Clockwise from right: the Hudson Farm Club, Forest …...The sporting clays course at Orvis’s Sandanona Shooting Grounds is set in a rugged, forested landscape. Continued on page

52 MARCH • APRIL 2015

In the US, from its fl edgling beginnings in the 1980s, sporting clays has grown into one of the most popular clay-shooting disciplines. With the increase in skills

and the success of American shooters at home and abroad, there has been a huge demand for a greater variety of target presentations and, in particular, the testing targets thrown in competition.

Many bird hunters are looking for true simulations of their fi eld experiences, be they walked-up birds over dogs; driven grouse, partridge or pheasants; or passing doves. The best modern grounds have target presenta-tions to meet all of these demands and then some.

There are many excellent private shooting clubs as well. Some are open to the public for lessons, gunfi ttings, spe-cial events, competitions or guests of members. However, there is little point in including clubs in my “top 10” list if the average person is unable to visit them.

Clockwise from right: the Hudson Farm Club, Forest City Gun Club,

Greenbrier Sporting Club, Dover Furnace and

Brays Island Gun Club.

SHOOTINGSPORTSMAN.COM 53

was extended and remodeled by Marty Fischer. With a trail that meanders among live oaks and longleaf pines, this course is, like all of Brays’ amenities, as good as it gets. The 15-station course with multiple traps allows for an ever-changing smorgasbord of targets. There are also skeet, trap and 5 Stand layouts, a welcoming clubhouse and pro shop, plus one of the best clays coaches in the US: Jim Arnold. Although Brays is a private club, there are many opportunities to shoot there, including the Brays Is-land Outdoor and Shooting Exposition (held each April), various charity events and private lessons with Arnold.

Brays Island Plantation, 843-846-3170; www.braysisland .com.

Please keep in mind that my choices are not in any particular order. (In fact, I’ve placed them in alphabetical order for clarity.) Each course has something special to offer, and each is “first among equals.” I also would add that at every one of these courses I’ve found the staff and members to be not only friendly and welcoming but also enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the sport.

Brays Island Gun Club (Sheldon, South Carolina)Reportedly named after the Indian trader William Bray in 1704, Brays Island Plantation is the Southern-lifestyle com-munity by which all others are judged. The sporting clays course was designed by Holland & Holland and recently Continued on page 100

102 MARCH • APRIL 2015

superb clubhouse, 5 Stand, wobble trap, four skeet fields and two sporting clays courses that take full advantage of the terrain. The first US Open was held here in 1992, and the Homestead Cup has been held here every Memorial Day since 1993. This is a private club, but there are sport-ing clays packages available through The Homestead Resort. My good friend David Judah, a real gentleman and an excellent coach, is the club manager. Anyone who knows Judah will tell you that just spending time with him is well worth the visit.

The Homestead Shooting Club, 540-839-7787; www .thehomestead.com.

Hudson Farm Club(Andover, New Jersey)Home of the Griffin & Howe Shooting School, the Hudson Farm Club is, without a doubt, one of the top sporting clays and wingshooting facilities in the US today. Set in almost 4,000 acres of beautifully landscaped woods and farmlands, including several lakes and ponds, are two sporting clays courses—one along the valley floor and the other in and around the surrounding hills. There is a full gunsmithing shop, a pro shop and a superb clubhouse. A fantastic staff and exceptional instructors complete the package. The Club hosts numerous charity events throughout the year.

Hudson Farm Club, 973-398-4330; www.hudsonfarmnj .com.

Nemacolin Shooting Academy (Markleysburg, Pennsylvania)Situated on 140 acres four miles from Nemacolin Wood-lands Resort is The Shooting Academy, a complex featur-ing 35 sporting clays stations spread across three courses, a 5 Stand pavilion with an integrated Wobble Trap Field, and towers. The combination can be set to encourage the beginner and test the best. Spread over the undulating val-leys and pastures of southeastern Pennsylvania’s Laurel

Highlands, the scenic course was designed by Mike Davey in 1999. That year it was voted The Best Sporting Clays

Course in the US by Mike Hampton, then-presi-dent of the NSCA.

Nemacolin Shooting Academy, 724-329-6770; www.nemacolin.com.

Oak Tree Gun Club (Newhall, California)In 1973 Oak Tree Gun Club opened in South-ern California as a skeet and trap club, and since then it has been the home club for many of Hollywood’s stars, including Roy Rogers, Charlton Heston, Robert Stack, Steven Spiel-berg, Arnold Schwarzenegger and director John Milius. Brothers Jim and Tim Mitchell purchased Oak Tree in 2002 and expanded the club and updated its facilities to include one of the most scenic sporting clays courses in the country.

Oak Tree Gun Club, 661-259-7441; www.oak treegunclub.com.The Shooting Academy at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort offers

35 sporting clays stations spread across three courses.

The sporting clays course at Orvis’s Sandanona Shooting Grounds is set in a rugged, forested

landscape.

Continued on page 104