Ancient Oak Gun Club to open

The Ancient Oak Gun Club will hold its public grand opening tomorrow.

The sporting clay course in Lakewood Ranch, at 16800 State Road 64 E., opened for tournament play April 28 with the Roger Hill Memorial Shoot.

Tomorrow’s event, from 9 a.m. until 5:30 p.m., will include a special price of 25-cents per target. The first 150 attendees will receive a free hat, and there will be a raffle for a prize basket with shooting accessories.

Shooters can choose from two courses: a 10-station north course for beginners and intermediates and a 14-station course for tournament-level performers.

Club manager Wayne Evans also announced the club will offer ongoing free “Women and Kids Clinics,” a beginners course focused on eye dominance, gun fit and safety. The first clinic will be held June 23.

The grand opening comes after the course, a Schroeder-Manatee Ranch project, endured a tumultuous approval process delayed by concerns from officials and parents at the Center for Montessori School and Bayside Community Church, who were worried about the proposed gun club’s proximity to their facilities and the noise from gunfire.

Their concerns were proven null by sound engineers.

 Contact Josh Siegel at [email protected].