FOR MORE THAN 75 YEARS, THE BLUE GRASS SPORTSMEN’S LEAGUE
(BGSL) has served as Kentucky’s largest outdoor sporting complex and the region’s destination venue for skeet, sporting clays, trap, and 5-stand.
Located on 1,400 acres of natural land located just southwest of Lexington,
this non-profit organization is dedicated to conservation, hunter education, wildlife and habitat restoration, and youth education in sportsmanship. That mission is no more evident than in BGSL members’ work with area high school students. The BGSL currently hosts three high schools participating in Kentucky State High School Clay Target League (KYSHSCTL) competition: Lexington Catholic, Jessamine County, and Burgin Independent School.
Its sporting clays course, six lighted trap fields, two skeet fields, and covered
5-stand serve as a beacon for students and families from across the state.
“Some of the best memories I have are looking out on the trap line when the
teams are shooting their competition, and it is full of high school shooters,” said BGSL Shotgun range manager Colonel (Ret.) Michael Senters. “There are no other clubs in the state of Kentucky that have the lighting and the capacity for hosting this many high school teams at once.”
Over the years, several local high school shooters have moved on to shoot at
the collegiate level. Jessamine County—where BGSL is located—has produced the KYSHSCTL State Champion and several other KYSHSCTL top performers. In addition to its work with high school students, BGSL also serves as the home club for the University of Kentucky Clay Target Team and hosts a number of additional shoots and high-profile events.
To complement its wide variety of range facilities, the BGSL boasts an air-
conditioned clubhouse, a fishing lake, a gun dog field, a casting pond, plenty of parking, and golf carts that can be rented for use on the courses.
During the KYSHSCTL season, BGSL hosts more than 60 student athletes each Thursday evening. Senters—a Level 1 Sporting Clays instructor—said he, other club employees, and club members are always willing to introduce new shooters to the various sports.
In fact, non-members who purchase a firearm or bow from participating
sporting goods retailers can redeem a coupon for a free activity: a free day on the BGSL’s general-purpose range, a free round of 50 clays, and more.
“It is a good feeling our club is enabling so many kids and parents to
participate in clay target shooting in a safe and competitive environment,” Senters said. “The club is truly a state treasure in that way. We have hosted hundreds of Kentucky high school students on these grounds, and the conditions are set for us to continue to do so.”
