# The Village's Archery:



## pottergreg (Mar 20, 2015)

What city?


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## JimDE (Aug 3, 2008)

It essentially is its own 32 square mile city .... west of Orlando and NE of Tampa outside of Ocala. It is identified on maps as "The Villages". 130,000 residents and 6000 golf carts which are used for a good part of their transportation needs


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## draw29 (Dec 11, 2004)

Don't take me wrong ,the Villages is a really nice with a good archery program. I am a country boy from Pa and to me ,its just way to busy of an area to me and I found the snobird rentals in the area to be very exspensive. I started looking for an area to spend the winters that was a bit more remote and had some shooting clubs near bye. I have spent the last 8 winters staying in the Bartow,Lake Wales,Frostproof,Sebring area. Found 2 clubs near bye. I am not a big fan off 600 and 900 , I shoot 3 or 4 of them a winter and thast fine with me. I prefer field and 3d archery.We all have different tastes. I found a club near Ft Meade call Central Florida Archers. They have a really nice walk through field and hunter range. Bunch of nice guys and look forward spending Tuesday and Saturdays shooting there . There is a bunch there that are also dedicated 600-900 round shooters.They also have monthly 3d shoots that are my main thing. I also head to Lakeland for monthly 3d shoots at Ridge Archers. They get a real crowd there for 3d shoots, bunch of good people running it and the club grounds are nice. Also another club is coming back alive in Sebring having 3d shoots and a bunch are starting a 900 round during the week.Its right around the corner from Sebring Raceway. There is a couple indoor ranges in the area with Spurlows in Frostproof and Adventures in Lakeland. There is another great club like the Villages in Sarasota with a good program. Just to much traffic for me in them areas. I have looked at rentals in both area's and a good deal is probally $1500 a month and most way more. I am finding nice places in Central Florida for $800-$1000. Sometimes there hard to find and some years easy. I just know I enjoy the winters in Florida.There are several nice shooting clubs around.Depending on if you like somewhere with lots of action or like me,not liking traffic and prefer a country setting,you can find it all in Florida. When you retire, spend the winters in Florida,it's great.


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## chacam (May 21, 2010)

The Villages Archery Club has nearly 300 members. They host 10 tournaments a year, six of witch are 900 rounds. Informal club shoots every week and a handicap league in the spring. Club membership is open to residents of The Villages. Tournaments are open to all.
The Club’s web site is www.villagesarcheryclub.com
The Villages is located approximately 20 miles South of Ocala, FL. The range has 17 lanes, out to 100 yds.


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## JimDE (Aug 3, 2008)

Thanks chacam....... as I said a archery club in a retirement community was a welcome surprise to me and to hear how active it was was even more surprising. Our plan is to move there after 2 years and I am starting now to get my shooting form back to some resemblance of what it used to be  I am not a golfer or a party animal and was hoping for a near by sporting clays facility but archery will work for me as well.


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## chacam (May 21, 2010)

The Club roster includes several World, National and State champions. Probably closer to 50,000 golf carts.


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## JimDE (Aug 3, 2008)

Yeah I could not remember exactly what the tour bus driver said on the number of carts....... it was either 6k or 60k and 60k sounded too high


First thing I did when I returned from The Villages was to pull my target gear out. My last competitive bows are a Golden Eagle Target I used indoor and NFAA field and a Golden Eagle 3D I used for IBO. I looked at current high end target compounds and the associated new gear and decided quickly that there was no way I was going to pay $3k+ to get back into competitive unlimited freestyle equipment at todays technological level. Since about 2004 I have gone back to shooting Trad bows both longbow and recurve for personal enjoyment and avoiding getting competitive at all with this equipment. Shooting a 600 or 900 round with this gear would force me to accept a much lower degree of performance than I once shot with Unlimited FS gear. I do have a old Hoyt Gold Medalist setup for FITA that is a turnkey setup so I pulled it out and put it together quickly realizing I am really out of shape for that style and pulling 46lbs through a clicker with a long hold for 90 arrows. I saw Lancaster had a set of 32lb carbon foam core long limbs on sale so I went up there looked at them and got them. Now I am pulling 36lbs through the clicker at about 1/8th inch less draw length than I once was but hopefully I can work my way back out. I got some thin diameter carbon one arrows and a 110 point which with the lower draw weight and new limbs actually give me more arrow velocity than my 46lbs wood core limbs and old Easton A/C 1508-3A arrows. I have taken this setup to a 70 yard bale and have plenty of sight bar adjustment left so I am good to go as is even without building my strength up to my old 46lb target weight. So with limbs and arrows I put about $600 into it and I am set for a target setup when I get there. I find 36lb through the clicker very doable and actually was about my golden eagle formula 3D compounds holding weight and much better than my trad bows which my lightest is 41lbs and my heaviest a 58lb. I am looking forward to getting back in shape and shooting competitively once again with the challenges aging and shooting FITA style recurves will present. I started in the early 60's with a Bear longbow and cedar arrows sort of fitting to end this journey back with fingers and a recurve rather than wheels and a hook.

