LPGA commissioner Craig Kessler believes in something that has largely been lost, not only in sports, but across society as a whole: forgiveness.
During the “Tuned In” summit hosted by Front Office Sports on Tuesday, Kessler was asked to share his take on the controversial Good Good Golf advertisement with Callaway that took over the golf world and social media back in August.
Kessler’s opinion on the ad — which featured Good Good co-founder Garrett Clark pushing member Alexis Miestowski to the ground — was one based in common sense. Like most, he couldn’t believe the advertisement was greenlit to begin with, but he isn’t on board with the idea of cancelling the brand over an admittedly huge mistake.
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Craig Kessler, Commissioner of LPGA Tour addresses reporters during a press conference announcing WTGL at SoFi Center on January 06, 2026 in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Rich Storry/TGL/TGL Golf via Getty Images) (Rich Storry/TGL/TGL Golf via Getty Images)
“The fact that someone thought that was a good idea and it came to life just shows you that while society has made enormous progress, we have a very, very long way to go,” Kessler began.
While his opening thoughts appeared to be him going down the path of completely bashing Good Good Golf and all that were involved, he later approached the topic from a forgivable point of view.
“Good people make mistakes,” Kessler continued. “And we have to leave room in society for someone to say, ‘I made a massive mistake. Please forgive me. Here’s what I learned, and it won’t happen again.'”
Garrett Clark warms up on the driving range during the 2025 Tour Championship Creator Classic, prior to TOUR Championship, at East Lake Golf Club, on August 20, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images) (Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)
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While it appears that Kessler is of the belief that Good Good Golf should be allowed an opportunity to right its wrongs, the brand suffered severe consequences in the days after the advertisement was first shared online.
Callaway, despite admitting that it approved the collaborative ad, ended its partnership with Good Good days after the backlash began. Good Good also split with the PGA Tour ahead of its sponsored tournament set for November, plus some retailers pulled their products from their shelves.
The brand was also involved with the return of Golf Channel’s ‘Big Break’ reality series, but the network ultimately chose to cancel it altogether.
Brad Dalke, Garrett Clark, and Sean Walsh, pose for a photo together, on the 10th tee box, during the 2025 Tour Championship Creator Classic, prior to TOUR Championship, at East Lake Golf Club, on Aug. 20, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images) (Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)
Good Good, which boasts over 2.1 million subscribers on YouTube, took a brief pause in posting new content to its channel. It has since launched a new series centered around playing golf in all 50 states in just 50 days.
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Each video has accrued over 500,000 views, with many of them individually approaching 1 million views.