Just 14 days after Good Good and Callaway released a co-branded driver commercial that blew into a huge controversy, the fallout has reached the top of the company.
CEO Matt Kendrick and President Joe Flannery both have stepped down, according to Front Office Sports’ David Rumsey and Ellen Briggs. But despite the leadership taking a sharp hit, Good Good is here making major business claims.
As addressed in the statement, the spokesperson told FOS, “Despite the recent controversy, the company is seeing online retail growth and continued support from investors and sees an opportunity to re-engage former retail partners in the future.”
The exit followed Callaway severing its partnership and the PGA Tour dropping Good Good as title sponsor. Good Good’s Finance Chief delivered the news to staff directly, framing it as a transition rather than a full retreat, as reported by Business Insider.
“Good, good team. I want you to hear this news directly from me.” CFO and COO Alex Puchala wrote in a memo. “Effective today, Matt has decided to step down as the CEO of GoodGood, and Joe has chosen to part ways as well. This is a difficult day for the entire GoodGood family.”
With that, Puchala is staying on as COO and CFO to oversee day-to-day operations, while GoodGood co-founder and early investor Nahid Giga takes over as interim CEO effective immediately.
For context, Kendrick’s contributions to Good Good have been huge. He co-founded the brand in September 2020 alongside Garrett Clark, after previously running the YouTube fishing channel Googan Squad. Under his leadership, Good Good grew past two million subscribers and signed sponsorship deals with players like Beau Hossler and Michael Block.
Notably, his contribution during the ad fallout was visible too. He tweeted on X calling out Callaway for approving and publishing the ad. But his verdict mysteriously took a sharp U-turn. Before his exit, Kendrick told FOS he never saw the ad before it was published. He even praised Good Good’s investors for standing by the company. “They’ve been in the war room with us through this process every day,” he said on August 28.
Soon after, on Aug 31, the marketing team took a hit. VP of the brand and marketing department Jeffrey Lefkovits was fired.
However, Kendrick did not respond to FOS’s request for comment on his departure Wednesday night.
As for President Joe Flannery, his term had barely started. He was hired as the president on August 21st, the day after the ad first went up, arriving with experience at Nike, Adidas, and The North Face, and most recently serving as CEO of Score Sports. His mandate also covered merchandise and goods retail operations, the area now facing the steepest fallout. Less than two weeks into the job, he has decided to exit.
As for Garrett Clark, the main face of the ad, who was seen shoving Alexis Miestowski to the ground, he is staying in the company. He will remain an integral member and create content, as confirmed by the company and FOS.
Also, Callaway CEO Chip Brewer apologized again on August 25th, admitting his company had approved the ad before posting it. The ripple effect continues as two days after that, Callaway ended its three-year partnership with Good Good and pledged one million dollars to organizations combating violence against women. It was also a sharp turn for Callaway.
Additionally, the PGA Tour dropped Good Good as the title sponsor of the November event, which continues as the Austin Championship. The pushback from the business aspect has been sharp too. Golf Galaxy, Dick’s Sporting Goods, PGA Superstore, and Target pulled Good Good’s merchandise from shelves, and even Golf Channel postponed its Big Break collaboration with the brand.
Despite the backlash and the losses, Good Good seems to be taking the change in a good spirit. Giga now inherits the company, trying to rebuild retail relationships it lost within days of its release. Whether the opportunity to “re-engage former retail partners” actually materializes will likely shape how much of the six-year brand still survives this reset.