One Man’s Fairway; Another Man’s Runway

The congested nature of golf in the Valley is perhaps most noticeable at Van Nuys Golf Course, which operates three short, nine-hole layouts and a practice range within a chip shot of the end of Van Nuys Airport’s 8,000-foot runway.

The airport is owned by the City of Los Angeles and managed by the city’s Department of Airports. Van Nuys Golf Course, which is separated from the main runway by Vanowen Street, is also on land owned by the city and managed by the Department of Airports.

And if a 10-foot putt isn’t stressful enough for golfers, the reason there is a golf course there in the first place might be.

“The understanding is that if something happens to a plane, the pilot has more area to land his aircraft than if homes and buildings were on that spot,” airport spokesman Bob Hayes said. “We certainly don’t encourage our pilots to land on the golf course, but it’s nice to have it there.”

The normal takeoff pattern sends the aircrafts southbound, over the golf courses. Sometimes, planes roar over the practice range so low that golfers wait for them to pass, afraid a well-struck ball might reach the planes.

Professional golfers and strong amateur golfers can loft a ball nearly 200 feet into the air, but Hayes said that he did not know how low aircraft are flying as they pass the course.

“Yeah, I think I could reach some of the real low ones,” said golfer Ric McCauley, 23, of Reseda, who was at the range recently hitting towering shots with a pitching wedge. “Once in a while they come across the range really, really low. You can see the people inside real clearly. I think I could get one up that high. I’m sure I can. But when I see the planes that low I never even think about trying to hit it. That would be sick.”

It would also be futile, according to Hayes.

“The perception from the ground is that the aircraft are much lower than they actually are,” he said. “It startles the people on the ground when an aircraft comes over particularly low, but I don’t believe a golfer could reach an aircraft under any circumstances. The airport has been here since 1928 and the golf course has been there for 30 years. We’ve never had any problems.”

Paul Tanner, an eight-year employee of the Van Nuys Golf Course, agreed with Hayes.

“The planes sometimes come over really low,” Tanner said, “and maybe a golfer on the range thinks he could reach it with a hard shot, but I don’t really think so.”