Good Good Golf ad fallout deepens as Callaway ends partnership, retailers pull gear and Golf Channel delays show

By Weston Blasi

A controversial ad from Callaway Golf that was made by Good Good Golf has caused a firestorm online for showing a male golfer shoving a female golfer to the ground

Callaway Golf has ended its ties with Good Good Golf.

Fallout from the controversial Callaway Golf ad made by Good Good Golf - which depicted a male golfer shoving a female golfer to the ground after she attempts to use his driver - continues to ripple through the sports world.

Callaway (CALY) announced Thursday afternoon it had cut all ties with Good Good Golf, "effective immediately."

"Over the last several days, we have listened and reflected deeply on the hurt and disappointment caused by the video we reposted. 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," the statement read.

Retailers including Dick's Sporting Goods and Golf Galaxy have pulled Good Good merchandise such as hats and polos shirts from their offerings.

Screenshot from a search on the Dick's Sporting Goods online store.

Dick's Sporting Goods (DKS) and Golf Galaxy did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Good Good Golf sells apparel and also has a digital-media brand and a YouTube channel that features golf challenges and lifestyle golf content. That digital brand has not been insulated from the ad's fallout.

The Golf Channel postponed the premiere of the reality show "Big Break x Good Good," which had been scheduled for Aug. 25, after one of its sponsors asked for its branding to be removed from the show. The show is now scheduled for release in September.

The controversy has reached the top levels of golf, with PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp condemning the ad Tuesday, calling it "concerning" and "clearly not aligned with PGA Tour values."

Rolapp told a group of reporters that his team was "disappointed with what we saw" in the ad and had been in contact with Good Good.

He was noncommittal about whether the PGA might still work with Good Good in the future. Late Thursday, ESPN reported that the company had pulled out of its title sponsorship for a new PGA Tour event in Austin, Texas, this fall.

"I believe this could be damaging to the perception of golf. Not only was the content extremely offensive, but the timing was horrible as well," Justin Ehrlich, an associate professor of sports analytics at Syracuse University, told MarketWatch. "The idea behind 'Big Break's' revival is to bring the YouTube golf culture to the mainstream, and this ad is reinforcing a caricature that today's golf culture, including Good Good and Callaway, is trying to shed - namely, that golf is full of bro culture."

While several industry experts told MarketWatch that controversies over advertisements tend to fizzle out in the medium term, there's always a chance of lingering damage to a brand.

"It's pretty unlikely that a single online ad with limited reach causes long-term problems," Victor Matheson, an economics professor at the College of the Holy Cross who specializes in sports, told MarketWatch. "Obviously, the Bud Light/Dylan Mulvaney debacle in 2023 is a massive counterexample, but in that case the damage to Budweiser was done by an extensive right-wing outrage machine that has no similar counterpart on the left that would be likely to damage Callaway."

Good Good Golf founder Garrett Clark posted an eight-minute video on X on Wednesday in which he called the criticism of the ad "very justified."

"Hopefully, you guys can forgive Good Good as well as myself for being a part of it. And hopefully we can move on and grow the women's side of golf because that is one of our huge, huge goals," Clark said at the end of the video.

But Good Good Golf CEO Matt Kendrick reignited the controversy in a post on X Friday morning, saying Callaway is asking Good Good to "take the fall" for the ad.

An X user replied that Good Good Golf should "sue Callaway for every single penny they're owed plus damages," to which Kendrick responded "not opposed" in a since-deleted post.

-Weston Blasi

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08-28-26 1128ET