Back to News April 3, 2026
First Shots Clay Targets Leads to New Opportunities for Waukesha Gun Club
When Wisconsin’s Waukesha Gun Club launched its First Shots® Clay Targets class in 2025, it was seen as a potential way to reach more local community members who might have an interest in the shotgun sports.
They worked with the Pewaukee Parks and Recreation Department to get the word out on this introductory course from NSSF® — which was being offered every couple of months. No one knew what to expect, recalls Barb Christopherson, the club’s general manager.
There was the possibility, they figured, it could go nowhere. “Then we could cross it off our list and never do it again,” Christopherson said.
A far different thing happened, however.
The class proved to be so popular the club quickly turned it into a regular offering — every third Saturday. The 90-minute class, offered for free, draws an average of six to eight students each month. (Important note: As a First Shots host, you are not required to offer classes for free. Many ranges have found success charging a nominal fee to generate additional revenue from students.)
NSSF provides most of the tools and resources needed to put on the class, which can be tailored to shotguns, handguns, rifles and suppressors. Support includes targets, ammunition, eye/ear protection and a First Shots handbook for each participant. Financial support is also provided to host ranges. (More details can be found below.)
Widespread Appeal
Offering these experiences has been great for new shooters and those who haven’t stepped up to the firing line in a while, as well as handgun and rifle shooters interested in trying the shotgun sports.
Like other First Shots classes, the shotgun course includes a classroom session (the one at Waukesha Gun Club is run by a club volunteer) that covers gun safety, a discussion of shotgun types and other basics. Students then move to the field for live-fire on one of the club’s trap ranges.
The instructor spends time with each student, making sure everyone hits at least one clay target by the end of the class. By the time it’s over, each student leaves with a souvenir target and, often, questions about how they can continue to learn and do more.
That desire to learn has been one of the keys to the success of the club’s class. The session offers a safe and welcoming environment for people who might not feel that comfortable around firearms — and shotguns, in particular.
“This is the opportunity for them to learn about gun safety, to learn about what a shotgun really is and that it’s not as scary as everybody thinks,” Christopherson said.
“This happened just recently: A husband and wife came in and took a class. And now they’re planning to come back and bring their kids.”
— Barb Christopherson, Waukesha Gun Club General Manager
Looking to the Future
The 90-year-old Waukesha Gun Club is located on 98 acres in the western suburbs of Milwaukee. During its long history, the club has developed expansive shotgun sport offerings — trap, skeet, 5-stand and sporting clays.
It’s a haven for local shotgun enthusiasts. Consider: Waukesha Gun Club’s most popular event is its winter 5-stand league that runs from Thanksgiving to March.
“It’s about 12 weeks,” Christopherson said. “We have over 500 shooters who join the league every year. So, we have a lot to offer.”
Still, the club is always looking for ways to expand its appeal and reach. This is where First Shots has proven to be a solid recruiting tool. It’s not uncommon for students to return for additional classes — bringing their children, partners and friends.
“This happened just recently,” Christopherson recalls. “A husband and wife came in and took a class. And now they’re planning to come back and bring their kids.”
The club is also encouraged by their success, despite only limited advertising through the city Park and Recreation Department’s newsletter. It’s hoping to make similar connections in other local communities to draw even more students.
Recruitment efforts are further boosted by the club’s offer of a free shooting round for every graduate of the First Shots class.
“We’ve had people join the following week as a member of the club,” Christopherson shared.
What’s Next?
The immediate challenge for the club is charting a course to capitalize on both the strong interest in the class and students’ requests for something more. That’s led to brainstorming over ideas for a “second shots” class.
Knowing that they’ll charge students for the class, they want to make certain it’s going to be something that will be interesting and feel like a value.
“We want to make it as inexpensive as possible, but also make sure they have a fun time,” Christopherson said.
The club is leaning toward offering an abbreviated sporting clays course — with 25 targets instead of the typical 50, and a limited number of stations. The plan would be to offer this second class the weekend after the First Shots class. Christopherson sees that timing as an important factor in making a second shots class successful.
“You don’t want to have a gap between the classes. Otherwise, people might lose interest,” she said. “They’re excited and they want to keep going. If you wait too long, they might not come back.”
Lessons Learned
For any range considering adding a First Shots course — whether it’s for shotguns, suppressors or another discipline — Christopherson shares some of the club’s keys to success.
One of the first things they noticed was a consistent class offering is more appealing to potential students. Make a commitment from the start with a published schedule, on your website, for example. Whether it’s a class every third Saturday or some other frequency, the key is for you to help students easily find time in their own schedules for the class.
“We found it very successful to have that commitment and do it once a month, because then people have the choice,” she said. “Everybody’s lives are so busy. We always have people canceling, but then we have another program they can join. If you don’t have that, you’ve kind of lost that person.”
If your facility has a designated classroom, it helps to have it prepped — with handouts ready to go — before each class starts. (Important note: Having a classroom is not a requirement to be a First Shots host. Some ranges opt to offer the entire experience while out on the range to streamline the flow of the class.)
Perhaps the most important choice you will make with your class is deciding on the instructor. You can’t leave it up to a know-it-all instructor without patience for the kinds of questions newbies might — and probably will — ask.
“The instructor has to be encouraging and good with the first-time shooters,” Christopherson said. “The students are going to be nervous, especially women.”
The club’s own volunteer instructor is a long-time shooter with a passion for educating those with less experience.
“That’s what you need. You need someone who is enthusiastic about doing it and wants to help people,” she said. “That will make it more successful.”
Waukesha Gun Club’s initial foray into becoming a First Shots host is on a similar trajectory to an early adopter of the First Shots Clay Targets class: Drake Landing in Fuquay-Varina, N.C. Read more about how General Manager Skip Smith and his team have helped students break targets — while emphasizing fun — out on the range.
Is First Shots Right for Your Range?
Do you want more customers? Is your facility equipped to introduce first-time shooters to safe and fun shooting? Do you have instructors and range safety officers who enjoy working with new shooters? If you answered “yes” to each of these questions — your facility is ready to reap the benefits of hosting a First Shots introductory course.
There are courses available for introductions to rifle/pistol, clay target shooting and suppressors.
An additional incentive to consider: Funding, which was previously limited to marketing efforts, is now available to qualifying NSSF member ranges, instructors and shooting sports organizations to help cover a variety of expenses related to First Shots hosting efforts. Hosts are eligible to receive $15 per First Shots participant, up to a maximum of $1,500.
To learn more or to sign up as a host, contact Ann Gamauf at [email protected] or Zach Snow at [email protected]. For more information on First Shots, visit the First Shots welcome page on the NSSF website.
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