Fred Albers from SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio speaks with PGATOUR.COM Equipment Insider Jonathan Wall about the latest equipment updates and changes at the Shell Houston Open.

By Jonathan Wall, PGATOUR.COM Equipment Insider

For the past 10 years, TaylorMade has unveiled a unique logo at each major to commemorate the event. Each item in the logo has a special meaning, and this year's 2013 Masters logo is no different. 

Here' s a guide to the items in this year's logo:

1.) The image of the bear and the six magnolia blossoms are a tribute to the only six-time winner in Masters history, Jack Nicklaus. This year is the 50th anniversary of his first Masters title in 1963.

2.) The wreath's holly leaves are for the 25th anniversary of Sandy Lyle's 1988 victory. Lyle hit approach shot from the fairway bunker on the 18th hole (named Holly) to six feet and made the birdie putt to win by a stroke.

3.) The wreath's maple leaves are a nod to 2003 champion Mike Weir, the first and only winner to hail from Canada. This year is the 10th anniversary of his Masters win. 

4.) The bear's pose, including the open mouth and curve of the tongue, are meant to symbolize the "Rampant Lion" on the Royal Flag of Scotland, the home 1988 champion Sandy Lyle.

5.) The letters MMXIII at the bottom of the wreath are the Roman numerals for 2013.

By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM

Ernie Els is giving up his belly putter for a traditional one.

The 43-year-old South African, who began using a belly putter in 2011 and won last year's British Open with it, told Sky Sports he plans to use a short putter at this week's Chiangmai Golf Classic in Thailand.

Els will switch back to the belly putter for the Masters, though with a possible ban on achoring in the future, Els said he wants to be prepared.

"Even if I won here this week, I will use the belly putter at the Masters simply because the greens are so quick over there," he said. "But after the Masters, I'll try to use the short putter more regularly."

Els returns to the Masters after failing to qualify last year for the first time in 18 years.

"I think I used to put so much pressure on myself," Els told Sky Sports. "This year, I just want to enjoy it a bit more. I used to really try to win the tournament.

"My record in the majors is quite good. But at the Masters, it hasn't been good in the last 10 years. I finished second in 2004 and 2000. After '04, something mentally happened. I haven't played well since '04 when Mickelson made that putt (to win). But after missing it last year and going back again this year, it feels like a new beginning."

Mickelson has reportedly hit the X Hot 3Deep 3-wood upwards of 300 yards on a number of occasions. (Getty Images)

By Jonathan Wall, PGATOUR.COM Equipment Insider

HUMBLE, Texas — Phil Mickelson's Callaway X Hot 3Deep 3-wood is a secret no more. On Tuesday at the Shell Houston Open, the first batch of 3Deep heads arrived at the Callaway TOUR truck, giving the Carlsbad, California-based company three different fairway wood models on TOUR this year.

The new version, which also happens to be the longest and lowest-spinning of the three currently on the market, was designed with one player in mind — that player being Mickelson, who started working with the fairway wood earlier this year at the Northern Trust Open.

"Phil [Mickelson] came to us and said, I need a fairway wood that I can hit off the tee with a little more distance and is a little more workable and versatile — but one that I'm also be able to hit it off the ground," Randy Peterson, Callaway's Director of Fitting and Instruction, said during the latest edition of "Callaway Talks."

Looking for a 3-wood with a little more versatility, Callaway built a deeper faced version of X Hot for Mickelson that could act like a "driving 3-wood," thereby giving him multiple options off the tee and from the fairway.

"Phil impacts a little higher on the face, so what we did is make a second iteration called 3Deep. We raised the face height a little bit — it's about 10 percent higher than X Hot Pro — and that moved the CG up a little bit, so the CG is more in line where Phil hits the ball. The design increases his ball speed and his spin robustness."

There are a few differences between X Hot Pro and the new X Hot 3Deep model, namely the deeper, or taller, face that's about 10 percent higher (about 25 cubic centimeters larger) than the shallower X Hot Pro head.

Considering how far most players on the PGA TOUR hit their driver, the thought of having a 3-wood that goes nearly as far seems a bit excessive. But for Mickelson, the new 3-wood completely changed the way he attacked the course.

The current weight setup in Mickelson's Callaway RAZR Fit Xtreme driver is designed to produce a right-to-left ball flight off the tee to keep the ball in play. With the addition of 3Deep to the bag, he can leave shots he needs to turn over to his new 3-wood, which he's reportedly hit upwards of 300 yards on a number of occasions.

The new 3-wood has been so good, in fact, that Mickelson's caddie, Jim "Bones" Mackay took a couple minutes to call Peterson the week of the WGC-Cadillac Championship to sing X Hot 3Deep's praises.

"I got a call from Bones last Thursday, which doesn't happen that often, after they'd played Monday and Tuesday at Augusta and then went over to Doral. He called me Thursday after the first round at Doral and said, 'RP, I gotta tell you, this is the most meaningful club Phil's ever put in his bag in my 20 years of caddying. He was so ecstatic."

With X Hot 3Deep, Mickelson's driver now becomes his "bomber club," because he doesn't need the versatility or workability now that he has it in his fairway wood. The new 3-wood may not make a huge difference at Masters where players can freewheel a bit with the driver and get away with it.

