Leading global golf equipment manufacturer Callaway Golf has issued a formal public apology after a widely criticized promotional co-branded advertisement depicting violence against a female golfer sparked massive public backlash, consumer anger, and widespread calls for a industry-wide boycott of the company’s products. The controversial spot, which was created in partnership with popular golf digital media brand Good Good Golf, was initially posted to social media platforms last week before being quickly pulled from all channels in response to growing public outrage.
The problematic ad featured Garrett Clark, co-founder of Good Good Golf, physically shoving Alexis Miestowski, a professional competitor on the Epson Tour, to the ground when she reached for Clark’s newly launched co-branded driver. After forcing Miestowski down, Clark delivered the ad’s tagline: “Do not touch my new driver.” The scene’s blatant depiction of physical aggression against a woman for promotional purposes immediately drew condemnation from golf fans, industry leaders, and gender equality advocates across social media.
In an official statement released Tuesday, Callaway Chief Executive Chip Brewer acknowledged the company’s full responsibility for approving the inappropriate content before publication, noting that the internal approval process that greenlit the ad was a critical failure that would be thoroughly investigated. “While the video was produced by Good Good, it was approved by Callaway prior to posting. That approval should never have happened. Mistakes were made and we are taking the matter very seriously,” Brewer said. He added, “The content was inappropriate and does not reflect our values. To be clear: we are unequivocally against discrimination, domestic violence or threatening behavior of any kind… I assure you we will learn from this and do better.” The company has launched a full internal review to identify gaps in its content approval workflow to prevent similar missteps in the future.
Good Good Golf, a digital media firm that has built a massive following on YouTube by targeting younger audiences to grow participation in golf, had already issued its own apology ahead of Callaway’s statement. “We posted a video to our channels that ultimately depicted actions that are not aligned with our values as a brand,” the company said in its statement. “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.”
The controversy carries significant reputational risk for Good Good, which is set to make a major milestone in the sport as title sponsor of the PGA Tour’s first-ever Good Good Championship, scheduled to take place this November in Austin, Texas. PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp publicly addressed the scandal Tuesday, confirming that the tour shares the public’s concern over the ad’s content and Good Good’s initial response. “I think what we saw was concerning, is clearly not aligned with PGA TOUR values. We take it very seriously,” Rolapp said. “I think their initial response was disappointing. It was a bit defensive and late. But I think the responses are getting better. I think we’ve seen some things this morning, we’ve had some conversations with them, so we’ll continue to monitor and work with them going forward. But no, we were disappointed with what we saw.”