Good Good Golf fires people behind spoof ad after backlash

Matt Kendrick, CEO of Good Good Golf, told Front Office Sports that the company had “removed people responsible for the ad” following widespread backlash over the advertisement. The video featured Good Good Golf co-founder Garrett Clark knocking influencer Alexis Mietwoski to the ground as she attempted to grab a golf driver. Clark then said, “Do not touch my driver.”

The advertisement was reportedly intended to imitate a scene from the film “Obsession.” Good Good Golf is a golf-focused YouTube channel and lifestyle brand.

The ad immediately drew backlash for its depiction of a man hitting a woman. The company took down the ad and apologized. Callaway, the company whose club was featured in the video, severed its ties with Good Good Golf.

“Over the last several days, we have listened and reflected deeply on the hurt and disappointment caused by the video we reposted,” Callaway said in a statement. “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.”

Callaway also said that its content review process “was not comprehensive enough” and pledged to strengthen it for the future. It committed $1 million to “support organizations working to prevent violence against women, provide resources to survivors, and advance education and awareness efforts.”

Kendrick previously posted on X a suggestion of a possible lawsuit against Callaway. However, in his recent interview, he said he is not considering legal action. Kendrick also said he personally did not see the advertisement before it went live and said that Good Good Golf created the ad while Callaway approved it.

“We apologize for how bad the ad was,” he said. “And I think at the end of the day, we wanted to make sure that everyone knew that we understood that we made a mistake, and we weren’t going to deny that. That’s what we wanted to have portrayed."