ATLANTA — Callaway is dropping Good Good Golf in the wake of the controversy surrounding the YouTube group’s controversial driver ad.
The golf equipment manufacturer first partnered with Good Good in 2023, in a wide-ranging deal that included collaborations on content, products, and other brand campaigns.
Callaway informed Good Good of its decision to part ways Thursday morning, a source with knowledge of the situation told Front Office Sports.
“Over the last several days, we have listened and reflected deeply on the hurt and disappointment caused by the video we reposted,” a Thursday statement from Callaway read.
“We heard from individuals who shared personal experiences related to violence against women, and their stories were powerful reminders that this issue touches the lives of far too many people. Unequivocally, violence against women is unacceptable and should never be trivialized, normalized, or used as entertainment.
“Callaway has ended its relationship with Good Good, effective immediately.”
The news broke in the middle of the first round of the season-ending Tour Championship, which is playing out at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, where $40 million of prize money and a $10 million FedExCup champion will be crowned this weekend. Good Good’s uncertain future had already been the hottest topic early in the week at the PGA Tour’s playoff finale.
Callaway said it was “committing” $1 million to “support organizations working to prevent violence against women.” It was not immediately clear which organizations would receive that money over what time frame.
Callaway blamed its own poor internal review processes for the ad, which depicted Good Good cofounder Garrett Clark shoving a woman to the ground as she approached his Good Good/Callaway co-branded driver. “We sincerely apologize to everyone who was hurt, disappointed, or offended by this incident,” Thursday’s Callaway statement read.
After the ad debuted Aug. 21 and negative feedback poured in that night before the ad was pulled the next day, there was disagreement between Good Good and Callaway over who would take the bulk of the responsibility for the ad’s production and release, multiple sources with knowledge of the companies’ thinking told FOS.
The fallout escalated rapidly Wednesday, when several major retailers including Dick’s Sporting Goods, Golf Galaxy, PGA Tour Superstore, and Target pulled Good Good merchandise from their in-store and online shelves.
Now, attention shifts to Good Good partners Golf Channel and the PGA Tour.
Golf Channel postponed the premiere of Big Break x Good Good—a revamp of its reality competition series that was popular in the 2000s—from Tuesday to Sept. 1, due to the show’s presenting sponsor Golf Galaxy dropping out. The show was filmed earlier this year at Omni Barton Creek in Austin, so canceling it would be a major financial blow for Golf Channel considering the production and marketing costs already spent by the network.
Meanwhile, the PGA Tour is set to host the inaugural Good Good Championship Nov. 12–15 at Omni Barton Creek. Good Good last year signed a multiyear contract to launch and sponsor the new tournament, agreeing to pay at least $6 million annually to back the event. “It’s a bit of a fluid situation,” PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp said Tuesday—decidedly not committing one way or the other on the event’s future.
The Tour and Golf Channel did not immediately comment on the status of their relationships with Good Good after Callaway’s move Thursday.
Good Good’s Response
Good Good Golf cofounder Garrett Clark—who starred in the ad that depicted him shoving fellow Good Good creator Alexis Miestowski to the ground—shared a lengthy video to his personal social media accounts late Wednesday addressing the controversy.
“I want to personally apologize for playing a role in the skit in this ad at the magnitude that I did,” Clark said in the video. “And on Good Good’s behalf, on Good Good marketing’s behalf, I want to apologize as well because how this ad was received is not at all what we stand for. Also, I do not support [domestic violence], abuse, or any of that of any kind.”
Beyond Clark’s video and CEO Matt Kendrick’s comments to The Wall Street Journal, Good Good hasn’t put out any formal communications since a tweet last Saturday, and it did not respond to a request for comment Thursday. “We posted a video to our channels that ultimately depicted actions that are not aligned with our values as a brand,” the Saturday statement said. “We have since taken that content down, and sincerely apologize. Good Good has always stood for making the game of golf more inclusive to all, and we will continue to ensure that is our mission moving forward.”
FOS obtained a copy of a memo Kendrick sent to all Good Good staff Monday. In the email subject-lined “Owning Our Mistake,” he said the company plans to donate all proceeds of the driver campaign to an “organization supporting women in [its] local community” of Frisco, Texas.
Good Good and Callaway did not immediately answer questions about how the breakup would play out.
