Yep, golf has a TV channel, for now. But as more and more sports are heading to subscription viewing platforms, golf will be to sooner or later.
Ideas that haven't saved pool
- Thread starter justnum
- Start date
Well you made prediction, only time will tell.
Augusta National County Clubs big event is on regular T.V., sponsor pay big bucks to advertise because viewers.
Super Bowl ad rates are nuts, but viewer shop is also high.
Pool business model first not have long list of successes. Might as well say to be successful study successful petiole, not the homeless. If you want success.
I don’t see how the pool community can begin to promise ROI to sponsors for events that few people are watching.
From my perspective, interest in pool and golf owes mostly to social interaction and less from love of the games. Many people have tables in their houses but few of those tables are used more than a week after installation. Interest in golf was waning. IIRC, a couple of years ago was the first time that golf course closures exceeded openings. But last year when everything was shutting down, golf courses (at least in my area) flourished. Tee times became very difficult to secure because golf was the safest social activity.
I would suggest continuing to improve pool as a social environment with leagues, weekly tournaments, food, beer, etc. I have been frustrated that leagues seem to have pushed out people like me who wanted pick-up games in the evenings. But there are not enough people like me who are driven by love of the game to keep pool halls open. IMO, enjoying the night out feeds on itself.
My other suggestion is to make people feel more comfortable using pool as an environment to socialize by teaching the game to improve at least basic skills. Early in college, I was a ball-banger until a very good pool player took pity on me and spent 8 hours teaching me ~90% of everything I know about the game. Pool players are terribly tight lipped about helping other players improve. Perhaps offering 15 minutes of instruction each time people come in for a “pay one price for the afternoon” special would give novice players some skills to work on and keep them coming back. Another possibility is to offer group lessons through community/adult education classes. Those are good venues for getting people to learn golf and bridge and have less activation barrier than seeking out private lessons from the start. I have never seen pool lessons offered in adult education.
Well again time will tell, someone is trying, more then many do.
The mistake all of you make, is judging the viewership of pool through your eyes, and those are not the eyes if the rest of the world!!
You are probably correct. I said “from my perspective”, “my suggestion”, and “IMO”.
But my attitudes in people’s interests in pool were first suggested to me by a pool room owner who also sold pool tables in the 1980’s. I used to play in his pool room probably 5 times a week. I asked about buying a pool table from him. His advice was not to do it. He said he will make money off me one way or another, if I come in every night or if he sells me a table. But in his experience, most players don’t actually like the game enough to practice alone at home. According to him, they don’t realize that it is the social aspect of the game that keeps them coming back.
My wife and I play more than 100 rounds of golf each year (almost 100 already this year). Mostly what I see are leagues, special events, and foursomes. So my opinion on golf is definitely shaped by my experience.
Opinions were requested and I gave mine. I have provided these suggestions before and I don’t see evidence that anybody took them up. I didn’t anticipate support.
A relatively small number of people of generally modest means.
Golf is not a cheap sport, Club, Ball, equiptment is pricy. Public Course are $20.00 and up for a round of Golf.
Private e Courses are pricy $50.00 to Hundreds of dollars a round.
My uncle belong to a Country Club outside NYC, his inaction fee to join was 25k, plus dues of $500.00/month.
When he retired, he sold his membership for 100k, move to Florida bought home on Golf Course, and played 4-5 days a week.
Man love Golf.
In my case it is “Wife love Golf”. I like it, but had to give up my sailboat and motorcycle.
middleofnowhere
Registered
Golf is completely embedded in our culture. Presidents play golf, celebrities play golf, rap singers play golf, players of almost every sport also play golf.
On television golf was everywhere. The father on leave it to Beaver play golf. In fact golf was even featured in some episodes.
The father on Father knows Best played golf. Ricky on I Love Lucy play golf. Rob on the Dick Van Dyke show played golf. Tony Soprano played golf. Golf is like a rash it's everywhere.
Is this an accident or a carefully orchestrated plan by the golf industry.
Well I know the Famous NBA Player Michael Jordan is big time golfer, he also love Cigars, and pricy hobby.
pool halls are community equalizers
how many other sports have the diversity and cultural representation?
there is even generational representation.
Pool already brings all types of people together.
the pool hall owners, staff and patrons are saving pool.
how many other sports have the diversity and cultural representation?
there is even generational representation.
Pool already brings all types of people together.
the pool hall owners, staff and patrons are saving pool.
But how many room owners are actually make a good living, I am talking about taking home great money.
Out in Maricopa County Arizona the list is long in the last 10-15 years of Pool Rooms, Sport Bars with Pool Table, and last Pool Bar that have closed. The number of new places that have recently opened do not out number the places that have closed, and never reopened.
Pools problem is a Pool Table take a lot of room, rents are high, and expenses of the business are also high. Yes there are a few place making real money, but most are struggling.
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if the room is open it takes the whole community to keep it going
social media is just promoting businesses or causes. i am just asking what would help roomowners without overextending people
1. Don Mackey turning down the ESPN deal
2. Don Mackey suing Camel
2. Don Mackey suing Camel
Until your final line, I think you hit the nail on the head here. Pool halls are indeed equalizers, typically drawing people from all walks of life, and there is generational representation. In science, this gives the pool room what scientists call potential energy, a chance to find the fast track.
Unfortunately, the culture of the pool room scares away far too many and tends to reinforce the negative image that pool has failed to shake.
Parents aren't worried about the kind of people their children will meet if they frequent golf courses, but many of them are worried about the kind of people that their children will meet if they frequent the pool room. Despite the presence of many, many positive forces among them, it is the collective fault of the pool hall owners, staff and patrons that the pool hall attracts fewer and fewer among the higher spending demographic groups.
Even at some of the better pool halls, profanities are often heard, and when they are, I can count on my fingers how many times a member of the pool room staff has done anything about it. Similarly, patrons who present themselves with low self-esteem and behave poorly in the pool room must also, at least in part, be held accountable for the fact that the pool room isn't a more inviting place for youthful and high-brow patrons.
Last but not least, the predatory types looking to make a buck from every stranger that walks in lowers the profile of the pool room. I'll never forget when I came into a pool room with my date once and we'd just gone to the theater. We were both dressed in formal clothing, and were having a social game against each other. Sure enough, one of the hustlers that frequented the room tried to woof at me to get me to play him for money. Such an incident is made possible by the fact that very few poolrooms enforce "players only in the playing area", despite the fact that almost every single one of them would suggest that they do enforce it.
Hence, you are mistaken in your final observation. With many exceptions, it is the pool room owners, the staff and the patrons that are, far too often, killing pool, not, as you suggest, saving it. The pool room represents the grass roots level of our sport, and in an era in which people have more entertainment choices than ever before, it will have to make a greater effort to attract the kind of patrons that spend money if it is to endure long-term. Some pool rooms, the one seen in your AZB logo among them, have already succeeded in this area, but not enough of them.
Honestly, I like most of your post, because you encapsulate well that the potential is there, but as a group, we in the world of pool aren't making it happen.
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Why does pool continue to flourish in other countries?
Maybe justnum should get some Network to do reality show.
Pool Room Rescue, as many potential candidate that need rescueing.
justnum could do like John Tafter does with Bar Rescue.
Pool Room Rescue, as many potential candidate that need rescueing.
justnum could do like John Tafter does with Bar Rescue.
middleofnowhere
Registered
Pool is actually still pretty new to them. I played quite a bit in Europe in the 90's and they were just taking it up. Most places were still snooker with a few pool tables.
I would think the growth curve there has flattened. The interesting thing was young people. They were gravatating away from snooker to pool.