A growing business that provided golf supplies to the late Shane Warne has moved to the Border to expand its operation.
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Wodonga's Mark Calder started Big Dog Golf Co, which specialises in making leather head covers for drivers, in Melbourne in 2020.
Three years later, he caters for a host of professional golfers and leading clubs in Australia and New Zealand.
The business started from Mr Calder's dining room table, moved to a spare bedroom and eventually his home garage, before he recently secured a factory space on Hovell Street in Wodonga.
US PGA champion Jason Day is his highest profile customer, but he also made covers for Warne days before his death in Thailand in 2022.
"I got hold of his PA and sent some out to him. Just before he passed away he requested that he wanted some more," Mr Calder said.
"He got a new golf bag and wanted some head covers to match it. He was just about to go on a golf trip to Mexico and we were about to send them out to him and he passed away.
"That would have been huge for us because the PA said he'd be happy to do a post on social media about them. She said we were lucky because he'd never normally do anything like that.
"We ended up making a few more copies of those covers and we put his date of birth and the day he passed away on them and sent them out to all of his close friends like Sam Newman and Brendon Goddard."
Mr Calder said a connection with a former caddie of Jason Day got him on board, while he's also been in talks with Adam Scott.
"We've done heaps for him (Day) and he goes through them because he obviously plays a lot of golf," he said.
"He was in contention for few tournaments a while back and even at The Open he finished tied for second.
"The covers we make for him are just just plain white, you wouldn't know where they're from or anything. I've been trying to convince him to do something else. They're pretty generic, but they've got our tag on the side of them.
"I've been talking to Adam Scott's old man and I know he's used them in a practice round. I've just done some more for him that we're about to send out, so hopefully he'll use them.
"Patrick Rodgers, who plays on the PGA Tour, uses some as well and a few Aussie pros use our stuff."
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Mr Calder revealed he looked to buy a cafe in Melbourne before his partner Sarah convinced him to pursue Big Dog Golf Co.
"It took me forever to find someone to be able to make make the covers. I tried in China and that was a nightmare, but eventually we found a custom leather place," he said.
"It was actually just around the corner from where we were living at the time in Melbourne. They were really good in helping me set everything up and eventually I found someone else to do some sewing.
"We just started doing our own branded covers and then we did a couple of custom ones here and there for individuals."
Mr Calder hadn't considered going into the wholesale market until he was approached by Cathedral Lodge Golf Club at Thornton, near Eildon, to produce covers and pouches for an event.
Australia's leading golf club Royal Melbourne is among his biggest buyers.
"We do their own branded stuff and customer stuff as well now, which is pretty popular too," he said.
"People send us old footy jumpers or basketball singlets and we cut them up and turn them into head covers.
"Wholesale is probably about 70 per cent of the business. We want to expand on our branded stuff as well, because the wholesale took over and we haven't been able to do a great deal in terms of progressing the Big Dog brand.
"We've started to do a few new products and are working on some others in the background. We might look at golf bags down the track."
Mr Calder now employs five people and is looking to expand further into New Zealand, as well as the UK, Japan and South Korea.
"We've got one lady who does four days a week, a couple of other guys that cut and prepare the covers and things like and we've got an embroider and another who sub-contracts doing sewing," he said.
"We're just about to employ a guy casually who is based in Sydney as a sales rep.
"Mum and dad both help out, Sarah has helped me get everything up and running and Sarah's parents help as well. They all do bits and pieces, but I wouldn't have been able to do it without all of them."
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