Two Can Play
“Pretty Boy.” That’s what they call me here at Daphne’s. 
But that’s the way it is when you’re one of the new guys. We each get a nick-name and I was introduced this year along with Cougar, Hawk, and Tasmanian Devil. Of course, I’m going to be Pretty Boy in that group!
But two can play that game. Even when I look in the mirror and see small wings, short legs, and a large colorful bill—I realize I’m not exactly George Clooney but I’m darn sure prettier than a Tasmanian Devil!
We Toucans live in trees, eat fruit and small insects, and use our colorful bills to attract our mates. For the most part, we’re frugivorous. Now, I suppose I could let you go to dictionary.com to figure out what that means but we Daphne’s Headcovers Toucans are also known as friendly birds so I’ll explain that means we eat mostly fruit.
Now, what kind of golfer would want a Toucan on their driver? I’d say you’re one who is outgoing, enjoys fashion, is probably a Sagittarius, and likes to hit the ball very, very far! OK, OK, so I’m practicing my social skills here, too.
Check out the amazing line of highest quality animal headcovers at Daphne’s Headcovers.com. I have to say, “We’re the best.”
Would you doubt a “Pretty Boy?”
“Nevermore! “Please stop asking me about it. I’m not the poet my ancestor was. I’m just a regular old Raven. Sure, some people think I might be a bit of a Ravin’ Raven, but you won’t find me making up any poetry even once upon a midnight, deary. I wouldn’t be caught pondering about a beak or a theory! “I’m a golf club headcover…and quite frankly, I’m very good at it. We animals have to pass a very stringent test to be chosen as a Daphne’s Headcover and thankfully it doesn’t include making up prose. No, we simply have to be good at protecting golfers’ expensive equipment, maintain a lifetime warranty, and of course be, ahem…very attractive. I think I’m doing my part quite well! “So, to sum up. If you’re looking for someone to remind you to purchase the best headcover available by gently tap, tap, tapping at your chamber door, you have the wrong bird. On the other hand, if you’re looking for a proud Raven to rave about a top-of-the-line headcover while perched atop your favorite golf club, I am your bird. “Check me out at the Daphnes Headcovers menagerie at www.daphnesheadcovers.com. “This it is…and nothing more.”
I’m a Golden Retriever and I love my job here at Daphne’s Headcovers. We Goldens are a pretty special breed, if I do say so myself. I am here to bring smiles and fun to everyone who carries me on their bag and I think I’m pretty good at that (you know, if I do say so myself).
My qualifications: 
I am well trained–if you tell me to “stay” I will not move.
I come with all my shots. (You’ll be surprised how that helps with your shots!)
I will protect your driver day and night and keep it comfy so it is ready for that long drive when you need it.When people see me they say “Ahh he looks just like Buddy, or Noble or
Dino.” I always stare straight ahead and try really hard to look exactly
like the Golden Retriever they have at home. I also secretly hope that
they’ve taught “Buddy” not to chew as life as a headcover can become rather
uncomfy as a chew toy.I’m really proud to protect my golf club. But my most favorite thing to do is to ride on a golf cart. The wind in my face makes my ears flap, and I love that!�
I don’t mind leaving Daphne’s to be adopted by another family, because I
know that like a retriever if anything happens to me Daphne’s will always
take me back. Their life time guarantee makes it easy for me to go to my new
home and a keep my driver covered.
P.S The owners created me to look like their Golden Retriever (although I
know it’s the other way around).
