Corporate Outings are a MUST!

When in business, spending time outside of work with clients, prospects, or co-workers is the best way to organically build and maintain strong relationships. There’s the typical having dinners or hosting golf tournaments, but the absolute finest, most unique corporate outing to have is a sporting clays event.

Sporting clays is an outdoor activity that forces people to become comfortable beyond their comfort zone and it gives many an opportunity that they have never had. Several of your clients, prospects, or coworkers have never been given the opportunity to have a quality lesson on how to hold, aim, and fire a firearm, and everything in between, so why not take them out to the range for an experience they’ll never forget! “There’s nothing that compares to this. Customers and prospects love it and how unique it is.” states Gary Olander, Texas Market President at First Horizon Bank.

This past week, First Horizon Bank succeeded in hosting their 6th annual 2-day sporting clays event at Texas Premier. The first day is an amazing “women’s initiative” event exclusive to women who get to experience both handgun and shotgun instruction, topped off with boutique vendors and a wine and chocolate tasting after a exhilarating day of firearm action. The second day takes on a more relaxed setting as new guests get to bust some sporting clays all day long at their own speed. President/CEO of First Horizon, Bryan Jordan, who is an enthusiast of all types of shooting activities, tells of his event, “We do different events year-round like golf outings, seminars, and other networking events, but this is a unique way to entertain our customers. We have a lot of people get involved, many from different cities and states, and it becomes an event that is quite unique and at the same time we get to be outdoors and do a great deal of networking both while we’re shooting and getting together in the morning.” 

Within a corporate event, not only is there a load of fun with all the shooting activity but spending the entire day in the great outdoors and getting clients out of their typical “business-setting” gives you the opportunity to build quality relationships both on the professional level and the personal level. “It’s been very important to our client relationships for many reasons, one being that the people here are spending so much time together and having conversations with their clients, but they’re also able to introduce their clients to other people within the organization who they might not have otherwise met. So, we broaden and deepen our relationships with our clients,” states Mr. Jordan.

Sporting clays is a whole other world in itself and hosting an event at TPSA is like no other. With a sporting clays event outing, you are giving your clients and prospects a truly unique experience that they will never forget.

November 3, 2021

Written by Kelsie Krenek

Couples That Shoot Together, Stay Together

Who said you can’t take a girl out on a shooting date?

Whether you are a new couple or an older pair, it is always a great idea to pick up a new hobby to do together and shooting is the PERFECT activity. Shooting sports is becoming increasingly popular among all ages, but even more so among couples. It is hard to be part of this sport and not want to get your partner involved!

Not only is this sport a thrilling experience for all, it is also a fantastic way to spend some quality time together. As Brian Davis, a friend of TPSA, puts it, “Shooting is not just one person enjoying it, it’s involvement. It stimulates activity and grows the relationship.” Brian and his wife Tish initially began their shooting adventure just for fun, but it soon led to competing in tournaments. “At times, she’s more enthused than I am”, says Brian, as they begin their 5th year of shooting together. In addition to being an exciting activity to get in some bonding time, it’s a terrific way to meet other couples with the same interest and opens up many travelling opportunities. Since getting his wife involved, Ron Mostyn, a TPSA Member, has travelled with his wife around the world to enjoy this thrilling hobby together. “It’s one more thing in common. One more thing to talk about together” says Ron. And if any guys out there need one more reason to get your lady involved in shooting, how about the fact that if she’s interested, “it allows you to go more”, suggests Ron.

Shooting is a sport loved by all ages and has no limits, young, old, men, women. As Gayla Cooper, a TPSA member, explains, “Unlike tennis or other sports, shooting is something you can do at any age and even into your golden years.” It is a commonality between a couple that will never lose its exhilarating sensation and will create memorable experiences to cherish for years to come.

Being with someone you care about and seeing them do well, and of course the parts they don’t do well, is what makes shooting such a wonderful activity to bring couples together in a way other sports won’t. So get excited and get that special someone involved, because shooting sports is one life-long experience you definitely want to be a part of.

February 1, 2021

Written by Kelsie Krenek of TPSA

THE HISTORY OF 5-STAND

What is 5-Stand?

