Bates & Co Talk to Matt

Bates & Co / Recent work

NSW's oldest gun club, now built for its newest shooters.

The New South Wales Gun Club has been shooting in Sydney since 1880. In 2026 I rebuilt its website around one job: turning a curious search into a Have-a-Go booking.

The new homepage: a heritage headline, Since 1880, still calling Pull, with live range status and a Book a Have-a-Go button over a dusk treeline. The previous homepage: a welcome paragraph, an archive photo of members and an email address for bookings. Before After
The homepage, before and after. Drag the handle to compare.

Built for the phone in their pocket

Most people find a club on their phone. The new site is designed for the phone first, with booking, directions and tap to call close at hand.

The previous homepage on a phone.
Before
The new homepage on a phone, with a Book a Have-a-Go button.
After

What changed, section by section

Each of the old pages became a section of one page, written for someone who has never held a shotgun. Switch any view between before and after.

A path for first-timers

Was: Getting Started, with joining rules, the clubhouse address and hours.

Three steps take a newcomer from a first visit to full membership: have a go, visit the clubhouse, join and get licensed. Each step says what to do next.

The new Get started section: From first shot to full member, in three steps.

Disciplines you can see

Was: About the Sport, on the history of clay target shooting.

Trap, Skeet, Sporting Clays and ISSF Olympic Trap each get an explainer with an animated range plan, squad rotation and a live scorecard.

The new Disciplines section: Four ways to break a clay, with an animated Trap range plan.

Licensing, made plain

Was: Licencing, its own page with links to the official sites.

The Genuine Reason requirement in plain English, beside the NSW Police and Service NSW links a newcomer needs.

The new licensing panel: what's required on the left, official links on the right.

Every way into the club

Was: What we Offer, describing the club's disciplines in turn.

Have-a-Go days, coaching, licence testing and corporate events each get a card and their own enquiry link.

The new services section: From first-timers to title-chasers, with four service cards.

Enquiries that reach the right person

Was: Contact Us, asking people to call during opening hours.

One form, sorted by enquiry type, so a Have-a-Go booking and a corporate request each land with the right person. A map, directions and hours sit alongside.

The new enquiry form: Send us a message, with an enquiry type picker.

The small things

  • Click the sky to take a shotVisitors fire at clays over the treeline in the homepage hero.
  • Live range statusThe homepage shows whether the range is open, and when it next opens.
  • The club's own historyThe 1880 founding story and a timeline, built from the club archive.
  • Made for sharingA custom image and description when the site is posted on social media.

Old links still work

Old page addresses and the sections they now lead to
/gettingstarted.htmlGet started
/aboutthesport.htmlDisciplines
/licencing.htmlLicensing
/whatweoffer.htmlServices
/contactus.htmlEnquiries
/aboutus.htmlThe club and history
/calendar.htmlPrograms and hours

Your club could be next.

Tell me your club and I'll mock up your homepage in its own style. No cost, no obligation.