Good Good Golf, the creator-led digital golf brand backed by celebrity investors and $45 million in venture funding, lost its chief executive and president this week after a co-branded advertisement with Callaway Golf triggered a backlash that has since cost the company its equipment partner, its television deal, and prime shelf space at some of the country's biggest retailers.

CEO Matt Kendrick and president Joe Flannery departed the company on September 2, staff were told in an internal memo, with co-founder and early investor Nahid Giga stepping in as interim CEO effective immediately. The exits followed a co-branded driver ad that showed one of the company's creators shoving a female creator to the ground — footage Good Good later described as a parody of the horror film "Obsession," but which was pulled from circulation almost as soon as it went live after viewers accused the brand of trivializing violence against women.

Callaway ended its three-year sponsorship of Good Good the day before the leadership shakeup was announced. The retail damage followed fast: Dick's Sporting Goods, Golf Galaxy, PGA Tour Superstore and Target all pulled Good Good merchandise from shelves, according to Front Office Sports. Golf Galaxy also withdrew as title sponsor of a planned Golf Channel series, "Big Break x Good Good," and the network canceled the show's first season outright. Separately, Good Good stepped back from title-sponsoring the PGA Tour's fall event, now rebranded the Austin Championship.

The controversy escalated when Kendrick posted on X on August 28 accusing Callaway of orchestrating his company's downfall, writing that the equipment maker "asks us to make an ad then approves it then asks us to take the fall then drops us in a coordinated media blitz" — a post that racked up roughly 8.8 million views before his own departure five days later. Good Good also fired its VP of brand and marketing, Jeffrey Lefkovits, and one additional employee in the fallout; a Callaway content director involved in the ad's production also left that company.

"Matt helped build something extraordinary that exceeded all expectations and continues to bring countless new fans to the sport," Good Good's finance chief, Alex Puchala, told staff, according to CBS News.

What's next

Good Good, which grew out of a friend group's golf videos into a media company that raised $45 million last year in a round led by Creator Sports Capital, says the business is intact despite the exodus of partners. A company spokesperson told Front Office Sports the brand is still seeing "online retail growth" and "continued support from investors." Co-founder Garrett Clark, who appeared in the ad, remains with the company creating content, and COO/CFO Puchala continues to run day-to-day operations under Giga.

The episode is a case study in how fast a single piece of branded content can unwind multi-year commercial relationships for a media-first startup whose entire value proposition rests on brand safety and audience trust. Whether Good Good can retain its remaining retail and streaming partners — or replace Callaway with a new equipment sponsor — will be the next test for its new interim leadership.