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Callaway severs ties with Good Good Golf over driver ad depicting violence against a woman

Major retailers pulled merchandise and Callaway pledged $1 million to anti-violence organizations as competitor PXG released a jab ad.

The short version

  • Callaway ended its three-year partnership with Good Good Golf after an ad showed co-founder Garrett Clark shoving golfer Alexis Miestowski to the ground over a driver.
  • Callaway pledged $1 million to organizations working to prevent violence against women and admitted its internal review process failed.
  • Major retailers including Dick's Sporting Goods, Golf Galaxy, and PGA Tour Superstore pulled Good Good products, while rival brand PXG posted a counter-ad featuring LPGA players.
  • PGA Tour officials are monitoring the situation to determine the future of a November tournament title-sponsored by Good Good.

Key facts

  • Callaway terminated its partnership with YouTube brand Good Good Golf following backlash over a co-produced ad for a new driver.[The Guardian · NBC News]
  • The deleted advertisement depicted Good Good co-founder Garrett Clark shoving member Alexis Miestowski to the ground to keep her from touching his driver.[The Guardian · Fox News · NBC News]
  • Callaway committed $1 million to organizations that support survivors and work to prevent violence against women.[The Guardian · Fox News · NBC News]
  • Retailers including Dick's Sporting Goods, Golf Galaxy, and PGA Tour Superstore removed Good Good products from physical and online stores.[The Guardian · Fox News · NBC News]
  • Parsons Xtreme Golf (PXG) launched an ad featuring LPGA Tour players captioned "our drivers play nice with everyone" in an apparent reference to the controversy.[Fox News]
  • Golf Channel postponed the premiere of a reality show involving Good Good by one week after a sponsor requested the removal of its branding.[The Guardian]

What remains uncertain

  • It remains uncertain whether the PGA Tour will cancel or replace Good Good's title sponsorship for a scheduled November tournament in Austin, Texas.[The Guardian · Fox News · NBC News]

Sources