PGA Tour, retailers distance selves from Good Good after ad backlash
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PGA Tour chief executive Brian Rolapp has said that Good Good’s sponsorship of the Good Good Championship is no longer a certainty.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- Good Good Golf faced backlash after an ad showing apparent violence against women, leading to a public apology and removal of the content.
- The PGA Tour and retailers like Golf Galaxy, Dick's Sporting Goods, and PGA Tour Superstore distanced themselves, pulling sponsorships and products.
- Good Good's CEO admitted the mistake, but the company's future partnerships and tournament sponsorships remain uncertain amid ongoing criticism.
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The fallout continues to grow for golf apparel and entertainment upstart Good Good Golf, with retailers and even the PGA Tour distancing themselves from the company.
On Aug 21, Good Good released an ad designed to promote its new driver made in collaboration with Callaway. Good Good’s Alexis Miestowski is seen set to grab a driver out of a golf bag. Fellow Good Good personality Garrett Clark runs to Miestowski, knocks her to the ground and says: “Do not touch my new driver”, while standing over her.
The ad drew immediate backlash, with claims it depicted violence against women, and the next day the company issued an apology, saying in a statement: “We posted a video to our channels that ultimately depicted actions that are not aligned with our values as a brand.
“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.”
On Aug 24, Good Good chief executive Matt Kendrick spoke with The Wall Street Journal.
“We fully own that we did make a mistake. As the CEO of the company, the buck stops with me and we should have had better processes in place,” Kendrick said, noting the ad was supposed to be a spoof of the popular horror movie Obsession.
“In no way were we trying to make light of or support violence. But it came across that way, and that’s our fault.”
But that did not prevent partners from moving away from the company.
When asked on Aug 25 if he thought the apology was sufficient in terms of taking responsibility, PGA Tour chief executive Brian Rolapp said: “I think initially, no. I think what we saw was concerning, is clearly not aligned with PGA Tour values. We take it very seriously. I think their initial response was disappointing. It was a bit defensive and late.”
The company’s sponsorship of the PGA Tour’s Good Good Championship, a tournament scheduled for November in Austin, Texas, is no longer a certainty, with Rolapp saying, “It’s a bit of a fluid situation,” before adding, “we’ll continue to monitor the situation and see how it develops.”
What is more, retailer Golf Galaxy reportedly pulled out of a sponsorship deal for a reality series in conjunction with Good Good. The show was set to debut on Aug 25, but Golf Channel postponed it for seven days, saying the time would “allow for necessary production updates following a request from one of the show’s sponsors to remove its branding from the series”.
Dick’s Sporting Goods and PGA Tour Superstore reportedly joined Golf Galaxy in pulling Good Good merchandise and apparel from their stores.
According to Front Office Sports (FOS), while Dick’s had yet to comment on the situation, Good Good items were no longer available on either Dick’s or Golf Galaxy websites. FOS called numerous Dick’s locations and was told Good Good products were in their stores but not on the sales floor and not available for purchase.
Good Good began in 2020 as a YouTube channel and rapidly gained popularity as a mainstream golf and lifestyle brand. REUTERS
