Fired Good Good Exec Sues for $1M, Denies Approving Controversial Ad

Former Good Good Golf VP of brand and marketing Jeffrey Lefkovits has claimed he did not approve the controversial shoving scene in the widely panned co-branded Callaway driver ad in a new $1 million defamation lawsuit against Good Good and former CEO and co-founder Matt Kendrick.

The lawsuit, filed Oct. 29 in Dallas County district court in Texas, asserts that Kendrick perpetuated a “false” narrative that Lefkovits and the marketing team he led were responsible for approving the ad, in which Good Good cofounder Garrett Clark shoved fellow Good Good member Alexis Miestowski to the ground.

Kendrick told Front Office Sports on Aug. 28 that while he did not see that ad before it was released on Aug. 20, Good Good’s marketing team did see it, and that the company had “removed people responsible for the ad.” That claim, among others, is central to Lefkovits’s case. The lawsuit notes that Kendrick wrote in an email to Good Good staff on Aug. 24: “As CEO, the responsibility ultimately sits with me.” But it alleges that Kendrick “publicly shifted responsibility to the marketing team led by Lefkovits without actually investigating how the video was created and approved.”

“Lefkovits approved a lighthearted parody script for a Good Good Callaway driver ad,” the lawsuit reads. “While he was out of the office, a shot that appeared nowhere in that script—Good Good co-founder Garrett Clark shoving a woman to the ground—was conceived and filmed on set. That finished video was then embraced by Good Good’s own performers and owners and approved in writing by Callaway.”

In the aftermath of the ad’s release, Good Good’s partnerships with Callaway, the PGA Tour, and Golf Channel were all canceled or mutually ended. Major retailers including Dick’s Sporting Goods, Golf Galaxy, and PGA Tour Superstore all removed Good Good merchandise from their shelves. The lawsuit claims “products” account for approximately 70% of Good Good’s revenue, although the majority of sales are made online, a source tells FOS.

Good Good terminated Lefkovits’s employment on Aug. 26, according to the lawsuit. Kendrick and former Good Good president Joe Flannery stepped down on Sept. 2. 

How the Driver Ad Was Created

According to the lawsuit, the original script for the ad, titled “‘OBSESSED’ Thriller Parody Skit without Garrett,” was first presented to Lefkovits on July 15 by former Good Good employee Sam Stamey (who is identified as a “content creator” in the lawsuit; Stamey’s LinkedIn profile says he was “creative director – content” at Good Good from January to September). “Critical to this lawsuit, the script contained no scene in which Clark shoves Good Good member Alexis Miestowski, and no depiction of domestic violence, pushing, or shoving of any kind,” the claim reads.

Stamey presented the script to Callaway on Aug. 4, according to the suit, and following that presentation, former Good Good executive Logan Spence texted: “Callaway all good. Sam did a great job.” Spence was Good Good’s head of content from August 2025 to September 2026, but announced last month on LinkedIn he was moving on.

Good Good filmed the remaining scenes of the driver ad on Aug. 6 while Lefkovits was away, and “without Lefkovits’s knowledge or participation, the team decided to film a shot in which Clark runs at Miestowski, shoves her to the ground, and, standing over her, says, ‘Do not touch my new driver,’” per the claim.

A first cut of the ad was circulated by Stamey on Aug. 18 and seen by Clark and other Good Good members, according to the lawsuit, and sent to a thread with Good Good director of partnerships Anna Dietrichson and former Callaway director of content and production Alex Upegui, with Upegui replying, “Sweet. Good to go on our end.” Upegui was let go from Callaway around the same time as Lefkovits was fired from Good Good, FOS previously reported, and Upegui confirmed his exit from Callaway last month.

Later that day, Lefkovits sent the ad to Spence and Good Good executives/co-founders Max Putnam and Colin Ross, per the claim, and “Putnam commented on the edit and … no one objected to the push shot.” Putnam, Ross, and Dietrichson are all still employed by Good Good.

Legal Matters

When Lefkovits was fired by Kendrick, he “directly asked whether his termination was a publicity move and to make someone publicly take the fall for the ad,” according to the lawsuit. “Kendrick promised Lefkovits that the termination would not be made public.” 

However, Lefkovits’s alleged association with the ad “has tarnished his professional reputation,” according to the claim, and has made him “unable to secure new employment.” Lefkovits is seeking monetary relief of more than $1 million from Good Good and Kendrick.

Lefkovits, his attorney, and Kendrick all did not respond to requests for comment by FOS. A Good Good spokesperson told FOS: “We’re not commenting on any legal matters. Our focus remains on creating a positive environment for our players, partners, and fans, and the future of Good Good Golf.”