A Masters Week Wake-up Call -- Why Pool Beats Golf

9BallPaul

9BallPaul

Banned
Watching the privileged assemble today at Augusta for the club's Wednesday nostalgia fest, I realized why I love pool so much more than golf.

No, I don't come from a country-club family, but I played golf religiously as a teenager at city courses. I stunk. I also attended high school across Colfax Avenue from York Billiards, where I earned dual degrees in truancy and 9-ball. Street smarts naturally followed.

Watching the well-to-do assemble today in tight quarters for a glimpse of a golf hero tells me something: pool is more interesting. I've attended three Derby Cities and hope to attend more. I can watch Efren in comfort from a few feet away; watching him wander the hotel at 3 a.m., and watch him engrossed in a chess game.

I don't bother him for conversation, but I'm sure he would, at the least, smile and be polite. Who can say that for Tiger Woods?

These cookie-cutter golfers all look and dress alike. And where are the blacks or other minorities? Absent. Not so at Derby City.

As for skill levels required, we've fought that out on many other threads. For me, golf is harder, pool more rewarding and far more interesting.

Mrs. 9BallPaul is out of town for the week and I got bored, so this is the result. Thanks to anyone who read it.
 
9BallPaul said:
Watching the privileged assemble today at Augusta for the club's Wednesday nostalgia fest, I realized why I love pool so much more than golf.

No, I don't come from a country-club family, but I played golf religiously as a teenager at city courses. I stunk. I also attended high school across Colfax Avenue from York Billiards, where I earned dual degrees in truancy and 9-ball. Street smarts naturally followed.

Watching the well-to-do assemble today in tight quarters for a glimpse of a golf hero tells me something: pool is more interesting. I've attended three Derby Cities and hope to attend more. I can watch Efren in comfort from a few feet away; watching him wander the hotel at 3 a.m., and watch him engrossed in a chess game.

I don't bother him for conversation, but I'm sure he would, at the least, smile and be polite. Who can say that for Tiger Woods?

These cookie-cutter golfers all look and dress alike. And where are the blacks or other minorities? Absent. Not so at Derby City.

As for skill levels required, we've fought that out on many other threads. For me, golf is harder, pool more rewarding and far more interesting.

Mrs. 9BallPaul is out of town for the week and I got bored, so this is the result. Thanks to anyone who read it.
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Pool is definitely a better spectator sport. I live 15 minutes from the National and usually turn down tickets. You can't see anything and the players are in their own world during the tournament. TV is the only way to watch golf.

Several weeks ago, I went to a local room and saw Larry Neville play. I watched him from a comfortable table ten feet away and spoke with him for about 20 minutes. Total cost was two cold beers.

But golf, IMO, is the most difficult game on the planet. :cool:
 
I enjoy golf but pool definetly has advantages.

- Golf takes 4+ hours to play a game
- Pool cost a lot less than golf
- You don't need to worry about rain
- You can play with a lot of people in a short period of time
 
TheNewSharkster said:
I enjoy golf but pool definetly has advantages.

- Golf takes 4+ hours to play a game
- Pool cost a lot less than golf
- You don't need to worry about rain
- You can play with a lot of people in a short period of time
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and you dont even have to own a single piece of equipment or anything else to play.
 
TheNewSharkster said:
I enjoy golf but pool definetly has advantages.

- Golf takes 4+ hours to play a game
- Pool cost a lot less than golf
- You don't need to worry about rain
- You can play with a lot of people in a short period of time
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You forgot that it is almost always 72 with no wind on the pool table
 
OneIron said:
Pool is definitely a better spectator sport. I live 15 minutes from the National and usually turn down tickets. You can't see anything and the players are in their own world during the tournament. TV is the only way to watch golf.

Several weeks ago, I went to a local room and saw Larry Neville play. I watched him from a comfortable table ten feet away and spoke with him for about 20 minutes. Total cost was two cold beers.

But golf, IMO, is the most difficult game on the planet. :cool:
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I'll take those tickets you turn down ....please send them my way.... I live in California and would love to go to the masters at least once ..

imo Golf is an amazing physical and mental test, as is pool...In the end golf wins because of it's beauty
 
And where are the blacks or other minorities? Absent. Not so at Derby City.
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I enjoyed your post but have to disagree here. In sports, you get where you are because of your skill level. Race has nothing to do it. I could very easily make the same case for whites (non European) in the NBA but I don't. I want to see the best talent compete and I don't care what race they are. If I turn on golf and the best players are all white, i don't care. If I watch an NBA game and most of the players are black, I don't care. There aren't quotas in sports.

