The Gun Club at Tryon Resort held a grand opening reception of their new course at West Point Farm on June 2. Construction on the course began in February.

Spanning 4,100 feet, the sporting clays course was designed and outfitted by nationally renowned sporting clay course designers Rick Hemingway and Heyward Cunningham and consists of 15 stations with four traps per station. A five-stand facility with eight traps is also available as a warm-up or for competition practice.

Managed by a long-range targeting system, the trap machines allow for a variety of combinations, target options and patterns of sporting clay launches.

Chief Operating Officer Sharon Decker of the Tryon International Equestrian Center said the shooting course is a reuse of the property that many of the course’s attendees have fond memories of.

“I’m learning from a lot of you just how special this place is,” Decker said at the grand opening. “Many of you have fond memories of this place whether it be a wedding reception, a retreat, a family reunion or company outing. I’ve heard a lot of things that have happened here at West Point Farm.”

Annual memberships for the course include a charter membership, limited to the first 75 applicants, for a $1,000 initiation fee, an annual membership at $500 and a corporate membership at $2,500 for a group of five individuals, according to Michelle McConnell Yelton of McConnell Group PR. An additional five individuals can be listed in an individual’s corporate membership pool for $500 a person.

Robert Standish is the former executive director of the U.S. Equestrian Team and, according to Decker, is a master shooter as well. Standish, along with Hemingway and Cunningham, designed the course at West Point Farm and will serve as the course’s manager.

“This is one of the most exciting things that has ever happened for me and it’s kind of a dream come true to run a course of this stature,” Standish said at the grand opening. “The course, which has up to 60 traps, is just phenomenal. I hope it becomes one of the most premier courses in the country.”

The charter membership can then be renewed annually for $400 and comes with 1,000 free targets, usually valued at $0.30 a target. Shooters can purchase targets at bulk price with a minimum of 500 targets in each membership tier.

Daily rates are $50 for non-members and $35 for members. Golf carts, rental guns and ammo are available at the course in the Pro Shop. Caesar Guerini manufactures the guns in the 12-and-20 gauge models. The National Sporting Clay Association’s accredited instructors will provide shooting lessons.

For more information about the course and the club or to sign up as a member, individuals can contact the Tryon Gun Club at 828-863-1435 or email gunclub@tryon.com.