Newsletter May 2015

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Year in Review

Hello Shady Oaks Gun Range Shooters – It has been a fantastic year for us and as we approach our 1 year anniversary there has been a little time for reflection. I say “little” because business is doing great and we have little time to sit around thinking about things! The entire Shady Oaks Gun Range team is having a blast (ha ha) serving you all and getting to know you. We are so thankful that you are here enjoying our range. The reviews we have been getting, both online and in person, have been stellar! We take great pride in providing this service to you, and the more we hear what a good job we are doing, the more it encourages us to continue on.

There have been many changes as we learned what you, the customer, wanted. We have changed rules and procedures from the beginning to better serve you. We have added better targets for a more enjoyable experience, and we are in the process of adding flags to help you see what distance your target is. We added the first stage of our outdoor archery range, and have been soliciting input from you and various archery clubs to help us determine how to expand this offering and meet the needs and desires of our archery customers.

We added “Kids Shoot Free” last summer on a trial basis, and determined that it was such a fun time having all the kids in that we extended that privilege indefinitely.  This summer we are adding Archery and Rifle shooting camps for youth. Be on the lookout for more information regarding that soon. We are partnering with our Archery Instructor Sharon Cundiff for the Archery Camp. She is a certified instructor and volunteer with NASP as well as the NRA. The Texas State Rifle Association and the NRA are helping us develop the youth shooting camps.

We survived an incredibly busy holiday season as the range was packed from November through the first couple weeks of January. We were exhausted after that stretch! I say that, but we haven’t really slowed down much since with March being our busiest month yet…even eclipsing December.

Membership sales are up, as many people choose to take advantage of the unlimited free rental guns.  All of this has led to us adding staff to keep up with the demand. We have been very blessed to find some fantastic additions to the SOGR team/family. Hopefully this next November through December will be just as busy, if not busier, but with our growing family it won’t be as stressful on us to keep up with the demand.

It has been a very busy year indeed! I am happy to report that business is good, and we are here for the long haul. It is quite amazing to be a part of a locally owned and operated business from right here in Cedar Park. The owner, Vincent Mcelhaney, and myself, the General Manager, live within 2 miles of the gun range. We all get a kick out of seeing you at the local restaurants and grocery stores. All of our staff lives well within 10 miles of the range. Most of them within 5.

So thank you again for a great year, and cheers for many more!

Sincerely,

Paul Irwin – General Manager

“It doesn’t matter if you are the best shot in the world, if you shoot yourself.”

Many times I see shooters focused more on guns, “cool guy” parts, and how many bullets they can put down range rather than concentrating on firearm safety.  We all should remember that safety is paramount when handling firearms.

IF WE TAKE AWAY ANYTHING FROM THE RANGE, WE SHOULD REMEMBER THE FOUR SAFETY RULES

  1. ALWAYS TREAT ANY GUN AS THOUGH IT IS LOADED
  1. KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF OF THE TRIGGER UNTIL YOU ARE ON TARGET AND READY TO SHOOT
  1. KEEP YOUR GUN AIMED IN A SAFE DIRECTION
  1. KNOW WHAT IS BEHIND YOUR TARGET