

DRIVER: TaylorMade RocketBallz Tour (10.5°) with a Matrix Ozik TP7 XX shaft
FAIRWAY WOODS: TaylorMade RocketBallz (15°, 18°) with Matrix Code 8 X shafts
HYBRID: TaylorMade Rescue (23.5°) with a True Temper Project X 6.0 shaft
IRONS: TaylorMade RBZ Milled (5-PW) with True Temper Project X 7.0 shafts
WEDGES: TaylorMade TP w/xFT (54°, 58°, 60°) with True Temper Project X 7.0 shafts
PUTTER: TaylorMade Ghost Spider
BALL: TaylorMade Penta TP5

See-Try-Buy: Learn more about TaylorMade clubs and schedule your fitting with GolfTEC or Golfsmith.

(Photo by Fred Vuich/SI)

DRIVER: Bridgestone J40 (9.5°) with a Graphite Design DJ-6X shaft
FAIRWAY WOODS: TaylorMade Burner (14.5°) with a Mitsubishi Diamana Blueboard 73X shaft
HYBRIDS: Ping i15 (20°, 23°) with Matrix Ozik Program 95 shafts
IRONS: Bridgestone J40 Cavity Back (5-PW) with SteelFiber i95 Constant Weight S shafts
WEDGES: Bridgestone J40 (52°, 60°) and Titleist Vokey Design Spin Milled (62°) with True Temper Dynamic Gold S400 shafts
PUTTERS: Rife Barbados Belly
BALL: Bridgestone Tour B330-S

See-Try-Buy: Learn more about Bridgestone, TaylorMade and Titleist clubs and schedule your fitting with GolfTEC or Golfsmith.

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(Photo by Carlos M. Saavedra/SI)

DRIVER: Nike VR Pro STR8-FIT (11.5°) with a Mitsubishi Fubuki Alpha shaft
FAIRWAY WOOD: TaylorMade Burner (14.5°) with a Mitsubishi Fubuki Alpa 70 X shaft
HYBRIDS:  Nike VR Pro (21°) with a UST Mamiya ATTAS 85 Hyrbid shaft
IRONS: Nike VR_S Forged (4), VR Pro Combo (5-PW) with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue shafts
WEDGES: Nike VR Pro Forged (49°, 55°, 60°) with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue shafts
PUTTER: Nike Method prototype belly putter
BALL: Nike 20XI S

See-Try-Buy: Learn more about Nike and TaylorMade clubs and schedule your fitting with GolfTEC or Golfsmith.

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(Photo by David Dusek)

DRIVER: Bridgestone J40 (9.5°) with a Graphite Design DJ-6X shaft
FAIRWAY WOODS: TaylorMade Burner (14.5°) with a Mitsubishi Diamana Blueboard 73X shaft
HYBRIDS: Ping i15 (20°, 23°) with Matrix Ozik Program 95 shafts
IRONS: Bridgestone J40 Cavity Back (5-PW) with SteelFiber i95 Constant Weight S shafts
WEDGES: Bridgestone J40 (52°, 60°) and Titleist Vokey Design Spin Milled (62°) with True Temper Dynamic Gold S400 shafts
PUTTERS: Rife Barbados Belly
BALL: Bridgestone Tour B330-S

See-Try-Buy: Learn more about Bridgestone, TaylorMade and Titleist clubs and schedule your fitting with GolfTEC or Golfsmith.

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(Photo by Robert Beck/SI)

In the days leading up to the Masters, with tulips blooming in a White House garden and spring bathing Washington, D.C., in sunshine, President Barack Obama, like so many other golfers, couldn't resist dusting off his clubs.

Being a gear nerd, I couldn't help spending a few moments studying the equipment the most powerful man on the planet packs in his bag, which you'll notice has an embroidered presidential seal and "44" on it.

The first thing I noticed was the number of clubs in this bag. I counted 17. If you'd like to be the person who tells the commander in chief that the Rules of Golf only allow 14 clubs, be my guest.

The president also appears to be a lover of lumber, carrying not only a TaylorMade R11 driver, but also a Nike Dymo 3-wood and what appear to be three Nike SQ Sumo² hybrids.

Nike's VR Full Cavity irons are a solid choice for a mid- to high-handicap player who is looking for distance and forgiveness. It's also interesting that Obama has two putters—a Ping Redwood Anser with a black satain finish (stamped with his name on the neck) and what appears to be an Odyssey White Ice #1 —but does not appear to be carrying a sand wedge or lob wedge.