5-stand is a compact version of sporting clays, with a dash of skeet and trap, creating a much more challenging, action-packed shooting experience with a greater diversity in crossing/flying patterns and speed of the clay targets.

Rather than having several stations spread out over a longer distance, the 5 stations or “stands” are lined up right next to each other with a shooter in each stand. The clay targets are thrown from 6 to 8 (or even up to 12) trap machines which can be placed at various distances, angles, and heights to replicate the different crossers, dropping targets, overhead targets, and even rabbits! The five shooters take turns shooting the three combinations of clays on their stand’s menu – each stand has a different menu – beginning with a single target on the first shot, a pair on the second shot, and a pair on the third.

How it all got started!

It all started in 1982 on a Canadian trap field, when Scotsman Raymond Foreman, a sporting clays enthusiast from Europe, traveled to Canada and was asked to critique a Hunter’s Education shooting program. The students of the Hunter Education Program were learning how to shoot waterfowl by training on a trap and skeet field. Scotsman suggested creating a sporting clays field to more accurately simulate the patterns of waterfowl, which was a popular shooting activity in Europe, though unknown in both Canada and the US at the time. (In fact, sporting clays itself was foreign to the United States until it was brought by Bob Brister in 1980, but truly began in Europe in the early 1900s. He arranged 5 students in a row much like a trap rotation, positioned several clay target throwers in the field and had the shooters rotate through the five stations to be challenged by the variety of the different versions each stand presents of the clays, thus the game of 5-stand was born.

We know what you’re thinking…WOW what an inventive idea for a shooting game, couldn’t they have been a little more creative with the name? Well the honest answer is…no, “5-Stand” was the best name they could come up with and it has stuck ever since!

Great, What now?

We are glad you asked! If you’re considering getting in on a little 5-Stand action yourself, come out and try our TWO 5-Stand set ups and you’ll leave our facility loving your new favorite hobby! And don’t miss out on our 5-Stand LEAGUE to get an authentic 5-Stand experience!

September 1, 2021

Written by Kelsie Krenek and Rebecca Morone

[Spilger, J. (2019, June 24). SPILGER: The history of 5-stand. The Grand Island Independent. ]

What’s in my Shooter Bag

No matter where you’re headed, the last thing you want to do is finally get to where you’re going and realize you forgot something important. Though you’ll want to be prepared, you don’t want to pack excess items that only weigh down your bag. In hopes neither of those happen when you are headed to a shooting event, here’s some key items we ALWAYS make sure to bring with us in our shooter bag.

First and foremost you’ll want to pack your gun and favorite ammo (though at this time you may have to take what you can get ammo-wise), along with any choke tubes you may need and of course, eye and ear protection. Key items TPSA member Joe Walsh makes sure to pack is his Castellani shooting vest, Pilla shooting glasses with 3 lenses and his custom ear protection, though for an everyday-shooter some sunglasses and regular ear protection will do. Some other important items to pack in your shooter bag would be a towel, a hat to keep the sun out of your eyes, water, and sunscreen and/or mosquito spray depending on the weather and location. These may not be the first things you think to bring with you but you’ll sure be glad you did! Other optional, yet significant items to pack for a shoot day would be shooting gloves, gun oil, Chapstick and as youth shooter Izzy Stork mentions…SNACKS (her favorite is goldfish).

Every shooter’s bag will vary on what items are most important to the individual person but these are some of the key items you’ll want to be sure to not forget before heading out to your shooting event.

June 1, 2021

Written by Kelsie Krenek

The Importance of Giving

“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give” is a famous quote by Winston Churchill that speaks truth about giving. From an early age, my dad was the most impactful role model who demonstrated the act of giving. He would give the shirt off his back to help someone, and he always taught me it is important to help where we can. He continually inspires me to be a giver in both my personal and professional life.

I take pride in that one of Texas Premier’s core values is giving. Regardless of which organization we are working with or if it is an individual in need, we are proud to step up and give what we can. The world needs more people to give their aid in the betterment of society and we want to encourage you to take action in supporting your favorite charities or other fundraising events both locally and world-wide.