In our early days, as sales began to grow at Daphne’s my Mom, our company’s namesake, and I decided that we should “become international.” So we contacted my uncle Nick in England. Nick was an avid golfer, retired businessman and had a car that could hold plenty of headcovers, he was perfect for the job of our first international salesman!. As our relative we knew he’d handle this opportunity with tremendous effort and we placed our trust in his success. Of course we didn’t ask for his references, Nick was family. When my mom went home to England she brought him headcovers and catalogs and he agreed to become our representative. Daphne’s Headcovers was about to become an international company! After many weeks of waiting and imaging the stellar success Nick was having we realized that we hadn’t heard a word. We gave it a bit more time and still, nothing! So, my mom and I got up early in the morning and called to ask Nick how things were going. “Oh, yes well you see I’ve been very busy going to golf courses but now that I am retired I have time to play golf. So when my friends see me they invite me to play a round of golf and I do. I haven’t had time to actually sell any headcovers although I’ve been giving them away as thank you gifts for these lovely invitations I’ve been receiving. They’re ever so nice, do you think you could send some more?” We decided to find someone who didn’t play golf but who knew about business. We reached out to my cousin Ann and she thought the idea was “simply spiffing.” Ann had a career in London but said she had “oodles” of spare time and knew just where to start. We knew as our relative she’d handle this opportunity with tremendous effort and we placed our trust in her success. This time we were sure to clearly explain that we expected sales to be made and that the samples were for the golf shops and not gifts for friends. We were back on track to becoming an international golf company! We sent Ann oodles of samples and catalogs, discussed our goals, and sent her off. After a few weeks we hadn’t heard a word. We gave it a bit more time and still nothing! So my mom and I got up early in the morning (sound familiar?) and called Ann. She was delighted to hear from us and share her success. She’d seen a golf shop near by and went in to check it out. When she got there she met a “very lovely, tanned American golf pro” who seemed very interested in her, and “oh yes the headcovers too.” Well that night Ann had a brainstorm. She brought all the samples to her “lovely American” as a gift! She knew we wanted them in a golf shop and said he was delighted to get the headcovers at no charge! She went back the next day and they were all priced and already selling! She wondered if all American golf pro’s were this tanned and charming and could we possibly send some more headcovers? Our next great idea came when my childhood friend and his mates were coming to America for a break from their studies at Oxford. They were low on funds and asked if they could stay with us as they made their way across the U.S. Again we had a brilliant idea and thought that we’d pay them to be our representatives if they made sales along the way. We gave them firm guidelines that they were to sell and not give the headcovers away, etc. Although they weren’t family we thought “hey, how can we lose if we don’t send too many samples?” When the guys landed in New York they bought an old Buick for $700.00 went to the first golf course they saw and made a sale! An actual sale, we were thrilled! As they made their way around the States we got phone calls about our “British threesome” from customers. The golf buyers were impressed and surprised by this sales tactic and it worked. The boys were happy too as we sent them commissions and they developed an affection for the drink cart girls. Sales were growing, feedback was great, we were shipping orders, the boys were getting cash (and some dates) and life was good! My roommates were delighted when they came to stay (I was finishing college at the time). The boys continued to sell headcovers around Arizona, provide beer money for my roommates and stayed and stayed. One day a bottle of Lime A Way appeared on my dresser and I realized this was a subtle hint from my fiancé. So off the boys went to California (with one of my roommates). They sold Daphne’s Headcovers up and down the coast, sold their Buick for $750.00 and went back to England. We were all delighted with the job they’d done and the fun we’d had along the way. We weren’t international yet but we’d learned a lot about the importance of getting references–especially from our family!
Has it really been 30 years since I made my first awkward sales pitch for my unfamiliar product? My mom, Daphne, and I decided to make golf club covers on a suggestion from a customer who thought our puppets would look nice on her golf bag. So, pumped up with a bribe from my mom (“if you sell enough headcovers Jane, I’ll buy you a car”), loads of enthusiasm and no experience, I went to the Arizona Biltmore and made my first sale.At that time our company’s creative department, packing/shipping, accounting and all other departments were manned (or wo-manned I might say) by my mom and me. We had a blast inventing our business as we went. Our corporate meetings were held at dawn around the dining room table with mugs of steaming coffee, pajamas and wild ideas flowing freely.In the beginning, fabric manufacturers wouldn’t sell to us because we were too small so we’d go to factory sales to get what we needed. Our craziest fabric trip was to Buckeye, Arizona which at that time was as remote as remote gets. We’d arrive at 5 in the morning and wait outside the gates with other customers while huge bags of fabric were set out in the parking lot by the factory employees. When the gate opened, people ran to gather the huge and enormously heavy bags. My job was to get to a bag and drag it to another until I created a pile that was just large enough for me to lay on top and claim as my own while I fended-off the other patrons. Needles to say, it got kind of rough and I learned quickly that speed and agility trumped aggression in the gathering of heavy things. As a teenager, I muttered the entire way there and laughed the entire way home as we regaled stories of near misses with aggressive consumers. The first real shipment of fabric that came to our house arrived in a semi which didn’t thrill our neighbors. We had the truck back to our front door and we unloaded the 60 inch tall fabric as quickly as we could before someone called the cops. The driver threw the bolts out as he wasn’t happy to be in a non industrial neighborhood and I was bowled over by them more than once. As I lay beneath the large rolls of fur like a squashed fish, my Mom would walk by and say “Jane quit mucking about” with a mischievous look in her eye.We’ve been fortunate with growth and over the years we’ve gone from a two woman show to a global company. Our processes are more refined and I don’t have to fight anyone for fabric any longer. We’ve run multiple shifts, expanded to over 65 countries, have meetings in professional attire instead of pajama’s and seem to have a computer program for every step we take. The crew at Daphne’s is the best of the best and all contribute idea’s to help us improve.What hasn’t changed is the joy of creating something that makes people smile. Our customers still call us with wacky ideas that become best sellers and they still advise us how to become a better company. We now get feedback from professional golfers on fit and finish, as they put their Daphne’s Headcovers through the rigors of life on Tour. We’ve come so far and yet we still haven’t completely fulfilled our vision. Daphne’s is the leader in quality and service but there are still so many designs to create, customers to meet and goals to shoot for.All I can say is bring about the next 30 years; I am ready to jump on the pile!
