By Jonathan Wall, PGATOUR.COM Equipment Insider

 Fujikura Limited Edition Majors Series FUEL shaft: Like a Sunday badge for the final round of the Masters, Fujikura's Majors Series FUEL shaft didn't last long. With only 125 made, the shaft sold out at select retailers in less than 20 minutes.

Each shaft is engraved with the production number (i.e. 1/125) and has a yellow and green paint scheme to celebrate the first major of the year. Dustin Johnson won the Hyundai Tournament of Champions with a Fujikura FUEL shaft in his TaylorMade R1 driver.

59belts 2013 Masters Limited Edition belt/buckle (Price: $159.59): 59bets owner Trevor Derrheim designs Major-inspired belts each season for the Masters and U.S. Open. Only 59 Masters buckles with "ANGC" were made this year. Rickie Fowler, Brian Gay, John Peterson and Stuart Appleby are among the notables that have worn a 59belts buckle on the PGA TOUR.

Augusta-inspired FootJoy MyJoys (Price: Varies): Available starting April 8 through FootJoy's MyJoys program, golfers will be able to order FooyJoy shoes in "Augusta-inspired," limited edition green tortoise printed leather. The hand-crafted leather is being offered on all men’s and women’s golf shoes available on the MyJoys website.

Adidas adizero Tour Limited Edition Masters shoe (Price: $179.99): Jason Day, Sergio Garcia and Michael Thompson will wear this shoe during the Masters. Adidas released the adizero Tour in a green colorway that features a green sole and laces.

Wilson Staff Limited Edition Major-inspired D-100 irons: Wilson only built 8 sets D-100 irons with green and yellow “Major-inspired” highlights instead of the traditional red. Five sets were given away via social media and account specific programs. The clubs specs are the exact same as the D-100 irons, but the limited edition set comes with yellow and green Matrix Studio 6.1 shafts and green Lamkin 3 GEN grips.

Callaway Golf Limited Edition Augusta hat (Price: $27): Callaway staffers will be wearing white and green limited edition hats at the Masters. The company also released a Limited Edition Masters Staff bag and Challenge coin, and as you can probably guess, both sold out in a hurry.

KENTWOOL Limited Edition Augusta sock (Price $19.95): KENTWOOL's yellow and green Augusta sock was worn by Bubba Watson during last year's Masters win. To commemorate the victory, KENTWOOL released the sock again this year after it sold out following Watson's victory. The 2012 Masters winner is expected to wear the Augusta sock again this week.

ECCO BIOM Hybrid (Price: $190): Golf’s first and only performance hybrid model, the green and white BIOM Hybrid will be worn by Fred Couples this week. The shoe has ECCO's patented Natural Motion and Golf Street outsole technologies.

Credit: KBS

By Jonathan Wall, PGATOUR.COM Equipment Insider

These days every every club in your bag can be customized to suit your game and style. From adjustable drivers and fairway woods to personalized wedges with hand-stamped initials and putters with unique paint fills, recreational golfers can feel like a pro without having to spend the hours grinding away on the range for a PGA TOUR card.

KBS, one of the top shaft manufacturers on the PGA TOUR, has now taken shaft customization to another level with the introduction of the KBS Custom Lab — a new service that allows golfers the opportunity to customize their own wedge shafts.

The KBS Custom Lab allows users to design their KBS wedge shaft with different paint finishes (White Pearl, Black Pearl and Silver Pearl), custom heat transfer decals (Signature Red, Arctic White, Orange Blaze, Pacific Blue and Green) and laser etching. KBS noted that even with the wide variety of custom shaft option, the add-ons increase the total weight of the shaft by less than 1g.

Shafts from the KBS Custom Lab can be purchased via KBSGolfShafts.com and cost $40.95 per shaft, plus an additional $9 for laser etching. KBS has already built over 4,000 custom shafts since the software launched less than a month ago.

Bud Cauley tweaked his driver last week in Houston. (Halleran/Getty Images)

By Jonathan Wall, PGATOUR.COM Equipment Insider

TaylorMade's Spider Blade putter made its debut at the Shell Houston Open with Fabian Gomez becoming the first to use it in competition on the PGA TOUR during the first round. 

