Courtlough Ladies Club in the April issue of Irish Country Magazine

One frosty day in December, the Courtlough Ladies Club (CLC) met Irish Country Magazine’s feature writer Roisin at the grounds to find out more about the CLC and all things clay target shooting.

Roisin had contacted the CLC after seeing the ladies pictures on Instagram & Facebook, and wanted to find out more about this new wave of Clay Slaying, Girls with Guns and Female empowerment. What better way than to have a go!

After an introductory 30 clay session with both Roisin, and photographer Rita, getting a chance to smash some clays, the ladies followed up their shoot in true CLC style with coffee and cake in the Clay Cafe. Together they revelled in their new found appreciation for clay target shooting in front of the fire and discussed all the details about how the club started, stereotypes in the sport, and why other ladies should come along. The ladies provided all the material that Roisin needed to put together a super article – double page spread nonetheless – for the April issue of Irish Country Magazine.

It’s well worth a read so be sure to pick up a copy.

Congratulations ladies, great job!

Courtlough Autumn/Winter League 2016

Please find completed Leaderboard below and those qualified for the Final. Squads as above for Semi Final.

15 Weeks of Competition Completed

The Final Week of the 2016 Summer League Competition is upon us and what a brilliant 15 weeks it was.

It can only be described as a Highly Competitive League with Mick Phelan making a late charge for the Overall High Gun pipping Keith Reynolds and James Carty to the post. You can view the Squad Lists & Times, Weekly Winners, Summer League Finalists and overall Summer League results below.

The Final will take place this Sunday August 21st, with the first squads being issued a start time of 12pm. The Grand Final will take place at 3.30pm and the Prize Giving to follow at 5pm, with Pizza & Beer being served in the Bar afterwards.

We urge all shooters to arrive 30 minutes before their allocated squad time to be ready to start on time.

We wish all finalists the Best of Luck for the Final.

Looking forward to seeing you all on Sunday

Have you always wanted to try Clay Pigeon Shooting? Don’t know where or how to start?

We want to help you to make the first steps on your Clay Pigeon Shooting path. Let’s start with a bit of background in to Clay Pigeon Shooting.

Clay Pigeon Shooting is a thrilling experience, demanding calm concentration, a keen eye and quick reflexes. A 12 gauge over and under shotgun is the most popular firearm used for Clay Shooting but there are numerous other options from 20 gauge over and under to Semi-Automatic 12 gauge & 20 gauge shotguns.

Once you have your chosen firearm, it’s time to head out onto the range to perfect your aim, practice your skills and soon you will be notching up your ‘kills’. Of course these are not real birds and no real pigeons get hurt, making it a great sport for all – young and old, men and women alike. Now it’s not all fun and games, Shooting of any kind has the potential to be dangerous and all firearms must be treated with the utmost care and respect at all times. It is for this reason that we must stress that under no circumstances should you try any form of Shooting unassisted or outside of the secure and safe confines of a registered Shooting Grounds in Ireland.

How do I book?

So you think you’re ready to get out on to the Shooting Range? Here at Courtlough, we have everything you need to get started. We have designed a range of Clay Shooting Packages that are perfect for absolute beginners just like you. We always recommend that you book in for one of our Shooting Courses where you will be accompanied by one of our trained instructors who will choose a firearm suitable for you, you will be provided with all of the necessary insurance and eye & ear protection before you head out to the range. After you have finished your Shooting package, you can add up all of your Hits or “Kills” in shooting lingo.

Joining the Club?

We know that once you smash your first clay you will be hooked and there’s only one logical next step…Becoming a Member of Courtlough Club. Once you know that Clay Pigeon Shooting is for you and you want to find out more about this great sport, there is no better way than to join a Shooting Club full of other like-minded shooters. Joining the Club is simple, all you need to do is fill out a Membership Form, provide a copy of your current Driver’s License/Passport, pay your membership fee and start your complimentary induction lessons (clay & cartridges not included). From there, you will need to start thinking about purchasing your own firearm, we have a fully stocked Gun Room onsite where you can browse and ask questions before you make your decision.

Practice Practice Practice

Now that you’re a Member of Courtlough Club, have your insurance (Countryside Alliance provide a fantastic offer for Courtlough Members) and have purchased your Shotgun, you are officially a Clay Pigeon Shooter, Congratulations!!! From here on out, it’s all about Practice, practice, practice! But don’t worry, we always have instructors available to give you a helping hand if and when you need it. We also run regular leagues and competitions where you can test your new found skills in a fun and relaxed environment….Happy Shooting folks!

Summer League Dates/Entries & Results

We are pleased to announce that the dates for the Courtlough Beretta Summer League have been set for 2016!

The League will be kicking off on Wednesday May 11th with entries being taken each Wednesday thereafter from 5-8pm. Entries will also be taken on Saturdays 14:00-17:00 and Sundays 10:00-14:00.

Scores will not be taken outside of these times. Best scores count each week.

The Grand Final will take place on Sunday August 21st.

Entry €20, Re-entry €15

(Entry must be paid before shooting the course each week)

€15,000 Prize Pool!

Thanks to our generous sponsors at Beretta and Cheddite we have some really exciting prizes up for grabs this year!

Grand Final Prizes

1st – Beretta 690 Black Edition                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

2nd – Beretta 686E EVO

3rd – Beretta 686 Silver Pigeon 1

4th – Franchi Alcione O/U

5th – Franchi Alcione O/U

6th – 1,500 Shells

7th – 1000 Shells

8th – 750 Shells

9th/10th– 500 Shells

Not only will we be offering prizes for the Grand Final, we will also have prizes for the Weekly High Guns, and for the Top 8 Scores overall in the league!