Phil Mickelson, Bubba Watson and U.S. Ryder Cup captain Davis Love gave the president golf clubs last summer along with a personal invitation to the 2012 Ryder Cup in Chicago, but none of those clubs appeared to be in his bag.

When Watson received a congratulatory call from Obama on Tuesday, he asked to play basketball with the president, not golf. Maybe Obama should see if the new Masters champ is interested in a round at Augusta National instead. We hear it sets up great for lefties who play a fade.

See-Try-Buy: Learn more about Nike, Odyssey and TaylorMade clubs and schedule your fitting with GolfTEC or Golfsmith.

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DRIVER: Ping Rapture V2 (9°) with a Project X Black 6B7 shaft
FAIRWAY WOOD: TaylorMade Rocketballz Tour (17.7°, 19°) with Project X 6B7 shafts
IRONS: PING S56 (3-9) with True Temper X100 shafts
WEDGES: PING Tour S (47°, 54°) Tour-S TS (60°) with True Temper X100 shafts
PUTTER: PING Scottsdale ZB
BALL: Titleist Pro V1x

See-Try-Buy: Learn more about Ping and TaylorMade clubs, and schedule your fitting with GolfTEC or Golfsmith.

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(Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

DRIVER: TaylorMade R11S (8°) with an ACCRA Tour Z shaft
FAIRWAY WOOD: TaylorMade Burner Superfast 2.0 (13.5°) with a Mitsubishi Diamana Kai'li 80 X shaft
HYBRID: TaylorMade Rescue (18°) with an Aldila NV 105 Hybrid shaft
IRONS: TaylorMade Tour Preferred MB (4-PW) with KBS C-Taper shafts
WEDGES: Titleist Vokey Design SM4 (52°, 56°, 60°) with True Temper Dynamic Gold Spinner shafts
PUTTER: TaylorMadeGhost Itsy Bitsy Spider
BALL: TaylorMade Penta TP 5

See-Try-Buy: Learn more about TaylorMade and Titleist clubs and schedule your fitting with GolfTEC or Golfsmith.

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(Photo by Mike Segar/Reuters)

The parent company of TaylorMade-adidas, the adidas Group, announced on Monday morning that it has agreed to aquire all of the outstanding shares of Adams Golf at $10.80 per share. The total price for the purchase of the Plano, Texas, company will be approximately $70 million.

In a statement, Herbert Hainer, CEO of the adidas Group, said, "This acquisition reflects our commitment to continued growth in the golf category. The proposed combination of Adams Golf and TaylorMade-adidas Golf brings together two highly complementary sets of brands, combining Adams' focus on game-improvement as well as senior and women golfers with TaylorMade-adidas Golf’s focus on the younger and the low-to-mid handicap golfer."

Adams is best known to golfers as one of the leading brands of hybrid golf clubs and hybrid-iron sets designed for higher-handicap golfers.

According to the statement released by TaylorMade, the company plans to keep Adams in its current Texas headquarters.

In the statement, Barney Adams, interim CEO of Adams, said, "This merger provides strong opportunities for our employees, suppliers and partners. The Adams Golf brand will fit nicely into TaylorMade-adidas Golf's stable of brands, and together we will be able to increase our reach and better serve our customers by leveraging a wider set of resources."

"We are very excited to team up with Adams Golf, whose management team we have respected for many years," commented Mark King, president and CEO of TaylorMade-adidas. "Our mission is to be the best golf company in the world across all geographies, products and customer demographics, and adding Adams Golf is another important step in achieving that goal."

The board of directors of Adams has unanimously approved the transaction, but TaylorMade said the deal is subject to regulatory approval and hopes to have it completed by mid-2012.

See-Try-Buy: Learn more about Adams and TaylorMade gear, and schedule your fitting with GolfTEC or Golfsmith.

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DRIVER: TaylorMade R11 (8.0°) with a True Temper Project X 7.0 shaft
FAIRWAY WOOD: TaylorMade RocketBallz (15°) with a True Temper Project X 7.0 shaft
HYBRID: TaylorMade Rescue (19°) with a KBS FST Hybrid shaft
IRONS: TaylorMade Forged Tour Preferred MB (4-PW) with KBS Tour C-Taper shafts
WEDGES: TaylorMade ATV (52°, 56°) Cleveland 588 (60°) with KBS Tour C-Taper shafts
PUTTER: TaylorMade Ghost Tour Corza
BALL: TaylorMade Penta TP5

See-Try-Buy: Learn more about TaylorMade clubs and schedule your fitting with GolfTEC or Golfsmith.

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(Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)