Content creator and golf brand Good Good Golf and Callaway Golf have issued separate apologies after an advertisement for a new golf driver which showed a woman being pushed to the ground after reaching for the club was widely distributed on social media.
Good Good Golf, which was founded in 2020 and has 2.13m subscribers to its golf channel on YouTube, had created and published the 60-second advert for a Callaway co-branded driver.
The advert, which was signed off by Callaway, showed Good Good co-founder Garrett Clark rushing over to Alexis Miestowski – a professional golfer and regular content creator for Good Good – and pushing her to the ground before shouting: “Do not touch my new driver.”
The whole thing was, of course, staged and there is no question that Miestowski was in anyway surprised or hurt by Garrett’s action, but the video drew a backlash from social media viewers and was accused of making light of violence against women. It was subsequently taken down, with Good Good issuing an immediate apology.
“We posted a video to our channels that ultimately depicted actions that are not aligned with our values as a brand,” read the Good Good apology on X. “We have since taken that content down and sincerely apologise. 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 Golf CEO Chip Brewer issued his own statement on the matter early on August 25, in a statement which read: “While the video was produced by Good Good, it was approved by Callaway prior to posting. That approval should never have happened. I want to make it clear that we sincerely apologise for the video. The content was inappropriate and does not reflect our values. We are unequivocally against discrimination, domestic violence, or threatening behaviour of any kind.”
Brewer added that an internal investigation was under way at Callaway to change the approval process aimed at ‘ensuring this will never happen again’.
He added: “We believe we have been a positive force for diversity and inclusion in the game of golf. This video was completely inconsistent with that. I assure you that we will learn from this and do better.”
In light of Good Good’s sponsorship of the PGA Tour’s inaugural Good Good Golf Championship in Texas this November, the PGA Tour also issued a statement on the subject of the advertisement.
“The PGA Tour believes in golf’s ability to bring people together and create a welcoming environment for all,” the statement said. “We do not condone violence in any form, and the since-deleted video does not reflect our values or commitment to inclusivity and respect.”