Callaway Golf CEO Chip Brewer has publicly apologized after a promotional video depicting a man shoving a woman to the ground triggered a fierce social media backlash.
The now-deleted advertisement was posted on August 21 to the channels of golf content brand Good Good Golf, featuring co-founder Garrett Clark pushing former Division I golfer Alexis Miestowski to the ground as she reached for a co-branded Callaway driver.
Miestowski screamed in distress as a menacing score played during the video, which was designed to promote a new product launch for the two brands.
While Miestowski was still on the ground, Clark leaned over her and said, “Do not touch my new driver,” in a line that critics found deeply troubling rather than humorous.
The promotional video prompted immediate and widespread condemnation across social media, with many accusing both brands of promoting or making light of domestic violence.
Brewer posted a statement to Callaway’s official X account acknowledging the company’s direct role in approving the content before it went live online.
“While the video was produced by Good Good, it was approved by Callaway prior to posting. That approval should never have happened. Mistakes were made, and we are taking the matter very seriously,” Brewer said.
Brewer confirmed that Callaway has launched investigations into the matter and “made changes to our approval processes aimed at ensuring this will never happen again.”
Good Good also issued a separate apology, acknowledging that the video “ultimately depicted actions that are not aligned with our values as a brand.”
Not everyone accepted the apologies at face value, with some social media users pushing back on how both companies framed the controversy as a simple mistake.
“I’m deeply disappointed by Callaway’s response — and by the company itself,” wrote one person who described himself as a Callaway customer, adding, “Please stop framing this simply as a ‘mistake.’ Your own statement says the video was approved by Callaway before it was posted.”
Some commenters called on Callaway to make amends by donating to the Ladies Professional Golf Association and domestic violence organizations as concrete steps beyond a written statement.
The backlash has also brought renewed scrutiny to how the golf industry treats women at a time when female participation is actually driving significant growth in the sport.
The National Golf Foundation reported a 45% increase in female golfers from 2020 to 2025, compared to just a 12% increase in the male golfer population over the same period.
Despite that rapid growth, women still account for only 28% of all golfers, reflecting a persistent gap between the sport’s expanding female base and how brands speak to and depict women.
Good Good commands a massive, predominantly male audience of young men and boys, raising questions among critics about what the ad communicates to that audience regarding how women should be treated on the course.
Callaway joins a string of brands that have recently faced public pressure and been forced to pull advertising deemed offensive or insensitive by consumers.
Equinox apologized in late July and removed an ad criticized for dehumanizing and sexualizing Asian women, while Starbucks apologized after its South Korean operation ran a promotion on the anniversary of the Gwangju uprising.
Nike also removed its “Walkers Tolerated” ad in April after facing criticism over a perceived lack of inclusivity in its messaging.
For Callaway, the episode represents both a brand crisis and a broader lesson about the cost of alienating the very customers who are powering the sport’s future growth.