The high-MOI style blade putter features a 130-gram counterbalanced grip that promotes stability and performance. Spider Blade was available for TOUR players in lengths of 36, 37 and 38 inches on the practice green at Redstone Golf Club. Like the rest of the Ghost Tour putter line, Spider Blade features a black True Roll insert and white leading edge that promotes consistent alignment. The putter is being touted as TaylorMade's most stable blade putter ever and will be available at retail in two models -- Spider Blade 12 (L-Neck) and Spider Blade 32 (Short Slant).

Spider Blade was first introduced as a wax model to players last year at the FedEx St. Jude Classic and received critical feedback from a number of TaylorMade staffers in the month leading up to its release at the Shell Houston Open, including Dustin Johnson, Sean O'Hair and Justin Rose. 

Rory McIlroy adds second VR_S Covert fairway wood: Rory McIlroy added a third VR_S Covert wood to the bag at the Shell Houston Open, swapping out the VR Pro Limited Edition 5-wood he opened the season with for a VR_S Covert version following a testing session early in the week. McIlroy noted the VR_S Covert's higher trajectory was a big reason for the switch.

In preparation for the Masters, McIlroy also put a new set of VR Pro wedges (54 and 60 degrees) with fresh grooves in play. Nike staffers Carl Pettersson (60-degree) and Russell Henley (60-degree) also received new VR Pro wedges. 

Louis Oosthuizen decides to go with familiar putter grip at the Masters: He didn't have the grip on his putter at the Shell Houston Open, but Louis Oosthuizen will swap out the PING midsize PP58 cord grip for a PING AVS PP58 grip. The reason for the switch? Oosthuizen likes the lighter AVS version on Augusta National's green and had success with it on his putter last year. 

Steve Wheatcroft games Adams Super Idea DHy: Steve Wheatcroft, who had to Monday quality to get in the Shell Houston Open field, became the latest to put Adams Golf's new Super Idea DHy driving hybrid in play. The 21-degree club allowed Wheatcroft to hit the ball high as well as keep it under the wind at blustery Redstone Golf Club. Adams made DHy and the Super 9031 Proto hybrid available to tour staffers for the first time in Houston. 

Hunter Mahan switches shafts in PING G25 3-wood: Less than a month Hunter Mahan swapped shafts in his PING G25 3-wood at the WGC-Cadillac Championship, he made another adjustment at the Shell Houston Open. Still searching for one that allowed him to turn the ball over, Mahan decided on an Aldila Tour Blue X shaft that was a little softer in the handle and produced the shot shape he was looking for.

Bud Cauley makes adjustment to Titleist 913D2 driver: Bud Cauley didn't change drivers in Houston; but he did make a necessary adjustment to his current Titleist 913D2 (7.5 degrees) gamer. 

Cauley felt he was hanging his drives out to the left, so the Titleist Tour team made an adjustment to his SureFit Tour hosel, moving it from B-1 to a neutral A-1 position. The tweak produced a tighter dispersion with a ball flight and launch that Cauley preferred. He finished the week T16, his best finish of the season.

Divots: Justin Hicks became the latest player to switch into TaylorMade's RBZ Stage 2 driver (9 degrees with a Fujikura Fuel X shaft). ... Bill Haas put a new UST VTS 100g shaft in his Titleist 913Hd hybrid, preferring the ball flight, tighter dispersion and distance with the new combination.

Lee Westwood turned his putter around after struggling last week at Bay Hill. (Halleran/Getty Images)

By Jonathan Wall, PGATOUR.COM Equipment Insider

Until last week, Lee Westwood had been using his Ping Scottsdale TR Anser 2B putter for training purposes. The 38-inch, mid-length model took a backseat at the beginning of the season to an adjustable-length Scottsdale TR Shea, but following a tie for 63rd at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard, Westwood decided to switch things up at the Shell Houston Open, putting the Anser 2B in the bag.

"It is about four inches longer than standard and you could use it as a belly putter," Westwood said after Thursday's round. "I've had it for a while, but it's just in the last couple of weeks I have felt comfortable enough to take it on the course. If you look at the putting green, a lot of the guys are using it."

