Grace Diviny, Staff Writer
Good Good Golf and Callaway Golf have been under intense media scrutiny for the past two weeks that may have cost them everything.
On August 21st, the company released an ad in partnership with Callaway Golf that depicted a Good Good Golf co-founder Garrett Clark shoving golfer Alexis Miestowski onto the ground as she reaches for his golf driver, in which he leans down and tells her to not touch his driver. This led to major backlash with accusations of sexism on the basis of making light of violence against women. Both respective companies immediately apologized for the ad and took it down, in which Callaway Golf’s CEO Chip Brewer issued a formal statement on the behalf of the company
“That approval should never have happened,” Brewer wrote in his apology on August 25th, “Mistakes were made, and we are taking the matter very seriously.” Brewer also clarified the lack of creative direction the company had in the ad while acknowledging their mistake of having the content approved of. “While the video was produced by Good Good, it was approved by Callaway prior to posting. That approval should never have happened,” He also stated that the company was going to change its approval process while conducting external and internal investigations.
Clark also issued a video apology on X, urging that he and the company did not mean to make the ad with the intent of supporting violence against women.
“This is not, at all, what we stand for. The way this ad was received is not how Good Good is and not what we stand for once again. I want everyone to know that.”
Callaway Golf made sufficient attempts to ease the controversy by terminating their three year partnership with Good Good Golf in the process alongside donating $1 million dollars to multiple organizations dedicated to ending violence against women. According to crisis expert Patrick Riccards in an interview with CBS News, this was an attempt to show their willingness to separate their brand in order to protect their image.
“This is about far more than losing a contract with Callaway,” Riccards stated to CBS, “Unless they are looking to limit their market to frat bros, how many want to be seen at the country club or on a course bearing the Good Good Golf brand now?” However, he also noted that the ad was still in poor taste and was approved regardless of their attempts of apologizing and trying to make things right with the general public.
“They approved the offensive ad, they produced the offensive ad, they released the offensive ad. And no one seemed to think to pump the brakes and ask if they wanted to be remembered as the golf brand that promotes shoving women to the ground as a sign of superiority.”
Whilst apologies have been made, many companies and people have responded quickly to the backlash. Multiple sport retail stores, such as Dick’s Sporting Goods and the PGA Tour Superstore, are pulling Good Good Golf merchandise from the shelves, despite the PGA being the current title sponsor of the Good Good Championship.
Furthermore, Good Good Golf CEO Matt Kendrick and its president Joe Flannery have stepped down in their roles in lieu of the negative press the ad has given to the company. Many women, especially those in golf, also feel that this ad only causes a further divide in how they are seen in the sport compared to their male counterparts, and that they are seen as inferior and treated with hostility.
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