Take the 30-Day Gopher Challenge

Tim Gebhart

Sep 30

6 min read

Interested in target retrieval—but not ready to outfit the whole range? That works. Start with one.

Maybe you've looked at a Gopher Xtreme and thought it could be a good fit for your outdoor range. But you've got eight lanes. Or ten. Or twenty. You're not ready to outfit all of them with something your members haven't used, your range officers haven't worked with, and your maintenance crew hasn't had a chance to put their hands on.

We get it. And we're not asking you to. Start with one. Put a Gopher Xtreme on a working lane. Let your members use it, let your range officers watch it, and let your maintenance people get familiar with it. Give your team 30 days to decide for themselves. Welcome to the 30-Day Gopher Challenge.

The Challenge Is Simple

15 days to install. 30 days to prove it. 15 days to tell us what happened. Your team makes the call. And when we say your team, we mean everybody who has a stake in how your range operates: shooters and members, repeat customers, range officers, maintenance, management, the owner or board. They'll each look at the Gopher a little differently. That's exactly what we want.

Start With One

Gopher Xtreme pricing starts at $1,000 for a 50-yard canopy-style system, so trying target retrieval doesn't mean outfitting your entire line. The Challenge is intentionally limited to one Xtreme. Put it on a working lane, give your shooters and staff 30 days with it, and see what happens. If it proves itself and you decide it's time for more, that's when the Challenge expansion offer comes into play.

The First 15 Days: Install It

Your first 15 days begin when your Gopher is delivered. Pick your lane, install your Xtreme and document the journey. Take a few pictures of the range and lane before you begin, grab a few more during construction and installation, and take some shots of the completed installation when it's ready to go. Nothing fancy—phone pictures are perfect.

Weather have other plans? Something unexpected slow down the installation? Call 844-GOPHER-1 before your 15 days are up. We can allow up to one additional week when necessary. If we're tied up, leave a message so we know you called. We're more interested in you getting the Gopher installed and working than disqualifying you because it rained all weekend.

The Next 30 Days: Put It to Work

For the next 30 days, don't baby it. Use it. Put the lane into normal service. You don't need spreadsheets, clipboards or a complicated customer survey. Just watch your range and pay attention to what happens.

When shooters have a choice, which lane do they choose? Does the Gopher lane stay busier than the lanes around it? Do repeat shooters start asking for it? And here's one we think is particularly interesting: What happens when the Gopher lane is already occupied? Do shooters take another lane, or do they wait or ask when it will open?

Pay attention to the other people involved, too. Are shooters spending more time shooting and less time waiting to go check or change targets? What do your range officers notice? What does the maintenance crew think after actually operating and looking over the equipment?

Things to Consider in 30 Days...

Is the Gopher Lane Worth More?

That's worth testing too. For part of the Challenge, simply let shooters choose their lane and see what happens. Then experiment a little. Could the Gopher lane be part of a package? A benefit with certain memberships? Something offered to experienced or repeat shooters? Could you charge a little more for it? Or maybe charging more isn't the answer. Maybe your best customers simply prefer shooting at your range because they can retrieve their targets without walking downrange. We're not going to tell you what a Gopher-equipped lane is worth to your business. That's one of the things the Challenge is designed to help you find out.

See Who Else Benefits

Your regular shooters aren't the only people to watch. For some customers, repeatedly walking downrange to check or change a target can be physically difficult. Watch what bringing their target back to the line means to them.

It's another reason we want you to put the Gopher in service and see what actually happens rather than having us tell you what we think will happen.

What If Everyone Wants the Gopher Lane?

We've had customers return for additional equipment because their Gopher lane stayed busy. One club purchased a Gopher and later rigged up target retrieval on a couple of additional lanes themselves. Those lanes used a 1:1 drive rather than Gopher's geared drive, and they found them slow to operate. Later, members of the club's maintenance team—who hadn't been involved with the original purchase and installation—called us about additional equipment to upgrade those lanes. That's why we're comfortable telling you to start small. Install it. Use it. Learn from it. Then decide what comes next.

Think Your Plan Forward

If your team likes what it sees, that doesn't necessarily mean you should order nine more tomorrow. Successfully completing the Challenge gives you 12 months to use your expansion discount, so there's time to think about what comes next. This is when we'd rather help you think through a three-to-five-year master plan.

For example: Maybe you want to add two systems now and three more in six months. You'll already be renting a powered post-hole auger... so setting posts for those future lanes may make sense.

The point isn't to spend money today because you might want another Gopher someday. It's to avoid paying twice for work that could done at more reasonable costs due to common-sense timing. Of course, if you don't have the money, don't spend it - just have a plan and build toward it as your budget allows.

The Final 15 Days: Tell Us What Happened

Your 30 days are finished. Now you've got 15 days to complete the Challenge. Tell us what your members thought, what the range officers noticed and what maintenance thinks. Did shooters choose the Gopher lane? Did anything surprise you? What would you change next time? Would you add another one—and why or why not?

Pull out your phone while you're at it. We don't need Hollywood - just give us a few nice, steady shots of your Gopher at work. Show us the lane. Send the target out and bring it back. If somebody is comfortable talking on camera, we'd love to hear from an owner, range officer, maintenance person or regular shooter. If you're willing to let Gopher Targets use your pictures, video or comments, please give us permission.

Already Have a Gopher Xtreme? You're In!

You've already put your Xtreme to the test. Email tim@gophertargets.com to find out how you can participate in the Challenge.

So... What Happens Next?

There are two perfectly good answers.

“Yep. We're Keeping It.”

Complete the Challenge and you'll qualify for a discount on your next qualifying Xtreme order: $100 off or 5% off retail, whichever is greater. Maybe that's one additional lane. Or maybe it's time to start working through your master plan. Either way, you're making that decision after watching a Gopher operate on your range.

“Nope. It's Not for Us.”

That's okay too. After completing your 30-Day Challenge, call 844-GOPHER-1 and tell us what happened. If there's a question we can answer or an issue we can help resolve, let's talk about it before you box everything up.

Then - if it is still not right for your range, ship the used Gopher equipment back to us with tracking within the final 15-day period, according to the Gopher Challenge Terms & Conditions (link below), and we'll refund the qualifying purchase. No hard feelings. We'd still like to know what we could have done better.

Ready to Take the Challenge?

You don't need to decide today whether your range needs ten Gophers. You only need to decide whether it's worth finding out what happens with one. Let your members choose their lane, let your range officers watch what happens, let maintenance put their hands on it, and let management look at the numbers. Then let your team make the decision.