Erratum to my post about "greens fees"
mailman said:
We're NOT talking about dedicated pool/billiards halls here, where you go up to the desk and RENT a set of balls by the hour.
Most bars and taverns have coin-op tables. City Lights in Tacoma is no exception ...
It makes more sense to me to do it this way, rather than editing my original post. This is what I get for doing this kind of post when I am dead tired
Of course, we
ARE also talking about dedicated pool halls where tables are rented!!!
Everything I wrote about the coin-op establishments opening up their tables to "free" play and then applying a "greens fee" to recover otherwise lost revenue applies to the dedicated pool hall, as well. Think about it:
The pool hall rents its tables as its main source of income. If a tournament is being played, there are usually NO RENTAL fees being charged during the entire course of the tournament; therefore, the pool hall is losing its main source of revenue -- this is particularly exacerbated if the establishment is also contributing/donating "added" money to the tournament. In lieu of rental fees, the pool hall charges each tournament player a set "greens fee" that covers play for the entire tournament in order to recover the "lost" revenue.
This also, as stated before for the coin-op places, is nationwide practice for the dedicated pool halls with table rental fees.
However, in many cases, if a tavern, bar or pool hall, whether it employs coin-op tables or rental fees, has a butt-kicking kitchen and a swinging full-service bar, it will be THE central spot for ALL of the tournament participants, whether they are playing or waiting to play, and it will make a TON OF MONEY off of the bar and kitchen that it normally would NOT make without the presence of the tournament -- so much so that, in addition to "added" (donated) money for the tournament, it will also forego charging "greens fees."
This is not that unusual, either. But the other places that are limited mainly to rental fees or coin-op tables as a large part of revenue source WILL almost always charge a "greens fee."
Sheesh, I woke up out of a deep sleep to do this erratum -- I sure hope I finally got it right ...
Peace ...