Aside from being almost four inches longer than his previous putter, Westwood's Anser 2B has a 395-gram head and 155-gram belly grip, making it more of a counterbalanced model. The putter, which starts at 37.5 inches, could have been adjusted up to 46.5 inches, but Westwood decided to move it up only a 1/2 inch.

Westwood has worked with belly putters in the past but felt like the additional weight behind his hands and the heavier putter head — 40 grams more than the TR Shea putter — was more than enough to improve his putting stroke.

"It just helps me to swing the putter a bit easier," Westwood said. "I putted well today; I holed it from 18 feet on the second, 10 feet on the third, 20 feet on the fifth, 20 feet on the 14th and 18 feet on the 16th, so the putter is working well."

Westwood followed up Thursday's 4-under 68 with an even-par 72 on Friday and sits six shots back of the lead.

"Of course, some people need offset to keep from going right, while for others it encourages the ball to go too far left," Barr said. "The Straight-Necks are Miura's recognition that a well-designed, forged cavity back can help a lot of different kinds of golfers -- and everyone should have a chance to get that feel, no matter what their trajectory preferences are."

The suggested retail price for the K-Grind wedge starts at $275 per club; the suggested retail price for Straight-Neck Passing Point 9003 irons starts at $250 per club.

PING staffer Tom Lewis (left) confers with Matt Rollins on the range.

By Jonathan Wall, PGATOUR.COM Equipment Insider

LAST WEEK: Q&A with Paul Loegering, TaylorMade-adidas PGA TOUR manager

Matt Rollins is constantly on the go. PING's Senior PGA TOUR manager spent 39 weeks on the road last season overseeing PING's operations on the PGA TOUR and Web.com Tour.

Rollins said he's hoping to "cut back" to 35 events this year, but with names like Bubba Watson, Lee Westwood, Hunter Mahan and Louis Oosthuizen putting their trust in Rollins each week, he said there's always a chance that number could end up being closer to 39 events again.

Even with his hectic schedule, Rollins still found time to chat about life on tour, his friendship with Bubba Watson, and the pressure he faces to get equipment adjustments right.

You obviously have a lot on your plate each week when you're on the road. Give me a rundown of what you do when you step foot on the course Monday morning?

Matt Rollins: I'll usually fly in on Sunday, check in at the hotel and get situated. On Monday morning, Daniel [Udd], PING's master TOUR technician, and I will open up the truck, get a list of the tournament field and see which PING staffers are playing that week.

From there we'll pull PING hats for staffers, along with any equipment they may have requested over the weekend. We'll also start corresponding with the grip and shaft reps if we need anything, and meeting with players as they arrive.

On top of all that, you're posting pictures to Twitter and Facebook, fulfilling ticket requests, and also doing off-site stuff like setting up autograph signings like we did for Louis Oosthuizen during the WGC-Cadillac Championship.

Tuesday and Wednesday is more of the same as guys continue to arrive at the tournament. We're also working with players on the range testing new equipment if they want something in particular. The first three days before the tournament usually fly by.

What happens when after you leave the course on Wednesday evening? I'm assuming you head home to relax?

Matt Rollins: Actually, it's the exact opposite. I'm at the office (PING headquarters) by 8 a.m. on Thursday and usually spend the next couple of days meeting with engineers to discuss what's working and what needs to be changed, as well as testing what's coming out in, say, the next six months. We'll go over everything from the finish to if the club is too flat or upright, open or shut. 

Upper management wants to discuss what's going on each week, and on top of that, I have to book my own airfare, hotel, rental car, fill out my expense report, make dinner ... and find time to go to my kid's baseball game. Needless to say, I'm always busy.

I've heard you and Bubba Watson have a great relationship. Are you really the only guy who's allowed to work on his clubs?

Matt Rollins: To an extent. We've worked together since 2002 and he trusts what I do. As far as putting the clubs together, Daniel actually builds them; I just make sure the grips are on as they should be. I know what he's looking for.

Through our relationship, he's trusted that if I say it's good, he doesn't doubt it, which is nice. But that kind of trust has been earned.

