"He was the most courteous crash pilot: He managed to avoid the green altogether."

Richard Brooks with the story of a particularly thoughtful pilot who successfully avoided a green at Cresta Verde.

Barely an hour after he crawled out of a damaged plane on a Corona golf course, pilot Richard Hammerschlag said his otherwise safe emergency landing fell victim to a hidden sand trap.

"I was trying to avoid the green," the 63-year-old Costa Mesa resident recalled. "But I couldn't see the trap coming up (as I rolled) up an incline. It snuck up on me."

And this from a grateful GM:

"He was the most courteous crash pilot: He managed to avoid the green altogether," said General Manager Mike Kim. "We sustained a little damage to the sand trap, but nothing that can't be repaired."

Comments

[Tommy Naccarato]

I drove right by Cresta Verde yesterday, and one thing is for sure, no golfers were in danger of getting hurt, the course was empty as usual!

[digsouth]

And who says that courtesy is a passing thing in golf. Glad he walked away.


Dustin Johnson: be sure and get a ruling b4 removing the plane and playing a shot out of this bunker.

[Amen Coroner]

Is it empty cause it's brownish or not a good play?

[FWIW]

Must have been a Ross bunker.

[Tommy Naccarato]

If you read The Golf course or Architect's of Golf, you'll notice that it says "THEE" Randolph Scott (RANDOLPH SCOTT!!!!)(For you Blazing Saddles fans) as the designer. So far, I have found that to be a complete misnomer, it is it, then in movie course terms its on a par with Ishtar, only more narrow-minded. (and narrow)

The reason why its so brown is because the Bermuda (and Kikuyu) is dormant. We've been having some cold nights here in the Southland, and its been an earlier cold then usual. Even then, this course would still have brown patches, which mix well with the rest of the terrain. (rocky, decomposed granite) This golf course is a short distance away from the famed Norconian Grand Resort Supreme.

[OWGR Fan]

Well most airplane crash pilots seem to be unavailable for comment after they wreck.........

[Boyer]

"The difference between a sand bunker and water is the difference between a car crash and an airplane crash. You have a chance of recovering from a car crash." - Bobby Jones

[fatgoalie]

Otherwise known as Crusty Dirty GC.
Funny, advertised as Randolph Scott, as well as one of the oldest courses in the area, but is no where to be seen in historic aerials from that time

[The O]

As a pilot and golfer, I'm glad he's ok, and so is the course. The damage to the plane, however, is very sad.

[Phil the Author]

digsouth... Dustin would get a free drop as that would be considered a temporary immovable object...

Either that or 350 of Tiger's closest fans could charge in there and carry it out chanting "Tiger's No. 1" while doing so...

[The Constructivist]

Hey, speaking of crashing and burning, any of you see what Laura Davies said about Grand Cypress's greens?

http://mlyhlss.blogspot.com/2010/12/paging-geoff-shackelford.html

And that was before she shot an 84 today!