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The Titleist 909 D3, meanwhile, with its classic pear profile, deep face and 460cc titanium construction, delivers less spin for longer, straighter drives.
A VISIT TO PEBBLE BEACH OFTEN centers around golf — playing, watching or, even, shopping for golf equipment.

And there is some great golf shopping to be had in the Del Monte Forest, from the unique (the putter with a Pebble Beach logo) to the timely (the golf bag with the 2010 U.S. Open logo) to the useful (how about a sleeve of balls?). The Pebble Beach golf shop across from the first tee at the Pebble Beach Golf Links is one the many places aimed at meeting your shopping needs, whether it be practical (getting the hybrid that will keep you out of trouble) or whimsical (U.S. Open golf towels).

DRIVERS ($300-$450)

According to Pebble Beach Golf Links head pro Chuck Dunbar, the drivers of choice are the Callaway

Shoppers inside the merchandise area at Pebble Beach Golf Links during the 2010 AT&T Pro-Am. (Herald Archive, Vern Fisher, February 2010)
FT-IZ, the Taylor-Made R9 or the Titleist 909 D3.

The Callaway FT-IZ, which came out in March, features polar weighting to provide increased stability and consistency and an aerodynamic body design to reduce drag in the downswing for higher impact speeds. The TaylorMade R9 Supertri is the ideal driver for those looking to optimize direction and ball flight. Utilizing Flight Control Technology, players can themselves customize face, lie and loft angles. The Titleist 909 D3, meanwhile, with its classic pear profile, deep face and 460cc titanium construction, delivers less spin for longer, straighter drives. In the past, each driver would have cost more than $500, but the recession has kept high prices at bay.

"A couple of years ago,

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everyone was pricing their newest driver at $500," Dun-bar says. "With the economy, however, there's become a threshold of what people are willing to pay.

HYBRIDS ($225-$250)

Rescue is the popular moniker for hybrid clubs, which are a cross between an iron and a wood.

Like the drivers, the hybrids come from Callaway, TaylorMade and Titleist, because as Dunbar explained, "those three companies seem to have the best variety for all calibers of golfers."

The appropriately

The TaylorMade R9 Supertri is the ideal driver for those looking to optimize direction and ball flight.
named TaylorMade Rescue club features a steel pull-face, which promotes faster club head speed and more distance. The Callaway FT features multi-material construction, for optimal ball flight and, more importantly, shot-shaping control. It also has a fitting system to customize the club to fit the individual shot shape. The system offers two center of gravity locations to choose from: The "Draw" for promoting a draw or reducing a slice/fade and "Neutral" for maximum workability.

The Titleist 909H hybrid, like its cousins, also features a profile that creates a deeper center of gravity for greater stability and has a larger head and longer face.

WEDGES ($140-$150)

The Callaway X Series Jaws wedges, as their name suggests,

The Callaway Warbird bag is big enough to be a cart bag but is also functional.
allows players to attack the pin with short-stopping spin and control. There's also the TaylorMade ZPT-groove wedges, which conform to the United States Golf Association's recent grooves rule change and also features clubfaces that can be replaced. The popular Titleist Vokey Design wedges feature spin milled grooves that deliver a high trajectory and more spin.

PUTTERS ($235-$350)

The TaylorMade Rossa Monza Spider features an anti-skid groove system to promote more efficient forward spin for a smoother roll. The Odyssey Backstryke features a shaft that attaches behind the putter, not in front as with most putters. The idea is that will make alignment easier.

There's also a number of the Scotty Cameron Titleist putters, which to this day still follow the design of the old Ping Anser-style putters. If you're lucky, you may even find a Pebble Beach Special Edition Cameron putter. In the past, the shop has offered limited edition Cameron putters featuring the Pebble Beach logo. They sold for up to $1,000 because of the limited quantity, and they were snapped up fast.

"With the special editions, we had to limit purchases to two putters per person," Dunbar said. "They were ending up on EBay for more than twice the retail price."

BALLS ($15-$22)

When it comes to the best here, you're either playing a Titleist Pro-V1 or a Callaway HX. The Tour-proven Pro-V1 provides longer distance, consistent ball flight and soft feel along with greenside

The Titleist Pro-V1 provides longer distance, consistent ball flight and soft feel along with greenside control for improved scoring.
control for improved scoring. The HX delivers Tour-level spin around the green and more distance off the tee. "Everyone else is just fighting for third," Dunbar said. "These two are the premium balls."

BAGS ($190-$220)

You're going to need something to carry all those sticks in. Among the most popular bags today are the Callaway Warbird bag and a Titleist bag that feature a 2010 U.S. Open logo. The Callaway bag is big enough to be a cart bag but is also functional. The Titleist bag is a walking bag. "Any of the bags that have the U.S. Open logo are selling like hotcakes," Dunbar said.

Learn more about the Monterey Bay area at MontereyBayAdventures.com.