Less than a week after Callaway and Good Good Golf removed an ad for a collaborative driver that featured a man pushing a woman to the ground, the two companies are no longer working together.
Callaway announced Thursday it has ended its relationship with Good Good, a YouTube Golf giant with over two million subscribers, effective immediately.
In a statement provided to GOLF, Callaway said it had completed its review of the matter involving a promotional ad created by Good Good for a branded collaborative Callaway Quantum driver and taken additional actions to strenghten their content review process. The company also said it was committing $1 million to support organizations working to prevent violence against women, provide resources to survivors and advance education and awareness efforts.
“Over the last several days, we have listened and reflected deeply on the hurt and disappointment caused by the video we reposted,” the statement reads. “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 outlined the results from its review process, which included ending ties with Good Good, strengthening approval procedures and the $1 million donation.
“These actions do not undo the harm caused or excuse our role in it,” the statement said. “We sincerely apologize to everyone who was hurt, disappointed, or offended by this incident.
“One of Callaway Golf’s core values is to be a positive influence, both in the game of golf and in our communities. We are further strengthening our commitment to these initiatives, and this will be an ongoing focus in our company. We are committed to learning from this incident and helping ensure that golf is a place where everyone feels respected, valued, and welcome.”
The backlash was swift against both Good Good and Callaway after the former posted a video promoting a Callaway driver that showed Good Good’s Garrett Clark running toward Alexis Miestowski, another member of Good Good, after she reaches for the driver. Clark pushed Miestowski and said: “Do not touch my new driver.”
The ad was quickly pulled down by both companies, but screen recordings of the initial 15 seconds continued to make the rounds on social media.
On Saturday, Good Good initially apologized through a statement posted to social media, saying: “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.”
A few hours later, a Callaway spokesperson shared the following statement with GOLF.com: “We are 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’s initial statement did little to quell the backlash and was panned by PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp at this week’s Tour Championship. Good Good is slated to sponsor the Good Good Championship during the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Fall schedule in November.
On Tuesday, Rolapp called the future of that sponsorship “fluid.”
“I think what we saw was concerning and clearly not aligned with PGA Tour values,” Rolapp said. “We take it very seriously. I think their initial response was disappointing. It was a bit defensive and late.”
It was also Tuesday when the CEOs of both Good Good and Callaway got involved. Good Good CEO Matt Kendrick took to LinkedIn to call the ad “a mistake” and reveal that the ad was intended to be a parody of the 2026 horror film, “Obsession.”
“The execution missed the mark,” he wrote. “I understand why people found it insensitive, and I want to be clear that neither I nor anyone at Good Good condones violence of any kind. Regardless of what we intended, we are responsible for what we put into the world and how it is received. We got this one wrong.”
In a separate statement, Callaway CEO Chip Brewer wrote that Callaway approved the video but “that approval should have never happened.”
“Mistakes were made and we are taking the matter very seriously,” Brewer wrote. “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.”
Those statements seemed to be a turning of the tide, and Rolapp went as far as to say the statements issued that morning before his press conference were “getting better.”
But later Tuesday, Golf Channel announced the premiere of “Big Break x Good Good” would be delayed a week after a sponsor asked to have their branding removed from the show. That sponsor was later reported to be Golf Galaxy, who along with their parent company Dick’s Sporting Goods, PGA TOUR Superstore and Target, all have removed Good Good merchandise from their stores and websites.
This story will be updated.
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