More sad news today…I just heard another fine player & good friend, Dave Bollman, has passed away.
Dave was the house pro at Barry Behrman’s Q-Master Billiards in Norfolk, VA for as long as I can remember. He also ran the pro shop there – making cues & doing cue repair. He was always a top ranked player on the various professional & regional tours with many high finishes as well as serving on the executive board of the Men’s Professional Billiard Association (MPBA). He was the ’88 BC Open 9 Ball Champion as well as taking titles at the ’87 Eastern States Championship, the ’88 Capital City Open, the ’94 Roanoke One Pocket Championship, plus many winning McDermott National 9 Ball, National 9 Ball & Viking 9 Ball Tour stop wins. He was not only known for his laid back & easy going personality but also for his tenacious style. No one, & I mean no one, liked to look at the board & see that Dave Bollman was their next match. They knew they were going to be in for a long, tough battle.
When I was a young player in North Jersey, I decided to drive down to Norfolk to the US Open. It was 1979 & I had heard that the best in the country – all the big names I’d heard about - were going to be there. I wanted to be there too.
One day, I was sitting at the counter finishing my lunch when Steve Mizerak walked by. I knew Steve from playing in his pool room in Metuchen, NJ. I said hi to him & he turned around & broke out into a huge grin.
“Mare,” he said. “Just the person I’m looking for!!!”
Thrilled to think he was looking for me, I was impressed. Not so impressed once he told me why he was looking for me – or anybody – for that matter!
Steve asked me if I knew anything about golf. When I told him I really didn’t, he said, “Well, that doesn’t matter…you’re a quick learner. We’ll show you how to keep score…”
Next thing I knew, Steve was telling this really tall guy that he had found them a scorekeeper...
Turned out that the tall guy was Dave Bollman - a former PGA player & one of Steve’s close friends. Dave had matched them up to play a couple of local guys.
I protested, coming up with excuse after excuse not to go – anything I could think of - but I was worn down by Steve’s smooth talk & Dave’s shy smile. Next thing I know, I’m driving one of the golf carts & keeping track of their many bets – on every hole. They needed an accountant instead of me but I managed…
All I can say is that I had one of the best times of my life. I got to witness some world class golf, laughed all day long & witnessed some world class hustling! I had a blast & was sad when it got too dark to play anymore…The five of us retired to the clubhouse for dinner & when we finally got back to the pool room, I got a pretty healthy piece of the action for my efforts!
That was the beginning of my friendship with Dave. He was a gold mine of information to sweat a match with & a pretty smart bettor – always seeming to have the right side. He was one of the guys I always consulted before making any bets on the matches or action.
Here’s a photo of the Dave I remember…this one was taken by Elizabeth Holmes at the ’89 Sands Regency in Reno, NV. As usual, he finished high – coming in fourth at this one.
RIP, my friend…
Mary Kenniston