There are so many ways to give to those in need such as donating money, donating time, attending an event, or simply helping to spread awareness. If you are looking for ways to help out your neighbors, here are a few opportunities for you to take part in giving back. I recently got involved with helping to fundraise for a friend of mine’s little girl who has a rare disease, GNA01 mutation. I was invited over to her house one evening and I was complimenting her on all she does for her five year old Annabelle and she responded, “Becky, I’m doing what any parent would do right… I’m fighting for my little girl’s life.” Right then I was empowered. I called on my dear Texas Premier friends who stepped up and gave without hesitation. In just weeks I was  able to get a shotgun donated, duck hunt, shooting lessons and more from the generosity within our Texas Premier family. That’s giving at its finest. My friends and business colleagues always step up! Another core value that’s important to Texas Premier alongside giving is community. I wanted Texas Premier to give back to our local community and what better way than to have a benefit in honor of the Sealy Fire Department. We hope you join us for our Crawfish & Clays event happening April 10th to help support our local Fire Department. Whether you are a shooter or just want to enjoy a day full of crawfish, live music, and games, you can still contribute to a great cause. Another way to have fun while making a difference in your community would be to support the Ducks Unlimited fundraising event happening at Texas Premier on April 30th to support the conservation of waterfowl and the restoration of their habitats.

Though these are only a few, there are a plethora of events and methods for you to give back to your community. No matter where you go, there is always an opportunity to put another first, give what you can, and inspire others to do the same. “Remember that the happiest people are not those getting more, but those giving more.” – H. Jackson Brown Jr.

April 1, 2021

Written by Gun Club Manager Rebecca Morone and Kelsie Krenek

The Truth Behind the Ammo Crisis

From the beginning of the COVID-19 lockdowns, ammunition demand has skyrocketed to the point of ammunition shortages all over the country. But why? – a question many Americans are searching to find a truthful answer to. Well, the simple answer would be that demand of ammo exceeded the supply, and then continued to rise. In 2019, manufacturers had no issue providing for all the 2nd Amendment lovers, so there was an abundant supply, and the prices were low. Then 2020 came with a COVID-19 pandemic, followed by violent civil protests, and a very heated presidential election resulting in the “gun control” party winning the seat. Just one of those events alone would have caused an increase in ammunition demand, but with the rapid occurrences, the market just could not keep up.

Whatever the true main cause of the shortage, this crisis is one that is affect millions all over the country, but how is it affecting us locally?

Like all our fellow 2nd Amendment enthusiasts, Texas Premier has also faced some struggling times through this ammo crisis. As a business that relies on having ammunition readily available, we have been forced to try and conserve as much ammo as we can for our customers. We have been fortunate thus far to be able to continue supplying to all our customers in need of shotgun ammunition, but we understand the struggle of individuals to hold on to their current ammo. An avid hunter and sporting clays enthusiast, Vince Petrenella, is only one individual who is greatly involved in all types of shooting both on the business side and the personal level that has been affected by the ammunition crisis. With properties for quail and waterfowl hunting and being an active sponsor of charitable shooting events such as CCA, Ducks Unlimited, and Texas Dove Hunter’s Association, he is very involved in the shooting world. “The gun and ammunition world are very important to me, so I try to stay up to date on the current ammo situation. The demand is out there, we are needing shells!” says Petrenella.

Many individuals looking to buy ammo are faced with empty shelves. Because ammo is becoming harder to find, many individuals are trying to stock up on what ammo they can get a hold of while avoiding using what they have due to the industry’s supply being so tight. “Every outfitter is faced with the same problem,” explains Vince, “for me personally, I shoot a lot, so I don’t want to shoot the shells that I have because buying shells are harder to access.” This is a tough time for both individuals and businesses, so we encourage you to not panic and buy more than you need. Though this industry is currently seeing back orders potentially up until 2022, past ammo market trends show that even this extreme demand will not last forever.

March 1, 2021

Written by Kelsie Krenek of TPSA

Eyes of the Youth Shooter

Around the country, some young people are pushing for stricter gun-control laws, while the other side of the youth are having fun taking advantage of their Second Amendment! How can you or your kids join in on the fun?

Youth shooting sports is becoming a very popular activity that teaches the youth the safety and use of firearms while training them to become a very skilled shooter. But it’s more than just learning to shoot better than your competitors, “It’s not about winning, it’s about just having fun and shooting,” says Jacob, a teammate on youth shooting team Katy Dusters.

