How to Run a Sporting Clays / Trap Shoot Event in Colorado

Running a sporting clays event in Colorado? Here's how to plan it, pick a format and run it on Colorado Under Par, start to finish.

What it looks like

Charity clay shoots are a popular Colorado fundraiser at private and public ranges on the plains and foothills, with teams of four or five rotating through stations in spring through fall.

Formats

Sporting Clays (100 targets)

Shooters walk or ride a cart through about 10 to 15 stations with varied target paths.

Sporting Clays (50 targets)

A shorter course of fewer stations, good for beginners or a quick charity shoot.

5-Stand

Five shooters take turns at five side-by-side stands while targets fly from several machines in set sequences.

Trap

Shooters stand in a line behind a house that throws targets away from them at random angles.

Skeet

Shooters move through eight stations in a half circle while targets cross from high and low houses.

Flurry / Protection

Teams stand together while many targets launch quickly, and they must break as many as possible.

Flurry Station Challenge

At one station, shooters face a quick flurry of targets from several throwers. Most hits wins a prize, run under a range officer.

Sponsor a Station

Businesses sponsor each station with a sign and a volunteer host. Squads stop to meet them, and sponsors get real face time.

Top Gun Buckle Award

The high overall shooter wins a custom belt buckle. Add a gag prize for the most misses, like a big pair of novelty glasses.

Build it

In the Organizer Dashboard, click Create event and pick sporting clays and your format. Every tab, word and Start here guide then follows your sport.

Registration

Choose your team size and divisions, like open, lady and junior. In Registration, ask what you need from each entrant, like NSCA, ATA or NSSA number, if you have one.

Results

Open Scores and results to enter each score, and totals rank automatically by division. Tick Post results so everyone can see the standings on the event page.

Event day

Shooters check in, get scorecards and eye and ear protection, attend a safety briefing, rotate through assigned stations, then gather for lunch, raffle prizes and awards.

Fun ideas

Make it memorable. Three ideas people love. Flurry Station Challenge. At one station, shooters face a quick flurry of targets from several throwers. Most hits wins a prize, run under a range officer. Sponsor a Station. Businesses sponsor each station with a sign and a volunteer host. Squads stop to meet them, and sponsors get real face time. Top Gun Buckle Award. The high overall shooter wins a custom belt buckle. Add a gag prize for the most misses, like a big pair of novelty glasses.

Tip

One tip for first-timers: require eye and ear protection for everyone on the course, and have each squad assigned a trained scorer or safety officer. Building is free, then 1% per paid order plus card processing, paid to your own Stripe account. Stuck? Ask Caddie or search Need help in your dashboard. Start at coloradounderpar.com/sell-tickets.