North Downs Archery Club is a target archery club based on the Kent and Surrey border, open to everyone from 11 years upwards. If you are new to archery, please see our Beginners’ Course page, or our Beginners section for information on how to get started. We also welcome experienced archers who are already Archery GB members; we charge a small visitors fee per session (see Club Fees) if you just want to try us out before deciding to Join the Club.
We shoot various ’rounds’, depending on the weather, time available, and capability of those members shooting. We can also shoot more than one round if some archers wish to shoot a longer round or longer distance. Alternatively, you may just wish to practice without scoring.
Archery is one of the most traditional of sports, enjoyed by a wide variety of people. It is enjoyed by over 22,000 archers, in 1100 clubs throughout Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The sport is governed by Archery GB and, more locally to us, by Southern Counties Archery Society and Kent Archery Association. It is a safe and healthy outdoor pursuit which can be practised all year round. Archery can be enjoyed by everyone, whatever their physical abilities, from raw beginner to expert.
Target archery is the current Olympic form of the sport. It takes place on flat terrain and involves shooting arrows at various sized targets over measured distances of up to 90 metres for men and 70 metres for women. Juniors shoot shorter distances based on age and capability.
There are various types of bow used, the most common being Recurve bows, Compound bows, Longbows, Flat bows, and Hunters.