Callaway apologises after golf ad slammed for depicting domestic violence

By Anushe Engineer and AFP. Published On 26 Aug 202626 Aug 2026.

Key points

• Good Good's rise will see the firm be the title sponsor for the PGA Tour's inaugural Good Good Championship in Austin, Texas in November.
• "Last week Good Good Golf and Callaway posted a video to promote a co-branded driver, " Brewer remarked in an official note.
• PGA Tour chief executive Brian Rolapp remarked on Tuesday the circuit was dismayed by the and Good Good's handling of the controversy.
• While the video was produced by Good Good, it was approved by Callaway prior to posting.
• Good Good Golf, which centres its business around a successful YouTube channel aimed at bringing a younger audience to the sport, had already apologised for the controversial.

Golf equipment giant Callaway has issued an apology, although largely in vain, after facing an immense backlash for an depicting violence against women. It has since been removed.

For context, the commercial, which was published online last week before being pulled, demonstrated a male golfer shoving a female player to the ground when she reaches for his new driver, and prompted calls for a boycott of Callaway products.

Callaway issued an apology for the, and Callaway chief executive Chip Brewer remarked in an official note on Tuesday that the business had introduced an investigation into how the – produced by golf media firm Good Good Golf – had been approved.

While the video was produced by Good Good, it was approved by Callaway prior to posting. That approval should never have happened. Mistakes were created and we are taking the matter highly seriously.

As we accord with the consequences of our mistake and complete our investigations, I want to produce it clear that we sincerely apologize for the video.

"The content was inappropriate and does not reflect our values. To be clear: we are unequivocally against discrimination, domestic violence or threatening behaviour of any kind. I assure you we will learn from this and do better."

Notably, the online indicated Good Good cofounder Garrett Clark shoving Epson Tour professional player Alexis Miestowski to the ground when she attempted to reach for his driver, before warning her: "Do not touch my new driver."

"We posted a video to our channels that ultimately depicted actions that are not aligned with our values as a brand, " Good Good remarked in an official note.

"We have since taken that content down. And sincerely apologize. 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."

"I think what we saw was concerning, is clearly not aligned with PGA Tour values. We take it particularly seriously, " Rolapp stated.

I think their initial response was disappointing. It was a bit defensive and late.

"But I think the responses are getting better. We've seen some things this morning, we've had some conversations with them, so we'll continue to monitor and work with them going forward. But no, we were disappointed with what we saw." Apology 'isn't good enough'.

Online criticism has been aimed at representation, accountability, and decision-making surrounding the, along with domestic violence being promoted.

Social media users have questioned how the was greenlit to commence with, with numerous infuriated that it was removed only after backlash and not since either business realised how controversial it was.

One woman golfer on social media remarked the was a significant setback for women looking to break into the male-dominated sport, with numerous emphasising that the apologies from Callaway and Good Good Golf did not come throughout as genuine.

In practice, a number of Callaway customers publicly renounced their loyalty to the brand after being appalled at the.

Notably, the backlash for the deleted video spilled over to other Instagram posts from both firms, where social media users continued to demand accountability and a more meaningful apology.

Taken together, the developments around callaway apologises after golf ad slammed for depicting domestic violence point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.