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Home Useful Content Useful Content Designing the Ideal Clay Shooting Ground with Promatic Designing the Ideal Clay Shooting Ground with Promatic

Useful Content

Designing the Ideal Clay Shooting Ground with Promatic

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Complete System Set-ups for Clubs and Commercial Venues

Introduction: Why System Design Matters More than Individual Traps

Modern clay shooting facilities—whether private training grounds, local clubs or high-volume commercial venues—are no longer defined purely by the number of traps on site. Today’s shooters expect variety, reliability, smooth flow, and intelligent control systems that minimise downtime and maximise engagement.

As the sport continues to grow, successful grounds increasingly rely on holistic system design: the integration of traps, controllers, radios, Claymate management, maintenance workflows and future-proofed expansion paths. Focusing on individual traps in isolation can lead to mismatched capacities, bottlenecks, unnecessary no-birds, and costly reconfiguration later.

A well-designed Promatic system ensures:

  • Consistent target quality and machine synchronisation
  • Reduced downtime through planned maintenance and fault-tolerant layouts
  • Scalable configurations that evolve with membership and disciplines offered
  • Enhanced shooter experience across every stand, layout, and discipline

This guide presents complete Promatic system set-ups for different types of grounds—from personal coaching spaces to ISSF-grade competition venues—complete with diagrams, recommended machines, release solutions, and operational considerations.

Profiling Your Ground: Volume, Disciplines and Budget

Before a single trap is ordered, a successful design process starts with profiling your ground.

Daily Shooter Volume and Peak Periods

A ground operating 20 shooters per day has fundamentally different requirements to one handling 150 shooters every Saturday. Key considerations include:

  • Shots per hour and clay throughput
  • Peak-time congestion and stand queuing
  • Clay storage and replenishment frequency
  • Machine duty cycles

Under-sizing leads to breakdowns and slow flow; over-sizing increases capital expenditure unnecessarily.

Disciplines Offered

Your mix of shooting disciplines directly influences trap choice and system layout:

  • DTL / ABT / Olympic Trap – High-durability, rapid-fire machines with tight accuracy tolerances
  • Sporting – Mixed presentations requiring varied machine styles and trajectories
  • Simulated Game – Long-throw, high-capacity traps suitable for high-intensity drives
  • Corporate & Pay-and-Play – Durable, user-friendly layouts with simplified controls

Each discipline also affects the suitable release system (manual, radio, acoustic, Claymate).

Terrain, Power, Noise and Staffing Constraints

Every ground is shaped by its environment:

  • Steep banks or woodland may require remote battery-powered traps
  • Noise restrictions influence stand placement, angles and number of gunshots per area
  • Limited staff demands remote monitoring (Claymate) and easy fault recovery
  • Long cable runs may require radio solutions over hard-wired systems

Core Components of a Promatic System

Traps by Discipline

Promatic traps are engineered for performance, reliability and ease of service. Typical selections include:

Sporting Traps

Super Hawk, Falcon, Matrix
Ideal for varied presentations (rabbits, battues, chondels, loopers, crossers).

Simulated Game Traps

Pigeon Pro, GB XP, Huntsman XP
High-capacity, long-throw machines for large-volume drives.

Olympic & Competition Machines

Olympic Trap, Olympic Skeet, ABT Machines
Built to ISSF technical standards with precise release timing.

Personal Use / Coaching

Hunter, Hobby, Personal XP Traps
Compact, reliable, easy to reposition.

Claymate & Radio / Acoustic Control Systems

A modern ground relies on well-integrated control systems:

  • Claymate – Complete ground management, pay-and-play control, remote activation, no-bird logging
  • Radio release systems – Ideal for Sporting layouts and corporate events
  • Acoustic / Voice-release – Essential for Skeet and Olympic disciplines

Clays, Accessories and Spare Parts

A complete system includes:

  • Standard, midi, mini and battue clays
  • Solar chargers, battery kits, safety rings, stands
  • Essential spare parts: brushes, motors, micro-switches, fuses, springs

Service Packages and Support

Promatic service options ensure long-term reliability:

  • Annual services
  • Emergency call-outs
  • Remote diagnostics (Claymate-enabled grounds)
  • Preventative maintenance schedules

Recommended Set-ups by Ground Type

This section provides fully assembled configurations for typical ground categories.

1. For Personal Use & Coaching Grounds

Objective: Versatile practice with minimal footprint, easy relocation, and low maintenance.

Recommended Machines

  • 2–4 Sporting traps (Falcon / Super Hawk)
  • 1 Rabbit trap
  • Optional: 1 Simulated Game trap for higher targets

Release Systems

  • Radio remote(s)
  • Optional foot pedal or handheld controller

Capacity & Workflow

  • Clay capacity per machine: 300–400
  • Designed for 1–3 shooters
  • Machines mounted on trolleys for repositioning

Schematic Layout (ASCII)

     [Lofted Trap]
          ^
          |
 Shooter ----- [Crosser]
          |
          v
     [Rabbit Trap]

Maintenance Notes

  • Monthly lubrication
  • Battery checks weekly
  • Replace combs/brushes seasonally depending on use

2. For Small Clubs

Objective: Reliable weekend operation with 6–12 Sporting stands and occasional corporate use.

