Matt Kendrick, co-founder and CEO of Good Good Golf, has departed the company in the wake of significant backlash stemming from a controversial advertisement depicting violence against women.
Kendrick led the company’s initial response to the public outcry surrounding a Callaway x Good Good driver advertisement, which showed Good Good creator Garrett Clark physically pushing fellow creator Alexis Miestowski to the ground. The situation escalated further when Kendrick posted a viral social media message criticizing Callaway’s handling of the controversy.
Kendrick has now officially stepped down as CEO, along with company president Joe Flannery.
The departures were confirmed through an internal company memo, first reported by Business Insider and subsequently by Front Office Sports.
Executive Departures Follow Driver Advertisement Fallout
According to Business Insider, Good Good’s head of finance, Alex Puchala, distributed a memo to employees on Wednesday announcing the leadership changes.
“Matt helped build something extraordinary that exceeded all expectations and continues to bring countless new fans to the sport,” Puchala reportedly wrote in the memo.
Co-founder Nida Giga will assume the role of interim CEO. Puchala did not immediately respond to GOLF’s request for comment.
The announcement surprised some observers, as Kendrick had previously weathered the initial fallout from the advertisement, including criticism directed at the company’s first apology attempt.
Kendrick subsequently issued a personal apology on LinkedIn, accepting responsibility for the advertisement. However, the damage continued. Retailers Dick’s Sporting Goods and Golf Galaxy pulled Good Good merchandise from their shelves. Golf Galaxy withdrew as title sponsor of Golf Channel’s planned series “Big Break x Good Good,” prompting Golf Channel to cancel the show’s inaugural season entirely.
The challenges persisted. Last Thursday, Callaway terminated its partnership with Good Good, and the company announced it would withdraw as title sponsor of the PGA Tour’s Good Good Championship, originally scheduled for November.
Viral X Post Intensifies Crisis
On Friday, Kendrick resurfaced on his previously inactive X account with an early morning post directed at Callaway, one day after the company ended its partnership with Good Good.
In his post, Kendrick wrote: “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.”
The message rapidly gained traction online. As of the latest reporting, the post remained active and had accumulated 8.8 million views.
Later that morning, Kendrick told Front Office Sports that he had made the “reactionary” post in response to “what’s come towards [his] family.” He also disclosed that he had not seen or approved the Callaway driver advertisement before its release. Five days after the viral post, Kendrick’s tenure at Good Good came to an end.
On Wednesday evening, Front Office Sports reached a Good Good spokesperson, who conveyed optimism about the company’s trajectory following the leadership transition.
“Despite the recent controversy, the company is seeing online retail growth, continued support from investors, and sees an opportunity to re-engage former retail partners in the future,” the spokesperson stated to Front Office Sports.
