Tiger Woods: “Frank” Made Jane Spicer’s Headcovers Famous
Tiger Woods’ headcover, ‘Frank,’ was the beginning of a huge business for Jane Spicer.
You’ve seen them on TV. You may have seen them in person. One of them is so famous, he has a name and was in his own commercials.
We’re talking headcovers, of course. Daphne’s Headcovers. owned by Jane Spicer.
Her most famous customer has been Tiger Woods’ mother, who purchased Frank the tiger headcover. Frank became so famous he appeared in some fairly funny Nike commercials with Woods.
Woods, Spicer said at a recent golf media event, remains a loyal customer, and she is grateful for what his mother’s purchase did for her company.
Woods is not alone. The Ernie Els lion comes from Daphne’s as does the Craig Stadler walrus. Darren Clarke’s bag sports a frog. Jerry Kelly, who is from Wisconsin, has a badger. Aaron Baddeley carries Badd’s Koala. And the list goes on.
Apr 6, 2015; Augusta, GA, USA; Bubba Watson
Spicer’s story is an American dream. She started her business when she was 16 and wanted to raise money for a sailboat. She made puppets and sold them, but one of her puppet purchasers suggested she make headcovers instead.
She and her mother decided it was a good idea and began making headcovers in their office which was the dining room table. They started with a birdie an eagle and a bogey. They added a koala and a beaver. What was good for the fledgling company was that there were no animal headcovers in the market at the time.
Her routine was to make headcovers and cold call golf courses to see if she could make sales. It was a story of slow growth, no overnight success. She made the products and delivered them personally.
Spicer and her mother began to attend the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, which is a large trade show for the golf industry. Then two magical things happened.
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Katilda Woods saw one of Daphne’s tiger headcovers in a golf shop and bought it for her son. When Woods won the Masters in 1997, Spicer said her phone started to ring like crazy. To say that it changed her life is an understatement. Suddenly she had an order for 10,000 tigers. It’s what you’d call a high quality business problem.
Eventually the original headcover Katilda Woods had purchased began to wear out. She had someone track down Spicer. They have talked a few times and, according to Spicer, Mrs. Woods orders a new “Frank” every year for her son.
In terms of other popular players, she has custom-designed a Bubba Watson headcover and worked with Watson in the creation of it. Questions like chest hair or no chest hair were considerations for the Bubba likeness.
Another extremely popular creation is a gopher that resembles the Caddyshack critter. Many people like headcovers that look like their pets, and in the past, she has taken special requests to make pet likenesses.
Next: Tiger Woods: 30 Best Wins of His Career
Daphne’s does not sell directly to the public. She sells through retailers. A list of them is on their website.