CPSA Awards Finalists: Course Setter

Course Setter of the Year, Sponsored by Fellows Media

This category recognises the success of a course setter over the last year, whether they have set a superb championship course or consistently interesting and challenging targets at your shooting ground!

Josh Brown

   

I am delighted to have been nominated for Course Setter of The Year for the third year in a row...!

I’ve enjoyed setting multiple courses at Barbury Shooting School this year, from our monthly Registered Sporting, Super Sporting and Sportrap competitions to our own Hull Pro One Challenge, The Caesar Guerini Masters, The Benelli Sp-Auto, The English Open Sportrap and The English Open FITASC 

To win this award for a third year in a row would mean a lot to me. It would show that I have done my job successfully and created fun, varied and challenging courses for all shooters to enjoy. I believe this is the most important thing when setting a shoot. All of which wouldn’t have been possible without the help and support from my colleagues at Barbury Shooting School 

 

Steve Lovatt
   

I was delighted to hear I have been nominated for 'Course Setter of the Year' award by my fellow shooters.

2023 has been a particular highlight hosting and running:

The CPSA British Open and British Sportrap

Gamebore Gold Cup & The White Gold Challenge

Cotswold Cup (150 Super Sporting)

I am passionate about every course I set up, I am constantly tweaking and changing right up to the first shot of the day to maintain a high quality for every occasion, be it a major competition or a registered 100 bird shoot. First and foremost, for me is variety in a course that will entertain every ability of shooter.

I consider myself very lucky in the two grounds that I operate out of, that they all have natural terrain to show off great sporting clays. To see people enjoy their day makes all the hard work worthwhile as they grow in confidence and ability week on week.

We hold a registered sporting shoot every week at one of our grounds, sometimes two in a week. We are open for practice on the previous registered comp three days a week. This also is a great way to encourage people to try registered competition targets and hopefully may increase members to our sport.

It would mean a great deal to me to win this award. I am dedicated to continuing to set great courses to enable English Sporting and fitasc shooting to be the best it can be and has been a long-term passion of mine that will hopefully continue well in to the future.

 

 

 

Stuart Smith

   

To say I was surprised to receive this nomination is a massive understatement! I would like to say thank you to everyone that has supported me!

Whilst setting the English Open Sportrap and Sporting over the last couple of years has been great fun, it was also extremely hard work to get them to the Championship standards that are rightfully expected by the shooting community.

For me when I’m looking at a course design it is extremely important that shooters of all ability levels and classes have an enjoyable experience, but also that there are targets out there to test everyone too. There’s nothing pleasing to me about shooters leaving with low scores and I try very hard to make sure that this doesn’t happen with my courses, for me, “fair” is the approach!

I am very fortunate to have such a great team with me to help build and run the courses that we have, so in my eyes this is very much a team nomination, not just for me, and they also deserve the recognition that this brings.

   

 

Vote for your favourite finalist HERE