CLUBS WITHIN THE CLUB 24
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In many ways sporting clays is like golf. You can ride around in converted golf carts. They’ve changed the bag part of the golf cart to a second bench seat. If you have 3 friends, you can all ride together. Or you can walk. The pull carts look more like push strollers. There’s plenty of space for two shotguns and two hundred shells. Four shotguns and 400 shells would be pushing it. We keep score on a similar looking card. A good shotgun costs about the same as a good set of clubs. Some targets are easy, some are near impossible. The easy or impossible refer to a particular station, the equivalent of a hole, or it could be the whole course. Easy stations have slow flying targets. The really easy targets fly straight at you or straight away. Think along the lines of miniature golf. It’s not unusual for the first timer to nail a couple of these. The impossible stations can be evident or deceiving. You might concede before even attempting a shot or later proclaim it’s a lot harder than it looks. That’s the safe excuse unless the next two guys don’t miss. There are charity shooting events too. A smooth swing of your gun when chasing a target is a good thing. When getting ready many shooters check their grip, shuffle their feet, and take a warm up swing. While there’s no standard, the sporting clay courses are designated by colors. If the course is new to you, you need to ask. The blue course is not always the easy course. A bad shotgun cost about the same as a bad set of clubs. It’s not a good idea to make excuses. The guy who says “I’m having trouble seeing them” will likely hear “You’re having trouble hitting them too.” Advice is often offered even when it is not welcome. Like golf, camaraderie is an endearing aspect of shooting sports. It’s something most shooters do with friends. Shots both good and bad will be acknowledged. Cutting quips, snappy retorts and that painful quiet sympathy on a bad day are to be expected.
MARCH 2021 | SMOOTH SAILING
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By Rich Treinen
In many ways it’s not. On your shooting score card, a low number is not something to boast about. You count the hits not the shots. Skills acquired on the sporting clays course have other applications. The obvious is game hunting. What’s the analogy in golf? Handicaps are based on the type of gun you use. There’s no handicap for being a lousy shooter. A high quality shotgun will last more than a lifetime. Golf clubs? I don’t think so. You only get one shot out of a shotgun shell. Advantage golf. Have you ever seen an old cherished driver displayed above the fireplace? Your beloved black Labrador does not get crazy happy when you pull out the golf clubs. Shooters never waste time looking for a bad shot that went into the woods. Advantage sporting clays. The emphatic fore is not something a shooter worries about. Nobody keeps their clubs in a humidity controlled safe. When getting ready to shoot, nobody waggles their butt. When the group ahead of you is slow, it’s okay to jump past them to the next station. Sometimes your shot is supposed to be into the woods. Sporting clays courses do not sell beer out on the course or at the club house. After a really bad shot, I have never heard of a shotgun getting bent in half or landing in the pond. When asked what was the most important aspect of designing a golf course, noted golfer and course architect Don January said “Make sure No. 18 ends up back at the club house.” The sporting clays course designers have not figured that one out yet. SPYC members wishing to join the Wing Shooters Society are encouraged to contact Gene Collins, our Grand Marshall. 727 385-4878 or genebcollins@hotmail.com