However, at tight courses like Merion, site of this year's U.S. Open, Mickelson's X Hot 3Deep 3-wood could play a critical role in allowing him to keep the ball in play without sacrificing distance of the tee. In other words, the club could be a game-changer.

Callaway X Hot 3Deep measures 43 1/2 inches — 1/2 inch longer than the current X Hot fairway wood — and comes in two lofts for right-handed golfers (13 degrees and 14.5 degrees) and one loft (13 degrees) for left-handed golfers. It will be available in golf retail stores starting on April 19 for $229. 

By Jonathan Wall, PGATOUR.COM Equipment Insider

Tiger Woods is the hottest golfer on the planet heading into the Masters, so it makes sense that Nike Golf would release a limited edition version of Woods' TW '13 shoe ahead of the year's first major. 

Unlike the black and white TW '13 colorways currently on the market, the limited edition Master version, which retails for $179.99, will have a NIKE FREE Inspired green sole, yellow eye-stay (instead of the usual red), and red TW logo on the tongue. The shoe will also feature waterproof multi-stretch synthetic leather.

“The NIKE FREE Inspired TW ‘13 has done exceptionally well at retail with consumers raving about the performance of the shoe," said Lee Walker, Nike Golf’s Footwear Product Director. "Since its debut, we haven’t been able to keep the TW '13 in stock. We decided to release a limited edition version to celebrate the first major of the season.” said Lee Walker, Nike Golf’s Footwear Product Director.

Nike has yet to release Woods' apparel scripting for the Masters, but considering Nike staffers wore green, limited edition Nike Lunar Control footwear the past two years, there's a chance this shoe could make an appearance on Woods' feet at some point during the tournament.  

Limited quantities of the shoe will be available March 28, 2013 in retailers across the country as well as through www.nike.com.

By Jonathan Wall, PGATOUR.COM Equipment Insider

DORAL, Fla. — Over the last month TaylorMade has launched its new product line for 2013, starting with RocketBladez irons at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am and R1 the following week at the Northern Trust Open.

This week at the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship, TaylorMade launched TaylorMade RocketBallz Stage 2 fairway woods and rescue with a number of special edition products, including staff bags that include the name of each player, plus -IER and #IER hats. 

On Sunday, the players will also sport special edition RBZ Stage 2 apparel from adidas and Ashworth Golf.

The -IER campaign stems from TaylorMade's claim that RocketBallz Stage 2 is 10 yards longer than last year's version, which the company claimed could get golfers up to 17 additional yards. 

By Jonathan Wall, PGATOUR.COM Equipment Insider

Looking to capitalize on the first major of the year, Cobra announced on Monday that it's going to release 1,800 Masters-edition AMP Cell drivers to select golf retailers on March 15. Each green driver will be marked with a '1 of 1,800' stamp on the sole for authenticity. 

“We are aiming to be the most desirable brand in golf,” said Jose Miraflor, Director of Product Marketing, COBRA. “It’s one of the most exciting times of the golf season and this Limited Edition Driver builds off of that energy. With all of our game changing technology, like MyFly and SmartPad, we are bringing game enjoyment to golfers everywhere, the added desirability of a Limited Edition Driver for the first Major is exciting for our consumers.”

The AMP CELL limited edition – green driver (MAP $399) is available in right handed models with MyFly technology which allows the driver to be adjusted from 8.5-degrees to 11.5-degrees loft settings, including 9.5-degree and 10.5-degree draw settings. It is available in Stiff and Regular flexes and features a Diamana Blue Board Shaft (60g S and R, 55g L and 45.75-inch length).

Sticking with the Masters theme, the limited edition grip, headcover and wrench also match the head of the driver in "Season Opener Green."

Compiled by Jonathan Wall, PGATOUR.COM Equipment Insider

Each week the PGATour.com Equipment Report will take a look around the equipment world and highlight some of the most talked-about stories. 

Looking for a glimpse of what players are using this week at Riviera? Here's a photo gallery that highlights, among other things, Roger Cleveland's custom ground Callaway wedge for Nicolas Colsaerts, and the True Temper Dynamic Gold S400 Ryder Cup sticker Matt Kuchar still has on his 56-degree wedge. [Golf Digest]

Scotty Cameron unveils the new mallet-style Select GoLo 5 and GoLo S5. The mallet putters feature an elegant rounded profile and racy soleplate with Select weighting technology for modern balance and stability. The new model will be available on March 15. [Titleist]

Does Rickie Fowler move the needle more than anyone else on the PGA TOUR? James Miles from the Hackers Paradise takes a look. [Hackers Paradise]

GolfWRX's Zak Kozuchowski talks to the designers behind "The Only Green," a synthetic, indoor putting green being touted as the next best thing to putting on the perfectly manicured putting surface at your local club. Even better? It's very low maintenance. [GolfWRX]

Composite irons shafts are making an impact on the PGA TOUR, thanks in large part to companies like Aerotech (Matt Kuchar and Brandt Snedeker are already using the shafts). Golfweek's James Achenbach spoke with Aerotech owner and president Chris Hilleary about the company's future in the marketplace. [Golfweek]