There are bad ads, and then there’s what Good Good Golf showed its fans on social media while promoting a new Callaway product. The YouTube content creator group recently shared an ad in which Good Good member Garrett Clark appeared to shove fellow creator Alexis Miestowski, a member of the Good Good Girls, to the ground after she reached for a driver in his golf bag. The controversial clip, titled “The driver,” quickly drew backlash, prompting the group to remove the post and later issue an apology.

“We posted a video to our channels that ultimately depicted actions that are not aligned with our values as a brand,” Good Good wrote in a statement on X. “We have since taken that content down, and sincerely apologize. 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.”

However, the apology appears to have done little to ease the criticism. In fact, one fan pointed out that the statement only came after the ad faced widespread backlash on social media.

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“It was not aligned?? Yet no one said anything until pushback on social media,” the fan wrote.

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Good Good removed the ad shortly after it became clear that the campaign had not landed well with its audience, but initially did not explain its decision. Not to mention, even in its apology, Good Good didn’t give a clear explanation about what made it think the ad was ready to publish. What made the video particularly worse was that Clark could be seen shoving Miestowski to the ground before warning her, “Do not touch my new driver,” with a caption under the clip reading, “You have been warned…”

The ad was particularly tone-deaf given the growing popularity of women’s golf. Men are hardly the only athletes competing in the sport, with the LPGA Tour and Ladies European Tour continuing to attract a large and growing audience. As a result, portraying a woman being physically pushed away from a golf club, while appearing to imply that the product was off-limits to her, was bound to raise eyebrows.

The controversy could also prove awkward for Callaway, whose new Quantum Driver was at the center of the promotion. While Callaway did not create the ad itself, its product was featured prominently in the campaign. The company has yet to publicly respond to the backlash surrounding the video — notable given that Callaway is one of the biggest names in golf equipment.

Headquartered in Carlsbad, California, Callaway designs and manufactures golf clubs, balls, apparel, and accessories. Good Good, by contrast, has built its name on YouTube, where it draws a younger golf audience as part of a wider sports and entertainment brand.

This isn’t Callaway’s first fallout with a sponsor. Back in 2022, the company dropped Phil Mickelson after his comments on the PGA Tour and a Saudi-backed rival league drew heavy criticism, saying at the time that his remarks did not reflect its values. Whether the Good Good ad meets the same end is unclear, but pulling it within hours suggests Callaway is trying to stay ahead of the story.

The two companies have also maintained a formal commercial relationship for years. Good Good and Callaway entered into a “partnership and collaboration” on January 3, 2023, making the controversial advertisement an especially notable misstep for both brands. In any case, this comes after Good Good was the center of attention earlier this year.

Brad Dalke left Good Good Golf due to family health issues

Back in June, Brad Dalke announced that he is stepping away from Good Good Golf after three years with the YouTube golf group. His decision to leave Good Good stems from the difficult health journey faced by his wife, Abbie. The couple has endured two miscarriages, while Abbie also suffered an ocular stroke in December that temporarily left her blind and caused permanent vision loss in her left eye. 

Doctors later discovered a hole in her heart, which was successfully repaired in June. Dalke admitted he struggled to balance his golf career with supporting his wife. He now wants to focus on being present for Abbie and their future family. Since then, he has competed in the BMW International Open and Rocket Classic. Although he made the cut in the first one, the second one saw him finish below the cut line.

It appears Good Good Golf is trying to make things right. Ultimately, however, the story has become way too big, way too fast for people to ignore it. Whether it affects its business is yet to be seen.