Thoughts on pool ,life and 5 inch pockets
- Thread starter deanoc
- Start date
Attachments
Right on, Trent.
Every sport goes through this as the equipment and players improve. Golf and American football offer two good examples.
Golf
Championship golf courses set up for pro events tended to be about 6,800 yards forty years ago. With the advances in equipment and the increase in the number of good players, such courses today are about 7,200 years. The old setups were not long enough to properly challenge the world's best players.
American football
Kickoffs at either the beginning of the game or after a team scored were executed form the 40 yard line in the 1970's and these kickoffs were frequently returned as they didn't reach the end zone. As kickers became more skillful, however, the kickoff was moved back to the 35 yard line, avoiding a decline in returnable kickoffs.
In golf, American football, and also pool, it is recognized that the game must keep pace with the improvements in both equipment and players. Pool is still a runout game, but with loose pockets, the advantage that comes with a fundamentally exceptional stroke would be greatly reduced, and that's not what would serve our sport's long-term interests.
As for golf, 7,200yds is not even considered long anymore. Senior tour plays on 7,200 sometimes. The modern equivalent is around 7,800(!!!) yds. Golf Digest&USGA did a study and said your avg. weekend player should not go over 6,200yds. Big difference. To me really tight pockets are like those 7,800yd courses, too tough for average Joes.
Last edited:
Yes, excellent point.
Yes, sounds like I understated how much tougher they've made golf. I love your comparison of the 7800 yard course to really tight pockets on a pool table --- right on the mark!
yes sjm the pro golfers play on entirely different courses and setups than the average and good fun golfer on the weekend does. and thats how it should be.
golf has different tees so each level of player can have fun. so does pool. and in pool it is the pocket size.
but the thread is about average pool players or players looking for a home table to have fun on and practice on. some would think they should have whatever the pros play on and make it tough. that's fine for them.
but the vast majority of people mostly outside of az ,want a fun table where you actually make lots of balls and keep shooting more than once at each turn.
golf has different tees so each level of player can have fun. so does pool. and in pool it is the pocket size.
but the thread is about average pool players or players looking for a home table to have fun on and practice on. some would think they should have whatever the pros play on and make it tough. that's fine for them.
but the vast majority of people mostly outside of az ,want a fun table where you actually make lots of balls and keep shooting more than once at each turn.
I've marshall'd at a couple golf courses. I often told people to move up and have fun. Many times they'd thank me. Pool's same way, pick the size that allows YOU to enjoy the game.
Good post.
Like golf that lengthens the course, pool does the same going from 7 to 8 to 9 and on to 10 foot tables. I don't see anything wrong with even a 12 foot table. Credit golf for not shrinking the target. Shrinking the target is dangerous to the definition and viability of every sport. A sport's popularity and success is very, very fragile.
In the old days there would be many different size table and even different pockets on the same size
It was not uncommon for two players to play a set on table A
The loser might say,that's it for me,but if you want to play on table 4
we can jack the bet
It was always uncommon to find people who knew how to match up
And even those who got the 7 on a loose table and lose didn't realize
that if they went to the tight table the spot was greater
I used to play one of the best or highest players in town one pocket,
he could give me 8 to 6 and the break on the tight table and rob me.
He also knew if he played on the loose table that his ball running would
improve and he would be better off switching
Most of the experienced players and rail birds agreed so when I agreed to play on the
5inch pockets everyone bet accordingly
What they didn't realize was that the tight pockets were too tough for me,my
mechanics were not so good,but I also lost confidence and the loss of confidence
caused me to break down
The switch to the 5 inch pockets was a double advantage to me, now I not only shot
more balls in ,but the added confidence put me in stroke,that is to playing
my own top speed
Another added advantage was that it was difficult for him to get balls out of my hole.
these little things resulted in me making a nice size score,,even busting a couple of pool
detectives who thought they had the nuts when they didn't
You see fellas , I know what I like,I my pockets on my table, I even like the finish and looks,
more importantly my wife like the looks of it and is happy.
why anyone else cares if my finish is darker or lighter doesn't bother me. i would enjoy my
table if it were polka dot and lavender.
i never understood why some people criticize other peoples things. My next door neighbor
told my wife that our light colored walls was out of style.Now along comes a fella who looks at my pictures and says my table is ugly or doesn't reach his exalted standards of grace and beauty
My wife tells me not to worry,these people are jerks with no manners,she knows about hings like that.
