Hello everybody, this is my first post, and I'd like some advice from the knowledgeable.
I have the unique opportunity to start a 3-cushion league at my local hall; we have two 5x10 Gabriels to play on. We've gathered the interest of 12 adept pool players with little or no experience with 3 cushion. I have read every thread on here asking the same thing, and am hoping for a little more detail since I will be starting from scratch. I would like this league to be a fun and interesting way to learn and promote the game, especially since if this doesn't happen these tables are going bye-bye.
What I would like to know is in what format would be the best way to run this league with relative beginners that have good experience with controlling the cue ball, albeit in a different way. What would be a good race for each match, especially starting out, that wouldn't be too difficult to get to with this level of play? I know that probably depends on the format that we choose. This will likely be a trial run, where we could change anything depending on everyone's input, before it becomes solidified into an actual league. A suggested start was 12 weeks. We do have an experienced player in the area that told us he'd be willing to give a few lessons on how to play the right way; all of his inputs are greatly regarded.
A few ideas I've had:
1) We could have everyone play a match each week, where the players themselves would schedule a time with their opponents and they would report their scores.
2) We could have a single day when all matches will be played in blocks of time, say 2 hours each, where end of game depends on reaching the points or their allotted time.
3) Short race round robin on a single day.
The benefit of 2 and 3 would be that we are playing on both tables at the same time so that we could commune, watch, and learn from each other while playing. I feel like 1 would be easy to do, but it takes away the "all of us playing billiards together" aspect, and I feel like it's important to have that community. Option 2 would make it so not everyone has to be there at the same time waiting for a match; they could come in at their time, or before and watch or play pool while waiting. If our starting league was 12 weeks, options 1 and 2 would let everyone play everyone else just once. Again, these are just nebulous thoughts that need help solidifying.
Handicaps would be necessary, and I have read some posts made by Bob Jewett that make a lot of sense.
I dunno guys, I'm really in the dark here and need a flashlight. I would love to hear ANY and ALL advice you have to give. Thanks!
A little about myself: I was taught how to play pool when I was 18, and when I came across 3-cushion I fell in love; I tend to gravitate toward the unique and under-appreciated things in life. Back then there wasn't a whole lot of information out there on 3c, and the nearest table was 1.5 hours away from my college. So I bought a few books, Billiard Atlas and DPM's dissertation, as well as my own 9' carom table that I put in my parents garage where it remained for several years before I sold it to finance an epic road trip. I learned a lot playing on that table, but haven't played for years because there aren't tables around or many people to play with. A renewed interest was sparked recently by a friend of mine in our 8-ball league, and I've just been digging into it since, hence the hopeful start of this new league. My years of experience in pool since I've had that table, I feel, has made me more capable of playing now than ever before, and I'm quite excited to start. Cheers!
I have the unique opportunity to start a 3-cushion league at my local hall; we have two 5x10 Gabriels to play on. We've gathered the interest of 12 adept pool players with little or no experience with 3 cushion. I have read every thread on here asking the same thing, and am hoping for a little more detail since I will be starting from scratch. I would like this league to be a fun and interesting way to learn and promote the game, especially since if this doesn't happen these tables are going bye-bye.
What I would like to know is in what format would be the best way to run this league with relative beginners that have good experience with controlling the cue ball, albeit in a different way. What would be a good race for each match, especially starting out, that wouldn't be too difficult to get to with this level of play? I know that probably depends on the format that we choose. This will likely be a trial run, where we could change anything depending on everyone's input, before it becomes solidified into an actual league. A suggested start was 12 weeks. We do have an experienced player in the area that told us he'd be willing to give a few lessons on how to play the right way; all of his inputs are greatly regarded.
A few ideas I've had:
1) We could have everyone play a match each week, where the players themselves would schedule a time with their opponents and they would report their scores.
2) We could have a single day when all matches will be played in blocks of time, say 2 hours each, where end of game depends on reaching the points or their allotted time.
3) Short race round robin on a single day.
The benefit of 2 and 3 would be that we are playing on both tables at the same time so that we could commune, watch, and learn from each other while playing. I feel like 1 would be easy to do, but it takes away the "all of us playing billiards together" aspect, and I feel like it's important to have that community. Option 2 would make it so not everyone has to be there at the same time waiting for a match; they could come in at their time, or before and watch or play pool while waiting. If our starting league was 12 weeks, options 1 and 2 would let everyone play everyone else just once. Again, these are just nebulous thoughts that need help solidifying.
Handicaps would be necessary, and I have read some posts made by Bob Jewett that make a lot of sense.
I dunno guys, I'm really in the dark here and need a flashlight. I would love to hear ANY and ALL advice you have to give. Thanks!
A little about myself: I was taught how to play pool when I was 18, and when I came across 3-cushion I fell in love; I tend to gravitate toward the unique and under-appreciated things in life. Back then there wasn't a whole lot of information out there on 3c, and the nearest table was 1.5 hours away from my college. So I bought a few books, Billiard Atlas and DPM's dissertation, as well as my own 9' carom table that I put in my parents garage where it remained for several years before I sold it to finance an epic road trip. I learned a lot playing on that table, but haven't played for years because there aren't tables around or many people to play with. A renewed interest was sparked recently by a friend of mine in our 8-ball league, and I've just been digging into it since, hence the hopeful start of this new league. My years of experience in pool since I've had that table, I feel, has made me more capable of playing now than ever before, and I'm quite excited to start. Cheers!