Good Good Golf CEO resigns after furor over Callaway ad

Good Good Golf CEO Matt Kendrick and President Joe Flannery left the company on Wednesday after a backlash over a co-branded Callaway Golf advertisement. Viewers criticized the ad as sexist and said it trivialized violence against women.

The online video showed a male golfer shoving a female golfer to the ground when she tried to use his driver. Good Good said it intended the advertisement as a parody of the horror movie “Obsession,” but critics condemned its treatment of violence against women. Both companies apologized, and the advertisement was quickly removed.

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This is a difficult day for the entire Good Good family.

Callaway subsequently ended its three-year partnership with Good Good. The digital media company also said it would stop sponsoring one of the PGA Tour’s tournaments this fall.

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Matt helped build something extraordinary that exceeded all expectations and continues to bring countless new fans to the sport.

Co-founder and early investor Nahid Giga will serve as interim CEO, according to an internal email. Chief Financial Officer Alex Puchala called Kendrick’s departure “a difficult day for the entire Good Good family” and said Kendrick helped build a company that grew from a small group of friends playing golf into a global community.

Garrett Clark, a Good Good co-founder who portrayed the male golfer in the advertisement, will remain at the company. Kendrick had earlier accused Callaway on social media of asking Good Good to “take the fall” before dropping the company in what he called a coordinated media campaign.

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take the fall and then drops us in a coordinated media blitz