If the color of my table legs offends any of the rest of you please feel free to complain
Jack Potter is talking about the heavy boot my doctor prescribed for my swollen leg,it is a medical thing,he thought it was a fashion statement. You see in Oak Cliff where we came from
people are not so sophisticated as they are up north
It was not uncommon for two players to play a set on table A
The loser might say,that's it for me,but if you want to play on table 4
we can jack the bet
It was always uncommon to find people who knew how to match up
And even those who got the 7 on a loose table and lose didn't realize
that if they went to the tight table the spot was greater
I used to play one of the best or highest players in town one pocket,
he could give me 8 to 6 and the break on the tight table and rob me.
He also knew if he played on the loose table that his ball running would
improve and he would be better off switching
Most of the experienced players and rail birds agreed so when I agreed to play on the
5inch pockets everyone bet accordingly
What they didn't realize was that the tight pockets were too tough for me,my
mechanics were not so good,but I also lost confidence and the loss of confidence
caused me to break down
The switch to the 5 inch pockets was a double advantage to me, now I not only shot
more balls in ,but the added confidence put me in stroke,that is to playing
my own top speed
Another added advantage was that it was difficult for him to get balls out of my hole.
these little things resulted in me making a nice size score,,even busting a couple of pool
detectives who thought they had the nuts when they didn't
You see fellas , I know what I like,I my pockets on my table, I even like the finish and looks,
more importantly my wife like the looks of it and is happy.
why anyone else cares if my finish is darker or lighter doesn't bother me. i would enjoy my
table if it were polka dot and lavender.
i never understood why some people criticize other peoples things. My next door neighbor
told my wife that our light colored walls was out of style.Now along comes a fella who looks at my pictures and says my table is ugly or doesn't reach his exalted standards of grace and beauty
My wife tells me not to worry,these people are jerks with no manners,she knows about hings like that.
If the color of my table legs offends any of the rest of you please feel free to complain
Jack Potter is talking about the heavy boot my doctor prescribed for my swollen leg,it is a medical thing,he thought it was a fashion statement. You see in Oak Cliff where we came from
people are not so sophisticated as they are up north
I think the table looks pretty. The bright pockets are something new to me, it looks cool but I’m curious what it would be like to play on. Do they distract you at all or give you more of a target when you have a “corner of the eye” back cut?
I played on old Anniversaries that had those red pockets.... 40s or early 50s?
...snooker and pool.
...the tables always had wood rails rather than covered.
They were a Bakelite compound....made a great sharp sound when you drilled one center.
...and they didn’t grab your cue like the later cheaper pockets.
jazzy jeff
the pockets I chose are red ,more red than the old ones
my table man offered to bring new black ones to me,and he might
my wife liked these even though i was undecided
Logical
i am not selling it on this thread or trying to draw attention to my offer elsewhere
i usually list everything i have for sale
this is well known
i like buying and selling and meeting people
the size of pockets on any table can be adjusted as far as i know
if i wanted to have smaller pockets all i need to do is make a call
i am not a good player as everyone knows,but for years i have been beating
people who tell me how much they love small pockets and how it can improve
your game
there is such a thing as pro cut pocket groupies
just because they call my pockets buckets doesn't mean they know how to play
i really like them now
it may all be in my head but they draw my attention and make
the shot look easier
i am not unhappy with them ,i like them
the pockets I chose are red ,more red than the old ones
my table man offered to bring new black ones to me,and he might
my wife liked these even though i was undecided
Logical
i am not selling it on this thread or trying to draw attention to my offer elsewhere
i usually list everything i have for sale
this is well known
i like buying and selling and meeting people
the size of pockets on any table can be adjusted as far as i know
if i wanted to have smaller pockets all i need to do is make a call
i am not a good player as everyone knows,but for years i have been beating
people who tell me how much they love small pockets and how it can improve
your game
there is such a thing as pro cut pocket groupies
just because they call my pockets buckets doesn't mean they know how to play
i really like them now
it may all be in my head but they draw my attention and make
the shot look easier
i am not unhappy with them ,i like them
But Dean just said the very same thing about himself.
Sent from my SM-T830 using Tapatalk