Callaway CEO Chip Brewer apologized for his company’s role in approving a controversial ad for a driver collaboration with golf-content creators Good Good.
In a statement shared on Callaway’s social channels at approximately 1 a.m. ET Tuesday, Brewer acknowledged that Callaway had green-lighted the since-deleted spot and is reviewing its internal processes to ensure that “this will never happen again.”
In the ad, Good Good co-founder Garrett Clark shoves to the ground one of his fellow creators, Alexis Miestowski, before shouting, “Do not touch my new driver.” The clip has drawn intense criticism and ignited a public-relations crisis for both brands; Callaway’s site has taken down listings for the co-branded line, which includes two driver models and balls. (As of Tuesday morning, the products were still available on Good Good’s site.)
Among the many questions the ad raised was how and why was it approved. Good Good has not publicly addressed this matter but Brewer, in his statement, said that Callaway, which has worked with Good Good since 2023, did sign off on the creative.
“While the video was produced by Good Good, it was approved by Callaway prior to posting,” Brewer said. “That approval should never have happened. Mistakes were made and we are taking the matter very seriously.
“As soon as we recognized the seriousness of the issue, it was escalated appropriately, and the video was immediately removed. Preliminary statements were issued by both Good Good and Callaway, and now this statement has followed. We are also conducting both internal and external investigations and have already made changes to our approval processes aimed at ensuring this will never happen again.”
The controversy flared up Friday into Saturday when a clip of the problematic portion of the ad began making the rounds on social media. The blowback was immediate and intense. On Saturday afternoon, approximately 24 hours after the ad went live, Good Good issued a brief apology that said, “We posted a video to our channels that ultimately depicted actions that are not aligned with our values as a brand. 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.”
Callaway soon followed up with its own statement Saturday which said only that the company was “disappointed by the content that was posted, and are appreciative of Good Good for addressing this. We look forward to working together to ensure a more inclusive space in golf.”
Good Good, which has accumulated more than 2 million YouTube subscribers and more than 1 million Instagram followers, has a deep foothold in the game and partnerships with an array of companies including Yeti, Mountain Dew and Shady Rays sunglasses. Good Good also has its name on a PGA Tour event, the Good Good Championship, which will debut in November at Omni Barton Creek in Texas.
In response to the ad, the Tour said in a statement: “The PGA Tour believes in golf’s ability to bring people together and create a welcoming environment for all. We do not condone violence in any form, and the since-deleted video does not reflect our values or commitment to inclusivity and respect.”
Those sentiments were echoed by Brewer, whose own statement closed with:
“As we deal with the consequences of our mistake and complete our investigations, I want to make it clear that we sincerely apologise for the video. The content was inappropriate and does not reflect our values. To be clear: we are unequivocally against discrimination, domestic violence or threatening behaviour of any kind.
“We believe we have been a positive force for diversity and inclusion in the game of golf. The video was completely inconsistent with that. I assure you we will learn from this and do better.”
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