General Information

The discipline for the league will once again be English Sporting.  (50 target course each week over 5, 6 or 7 stands)

The Courtlough Handicap System will apply. (Each competitor is assigned a handicap which can vary throughout the league.)

Minimum 8 of 15 shoots needed to qualify for the final. All shooters qualified for the final will shoot a 50 bird sporting course with the Top 10 going through to the grand final.

Scores from the Semi Final will carry through to the Grand Final which will be shot over a separate 50 Bird Sporting course.

Don’t forget to get the last minute practice in; We hope to see everybody out for our opening shoot on Wednesday the 11th!

A big thanks to our sponsors

Please find below Weekly Results of the Courtlough Winter League 2015.

Turkey Winners

Week 1 High Gun: Gavin Shiels

Week 2 High Gun: David Shiels

Week 3 High Gun: Oliver Morris

Week 4 High Gun: Darren McCooey

Week 5 High Gun: Michael Phelan

Week 6 High Gun: Dave Malone Junior

Week 7 High Gun: Derek Duff

Week 8 High Gun: Paul Sheerin

Week 9 High Gun: Norman McAlevey

Week 10 High Gun: Derek McCloskey

Week 11 High Gun: John Shiels

The Courtlough Winter League will begin on Saturday September 19^th with the Grand Final on Sunday December 6th.

1. 1. New Courtlough Handicap System to apply.
   2. Unclassified shooters will be classed after 3 shoots.
   3. The discipline for the Winter League is English Sporting (50 target course each week over 5, 6 or 7 stands)
   4. Each competitor must complete 8 of the 12 weeks to qualify for the Grand Final
   5. Each competitor is allocated a Handicap which can vary throughout the league.
   6. All participants who qualify for the Grand Final shoot a Prelim Final of 50 target sporting course, the top 10 in will then qualify for the Grand Final.
   7. The Grand Final will be shot over a separate 50 target sporting course for the Top 10 Prizes
   8. Score from Semi Final will carry through into the Grand Final
   9. High Gun each week wins a Turkey available for collection Xmas Week (Limited to 1 per person)
   10. Must have 8 scores in to qualify for prizes.
   11. Entries to the Winter League will be on, Saturdays from 10am – 4pm & Sunday from 10am to 4pm each week. (The final week scores for week 12 will be Saturday  December 5^th)
   12. Prizes for the Grand Final 1^st Winchester Select Sporting, 2^nd ATA Sporter, 3^rd 1,250 Shells, 4^th 750 Shells & 5^th 500 Shells 6^th-10^th 250 shells each.
   13. Entry €20. Re-Entry €15

Our Annual Beretta Summer League has now kicked off for the Summer with all ready a great entry to start and we are heading into Week 3 this week. Scores this year are lived and published online here at scores.courtlough.ie

The Courtlough Beretta Summer League will begin on Wednesday 6^th May with the Grand Final on Sunday August 23^rd.

1. 1. Each competitor must complete 10 of the 15 weeks to qualify for the Grand Final.
   2. The discipline for the Summer League is English Sporting (50 target course each week over 5, 6 or 7 stands)
   3. Each competitor must complete 10 of the 15 weeks to qualify for the Grand Final
   4. Each competitor is allocated a class AA, A, B, C and D Junior and Ladies
   5. Leinster League 2015 Handicaps to apply. Unclassified shooters will be classed after 3 shoots and class handicaps will be back dated.
   6. The following handicaps apply AA + 0, A + 3, B + 6, C + 9, D +14
   7. Beretta Silver Pigeon 1 Over and Under Shotgun per class (5 in total) AA, A, B, C and D
   8. 10,000 cartridges will be sponsored for class prizes. 2,000 cartridges will be allocated per class. The top 3 shooters in each class will be awarded 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd based on their best 10 scores from the 15 weeks.
   9. Trophies and medals for top 3 shooters in each class
   10. All participants which qualify for the Grand Final shoot a Prelim Final of 50 target sporting course, the top 6 in each class then qualify for the Grand Final.
   11. The Grand Final will be shot over a separate 50 target sporting course for the class high gun
   12. Score from Semi Final will carry through into the Grand Final
   13. Entries to the Summer League will be on Wednesday evening from 5:00pm, Saturday afternoon from 2pm – 5pm & Sunday Mornings form 10am to 2pm each week. (The final week scores for week 15 will be Sunday August 16^th)
   14. Scores will not be counted outside of these times. Best score to count each week.
   15. Coaching will be available for class C,D, Ladies and Juniors on Wednesday evenings

Please find below Results of the Xmas held on Stephens Night.

Congratulations to all winners and to those who have not been in touch please contact Liam by email on liam@courtlough.ie

Christmas Draw Winners 20142

Courtlough Shooting Grounds Silver Anniversary Xmas Draw.

• Over €40,000 Worth of Prizes
• Limited to 350 tickets
• Tickets €100
• 1^st Prize Beretta SO5 Sporting Valued at €26,000
• 2^nd Beretta 687 EELL 30” Field Gun Valued at €8,000
• 3^rd Beretta 690 Field Gun Valued at €3,000
• 4^th Beretta A300 Semi Automatic Valued at €1400
• 5^th Tikka T3 Lite .243 Valued at €1200
• 6^th Le Chameau Arran GTX Boots value €350
• 7^th Le Chameau Vierzonord Wellies value €250
• 8^th Musto Packaway Light Shooting Jacket  value €250
• 9^th Hunter Balmoral Neoprene Wellies value €250
• 10^th 1,000 Game Cartridges 32gram 6’s €250