Hermitage Sporting Grounds is a premier, world-class sporting clays facility spanning over 1,500 acres of historic woodlands in Camden, South Carolina. Originally established by the late horse racing legend Joe Cantey, the grounds blend South Carolina's elite equestrian heritage with advanced clay shooting engineering. This premier facility accommodates everyone from novice shooters to seasoned professionals, providing a welcoming environment to socialize and practice.
Facilities and Shooting Courses
The facility features state-of-the-art infrastructure designed to challenge and entertain shooters of all skill levels. Utilizing top-tier Promatic traps and White Flyer targets, all main courses can be operated with automated delay controllers to facilitate solo shooting.
Loblolly Course: 15 stations and 30 machines featuring highly technical targets
Cypress Course: 15 stations and 30 machines perfect for beginners and focus building
Cedar Course: An intermediate course with 12 stations and 3 machines per station
FITASC Parcours: 4 standard 12-gauge parcours and 2 specialized Sub-Gauge parcours
5-Stand: A less intimidating area featuring 8 state-of-the-art machines in one spot
Prestigious Tournaments and Events
The facility serves as a vital hub for regional and national competitive shooting events. Backed by an experienced planning team and professional course design by Eric Dorsey, the venue regularly hosts prestigious tournaments.
Palmetto Cup Championship: A major multi-day regional tournament held in November
South Carolina State Championship: A highly competitive week-long state tournament
SCISA State Sporting Clays Championship: A competitive school league championship
Day of Clays: A charity youth shooting fundraiser supported by the MidwayUSA Foundation
Autumn Challenge 300: An intense three-day event requiring high shooting endurance
Coaching and Coordinated Shooting Method
The educational program at Hermitage is highly distinguished, led by principal instructor John Higgins. Higgins brings over 55 years of experience to the grounds, teaching his revolutionary Coordinated Shooting Method (CSM) to build individual confidence and character.
Student-Centered Learning: Focuses on individual biomechanics, vision, and cognitive target reading
Youth Development: Partners with SCYSF and SCTP to train scholastic athletes and school coaches
Gun Fitting Expertise: Personal shotgun customization to optimize stance, recoil management, and eye alignment
Pricing and Operations
Hermitage Sporting Grounds operates on a dual-phase membership model to ensure maximum accessibility and exclusive member benefits. The club features a comfortable clubhouse with a pro-shop and an expansive pavilion for hosting corporate outings and banquets.
Targets: $0.48 per clay for members and $0.64 for non-members
Rentals: Golf carts cost $10 for members ($20 for non-members), and gun rentals are $20 for members ($30 for non-members)
Prepaid Cards: Available exclusively for members, offering discounted packages up to 2,000 targets
Memberships: Individual or family memberships cost $250 annually, with corporate options at $1,000
Hours: Open Wednesday to Sunday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and Monday/Tuesday for members only with preloaded cards