Recommended Machines

  • 12–18 Sporting traps
  • 1–2 high-tower traps
  • 1 Rabbit trap per course loop

Release Systems

  • Claymate Lite or Claymate Full
  • Radio release for corporate events

Capacity & Workflow

  • Clay capacity: 350–500 per machine
  • Refill cycle: every 2–3 hours during busy days
  • Optimised shooter flow with distributed stand angles

Schematic Layout (ASCII)

[Stand 1]  ->  A / B traps
[Stand 2]  ->  A / B traps
[Stand 3]  ->  Battue + Rabbit
[Stand 4]  ->  High Tower Crosser
[Stand 5]  ->  Looper Pair

Maintenance Notes

  • Quarterly inspection
  • Claymate logs used to identify machine stress points

3. For High-Volume Commercial Grounds

Objective: Fast shooter throughput, resilient equipment, integrated payment systems and strong uptime.

Recommended Machines

  • 25–40 Sporting traps
  • Dedicated high towers (8–60 metres depending on venue)
  • Mixed battues, loopers, long crossers
  • 2–3 simulated game traps for high-capacity stands

Release Systems

  • Full Claymate integration
  • Radio release for corporate instructors

Capacity & Workflow

  • High-capacity magazines (700+)
  • Zoned layout to avoid bottlenecks
  • Claymate automatic shut-off for low-clay conditions

Schematic Layout (ASCII)

       ----------- Sporting Loop 1 -----------
      [1A/1B]   [2A/2B]    [3 Tower]   [4 Rabbit]
             ---- Claymate Hub ----
       ----------- Sporting Loop 2 -----------
      [5A/5B]   [6A/6B]    [7 Looper] [8 Driven]

Maintenance Notes

  • Monthly Promatic service recommended
  • Spare motor + spring kit on site
  • Claymate alerts for faults & no-birds

4. For Competition & ISSF-Style Venues

Objective: Precision, compliance with ISSF rules, reliability under high event pressure.

Recommended Machines

  • Full ISSF configurations:
    • Olympic Trap: 15 machines (3 per athlete)
    • Skeet: 2 high-precision machines (House A / B)
    • ABT: 1–3 machines depending on variant

Release Systems

  • Acoustic voice-release system
  • Wired/radio hybrid for redundancy
  • Claymate for referee and scoring support

Capacity & Workflow

  • Large-capacity carousels
  • Strict trajectory calibration
  • Back-up machines prepared for swap-out

Schematic Layout (ASCII)

[House A] --- Central Referee Station --- [House B]
      \                                    /
       \                                  /
        ------ Shooting Platform ---------

Maintenance Notes

  • Daily inspection during competition
  • Training staff in ISSF-compliant adjustments
  • Annual certification

Example Layouts and Machine Combinations

Each scenario combines varied presentations for a balanced ground.

Sporting Layout Example (8 Stands)

Stand 1: Close crosser + midi
Stand 2: High looper + rabbit
Stand 3: Long teal
Stand 4: High tower pair
Stand 5: Driven pair
Stand 6: Battue looper
Stand 7: Going-away trap
Stand 8: Incoming / crossing mix

Simulated Game Drive

       [Huntsman XP]   [Huntsman XP]
              \           /
               \         /
              Shooter Line

DTL Example

[Trap House] -> 18–22° spread, fixed height, timed release

Reliability, Safety and Shooter Experience

Great grounds are defined by smooth experiences, not just great targets.

Designing for Robustness

  • Use high-capacity traps where refill access is difficult
  • Install traps on stable bases to reduce vibration faults
  • Plan cable runs and power routes for future expansion

Reducing No-Birds and Stoppages

  • Claymate monitoring provides early warnings
  • Correct brush tension prevents double feeds
  • Regular inspection of throwing arm rubbers and micro-switches

Enhancing Shooter Flow

  • Avoid sight-line overlap between stands
  • Provide visual signage and clear reset points
  • Use Claymate timers to avoid unnecessary queuing

Implementation Checklist & Next Steps

Before contacting Promatic for a full design service, gather:

Technical Data

  • Site map and terrain notes
  • Power availability
  • Noise-restricted zones
  • Expected shooter volume

Operational Objectives

  • Disciplines required
  • Coaching vs corporate balance
  • Budget ranges

Promatic Support

  • Course design consultation
  • On-site installation
  • Staff training
  • Ongoing service packages

When ready, reach out for a custom system design and quotation.

Sources:

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