We’ve always had an affinity for Jan Craig headcovers thanks to their old-school look that reminds us of the traditional aspects of the game that we love. Our co-founder, Alex Holderness, recalls first seeing Jan Craig headcovers on his dad’s driver and 3 wood back in the 80’s and remembers thinking how classic these Carolina blue knitted covers looked leaning up against his garage wall.
We have also long admired Jan Craig’s craftsmanship and attention to detail, which sparked the idea to join forces. We wanted to showcase our shared passion for excellence in product quality and customer care. Jan Craig is run by its third-generation owner, Janet Craig, and we recently visited her in Chicago to learn more about this heritage brand.
Our time in Chicago started at the new Waveland Youth facility. It is operated and managed by The First Tee of Chicago and is fresh off a two million dollar renovation. The clubhouse and artificial turf putting/chipping area on Lake Michigan was the perfect setting for our interview with Janet, and we are grateful to The First Tee of Chicago for allowing us to use this terrific space!
Janet walked us through the storied history of the brand that dates back to her grandmother, also named Janet, who founded the company sixty-one years ago. JCH was the first hand-knit headcover on the market in 1962 and the preferred headcover on tour for the better part of three decades. Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, and multiple Ryder Cup teams have all sported these soft yarn headcovers.
After the interview, we visited JCH headquarters on the west side of the city. The office is located in a cool loft setting that greets visitors with a rainbow wall of yarn. It’s a clean space that is reflective of the brand’s classic simplicity. Like any brand that is six decades old, Jan Craig boasts incredible archives. Janet has handwritten letters from Nicklaus and Watson from the early days and vintage note card orders from some of the country’s best golf clubs.
It was exciting to see our limited run of co-branded headcovers being sewn during our visit. Some already had the tassels attached and others were still awaiting assembly. We watched as one of Janet’s employees attached the JCH x H&B labels, which will be on the neck of each style.
Our design features the H&B diamond logo embroidered on navy driver, red fairway wood, and white hybrid covers. We’ve added a touch of dark green to the tassel as a nod to this year’s U.S. Open venue, The Los Angeles Country Club.
We’re proud to collaborate with Jan Craig on these old-school accessories with our twist. It’s always nice to know where your hard-earned money goes, and we can confidently say that these hand-knit headcovers are a worthy investment. Many thanks to Janet and the JCH team for hosting us and giving us an inside look at the business!
