Golfer Takes Aim At Protected Saguaro Cactus In Viral Video

Fans of Arizona's native plant life are upset after a video of a golfer taking aim at a saguaro cactus went viral.

The video on social media shows a man intentionally aiming at the the cactus and then fist bumping his buddies after the golf ball hits the plant. It was shared on the Instagram page Golfers Doing Things.

The video was shot at the We-Ko-Pa Golf Club in Fort McDowell. Saguaros are protected under state law, but that doesn't stop golfers from targeting them.

"People think it's fun. There's a couple of cacti that are closer to tee boxes out on our course that just have holes all over them," Josh Minsky, an assistant golf professional at We-Ko-Pa Golf Club, told the Arizona Republic.

The cacti are covered under the Native Plant Protection Act. Harming a saguaro is a class 4 felony and can result in a six months to two years in prison.

At the We-Ko-Pa Golf Club, it's not uncommon to see golf balls inside of the protected plant. The courses are dotted with cacti, and golfers will accidentally hit them.

On social media, people are tagging out the club in posts and asking the property to look into the incident. Minsky told the newspaper that the club is trying to track down the golfer in the video.

Photo: Getty Images