I think you need a bit of a reality check. People travel from all over the country into the so called golden triangle. Martin Myers only last week 4 hours to Southdown. The quality of the shooting, pricing, prize money, facilities are second to non. You know what your going to get.
A sh*tty shed in a field charging £40.00 a round ain't going to cut it. Times are changing this sport needs professionalism and top facilities to flourish which creates income to fight our causes. It's called moving with the times. You have to support your grounds with membership and attend the shoots. It's not all one way traffic.
Go to Sporting Targets see how it's done properly, that's 1.5hrs for me and worth the drive.
All these top grounds promote our sport ( go on Twitter and see how it's done ) and are a pleasure to shoot.
Sorry you have non of these down there.
You could put the most plush club house, with the best catering facilities, beautiful lawns, clean and tidy car parks, topography to die for and targets to challenge everybody at every level, in deepest Devon, and you'd still get the same old faces turn up to a regular shoot. Take Newnham Park for example. They may not have had a Club House, shop and restaurant like E.J.Churchills, but they did have some of the best ground for setting a Sporting course in the Country, good access, ample car parking, fantastic targets and a pefectly acceptable catering facility, but it did not save them from shutting it down as it was not cost effective. Granted they did see the "great and the good" when they got the National selection shoots, but that was the only occasions they dragged people away from their doorsteps when they were used to having the choice of 10 decent shoots within an hours drive from them.
I'm sorry Rosso, but people come to Devon for a holiday, but us unfortunate souls (in some ways, but so lucky in others) who are here permanently have now run out of options unless we want to travel up to that Golden Triangle with which you are so blessed. For me that would mean an overnight stay and I'm sure nobody would say they shoot their best after a 5 hour drive, knowing they are facing another 5 hours to get home. I know some do this, there's always exceptions, but the ordinary man in the street does not want this, any more than you do. When was the last time you and your buddies came to the West Country? (And I'm not talking about that bit that pretends to be West Country that is just off the M4) there are some shoots left here you know. After all, we're not all self made millionaires/self employed/company directors/retired or just the idle rich with plenty of time and money on our hands.
I would seriously love to have the choices and opportunities you have to shoot. It would mean I would shoot more often and maybe even improve a little because of this. Currently 1000 cartridges will last me over a year and there is very little point in being a CPSA member, as recording so few registered scores negates the benefits of membership. Thankfully we have plenty of one off straw balers and village charity shoots during the summer, or I would probably not shoot at all until the game season. The drawback to this is it is nowhere near the quality of the "proper" shoots that you may enjoy.
I do enjoy my occasional trips out to shoot on a special occasion shoot, that's why I'm particularly gutted at not being able to shoot the Shootclay Cup this year, and who knows, the icing on the cake might have been to meet you?? (And that Damn Parrot!!) :smile:
