Danny,
I'm a straight pool fanatic, I'll help however I can.
Our league has been continuously in operation for over 50 years, so at least it works. I've sent you a PM with more info than this, you could just ignore this post.
Ours is a handicapped league. We have 18 players (9 tables in the poolhall) of varying abilities, playing in a round robin format. Each player will play each other player one time. There is a “position round” halfway through the season, and at the end of the season where you play the person just above or below you in the standings (#1 plays #2, #3 plays #4, etc.) – so you will end up playing 1 or 2 opponents twice during the year.. Standings are based on won-loss records (with total # of balls made as the tie-breaker).
The matches are EVERY Thursday night – players join the league for the WHOLE season (not just a few nights here and there). Once you are in the league, you are in until you quit or die (any poor sports are encouraged to quit or we kill them). Make-up games are allowed at any time, but must be made up before the position rounds in the middle and at the end of the season. One of our pro's missed 6 straight weeks, but made up all of those matches in 2 days right before the end of the season. We bend over backwards to make it attractive for the pro players.
All matches are played to 100. The poorer players have higher handicaps. The poorest players who can’t run balls at all are in the 50-60 handicap range. The best amateur players are in the 0-10 handicap range. The pro’s are in the -70 range (negative 70). If my handicap is 10, and I play a 60 handicap player, you just subtract the 10 from the 60 and I spot him 50 balls. He starts at a score of 50, I start at 0, and we play to 100. If I play a negative handicap player it’s a little different. Our top pro's handicap is -70 (negative 70). I would start at my handicap of 10, the pro would start at -70. Therefore I would have to score 90 balls to get to 100, and the pro would have to score 170 balls to get to 100. The pro must score at least 70 balls to “get up to zero”, then another 100 to win. Only the balls after the initial 70 to “get out of the hole” count towards the pro's total balls for tiebreaking purposes. All matches end with the winning player at 100; it makes computing standings a breeze.
With this handicap system, you can mix top pro’s with feeble players and STILL have great matches. When these guys need only 40 balls and you need 170, you have to play hard from the very start to beat them – it’s a LOT of fun.
The initial handicaps are set by the league director. I agree with Blackjack that 10 racks of Equal Offense would be a great help in setting them initially – you could do it the first night of league, 2 players per table, alternating racks. Our handicaps are changed over a 20 week average, so you would not be able to use our system the first year. Handicaps are skewed a little towards the better players, set about 75% of the true difference. If the better player plays his best, he will usually win; if he slacks off much he will lose. If you set yourself at about -60 to -80, and the good amateurs around 10, and the hackers at 30 – 50; then you can’t go wrong.
The league director has a Handicap Committee to discuss things with; but it runs so well now, that there is never any need for it. If you win a match, they look at how you did 20 weeks ago and adjust up or down. A new league just needs someone like you to be the “dictator”. Just set the initial handicaps based on the Equal Offense results. Then adjust the handicaps every week or two. After a year you will know exactly where everyone should be (new players can then just be compared to the ones you know). It’s easy, don’t be afraid.
There is also a Rules Committee. If any rules clarifications (or god forbid a dispute) come up, then the decision of the Rules Committee member is FINAL (even if it’s wrong). I know of only one dispute in our league in 5 years (and that troublemaker was OUT of the league at the end of the year).
We each pay $20 membership fee at the beginning of the year. We then pay $5 per week to the league. Everyone takes care of their own table time. There is no pressure to collect every week; because nothing is paid out until the final night. As long as you are paid up at the end of the year, then you will be included in the final payouts. We pay out all 18 places – no fortunes to be made in this league. The top half players will get all of their fees back and a little more; the bottom players play HARD the last night to improve their positions. There is NO sandbagging in this league – it would only lower your position.
We also receive donations of merchandise from billiard supply stores, a pro player, and the factory where a lot of these guys work – that stuff is given away during the season by raffle (no additional charge).
I’m sure I’ve forgotten something, feel free to call if you have questions. Mark Wilson in Collinsville, IL has a quite different league format and handicap system; he has only 3 tables and shorter games. You might call him if you want another viewpoint. SJM on the AZB forum also has a different straight pool handicapping system (from his NYC straight pool leagues) that is good; but everyone plays to different numbers (a bit confusing), and is based on “high runs” during competition which makes a LOT of record keeping. Our system requires only recording the final score; I highly recommend this to reduce the paperwork.
