Club of the month
The newly opened Charles Holland Shooting School may only cover three acres but it offers bespoke shooting for beginners and experienced shots alike
The newly opened Charles Holland Shooting School may only cover three acres but it offers bespoke shooting.
Set in the rolling Dorset countryside, a stone’s throw away from the site of the world famous Great Dorset Steam Fair held in late summer every year, The Charles Holland Shooting School is a pleasurable spot to spend a few hours honing your skills.
Founded by 29-year old Charles Holland, the school stands on the site of what was a former clayground.
Cosy and upmarket
If you are a travelling clay shooter you will almost certainly have experienced a broad range of clubhouses at different grounds. Some on the large grounds can be modern and spacious, others are wooden structures that have been there for years with faded newspaper clippings of past winners and other clay shooting memorabilia on the walls, while others can simply be a caravan or a temporary cabin. In Charles’ case he has opted for a marquee and when you enter you could be in a top gun shop. Reindeer skins are draped over Chesterfield sofas, a parlour palm stands in the corner and a wood burning stove all add up to a cosy and upmarket setting – and an unusual one in the heart of the countryside.
Charles’ journey
Charles was originally from Suffolk and his parents regularly hosted shooting parties at their home. Charles would watch the Guns as a young child, and was particularly fascinated by a stuffed pheasant his parents had – one of his earliest memories. As he got a bit older he went out on shoot days, but by 18 years old he had drifted a bit away from shooting and found himself working on a fish farm in Exmoor. It was quite remote and Charles said that “boredom set in”, so he applied for a shotgun certificate. Charles went on to have enjoyable days roughshooting
and wildfowling – Exmoor having exerted its strong fieldsports atmosphere on him. By the age of 20 he was working on the Ashcombe and Rushmore estates in Dorset as a shoot host and he also began working at The West London Shooting School, hosting and organising simulated game days using his experience of gameshooting to put on realistic clays.
The late, and much-loved instructor Edward Watson proved to be a great mentor to Charles, from whom he learned a great deal about coaching. Charles currently hosts up to 120 days per shooting season at Ashcombe and Rushmore and decided to set up his own school, partly as a natural progression, but also to keep himself busy out of the shooting season. Charles described his style as: “a tried and tested method that the great Shots I have loaded for and instructed and stood behind all use. I teach certain techniques for certain birds, but do not discourage people from using their own style if it is effective for them and they just want to practice. Practice is crucial with all sports and it is certainly no different with shooting.”
Bespoke service
Charles said: “Part of my ethos is to encourage more women and children to shoot. I think the shooting world can be quite daunting for them and here at the school there is a quiet and relaxed environment with no pressure. The costs of opening the ground have really racked up but I hope my bespoke service will attract gameshooters before the season, novices, and also shooters who maybe simply want to learn to shoot a bit better, do a bit of practice and who are looking to enter the world of competition clay shooting. Due to the nature of the ground all my traps, including the high tower that extends to 22m, are mobile. The tower can throw 100ft plus clays. I can lay on pretty much any sort of clay target that a shooter could wish for and move traps about quickly using my quad bike. With sloping ground, coupled with the high tower, I can lay on some very high clays. Apart from a static trap for beginners, I offer flexibility that is not always found at standard grounds and advice on gunfit which is crucial.”
Charles has made the most of the parcel of land he has and it shows what can be done in small places. Mown tracks between high summer vegetation along with the marquee, a shepherds hut and a quirky wooden-clad toilet all add up to an entertaining experience.