I am voracious reader and I come from generations of voracious readers which is why partnering with First Book should have been my idea…but it wasn’t.
I try not to talk about business to my kids all of the time but Steve and I do share the “interesting stuff” like when the dumpster caught on fire or when Aspen (our Golden Retriever that comes to work with us) nearly vomited in a guests lap–you know that kind of stuff that really grabs a kid’s attention.
When I told my kids that we wanted to help some charities that were important to all of us at Daphne’s, they were intrigued. When they read the list of potential organizations they latched on to “First Book” like Gila Monsters.
In our house, my kids have carte blanche on two things- books and tooth brushes! If they ask for either, the answer is always “YES!” The more we learned about First Book and their mission to get books to kids in need, the more we were interested.
My daughter gathered her old books to donate and my son kept asking “are there really some families that don’t have any books?” This was said while eyeing our over flowing book shelves.
So, I reached out to First Book ( www.firstbook.org) and asked if we could help. As a result, we were lucky enough to partner with the twenty year-old organization. The people at First Book were unbelievably nice, even though they didn’t have the slightest idea what a golf club cover was or why it would resemble an animal.
Together, we share a love of reading and the joy of watching a child discover a new friend via a book. First Book has delivered more that 65 million books to kids in need.
My Mom and I started Daphne’s to buy a sailboat and it’s led to a 30 year career. Teaching my kids to read was one of my greatest accomplishments. I never dreamed it would lead them to guide me to First Book.
I wonder where the toothbrushes will lead us? I will let you know.
I’ve been talking to my son lately and advising him to pursue something that he truly loves to do as a career . While I spewed this unsolicited advice, I began to think about what it is that I truly love about being the President of Daphne’s Headcovers.
In addition to bringing my dog to work and having an office cat, I love the creative interaction with nice people. I am constantly astounded by how different people can be and how interesting and kind they all are.
My friendship with LPGA pro Beth Bader came about on a driving range as a result, I think of my inability to hold my toungue. Beth was talking to a mutual friend about the Susan L. Bader Foundation she and her sister had founded in memory of their mother. I was so moved by their efforts (I lost my mom Daphne to cancer and didn’t do anything as noble as this) when I blurted out “I want to help”. Beth looked surprised and we began to talk, the purple hope dolphin was created and a friendship was born.
Another great friendship came along when I was being interviewed for a magazine by writer,radio personality and producer Frank LaRosa. Despite all my planning, my two year old woke up and climbed on my lap right in the middle of the interview! Needless to say, it wasn’t the smoothest interview I’ve ever done. It took twice as long, Frank had to repeat many questions and I was frequently distracted and lost my train of thought. The end result though was a fabulous article on Daphne’s and a long term friendship with Frank, who after being introduced to the best and the worst of me, was able to make me laugh, talk openly and write and amazing piece. He was kind, patient and used his amazing talent to find great content in a very messy interview.
Since I’ve basically grown up in the golf business I can’t comment on other industries, but I must say that I feel lucky and grateful every day to work around a game that I love with so many nice people.
Daphne's News | Jane Spicer | 
August 12, 2010 12:23 am | 
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