Inside Good Good's Callaway ad crisis that cost the company its top 2 execs and a string of partners

The stars of YouTube supergroup Good Good could hardly contain their enthusiasm as they unveiled an expansive partnership with one of golf's best-known names: Callaway.

"It's a dream of ours," one said, as another gushed it would be "super dope."

That was 2023, and the reveal — which Good Good called its "biggest announcement yet" — felt like a sign of golf's new era. Good Good's high-energy pranks and challenges were getting the backing of a blue-chip equipment maker. Good Good followed the deal up with a string of retail partnerships and $45 million in investment. The creator economy had come to breathe new life into an aging sport, and Good Good was its star.

Three years later, Good Good's dream unraveled in nightmarish fashion over the course of two weeks. An ill-fated ad with Callaway — which many saw as a poor attempt at humor at best, and promoting violence against women at worst — caused the golf giant to cut ties and other key partnerships to evaporate.

Good Good's CEO went nuclear on Callaway in a series of early-morning posts. Days later, he was out, along with a newly installed president, who arrived just as the ad was published and didn't stick around to try to clean up the mess.

To Good Good fans, the crisis seemed to come out of nowhere, and stood in sharp contrast to the brand-friendly image the group had cultivated for years. The group had rolled out a campaign earlier this year, called "There's more to Golf," to promote inclusivity and reach new audiences.

Inside the company, however, there were signs that leaders and investors recognized a need for greater professionalization and a steadier hand.

As the scandal broke, Good Good was onboarding its new president, Joe Flannery, who was tasked with overseeing most of the company's operations. The scale of Flannery's remit suggested that investors felt CEO Matt Kendrick needed reinforcements.

Flannery, a veteran of Nike and Adidas, was described by a former Callaway colleague as a "respectful" exec who didn't fit in with some of his more bro-y counterparts at the equipment maker.

One person who worked on other projects with Good Good said the company was run in a casual manner, and that they had seen ads fly out the door with little oversight.

"I think a lot of things get brought to them very quickly and they say, 'Let's do it,'" this person said.

Creator-led companies are talent-driven by nature, and many — including category leader MrBeast — are hiring outside leaders to help them level up their businesses. As the industry matures, creators face a central question: Can I professionalize my company without killing what makes people love it? Audiences want authenticity, and so do brand partners — up to a point. Good Good's scandal is an extreme example of a risk that many creators face.