Callaway Golf donates $1M as sponsorship fallout intensifies
Callaway donated $1M to violence-prevention groups while sponsor Good Good Golf withdrew from PGA event.
Event / Economy
Callaway Golf Advertisement Controversy
Callaway Golf and Good Good Golf partnership dissolved following backlash over an advertisement depicting violence against a woman. The incident led to mutual apologies, sponsorship loss, and disputes over responsibility between the companies.
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2026-08-29 to 2026-11-08 · UTC publication dates
Coverage begins 29 Aug, 02:04 UTC
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What happened
Good Good Golf confirms ad was intended as parody of horror film
Good Good Golf confirmed that the marketing team had reached out with an idea to recreate the 2026 horror movie "Obsession" as an advertisement between the film's concept and a Callaway driver. The company acknowledged in apologies that the ad concept was poorly conceived and did not align with brand values.
Callaway Golf ends partnership with Good Good Golf over controversial ad
Callaway Golf announced on Thursday, August 27, 2026, that it has ended its three-year partnership with Good Good Golf following backlash over an advertisement that depicted violence against women. The decision came one week after the ad was posted on social media.
Good Good Golf CEO accuses Callaway of blaming Good Good for incident
Good Good Golf CEO Matt Kendrick, 40, posted on social media on Friday, August 28, 2026, stating that Callaway Golf had asked Good Good to make the ad, approved it, then asked Good Good to take the fall before dropping the company and covering the incident with a $1 million donation announcement.
Controversial Callaway-Good Good Golf ad shows man shoving woman to ground
A co-branded advertisement between Callaway Golf and Good Good Golf showed Good Good co-founder Garrett Clark, 26, running after and forcefully shoving employee Alexis Miestowski, 26, to the ground as she reached for a Callaway Quantum driver. Clark then said to Miestowski while she was on the ground, "Do not touch my new driver." The ad was posted to social media to promote the co-branded driver and was removed after receiving backlash for depicting violence against women.
Good Good Golf steps away as sponsor of PGA Tour event in Austin
Good Good Golf announced on Thursday, August 27, 2026, that it will step away as sponsor of a PGA Tour tournament event in Austin, Texas scheduled for fall 2026, stating the company needs to focus on its organization, culture, and learning from the controversial advertisement incident.
Callaway Golf CEO acknowledges company approved controversial ad before posting
Callaway Golf CEO Chip Brewer stated on August 25, 2026, that while Good Good Golf produced the advertisement, Callaway approved it prior to posting and that approval should never have happened. Brewer said the company made mistakes and implemented changes to approval processes to ensure such content is never approved again.
Good Good Golf co-founder Garrett Clark releases apology video
Good Good Golf co-founder Garrett Clark released a nine-minute video statement on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, apologizing for his role in the controversial advertisement and stating he does not support domestic violence or abuse of any kind. Clark described the concept of the ad as "super dumb" and claimed he did not actually make physical contact with Miestowski during production.
Callaway Golf donates $1 million to organizations preventing violence against women
Callaway Golf announced on Thursday, August 27, 2026, that it will donate $1 million to organizations working to prevent violence against women, provide resources to survivors, and advance education and awareness efforts, in response to the controversial advertisement.
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