Sporting Clays

Upcoming Events

 

Originally designed to simulate hunting, Sporting Clays is now often described as “golf with a shotgun.” Clay targets are presented in a variety of unique woods and field presentations, on a course that’s challenging and fun. Our Sporting Clays course has weekly hours that are open to the public (in the Winter we offer 5-Stand instead of Sporting Clays). Monthly, we host NSCA registered sporting clays tournaments. Scarborough Fish & Game’s Sporting Clays has consistently been in the Top 10 Clubs in the USA in NSCA registered targets thrown. Come out and find out why Sporting Clays is the fastest growing shooting sport in the country.

Our 2024 NSCA Registered Shoots

January 5-6 Frozen 5 #3 – Friday & Saturday ONLY – Sunday CANCELLED
February 3-4 Frozen 5 #4
March 2-3 Frozen 5 #5
 April 6-7 Trap-a-palooza!
April 26-28
Easter Extravaganza
May 25-26 Maine State Warm-up
June 27-30 Maine State Championship
July 20-21
Big Easy
August 10-11 The Maine Open
September 13-15 Old Zone One Championship
October 12-13 NE Super Sporting Championship
November 2-3 Frozen 5 #1
December 7-8 Frozen 5 #2

 

Public Hours & Pricing

Eye and ear protection and safe gun handling are required.
New shooters are welcome. Please read the New Shooter Info and FAQs in the tabs below.
Pricing & Hours as of 3/28/22

 
Sporting Clays
5-Stand
Golf Carts
Public Hours

OPEN FOR THE SEASON

  • Wednesdays 10am – 3pm
  • Sundays 10am – 2pm*

CLOSED FOR THE SEASON

  • Wednesdays 10am – 3pm
  • Sundays 10am – 2pm*
  • We have a small fleet of golf carts available to rent on public Wednesdays and Sundays, and, also, during our Tournaments. Must be a licensed driver to rent a cart.
Pricing
  • Club Members: 35 cents per target**
  • Non Club Members: 40 cents per target**
  • Club Members: $7 per round of 25
  • Non Club Members: $8 per round of 25
  • $20 per day, per cart on public Wednesdays and Sundays
  • $50 per day, per cart during Tournaments

*When registered tournaments are scheduled, the Sporting Clays course is only open to those people registered for the shoot. Also, 5-Stand and Wobble Trap are closed during registered tournaments.
**For Sporting Clays: Two targets per station, per group, will be given for show birds, all other targets will be charged

New Shooter Info
Scarborough Sporting Clays encourages new shooters to come out and give the game a try. There are many people out there that have seen it on TV, heard about it, or even tried it in their back yard, but don’t know how to get started with organized clay target shooting. We are here to help. We offer public sporting clays every Wednesday and Sunday, from April to the end of November. Please refer to our calendar to be sure we are open. Public Sporting Wednesdays and Sundays are more of a laid-back atmosphere, where you can go at your own pace, without a crowd watching. We have put together some information to help you understand the process and feel more comfortable trying Sporting Clays.

Safety First

First, and most important, you need to show up with an empty gun. It must remain empty, and the action open, until you are at a station, in a shooting stand, ready to shoot.

You will need eye and ear protection at all times on the course. There can be pieces of target or even lead shot flying around, especially on a windy day, so this is very important and will be enforced.

Squads and Guns

Sporting clays is generally shot in groups or “squads” of 2 to 6 people.  However you can shoot alone if you wish. Some people bring spouses, children, or friends. And, there are many women that shoot sporting clays.

You can use most any type of shotgun. You need to be able to handle your gun safely and to be able to load and unload it.

Welcome to SFGA Sporting Clays

When you arrive at the club, you will go to the Sporting Clays office to sign in. If you tell the office folks that you are new to sporting clays, they will have someone go with you for a couple stations to show you what to do.

Stations, Traps, Menus, Targets

Sporting clays is normally shot from a trail, through the woods, with anywhere from 10 to 16 stations. Our trail is 2/3 of a mile long, very flat, and mostly paved, so it’s a very nice walk in the woods.

There are normally at least two target launchers or “traps” at each station. They can throw targets that cross in front of you, go away, come in, go straight up, or even bounce across the ground (Rabbits). There are several different types of clay targets including standards, battues, midis, rabbits, and they all have different flight characteristics. And there are different target colors – orange, pink, yellow and black. The various colors help make the targets more visible, due to ambient light characteristics at the various stations.

Each station will have a stand to shoot from, with a menu telling you what type of targets are on the station, how many targets to shoot, and the type of target presentation. A target presentation is either a Report pair or Simo pair. Report Pair: You call “pull’, and the first target, in the pair, is launched. The second target is launched on the sound (the Report) of the gun firing. Simo Pair: You call “pull”, and both targets are launched at the same time. You will normally shoot 6 or 8 targets at each station.

Course Changes

One of the most exciting, and fun, parts of sporting clays, that is like no other shooting sport, is the course gets changed on average every two weeks, so a station you shot today may be totally different the next time you shoot. The target presentations are limitless.

Great People

We realize that if you don’t know someone with experience to bring you, to shoot Sporting Clays, the first time, it can be very intimidating. If you have an interest or think this sounds fun, please come give it a try, we are here to help get you started. Whether you come with friends, or come alone, you will meet some very nice people. You will find that sporting clays shooters are very welcoming and very helpful to new shooters. We have had many people come their first time to shoot with no idea what to expect, only to have so much fun that they get hooked and start shooting every week. Many beginners advance on to start shooting in the competitions that we have every month. It is very common to see new shooters make new long term friends and have sporting clays become a social event every week.

FAQs

Do I need to have experience to shoot sporting clays?
You do not need to have experience to shoot sporting clays. However, you must be able to handle your gun and shoot safely. When you register in, just let the office folks know that you’re new, and someone will spend time with you to get you started.

Can I rent a gun?
Unfortunately, we do not rent guns. You will need to bring your own.

What do I need for ammo?
You need the proper gauge (12, 20, 28 or 410) ammo to fit your gun and shot size of 7.5, 8, or 9. We have ammo available for purchase.

What form of payment do you take?
We take cash or check only, no credit cards.

How long does it take to shoot a round of sporting clays?
The average time to shoot a round of sporting clays (100 targets) is two hours.

Can I shoot alone?
Yes, we use the LongRange target card system, which has a solo shooter delay option.

Do I need a motorized vehicle to travel the course?
You do not need a vehicle to get around the course. Although golf carts and ATVs are welcome (they must be driven slowly and respectfully), our course is less than a mile long, very flat, and mostly paved, so most people walk the course.

Do you rent golf carts?
Yes. We have a small fleet of golf carts that are available to rent on public Wednesdays and Sundays and also during tournaments. 

Safety Information

Contacts

Earle Glidden
Chairman, Sporting Clays
sfgasportingclays@icloud.com
207-776-0325

Past Event Results