Coverage spread: 3 sources — 1 left · 2 right
Lean ratings via AllSides / Media Bias-Fact-Check. How this works.
Where they agree
- Callaway approved the Good Good ad, showing Garrett Clark shoving Alexis Miestowski to the ground, before it was posted online.
- Both companies pulled the video and issued apologies after backlash over its depiction of violence against a woman.
- CEO Chip Brewer issued a late-night/early-morning statement admitting the approval ‘should never have happened’ and calling it a mistake.
- The ad was meant to promote a co-branded driver from the Callaway-Good Good partnership, which dates to 2023.
Where they differ
- CBS News highlights consumer boycott threats and broader industry data on rising female golf participation.
- New York Post emphasizes the scale of Callaway’s response, including its internal and external investigations, and details Good Good’s business success (its $45 million funding round and PGA Tour sponsorship).
- Fox News provides the most detailed account of the ad’s content and the sequence of corporate statements, including Callaway’s softer initial response before Brewer’s fuller apology.
- Only the Post notes the ad was reportedly intended as a horror-movie-style spoof and that Callaway removed the driver listing from its website.
Callaway Golf CEO Chip Brewer apologized after backlash over an online ad, made with content brand Good Good Golf, that showed co-founder Garrett Clark shoving fellow creator Alexis Miestowski to the ground and warning her not to touch his driver. Brewer admitted in a late-night statement that Callaway had approved the video before it was posted, calling that approval a mistake, and said the company is now running internal and external investigations.
What did the ad actually show?
The video was created to promote a co-branded driver between Callaway and Good Good Golf, a YouTube golf channel with more than 2 million subscribers, in a partnership dating to 2023. In the clip, Miestowski, a former Division I women’s golfer, reaches for a driver in a golf bag. Clark sprints at her, shoves her to the turf with his forearms, stands over her, and says, in a menacing tone, “Do not touch my new driver.” According to the New York Post, the full ad ran 60 seconds and appeared to be styled as a horror-movie spoof, though that framing did little to blunt the reaction once clips circulated online.
How did the companies respond?
Good Good pulled the video from its social channels and apologized first, saying the ad “ultimately depicted actions that are not aligned with our values as a brand” and adding that the company has “always stood” for making golf more inclusive. Callaway followed with an initial statement saying it was “disappointed” by the content and “appreciative” of Good Good for addressing it. That first response drew criticism for not acknowledging Callaway’s own role in approving the spot.
Brewer then issued a second, more direct statement just after 1 a.m. ET on a Tuesday, acknowledging that Callaway had signed off on the video before it went live. “That approval should never have happened. Mistakes were made, and we are taking the matter very seriously,” he wrote, adding that Callaway is “unequivocally against discrimination, domestic violence, or threatening behavior of any kind.” He said the video was escalated and removed once the company recognized the severity of the backlash, that Callaway has already changed its approval processes, and that internal and external investigations are underway. Inc. reported that Callaway also pulled the co-branded driver’s listing from its website.
Where do the sources differ?
CBS News focuses on consumer reaction, noting some golfers said they would stop buying Callaway products, and situates the controversy within broader industry data — the National Golf Foundation found a 45% rise in female golfers from 2020 to 2025, versus 12% growth among men, even though women still make up just 28% of golfers, a record high. The New York Post emphasizes the scale of the corporate response, highlighting the “internal and external investigations” and Good Good’s business standing, including its $45 million funding round in 2025 and its sponsorship of a new PGA Tour event in November. Fox News gives the most granular blow-by-blow of the ad’s content and the sequence of statements from both companies, including Callaway’s initial, more muted response before Brewer’s fuller apology.
How are people reacting to the apology itself?
The apology has not fully quieted criticism. One social media user, describing himself as a Callaway customer, wrote that he was “deeply disappointed” and pushed back on framing the incident as simply a “mistake,” pointing out that Callaway’s own statement confirmed the company approved the video beforehand. Other commenters suggested Callaway should make donations to the Ladies Professional Golf Association or to domestic violence organizations as a more concrete response.
Why does this matter for golf?
The episode lands at a moment when women are one of the fastest-growing segments of golf’s customer base, making the ad’s depiction of violence against a female golfer especially sensitive for brands trying to court that audience. Callaway is one of the largest equipment manufacturers in the sport, and Good Good has become an influential name among younger golf fans through its content and tour sponsorships, meaning the fallout carries reputational risk for both a legacy manufacturer and a fast-growing digital brand built partly on partnerships like this one.
What happens next?
Callaway says it has already altered its internal approval process and has investigations ongoing, though neither Callaway nor Good Good had responded to further media requests for comment as of the latest reporting. It remains unclear whether the company will take further action, such as donations or personnel changes, that critics have called for.
Sources
Featured photo: Harrison Keely via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)