Good Good Golf has lost its chief executive officer, Matt Kendrick, and president, Joe Flannery, following widespread backlash over a controversial advertisement produced in partnership with golf equipment manufacturer Callaway.
The two executives left the company on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, according to an internal communication to employees. The departures are the latest leadership changes at the US-based golf media and creator brand following the fallout from an advertisement that drew criticism for depicting violence against a woman.
An internal memo from Good Good's finance and operations chief, Alex Puchala, said Kendrick had decided to step down as CEO while Flannery had chosen to leave the company. Nahid Giga, a Good Good co-founder, early investor and current board member, will serve as interim CEO during the transition.
Kendrick had served as Good Good's CEO since 2020 and was involved in building the company from a YouTube golf channel into a broader media and merchandise business. Flannery had only recently joined the organisation after previous executive roles in the apparel and sports industries.
Their departures follow the controversy surrounding a promotional video for a co-branded Callaway golf driver. The advertisement featured Good Good co-founder Garrett Clark pushing fellow creator and professional golfer Alexis Miestowski to the ground after she attempted to touch the club, before telling her not to touch his new driver. The video was widely criticised for its depiction of violence against a woman.
The advertisement was removed shortly after it was published, but the backlash continued after the video circulated on social media. Good Good and Callaway both apologised, with Callaway CEO Chip Brewer acknowledging that the advertisement had been approved by the company before publication and saying that the approval should not have happened.
Callaway subsequently ended its partnership with Good Good. The controversy also affected the creator brand's other commercial relationships, with Good Good stepping away from the title sponsorship of a planned PGA Tour event in Austin, Texas, while retailers including Golf Galaxy and Dick's Sporting Goods removed Good Good merchandise from their shelves.
The Golf Channel also postponed or cancelled a planned reality television project involving Good Good, adding to the commercial consequences of the controversy. The PGA Tour publicly criticised the advertisement and said the material was inconsistent with its values.
The fallout had already resulted in other personnel changes. Good Good's vice president of brand and marketing, Jeffrey Lefkovits, was fired, while Callaway's director of content and production, Alex Upegui, was also reported to be leaving the golf equipment company. Another Good Good employee was reportedly also let go.
The controversy has also raised questions about the approval processes used by brands and creator-led companies when producing advertising content. Kendrick previously said he did not see the controversial advertisement before it was published and that members of the marketing team responsible for it had been removed.
Callaway has acknowledged that the advertisement passed through its own approval process before publication. The company said it was investigating how the material was approved and committed $1 million to organisations working to prevent violence against women.
Good Good, meanwhile, has sought to distance itself from the advertisement and maintain that the material did not represent the values of the brand. Clark, who appeared in the video, later apologised and described the advertisement as a serious mistake that was out of line with what the company stands for.
Despite the setbacks, Good Good said it continues to experience online retail growth and support from investors. The company also said it sees an opportunity to rebuild relationships with retail partners as it moves beyond the controversy.
Good Good had built a significant audience since launching as a YouTube channel in 2020, expanding into merchandise, television projects and major commercial partnerships. The company also raised $45 million in funding last year, reflecting the scale of its growth before the advertising controversy disrupted several of its business relationships.
The leadership changes therefore mark a significant moment for the company as it attempts to rebuild its reputation and restore relationships with commercial partners. With Giga taking over as interim CEO, the immediate challenge will be maintaining the company's business operations while addressing the consequences of the advertising controversy.
The departures of Kendrick and Flannery do not, by themselves, establish that either executive personally approved the advertisement. Reports indicate that Kendrick said he had not seen the video before it was published, while the internal announcement described both departures as decisions by the executives themselves.
For Good Good, the episode has become a wider test of how a fast-growing creator-led sports brand handles advertising oversight, corporate responsibility and public criticism. The company will now have to demonstrate through its actions that it can rebuild trust with viewers, athletes, retailers and commercial partners while preserving the audience that helped drive its rapid growth.
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