Early Friday morning, embattled Good Good Golf CEO Matt Kendrick took to social media to criticise Callaway Golf amid the fallout over a controversial ad that has roiled the golf world.
The ad, which featured Good Good co-founder Garrett Clark shoving fellow creator Alexis Miestowski, was widely panned for depicting violence against women.
The marketing spot, which was produced by Good Good, was created to promote a new Callaway x Good Good driver, and it was approved by Callaway before being posted.
Both companies have made a series of public apologies, but, in the end, that wasn’t enough to save their partnership. On Thursday, Callaway announced it was ending its relationship with Good Good effective immediately.
Hours later, Kendrick expressed his displeasure with Callaway on X.
Good Good CEO says Callaway ‘asks us to take the fall then drops us’
At 3:38 a.m. ET Friday, Kendrick made one of a series of posts and replies on X, some of which have since been deleted, taking aim at Callaway.
In the post, which as of this writing had 6.5 million views, Kendrick alleged that Callaway asked Good Good “to take the fall” for the controversial ad before severing ties with Good Good in a “coordinated media blitz.”
“Interesting that @CallawayGolf asks us to make an ad then approves it then asks us to take the fall then drops us in a coordinated media blitz and covers it up by giving a million dollars away thinking everyone will be ok with it. 30 for 39 will be legendary,” Kendrick wrote.
Callaway did not immediately respond to GOLF’s request for comment.
The post also claimed that Callaway covered up its actions by “giving a million dollars away.” That appears to be a reference to Callaway’s announcement that in addition to ending its partnership with Good Good, the company would donate $1 million to “support organisations working to prevent violence against women, provide resources to survivors, and advance education and awareness efforts.”
Kendrick’s comments were his first on X since 2015, but it was not the first time he’s spoken about the still-unfolding driver-ad controversy.
On Tuesday, he made a long post on LinkedIn apologising for the ad and taking responsibility for it.
“I understand why people found it insensitive, and I want to be clear that neither I nor anyone at Good Good condones violence of any kind,” he wrote on LinkedIn. “Regardless of what we intended, we are responsible for what we put into the world and how it is received. We got this one wrong.”
Later Friday morning, Kendrick was interviewed by David Rumsey of Front Office Sports. In his comments to FOS, Kendrick toned down his criticism of Callaway.
“I apologise to Callaway that all of us are here,” Kendrick told FOS. “We loved being with Callaway for a long time. They were nothing but great to us the entire time we were together. I just hate that this is how it ended.”
Kendrick also revealed that he did not review the video before it was posted, and that Good Good’s initial apology was “something that we did together” with Callaway.
When asked why he decided to air his grievances on X, Kendrick admitted it was “definitely reactionary” but that he did it in response to “what’s come towards my family.”
You can read Kendrick’s entire interview with Front Office Sports here.
The end of its relationship with Callaway is not the only fallout Good Good has faced this week. Golf Channel cancelled this season of its “Big Break x Good Good” TV reboot after losing its title sponsor, Golf Galaxy, which is owned by Dick’s Sporting Goods. Dick’s and Golf Galaxy removed Good Good merchandise from their shelves.
On Thursday evening, Good Good announced it was stepping away as title sponsor of the PGA Tour’s upcoming Good Good Championship scheduled for November.
This article originated on Golf.com
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