Ancient Oak Gun Club in Lakewood Ranch, FL announced in an email sent June 16, 2017 that they were closing. Here is part of the email:
We are writing to inform you that The Ancient Oak Gun Club will permanently close for business on June 30th, 2017. The property will revert to agricultural uses until future development plans are finalized.
Their website has the full notice. www.ancientoakgunclub.com
Ancient Oak hasn’t been the same since they fired Wayne Evans. Another guy took over for a few months, then this last guy drove away the most dedicated shooters with the crazy targets he was setting. When they complained, he replied that that was the targets he liked to shoot!
It was never supposed to be a profit center for Lakewood Ranch – just another amenity like their polo grounds. The only permanent structure on the property was the pavilion. The office was just a double-wide mobile.
Bill
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This winter 2017 most stations at Ancient Oak South Course had four traps. The A & B traps could have been set as easy/intermediate and the C & D traps could have been set for hard/advanced and easily catered to all tastes. Equipment shouldn’t have been an issue. Perhaps the will or the desire wasn’t there.
No shooter wants to see sporting clays clubs close, and it is very difficult surviving on throwing targets to people who shoot frequently, because they shoot so often, they’re looking for the best deal they can find. The most successful shooting clubs make their money doing charity and corporate events.
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