The CPSA's PULL! magazine article, July 2005

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"KIS" and take up

1,000 new shooters are introduced to the sport each year by Oxford GC - just imagine if every ground did the same.

Shooters who have bene in the business for many years will know the sport and the CPSA inside out. They know the history, the highs and lows, what worked and who didn't - and everyone has a different view. Doug Florent, owner of Oxford GC, Oakley, is most definitely an opinionated man, and one passionate about shooting. He sights positive and negative aspects of the CPSA, and his faith in the association took a giant leap forward due to their intervention in fighting a 17 year battle with a small group of local villagers.

"This group has wanted to close me down for years," explains Doug. "Their campaign has been funded by one particular wealthy villager, and every time we applied for planning permission for either expansion or earth bunds, they would appeal for its refusal.

"Jerry Parks Young, CPSA course manager, came to assess the ground and he was extremely helpful. At first I was worried because he was a straight-down-the-line sort of man, who would do things properly. His report however concluded we were one of the best grounds in the country. On the basis of this report, the local council granted us planning permission for earth bunds. I wasn't CPSA affiliated at the time, so they couldn't argue the report was biased. I have since signed-up!"

"There is still a lot the CPSA could do to encourage more people into the sport. At present they are perhaps too small to be big and too big to be small, but with more growth like they have experienced in the last couple of years they will be in a much better position to go forward and create a bigger marketing budget specifically for growing the sport. But running a business each year to break even, as at present, does not leave any funds for such a purpose."

Like the CPSA, Doug has no doubts as to where the future of the sport lies... newcomers.

Nobody could accuse him of not encouraging enough newcomers. Name another ground that comes close to the 15,000 first-timers that the Oxford GC has attracted, with 45% being female. And the secret? Have-A-Go !

The formula is so simple that any ground int he country could do the same. The "Have-A-Go" days started 15 years ago, an idea created by Doug and Andrew Young (BMW). "We were in the pub and Andrew said he wanted a way for all Browning dealers to encourage new people into our sport," explains Doug. "We came up with the Have-A-Go days, and Andrew offered to pay for advertising in local papers for every Browning dealer. Do you know how many took the deal up? Two, including ourselves!
General comments were: "Well, we tried it before and it didn't work." But just because it didn't work once doesn't mean it never will - times change! Many people talk but never act,, or they'll try it once and deem it a failure. It took our "days" months before the numbers really shot up as people don't view shooting as fun. The general public see us in flat-caps and tweeds - it's amazing how clay shooting is still perceived by the public. But once word spreads, once first-timers have told their work colleagues, more and more people are willing to try it. And a number of them will keep with it.

"Steve Richards, our chief instructor, loves shooting and it flows over to the people he teaches. He's not a smart-ass! We follow the KIS rule - Keep It Simple. Too many beginners are inundated with facts and information over-load. Keep it simple and they'll enjoy it so much more."

At the end of the day Doug runs a business and businesses need to make money. Starting off as £10 for 25 cartridges, 25 clays and instruction, the have-a-go entry fee rose to £20 and it's still as popular as ever. Plus the ones who decide to take it up will also buy from the shop. Not to mention the follow-up courses.

Perhaps you've tried the have-a-go day, enjoyed it and want to learn more - what now? "Every Thursday we hold a day's course for five/six people under one coach," explains Doug. "Again these are proving incredibly popular. The day starts at 9.15am for coffee, talk and gun-fitting, out shooting from 10-1pm (break in the middle), a pub lunch, back shooting from 2-4.30pm. People love it. We have courses for novice, intermediate and advanced levels."

Lunch is always served at the local pub, included in the price (alcohol is strictly forbidden). "I don't do cooking!" laugh's Doug's wife Shirley. "All you'll get from me is a cup of tea, but the system works well. The shooters get to leave the ground at half-timeand come back much more relaxed, ready for the afternoon's shooting."

Purpose-built valley

Oxford GC, as Doug explains, is a shooting school, not a shooting ground. The concentration is on Sporting, although there is a Trap and Skeet layout. Most Sporting stands are under cover. With planning permission now accepted, the ground is be completely refurbished, in effect building a man-made valley and completely altering the ground's layout. "This will be a purpose-built shooting school which will cement its future security," says Doug. "Sadly I can see all grounds in the future being purpose built, due to noise pollution. The small clubs will come under more pressure to close and who is going to protest? It's cost us hundreds of thousands of pounds in our 17 year dispute - a small club cannot afford such costs.

One million cubic metres of earth will be brought in to make the valley. "A lot of grounds put these earth bunds up and simply leave them as awful looking mud piles. We intend to plant treet and shrubs so in five to ten years time, once everything has matured, it will be like walking into a natural valley.

"We are very lucky to have Thames Valley as our local police force. They are absolutely brilliant. You couldn't ask for more of a positive approach and they are very supportive of our plans.