Expanding Interest In Pool

Cuebuddy

Cuebuddy

Mini cues
Silver Member
Patrick Johnson said:
Whatever their reasons for wanting to play, here is where they're practicing today, and I never see that elsewhere.

pj
chgo
Click to expand...

I was in Chicago a few weeks ago to help plan my Sons wedding next year. He and his Fiancée live a couple blocks from Surge. Of course I had to stop in and check the place out. I noticed the same thing as you stated Patrick, people who did not quite fit in to the "normal" pool hall scene playing and enjoying the rich rewards of colliding spheres. The table next to mine had a couple of elderly women playing 8 ball and two tables down was a mother teaching her two young children the game.

I took pics of this phenomena and thought I would start a thread similar to this one showing what I had seen. I later deleted the photos because it did not seem appropriate to post pics of folkd without their permission.

I did grab a couple of photos of the front sign and the matching badazz dart board!



Cool or no?:cool::cool::cool:
 

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Patrick Johnson

Patrick Johnson

Fish of the Day
Silver Member
Cuebuddy said:
I was in Chicago a few weeks ago to help plan my Sons wedding next year. He and his Fiancée live a couple blocks from Surge. Of course I had to stop in and check the place out. I noticed the same thing as you stated Patrick, people who did not quite fit in to the "normal" pool hall scene playing and enjoying the rich rewards of colliding spheres. The table next to mine had a couple of elderly women playing 8 ball and two tables down was a mother teaching her two young children the game.

I took pics of this phenomena and thought I would start a thread similar to this one showing what I had seen. I later deleted the photos because it did not seem appropriate to post pics of folkd without their permission.

I did grab a couple of photos of the front sign and the matching badazz dart board!



Cool or no?:cool::cool::cool:
Click to expand...
Yup. We Chicagoans are lucky to have beautiful new places like this and gritty old joints like Chris's to choose.

pj
chgo
 
Cuebuddy

Cuebuddy

Mini cues
Silver Member
Patrick Johnson said:
Yup. We Chicagoans are lucky to have beautiful new places like this and gritty old joints like Chris's to choose.

pj
chgo
Click to expand...

Chris's is also close and I will stop in there on my next visit. One of these days I will give you and a few others from Mud City a little notice and we can play a few:)
 
336Robin

336Robin

Multiverse Operative
Silver Member
I think you're seeing that if Pool is left to those that want to find accomplishment that passion gets back into it. Mix it with gambling and something happens
to it that makes impure for human consumption. Keep it clean and a whole new world for customer base becomes possible. That;s my opinion. You choose the demographic
you want to serve with your atmosphere, the treatment of the game itself and your business practices.


Patrick Johnson said:
I've written before about the unusual customers I see here at Surge Billiards in Chicago - usually fathers teaching their young sons and daughters. This morning there are 7 players, and 5 of them are women in their 60s, learning/practicing on their own.

What do you suppose attracts these atypical new players to pool? I think it's the atypical atmosphere - nicely decorated place without a lot of the high-testosterone customers and antics you'd see in a more typical pool hall. Not an action room by any stretch - but I think it does a lot more than those do for pool's expanding popularity.

Business has been great here since opening a year and a half ago - proving, I think, that there's unsatisfied demand for recreational pool in a nice, friendly, non-threatening setting.

pj
chgo
Click to expand...
 
9

9 Ball Fan

Darth Maximus
Silver Member
Cool story, about non-traditional groups enjoying pool. As Earl Strickland has said on video in the past, this is a great game. If they are on the hunt, well good for them! Ha!!!

:rolleyes:
 
Sealegs50

Sealegs50

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
measureman said:
Women in their '60s taking up pool are on a man hunt.
Trust me on this.
Click to expand...

I completely agree.

Parents taking their kids may be trying to interest them in activities that don't use a phone. I live in CT and gambling is not as taboo as it once was. As long as the language is not too raunchy and the place appears to be safe, the benefits may outweigh the risks from introducing them to this evil pastime.
 
measureman

measureman

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Cuebuddy said:
I was in Chicago a few weeks ago to help plan my Sons wedding next year. He and his Fiancée live a couple blocks from Surge. Of course I had to stop in and check the place out. I noticed the same thing as you stated Patrick, people who did not quite fit in to the "normal" pool hall scene playing and enjoying the rich rewards of colliding spheres. The table next to mine had a couple of elderly women playing 8 ball and two tables down was a mother teaching her two young children the game.

I took pics of this phenomena and thought I would start a thread similar to this one showing what I had seen. I later deleted the photos because it did not seem appropriate to post pics of folkd without their permission.

I did grab a couple of photos of the front sign and the matching badazz dart board!



Cool or no?:cool::cool::cool:
Click to expand...

Define "elderly" please.
 
Balls

Balls

Big Brass Balls
Silver Member
Cuebuddy said:
I was in Chicago a few weeks ago to help plan my Sons wedding next year. He and his Fiancée live a couple blocks from Surge. Of course I had to stop in and check the place out. I noticed the same thing as you stated Patrick, people who did not quite fit in to the "normal" pool hall scene playing and enjoying the rich rewards of colliding spheres. The table next to mine had a couple of elderly women playing 8 ball and two tables down was a mother teaching her two young children the game.

Cool or no?:cool::cool::cool:
Click to expand...

Very Nice. https://surgebilliards.com/

I'm not big on cinder block walls but it looks like it's going for the entertainment dollar alright. Plus it appears they have been doing well at their social networking making them a spur of the moment destination after people see what it looks like.

Now how to do this with a 50 year old pool hall?
 
HawaiianEye

HawaiianEye

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Patrick Johnson said:
What do you suppose attracts these atypical new players to pool?

pj
chgo
Click to expand...

My first guess would be that they wanted to meet a "pool scientist".

Why didn't you put down your protractors, slide rule, and calipers and go over and ask them?

I'm sure they would have loved you "calculating" out some shot for them.

For all you know, you may have gotten "lucky".

:)
 
iusedtoberich

iusedtoberich

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Does surge charge for table time? Or it’s part of being a customer?

The coffee shop model has people buy a couple of small items and camp out all day. It seems successful as coffee shops are all over the place. I’m even part of a knitting/sewing circle that meets in one, once per week for a few hrs.

People come in all the time and it is a meeting place for small groups to do their hobbies/planning/study/etc.

So does surge operate more like a coffee house, and the pool is secondary? (Or even 3rd/4th on the list)?
 
cookie man

cookie man

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I know at our pool hall there is usually an up tick in players as the apa playoffs get close.
 
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