In an era when more women are hitting the golf course than ever, how do you draw in potential customers? Well, if you’re Callaway or Good Good, two brands that sell plenty of female-targeted products, you knock them down. To the ground. You shove women to the dirt and tell them not to touch your products. Promoting their Callaway X Good Good Driver, the golf powerhouses collectively shared what was quite possibly the most disturbing advertisement I’ve ever seen.
Released Friday, August 26, the ad depicted Good Good Golf’s golden boy, Garrett Clark, shoving Alexis Miestowski, professional golfer and member of Good Good Girl’s, to the ground, harshly and violently. He then ominously stood over her, reminding her not to touch his new driver. The backlash was immediate, and the ad was removed the next day. That did not, however, stop both brands from making a major splash in sports headlines.
Now, if you’re anything like me, you were probably left unsettled, disturbed and baffled. Who on earth would watch this back and truly believe that this was the best way to promote a driver? Well, believe it or not, both major golf brands collectively agreed that this was the move.
Apparently, in an attempt to give off the “golf bro” vibe they so desperately want, Good Good thought that domestic violence was the perfect punchline for the ad that they produced. Callaway’s executive board watched it back, and all five members, including Angela Deskins, the board’s only woman, signed off on it. No red flags were raised.
Following the media superstorm, both companies issued apologies and separately pledged money towards domestic violence organizations. For Good Good, however, it seems it was too little too late. The company has taken major losses since the ads release.
Target, Dicks, Golf Galaxy, and PGA TOUR Superstore have, at least temporarily, kicked Good Good off their shelves. The next day, Good Good took another hit when they were publicly dropped by Callaway. Brutal, but the $2.8 billion company was never going to stick its neck out for the up-and-coming Good Good. And to end their bad, bad week, Good Good announced that they would no longer be a part of the PGA event they were set to sponsor in November. In the golf world, that’s like headlining Coachella.
As satisfying as it is to watch both companies self-implode, the ad did hurt my golfer girl heart just a little bit. I can’t say I’m a seasoned golfer, but after a long summer of triple bogeys and endless range sessions, it did feel like a slap in the face. There are a lot of amazing things that everyone can learn from golf, and women and girls deserve to feel welcomed to the sport the same way men do.
So, to all the girls and women out there who are too scared to try, do it anyway. Make space for yourself, even when the Good Goods and Callaways of the world don’t want you there. I can’t provide a lot of golf advice. My handicap sits somewhere in the thirties, but I can tell you this: swing slow, keep your head down, and get a set of Titleist clubs.