The importance of getting the youth involved in shooting sports is far greater than teaching them how to shoot well. In addition to the significance of young people being well educated on gun safety and proper use, being on a youth shooting team brings benefits of other team sports and more. Shooting sports is unlike other team sports where there are set positions that are focused on, instead, each individual has an equal amount of importance on the team. “It’s a different perspective on the responsibility of competing as a team,” explains David Miller, pro-shooter and production manager of CZ USA, “Everyone participates and everyone has the same opportunity.”

David Miller is greatly involved in supporting youth shooting programs such as SCTP (Scholastic Clay Target Program), ATA (Amateur Target Association), Pheasants Forever. Miller has been shooting for 32 years, beginning at a very young age with hunting. Alike to Dave and a large portion of shooting sport enthusiasts, Jacob also began his shooting journey with dove hunting and this is when he fell in love with target shooting. The start of this journey began with Jacob participating in a local skeet tournament in Bellville, Tx  and lead to a friend of his introducing to him the Katy Dusters youth shooting team. Being a part of this organization has opened up the world of shooting sports to Jacob; he now competes in sporting clays, skeet and trap with his team and his favorite part of it all is not the competition, it’s meeting new people and engaging in new experiences.

So how can you get involved?

The best way to get involved in youth shooting sports is to reach out to a local team, getting professional instruction and participating in shooting events. Being that Jacob began his shooting sports journey as a senior in high school, he encourages youth to get involved when they’re younger to really get the most out of this awesome experience. He is now looking to join the Texas Trap & Skeet Team.

December 1, 2020

Written by Kelsie Krenek of TPSA

Get into the Mind of a Target Setter 

When learning to analyze targets and BUST SOME CLAYS, Professional Instructor and Target Setter Adam Blair has a few tips. Though target setting is a skill built through years of experience, its sole focus is to “Not test the pattern of the gun, but to test the shooter’s ability” says Blair.

What this means is anyone can throw a target at 60-80 yards and make it difficult, however, Adam gets his enjoyment by throwing the target in range and fair but also to test the ability of the shooter to plan and adapt. The goal is to put the shooter out of position and see how well the shooter can plan the motion of following the target. The focal, hold, and break point is a major key to breaking down a target set. Being able to read the transitions and trajectory of the target is a key component to success.

What is the target really doing where you intend to break it?

A target setter’s objective should be to put the shooter in uncomfortable positions and cause anxiety. A shooter’s objective should be to plan and execute to limit that anxiety so they can relax and FOCUS!

Adam is always open for phone calls to chat about problem areas or if you have any questions regarding targets, coaching, or sporting clays in general. He is also now the Gulf Coast dealer for Promatic Traps, so if you are looking for a private setup at your ranch or farm give him a call!

November 1, 2020

Written by Professional Instructor and Target Setter Adam Blair 

What Makes Texas Premier

“More than a Gun Club”

Our tag line, “more than a gun club,” rings true now more than ever. We know these are challenging times in our world, and we wanted to remind all of our wonderful patrons that we value YOU! 

 We aim to listen to each and every customer – whether it’s suggestions about how to improve, your independent needs on the course, or just a good chat. We are genuinely happy you are here and look forward to always greeting you with a smile. 

 We are committed to providing top notch amenities and continuously improve your experience. We will always make sure you have a clean, updated course and a cooler of water when you join us to shoot.

We take great pride in creating a customized experience during your time at our gun club. 

Whether you are just coming to bust some clays for fun, get in some concentrated practice or are getting competitive, we actively work to exceed expectations and make your experience a memorable one.  To both the seasonal shooter and die-hard enthusiast, we want you to know you are valued and will always be taken care of at our gun club. We are all about YOU! 

 If there is ever anything we can do to improve your shoot or otherwise customize your experience at our club, please reach out to Rebecca Morone at 979-627-7827 or [email protected]. 

 2020 has already been one for the record books. We hope shooting out at Texas Premier can bring some joy to everyone during these crazy times!

June 1, 2020

Written by TPSA Gun Club Manager Rebecca Morone