Golf equipment giant Callaway has been forced to issue an apology for its part in a now-cancelled ad promoting a new club in which a woman is shoved to the ground.
The ad was co-published by Callaway and Good Good Golf to promote the release of its new co-branded driver. It showed a woman reaching down towards a driver in a bag, before its male owner runs over and pushes her over.
The video depicts a man pushing a woman to the ground and then standing over her. Good Good Golf
He then stands over her and barks “do not touch my new driver”.
The backlash was immediate and fierce. Since the ad circulated there have been calls for a boycott of all Callaway equipment.
Good Good, which started as a YouTube channel which sprung to prominence during the pandemic, is the naming rights sponsor for a PGA Tour event in November. The Tour is being urged to cut ties with the company.
Good Good released a brief statement saying the video “ultimately depicted actions that are not aligned with our values as a brand”.
It went on to declare Good Good had “always stood for making the game of golf more inclusive to all”, which triggered its own backlash.
In its own statement, Callaway chief executive Chip Brewer quickly pointed the finger at Good Good, who produced the video, before Callaway approved it.
“That approval should never have happened. Mistakes were made, and we are taking the matter very seriously,” he said.
“As we deal with the consequences of our mistake and complete our investigations, I want to make it clear that we sincerely apologise for the video. The content was inappropriate and does not reflect our values. To be clear: We are unequivocally against discrimination, domestic violence, or threatening behaviour of any kind.
“As soon as we recognised the seriousness of the issue, it was escalated appropriately, and the video was immediately removed.”
Brewer said both internal and external investigations were underway, and the company had “already made changes to our approval processes aimed at ensuring this will never happen again”.
“We believe we have been a positive force for diversity and inclusion in the game of golf. This video was completely inconsistent with that. I assure you that we will learn from this and do better,” he concluded.
A screenshot from a controversial ad produced by Golf brands Good Good and Callaway. Good Good Golf
To make matters worse, the statement was addressed to “our customers, employees, stakeholders and golfers everywhere”. Comments were quick to question why women were not directly addressed.
Good Good was started by a group of friends essentially filming their rounds and playing trick shots, and has grown to become the third-biggest golf channel on YouTube. It has also expanded to become a highly popular apparel brand.
The cast of the video were all Good Good regulars.
Callaway meanwhile is one of golf’s three biggest brands, along with Titleist and TaylorMade. Professionals who play with Callaway equipment include Australia’s Lee siblings Min Woo and Minjee, Sam Burns, and Xander Schauffele.