The golf world has been up in arms in recent days with the PGA Tour urged to “cut ties” with one of the sport’s biggest brands after a video showing a woman being pushed to the ground was deleted from their social media channels.
Good Good is a social media behemoth that boasts more than two million subscribers on YouTube as well as more than four million followers across their various channels.
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They have become so big since debuting on YouTube in 2020 that for the first time ever they will sponsor a PGA Tour event in Texas this November.
But the American company has received a lot of backlash after a collaboration with golf equipment manufacturer Callaway to promote a new driver has been accused of downplaying violence against women.
The 15-second video showed Good Good co-founder Garrett Clark rushing towards professional golfer and regular Good Good contributor Alexis Miestowksii before shoving her to the ground and shouting, “do not touch my new driver”.
The advertisement was removed as outrage began to circulate online and within 24 hours of it being posted, Good Good issued an apology.
“We posted a video to our channels that ultimately depicted actions that are not aligned with our values as a brand,” their statement read.
“We have since taken that content down. And sincerely apologise.
“Good Good has always stood for making the game of golf more inclusive to all, and we will continue to ensure that is our mission moving forward.”
Callaway, who worked in partnership with Good Good since 2023, shared a statement of their own to various media outlets.
“We are disappointed by the content that was posted, and are appreciative of Good Good for addressing this,” the statement read.
“We look forward to working together to ensure a more inclusive space in golf.”
The responses from both Good Good and Callaway did not sit well with Nicole Rae, the social media director of golf brand Skratch, which is semi-owned by the PGA Tour.
“They so don’t get the point,” Rae posted on social media.
“They didn’t just create an ad that makes golf non-inclusive to women, but it endorses violence against women in the scariest and most threatening way. This is a horrible look for them and for Callaway. Wildly disappointing.”
The PGA Tour partnered with Good Good to deliver the Good Good Championship later this year in a unique crossover of the professional game and content creators.
US$6 million in prize money will be up for grabs for the 120-player field, which will include 12 sponsor exemptions given to golf influencers.
A qualifying reality series ‘Big Break x Good Good’ is set to determine the 12 places, which is likely to include Australian professional and content creator Ryan Ruffels.
But the PGA Tour has been urged to scrap the crossover event in the wake of the deleted advertisement.
“The PGA should cut ties with Good Good,” Jamie Klingler, the co-founder of women’s rights group Reclaim These Streets, told Telegraph Sport.
“According to the World Health Organisation, one in three women will experience physical and/or sexual violence at the hands of a partner in their lifetimes and here is Good Good endorsing domestic violence with a younger audience segment.”
The PGA Tour stopped short of taking Klingler’s advice in their own statement.
“The PGA Tour believes in golf’s ability to bring people together and create a welcoming environment for all,” it read.
“We do not condone violence in any form, and the since-deleted video does not reflect our values or commitment to inclusivity and respect.”
The response from the US-based Tour has done little to dampen the disappointment of some of golf’s most vocal women.
Avid golfer and former Real Housewives of Orange County star Katie Ginella, who is also a co-host of a reality TV and pop culture podcast ‘Bravo’s Most Wanted’, posted to her more than 100,000 followers on Instagram about her anger over the video.
“I woke up this morning and saw this ad, and I am in shock,” she said.
“My husband (golf journalist Matt Ginella) and I work in the golf industry, I have also been in a domestic violence situation, and I cannot believe that Good Good and Callaway looked this over – it went through many hands – and they decided to post it.”
Ginella then shared that she “messaged somebody that my husband and I know that works on the Callaway social media team” and then revealed a screenshot of their reply.
“S****y idea. I think that people yelling that we are endorsing violence against women are just as irresponsible as the video,” it read.
“What? You’re endorsing it because you chose to work with a group of men who think this is okay,” Ginella added.
“And your statement, Callaway and Good Good, I’m sorry but ‘that’s not our values’. It obviously is if you posted something like that.
“This is completely irresponsible and disgusting, and I will never support anything that Good Good or Callaway does. Never, f***ing ever again.”
Host of CNN’s ‘Living Golf’ Jasmine Sanders, who goes by ‘The Jazzy Golfer’ on social media and boasts more than 65,000 followers on Instagram, was also left dumbfounded by the video.
“My first thought was how did this get approved?” Sanders pondered.
“Before anyone says it’s just a joke, I know, but do we really need violence towards a woman to be the punchline for an advert for a golf club?
“What makes this particularly disappointing is that Callaway does so much good for the women’s game. They support female players, ambassadors, presenters, etc. and they invest in the women’s game, and obviously deserve all of the credit for that.
“But that kind of makes this even harder to understand. Like there are so many different ways you can advertise a golf club, and think how many design stages that advert went through – the idea, the planning, the filming, the editing, reviews, the final sign-off.
“And at no point did somebody think: ah guys, are sure about this?
“Golf keeps talking about making the game more welcoming to women…
“You can’t say that matters and then make violence towards a woman the punchline.
“I like a lot of what Callaway does, but I think Callaway and Good Good just got this one completely wrong.”
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