Good Good rose from YouTube fame to a blue-chip golf partnership, then saw that momentum unwind in two weeks.
The group unveiled its Callaway deal in 2023 and called it its 'biggest announcement yet.' Good Good then added retail partnerships and $45 million in investment. Three years later, an ad with Callaway triggered a backlash that ended with the golf giant cutting ties and other partners walking away.
The 56-second spot, 'The Driver,' opened with ominous music and showed cofounder Garrett Clark tackling Alexis Miestowski while saying, 'Do not touch my new driver.' Clark and Matt Kendrick said the ad was meant to riff on the horror movie 'Obsession,' with Clark's character obsessed with the club. Instead, thousands of negative comments flooded social media, and many viewers said the video made light of violence against women.
Clark apologized on Instagram and said the concept came from Good Good's marketing team. He called it a 'super dumb ad concept' and 'the worst ad known to man.' He also denounced threats made against Miestowski on social media.
Good Good and Callaway both took the ad down and apologized. Callaway said it was not involved in production and that its review process was inadequate. Both companies said the ad was inconsistent with their values.
The fallout did not stop there. Dick's Sporting Goods removed Good Good products from shelves, and the group pulled out as title sponsor for a PGA Tour event in the fall. The Golf Channel also scrapped the upcoming season of 'Big Break,' whose grand prize was entry into the same event.
Inside Good Good, the crisis also became a management story. CEO Matt Kendrick and newly installed president Joe Flannery both exited days apart, and the company fired marketing head Jeff Lefkovits and another marketing employee. Callaway's content head also departed.
Kendrick then attacked Callaway in early-morning posts on X, writing that the company asked Good Good to make and approve the ad, then 'drops us in a coordinated media blitz.' His post was viewed 8.8 million times. He also said he was not 'opposed' to suing Callaway and was 'down to boycott' the company.
The math is simple: when a creator brand scales faster than its controls, every campaign becomes a liability test. Founders who get this right protect the upside of distribution without giving away the right to operate like a startup forever.
Good Good's collapse is a reminder that brand partnerships are not just revenue lines. They are trust contracts. If the internal process is loose, the market can pull them apart in days, and customers, sponsors, and employees all feel the hit.
