By Bill Baab
Outdoor Editor
Article dated Jan. 15, 1995

It looks like this is going to be one of the premier ranges in the United States,'' said Ronnie Bowles, international pistol team coach for the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit at Fort Benning, Ga.

He was looking over the rifle and pistol ranges nearing completion at Pinetucky Skeet and Trap Club in south Richmond County off U.S. Highway 1 adjacent to the Sheriff's Department firing range.

Bowles on Friday was inspecting the ranges at the invitation of his friend, Phillip Williams, a Pinetucky board member and founder of the Augusta Shooting Sports Association.

``Nobody knows more about international pistol competition than does Ronnie,'' Williams said. ``He was an outstanding Army shooter, too.''

``These ranges are first class and the community can be extremely proud of this facility,'' Bowles said. ``Here's an opportunity to enjoy the sport of shooting in safety. It's going to be great for the old, established shooters as well as the youngsters just starting out.

``I'm always on the lookout for great places where I can bring the Army pistol team to work out and practice for national and international competition,'' said Bowles, a Breckenridge, Texas native who started coaching Army shooters in conventional pistol in 1974, becoming head coach in 1976. He coached marksmanship units of the Third Army and 24th Infantry and Third Armored.

``You can bet you'll be seeing more of me and the young men and women on my teams,'' he said.

Bowles was accompanied by his wife and Sgt. Ronnie Watts of Blythewood, S.C., who, the coach said, is one of the Army's rising stars in rapid-fire pistol competition.

``Ronnie is a perfect example of the value of our junior shooting programs,'' Williams said. ``He shot with us when we held our matches at Julian Smith Casino some years ago and now here he is with a chance of competing in the Atlanta Olympics.''

Bowles said he retired from the Army in 1980 ``and became an assistant high school football coach for a while, but I missed the sport of shooting,'' he said. ``I returned to coaching the Army teams in 1986 as head coach in conventional and international pistol.

``I also train precision air rifle and air pistol shooters to make the Olympics and I've had seven compete in past Olympic Games, including two in Barcelona, Spain.''

Pinetucky's future plans call for construction of an air rifle/air pistol indoor range and Bowles recommended a minimum of 20 firing points to make it one of the best of its kind in the nation.

``I guarantee you, if you provide that kind of facility, you're going to have shooters from all over the country coming in,'' Bowles said. ``That's what's going to happen with your rifle and pistol range. You're going to get covered up with shooters.

``The best thing about air rifle and pistol is that not only are they economical ways to get started in shooting, they're also Olympic sports.''

Bowles' visit comes on the heels of a joint announcement by the club and the Greater Augusta Sports Council that the Israeli shooting team will hold pre-Olympic training in Augusta.

Williams said four air rifle shooters, one air pistol shooter, a coach and one who heads the delegation are expected to arrive on Feb. 19. Team members also will practice in free pistol and small bore rifle, ``which have similar disciplines to air pistol and air rifle,'' respectively, he added.