Going back to the trust players put in you for a moment, do you feel extra pressure to get it right when you suggest an equipment adjustment and the player takes your advice?

Matt Rollins: Definitely. There's a reason Lee Westwood trusts me — it's because we have history and he trusts what I've done in the past.

Here's an example: I got a text from Hunter Mahan a couple days ago and he told me he needed a 3-wood that goes a little more left with less spin. He didn't say what shaft, loft or head he needed. To read within the text, he basically told me that I knew what I was doing and to make it happen. I keep saying it, but trust is huge out here.

If you suggest a couple different driver options early in the week and one of them goes in the bag, you're constantly checking driving stats for the rest of the week.

I'll never call a player Thursday-Sunday during the week, but I'll usually text the caddie to see how the new driver or 3-wood is performing.

Is there also pressure to make sure players are using the newest equipment PING has out on the market?

Matt Rollins: That's the other part of the equation. We obviously want PING staffers to feel comfortable with what they have in the bag, but we're in this business to sell clubs as well.

It's tough to promote a win if the player's using a club that's five years old. But then again, there's a fine line between trying to get a guy to play the latest stuff, and making sure they feel confident with the clubs they have in the bag.

You always want your guys to feel confident when they step on the tee. If that happens to be with clubs from a couple years ago, so be it. It all boils down to never wanting to lose the trust of a player out here.

The most important part of Hunter Mahan's bag? He keeps special attention to his pair of wedges.

Photo: Miralle/Getty Images

The Equipment Report will spotlight specific products throughout the course of this season. This week's Product Spotlight focuses on the new adidas adizero golf shoes. For more information from adidas, please click here.

By Jonathan Wall, PGATOUR.COM Equipment Insider

Brandt Snedeker's new adizero golf shoes didn't turn him into an overnight star, but based on the red-hot start he had to the 2013 season, coupled with his comments recently about adidas' latest golf shoe offering, it's worth asking the question.

Did a pair of golf shoes play a role in Snedeker starting the season with four top-10 finishes, including a win at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am?

Snedeker was a household name before this season — he was the PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year in 2007 and won the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola and season-long FedExCup in 2012 — but as the five-time PGA TOUR winner noted at the Farmers Insurance Open, he felt his adizero shoes gave him an advantage over the field.

"I put them on straight out the box at Kapalua to play 36 holes and I could tell a marked difference in my energy levels at the end of the day, the way my feet felt at the end of the day. I definitely think it's an advantage over guys who aren't wearing them," he said.

"As light as I am on my feet this week, I feel a little bit lighter with these shoes on. It feels great to have 10 ounces less on my feet than I normally do and I can definitely tell a difference with them."

Just like new equipment, there's an adjustment period when it comes to footwear. Considering how many miles players log each year, it shouldn't come as a surprise that most take the offseason or a couple weeks at the start of the year to test new footwear before making a change.

However, adizero has taken a completely different path since the January launch. According to adidas Global Marketing Manager/Footwear Davide Mattucci, roughly 75 percent of the players on adidas' TOUR staff are already wearing adizero — and about 20 have been in the shoe since Week 1 of the PGA TOUR season.

"It's been pretty remarkable thus far," Mattucci said. "Most guys tried it on once and have been in it ever since. Brandt Snedeker is probably the best example. But in comparison to previous shoes we've built its been our most adopted style on tour in the shortest amount of time.

Having a golf shoe that’s incredibly stable and comfortable is extremely important, but if there’s one thing golf shoe manufacturers have been trying to master in recent years, it’s the weight of the shoe.

Adidas has been an industry leader in innovative, technologically advanced high-performance footwear for years, creating cutting-edge footwear that not only looks good but also performs and responds on the course.

Adizero Tour, an ultra-light shoe that weighs just 10.6 ounces and is 38 percent lighter than the popular TOUR360 ATV, is no different.

Thanks to a 1.2 millimeter Sprintframe outsole -- Adidas’ thinnest ever -- microfiber leather upper that’s light, thin and incredibly durable, and a 10-spike configuration with Thintech low-profile technology for added traction and stability, adidas was able to build a golf shoe that ticked all the necessary boxes with staffers.

The shoe is currently available in four colors with an MSRP of $180.