Golf Channel’s latest reality experiment, “Big Break x Good Good,” was set to debut Tuesday night. Hours before the scheduled premiere, the network postponed the show after a sponsor requested the removal of its branding. The decision followed a controversy involving an ad that quickly spiraled out of control.
A video promoting a new driver, a collaboration between YouTube content group Good Good and golf equipment giant Callaway, set off the chain reaction. In the clip, Good Good co-founder Garrett Clark shoves fellow creator Alexis Miestowski to the ground, then stands over her and yells, “Do not touch my new driver.” Good Good intended the ad to parody a scene from the movie “Obsession,” but it drew immediate backlash for its depiction of violence. By Friday, the video had been deleted from official channels after circulating widely on social media.
Good Good began its damage control Saturday. The group issued a public apology, conceding that the video “depicted actions that are not aligned with our values as a brand” and promising to keep golf inclusive. On Tuesday, Good Good CEO Matt Kendrick expanded on that apology on LinkedIn, admitting the team “made a mistake” and that the execution “missed the mark.” Kendrick said neither he nor anyone at Good Good condones violence of any kind, acknowledging that the group was responsible for the impact of its content regardless of intent.
Callaway faced its own questions after approving the video. Early Tuesday morning, CEO Chip Brewer confirmed that Good Good produced the ad but Callaway had signed off on it. “That approval should never have happened,” Brewer wrote, calling it a serious mistake. He said the video was removed and the matter escalated internally as soon as the seriousness of the issue was understood.
Golf Galaxy, the presenting sponsor and a subsidiary of Dick’s Sporting Goods, pulled its support in response to the controversy. Golf Channel said the pause would “allow for necessary production updates following a request from one of the show’s sponsors to remove its branding from the series.”
PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp addressed the ad Tuesday ahead of the Tour Championship, calling it “concerning” and Good Good’s initial response “disappointing.” His comments arrived as questions mounted over Good Good’s status in the upcoming Good Good Championship, a PGA Tour Fall Series event. Rolapp described the situation as “fluid,” leaving open the possibility of consequences beyond the delayed television show.
Callaway’s admission that the video was approved internally points to a breakdown in review protocols at one of golf’s most prominent companies. Good Good’s promise to change its “creative review” process similarly acknowledges that its content pipeline failed to catch a mistake with serious commercial consequences.
The fallout for Golf Channel is immediate: a heavily promoted series is on hold while the network updates production and replaces the sponsor. Good Good and Callaway continue to face criticism on social media despite their apologies and retractions.
As of Tuesday, the Good Good Championship remains on the PGA Tour’s schedule for November.
