The man under investigation for hitting golf balls in Yellowstone has issued an apology, but it’s unclear if that will stop the investigation he currently faces.
Jake Adams – a self-proclaimed golfer and comedian – used Instagram for a “30-day challenge.” Over the last month, he’s traveled to and hit a golf ball in every U.S. state.
When in Wyoming, Adams decided the best backdrop for his golf swing was Yellowstone National Park. Several biodegradable golf balls were hit in the park, including one that appears to have fallen into a thermal basin.
There was no deception in his social media challenge, which means the video of his Yellowstone tee-offs has been viewed thousands of times. A few of those who viewed Adams’s video were National Park Service employees.
“He violated regulations designed to preserve Yellowstone and protect the experience of other visitors,” a Park Service spokesperson told Cowboy State Daily in April. “[He] showed a lack of judgment and common sense.”
After viewing the video, Yellowstone officials announced that Adams’s actions were illegal. An investigation has begun into Adams’s activities at two N.P.S. sites: Yellowstone and Mount Rushmore, where he took and filmed a similar golf shot.
Recently, Adams released a video apology on the same Instagram page where he posted his 30-day challenge.
“It was never my intent to disrupt . . . the environment or anybody’s day. I just never realized the magnitude of hitting a golf ball in any of our national parks,” Adams said. “If I can do anything on this platform and just encourage everybody not to do what I did, and do not hit any golf balls biodegradable or not does not matter, in our national parks,” he said.
The apology was only issued after the conclusion of his 30-day challenge.
It’s unclear whether Adam’s apology will stop the N.P.S. investigation. No official statement or update on the matter has been released.