My old Golden Eagle Target is showing a crinkling of the burgundy paint on the riser other than that she is fitted with a scope, stabilizers, barner fall away rest, and barner rope release at 60lbs holding 31lbs. I may tear this bow down and have the riser wood inlays removed and the riser sanded and redone as I always liked this bow and its recurve limbs.


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## kballer1 (Aug 31, 2010)

Not a FL. guy but love to shoot the 900 rounds. Retire in 2009 & bought several bows, carbon arrows
back tension releases & have been shooting a lot of the NFAA field, 900 rounds, & Lake of the woods rounds, & in doors 5 spot & Vegas rounds. shooting 58# out side & 53# indoors. I have my right eye cateract done a year ago last April & was alway near sighted but had a special lens installed that make me far sighted now & wish I had it done 20 years ago.
Have fun shooting the 900 during the winter.


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## m-ctsellers (Mar 10, 2007)

I have been to the Villages many time and I have competed in tournaments at the Villages on a few of my trips. On my trip there three years I competed in an International round, and shot with a 92 year old archer. I shot with the same guy again at the National Seniors Games in Alabama last June. 

In the Villages we shot a 60 arrow tournament and in Alabama we shot two 90 at in arrow tournaments in two days. 

The Villages Archery club is very active, but they only shoots spots, no 3-D archery. I didn't get to compete this year when I was there, but I did attend the monthly archery club meeting while I was there.


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## chacam (May 21, 2010)

The fellow you shot with is John Horwath. He is now 95 and still breaking records.


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## JimDE (Aug 3, 2008)

I am sitting here looking outside with the snow coming down for the second time this week while recovering from a surgery I had Monday and can't wait to move and join you all on the firing line at that club! I am about sick of snow already .....


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## Unk Bond (Aug 1, 2004)

chacam said:


> The fellow you shot with is John Horwath. He is now 95 and still breaking records.
> 
> View attachment 6333361



===========

Hello chacam
Thanks for sharing his picture. John looks to be using a caliber release.
He is so relaxed and determined. :cheers: [ Later


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## chacam (May 21, 2010)

John was chosen as Florida Senior Athlete of the Year for 2017. There is a short inspirational video featuring John on the Club’s website.
www.villagesarcheryclub.com


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## willieM (Nov 18, 2007)

JimDE said:


> Yeah I could not remember exactly what the tour bus driver said on the number of carts....... it was either 6k or 60k and 60k sounded too high
> 
> 
> First thing I did when I returned from The Villages was to pull my target gear out. My last competitive bows are a Golden Eagle Target I used indoor and NFAA field and a Golden Eagle 3D I used for IBO. I looked at current high end target compounds and the associated new gear and decided quickly that there was no way I was going to pay $3k+ to get back into competitive unlimited freestyle equipment at todays technological level. Since about 2004 I have gone back to shooting Trad bows both longbow and recurve for personal enjoyment and avoiding getting competitive at all with this equipment. Shooting a 600 or 900 round with this gear would force me to accept a much lower degree of performance than I once shot with Unlimited FS gear. I do have a old Hoyt Gold Medalist setup for FITA that is a turnkey setup so I pulled it out and put it together quickly realizing I am really out of shape for that style and pulling 46lbs through a clicker with a long hold for 90 arrows. I saw Lancaster had a set of 32lb carbon foam core long limbs on sale so I went up there looked at them and got them. Now I am pulling 36lbs through the clicker at about 1/8th inch less draw length than I once was but hopefully I can work my way back out. I got some thin diameter carbon one arrows and a 110 point which with the lower draw weight and new limbs actually give me more arrow velocity than my 46lbs wood core limbs and old Easton A/C 1508-3A arrows. I have taken this setup to a 70 yard bale and have plenty of sight bar adjustment left so I am good to go as is even without building my strength up to my old 46lb target weight. So with limbs and arrows I put about $600 into it and I am set for a target setup when I get there. I find 36lb through the clicker very doable and actually was about my golden eagle formula 3D compounds holding weight and much better than my trad bows which my lightest is 41lbs and my heaviest a 58lb. I am looking forward to getting back in shape and shooting competitively once again with the challenges aging and shooting FITA style recurves will present. I started in the early 60's with a Bear longbow and cedar arrows sort of fitting to end this journey back with fingers and a recurve rather than wheels and a hook.
> ...


JimDE, here is a Golden Eagle that the paint on the riser was very bad. Some of the inlays were missing when the bow was given to me last summer. I stripped the paint and tried my hand at spray paint dipping .


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## JimDE (Aug 3, 2008)

Nice... mine is burgundy as well and with all the inlays......... I should strip it down and have it painted


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## willieM (Nov 18, 2007)

I have another Golden Eagle with blue riser and the paint is fair on it. It still has the gold wheels and cable guard. The one in the picture has modified Martin flite wheels and a shoot thru cable system that I worked up.


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