I saw the same chess match Efren was playing. Derby City is great. I have played in it 6 of the last 7 years. In enjoyed your post but your comment is way off base.
 
9BallPaul said:
Watching the privileged assemble today at Augusta for the club's Wednesday nostalgia fest, I realized why I love pool so much more than golf.

No, I don't come from a country-club family, but I played golf religiously as a teenager at city courses. I stunk. I also attended high school across Colfax Avenue from York Billiards, where I earned dual degrees in truancy and 9-ball. Street smarts naturally followed.

Watching the well-to-do assemble today in tight quarters for a glimpse of a golf hero tells me something: pool is more interesting. I've attended three Derby Cities and hope to attend more. I can watch Efren in comfort from a few feet away; watching him wander the hotel at 3 a.m., and watch him engrossed in a chess game.

I don't bother him for conversation, but I'm sure he would, at the least, smile and be polite. Who can say that for Tiger Woods?

These cookie-cutter golfers all look and dress alike. And where are the blacks or other minorities? Absent. Not so at Derby City.

As for skill levels required, we've fought that out on many other threads. For me, golf is harder, pool more rewarding and far more interesting.

Mrs. 9BallPaul is out of town for the week and I got bored, so this is the result. Thanks to anyone who read it.
Click to expand...

Haven't you figured out yet that America is full of dummies? I mean, sitting there at one hole all day watching the players come through. No wonder Obama was elected.:D
 
I began playing both when I was 8.
Golf; no two courses are the same, every shot is unique and requires complete analysis as to wind, temp, humidity, slope, texture, time of day, and a dozen other considerations. Pool; every table identical, finite number of shots, identical conditions. I would say the payout difference is about right. As for cultural diversity, golf is completely open and "the best" is represented by those who rise to the top. It is also nice that like pool anyone with any background can compete if they are good enough. The beauty of both games is that with the right attitude they can both be enjoyed at any skill level.
I don't watch pool being played so I cannot comment on professional pool players but the rules of the PGA dictate the conformity of the clothes to an appropriate standard, it is nice that tradition still means something somewhere. I watch golf A LOT and am lucky enough to do it while playing pool. If I were in a pool hall I would want golf on the tube.
 
obviously this dude sucks at pool. i can't believe nobody jumped on him after that unfair comparison. golf may be harder, but almost everything he said on there about pool is false.
 
Papa Lou said:
obviously this dude sucks at pool. i can't believe nobody jumped on him after that unfair comparison. golf may be harder, but almost everything he said on there about pool is false.
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Well his point was the reason why golfers get paid more is be because of degree of difficulty and he may have understated that. They are not even comparable IMHO golfs much much more difficult to play
You can watch a pool match and not see one shot you can't hit watch a round of golf and you will see shots you will never hit


1
 
The guy who finished last among the players who made the cut last week made over 45k. Tiger won 1.5 million.

Soon it will be the Masters and all comparisons to pool will seem silly.
 
An average spectator can relate to a good golf shot more than a comparable feat in pool. To an average spectator, it is far more impressive to see Tiger hit a 215yd 6 iron 5 feet from the pin than it is to watch SVB put together a 4 pack.
 
bud green said:
The guy who finished last among the players who made the cut last week made over 45k. Tiger won 1.5 million.

Soon it will be the Masters and all comparisons to pool will seem silly.
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There was no cut last week it's a invitation turny
It's already a silly comparison


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nicksaint26 said:
It is just too bad professional pool players don't get paid like professional golfers.
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If this was the case, the amount of pool players would quadruple, or more... This sport is not managed or bought to the public correctly, so it want make "real money". It is nothing wrong with the sport of pool, but you have to get in there and fight with the TV networks, prove to them why pool should be shown, you need to market it for families (like they did in the 60s). I mean the World 14.1 Championships used to be on ABC for goodness sakes.

Also, I have heard many people say Mike Sigel and others talk to much, but maybe it is that others don't talk enough. The general audiences of Mike's prime loved to watch him play pool. Alot of the players back then bought a colorful sport to the general audience. These days players wear ear plugs, ipods, and get offended if a mouse tip toes next door. And slow play, my god, if there has ever been some slow players, it is now. Being a pool lover, I even get bored watching some of them, so how could we bring this to prime time?
 
I forgot it was a WGC, I just looked up the lowest payout. You have to love the idea of getting a minimum of 45k just for showing up.
 
one stroke said:
Well his point was the reason why golfers get paid more is be because of degree of difficulty and he may have understated that. They are not even comparable IMHO golfs much much more difficult to play
You can watch a pool match and not see one shot you can't hit watch a round of golf and you will see shots you will never hit


1
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Speak for yourself bro. ;)
 
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