Callaway severs ties with Good Good, commits $1 million donation to domestic violence charities
Four days after Good Good released a promotional video that included footage of a man shoving a woman to the ground over a new driver, Callaway announced this afternoon that it is cutting ties with the YouTube social media influencers.
The marketing ad, an attempt to parody the movie “Obsession,” drew widespread criticism and was quickly pulled by the two companies, which had formed a collaborative partnership back in 2023. Both Callaway and Good Good offered two rounds of apologies, the second versions coming from the company’s CEOs, Chip Brewer and Matt Kendrick. In his apology on Monday, Brewer said “that approval should never have happened” and that the company was conducting internal and external reviews of its process for working with Good Good. In today’s announcement, it seems those investigations pointed only one direction: Ending Callaway’s partnership with Good Good “effective immediately.”
“Over the last several days, we have listened and reflected deeply on the hurt and disappointment caused by the video we reposted,” Callaway's 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.
“In this instance, our content review process was not comprehensive enough. We have taken appropriate internal corrective actions and significantly strengthened our approval procedures to help ensure this does not happen again.”
Callaway announced that it is “committing $1 million to support organizations working to prevent violence against women, provide resources to survivors, and advance education and awareness efforts.” No specific organizations were named in today’s announcement.
“These actions do not undo the harm caused or excuse our role in it,” the Callaway statement goes on to read. “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.”
There have been several reports that the backlash to the video resulted in direct effects on current and future sales. Good Good/Callaway branded merchandise, including Callaway drivers and golf balls, were removed from the shelves in Dick’s Sporting Goods, Golf Galaxy and PGA Tour Superstore retail locations, as well as from those company’s websites. It also resulted in Golf Galaxy pulling its sponsorship of Golf Channel’s Big Break x Good Good series, delaying its debut by at least a week.
The Good Good Quantum drivers, featured in the video, are still for sale on Good Good’s website.
Late Thursday, the PGA Tour released a statement that it had "been informed of Good Good's decision to step away" of the tour event in Austin, Texas, that previously was featuring Good Good sponsorship and was scheduled for Nov. 12-15 as part of the Fedex Cup Fall series. "We agree with their decision to use this time to focus on their organization and the work ahead."
This story is developing and will be updated.