Good Good Golf, one of the biggest golf YouTube channels and new media brands, is facing backlash after claims that an ad it released glorified violence against women.
Last week, Good Good, a collective of social media creators and golfers, launched a collaboration with the golf equipment giant Callaway featuring a limited-edition driver and balls branded with Good Good’s logo.
To promote the collab, Good Good — which has 2.3 million YouTube subscribers — on Friday released a 56-second ad that begins with one of its female members, Alexis Miestowski, reaching into a golf bag to take out the limited-edition driver.
As she reaches for the club, one of the group’s cofounders, Garrett Clark, runs toward her and shoves her to the ground. He then stands over her and says, “Do not touch my new driver,” before picking it up himself and hitting a shot.
The ad swiftly drew backlash, with thousands of negative comments across social media platforms. In many of those comments, people said the video made light of violence against women. Many of Clark’s recent Instagram posts have been flooded with comments criticizing the ad.
One prominent golfing account on X called the video the “worst golf club ad ever made,” adding: “What in the world were they thinking?”
Nicole Rae, a senior social media director at golf media brand Skratch, said the video “endorses violence against women in the scariest and most threatening way.”
“This is a horrible look for them and for Callaway. Wildly disappointing,” she added.
The video was soon deleted, and on Saturday, Good Good released an apology statement in which it said the ad “depicted actions that are not aligned with our values as a brand.”
Late on Monday, Callaway also apologized for the video, saying that while it was not involved in its production, the brand greenlit its publication.
This video was “completely inconsistent” with Callaway’s commitment to diversity, CEO Chip Brewer said.
“I assure you that we will learn from this and do better,” he added.
Good Good and Callaway did not respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.
The fallout continued into the week.
Late on Tuesday, the Golf Channel said it would postpone the airing of a new season of the golf reality show Big Break, which is co-branded with Good Good, by a week after a sponsor asked that its branding be removed.
The new season of the show, which sees aspiring pro golfers compete in a variety of challenges, is slated to feature several members of Good Good. The Golf Channel did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
On Tuesday, a listing for the club featured in the now-deleted ad was removed from Callaway’s website.
As of Wednesday morning, it was still available for purchase directly from Good Good for $650.
Golf’s new media landscape
Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Good Good is one of a number of new media brands that have taken advantage of the booming popularity of golf since the COVID pandemic, turning social media subscribers into commercial success.
The collective raised $45 million in funding last year from investment firm Creator Sports Capital. In July, it announced a commercial partnership with another collective of online creators, Dude Perfect.
Alongside making long-form YouTube content — which, in some instances, runs longer than many feature films — Good Good sells golf apparel and has sponsored a number of golf events. It has collaborated with Callaway in the past, as well as other major brands, including Yeti, Mountain Dew, and GMC.