I asked Shane if he played straight pool the last time I saw him. He said, "It's hard". Of course he had a smile on his face when he said it. I think at this time he doesn't want to put in the time to learn it. I hope he does in the future.
Don't worry about your handicap. Keep trying to do your best every outing. You're going to win games you're supposed to lose and lose some you're supposed to win. It'll shake itself out.
The room that I have my bar table in is 13 1/2 ft. wide. It is only tight when the cue ball is on the long rail and you are shooting directly across the table. A shorter cue should take care of most problems.