IMO.....Play On Tables That Challenge Your Abilities.
In golf, there are different tee boxes that change the hole and make it easier or harder.
It is the same green you eventually get to putt on but the hole difficulty changes with the tees.
Ever play from the Championship tees? It is so much harder and unless you have the game,
it’s really not fun to play when others in your group smashing it. Pool is no different. There are
players of different skill levels and even some handicapping systems too. But the table does not
change unlike tee boxes on a golf course. The table is what it is, nothing more, i.e., pocket size.
My experience has been that the best golfers want to play on the best maintained & hardest courses.
Heading out to the local municipal course was convenient but on the weekends, it was different. Our
group would spend the $90 to $100 to play the harder courses. And when we returned to playing the
local muny courses, it was so much easier. The challenge of difficulty can be a motivational. weapon.
The harder the golf course, the harder I tried and the better I became because of it. My index went from
22 down to a low of 12 but not playing enough kept from from going lower or even keeping it. I bounced
between 11- 15 but my handicap was at its lowest when we were playing the better courses more often.
I just tried harder, practiced with more purpose and played the course better with each revisit.
Personally, pool table pockets are just too big on most tables. The OB is 2.25” wide and a CP width of
3.75” allows 3/4” allowance, i.e. space, on either side of the ball. That is admittedly tight but nonetheless
more than playable. So a 4” CP is more than adequate and a 4.5” is twice as wide as the OB...2x as wide.
When CP pockets are larger than 4.5”, the game becomes more enjoyable for recreational players but for
serious minded players, it just gets way too forgiving. So maybe the best thing is for a pool hall to have a
combination of different table pockets. As an example, Blue Fin Billiards has arranged It that way. The front
tables are the hardest with the tightest pockets. The stronger players can be found on the front tables and
smaller pockets make the game more fair and interesting when you have to give up weight to your opponent.
And as far as changing one’s stroke when the pockets are tight, maybe for the timid players that’s so.
I expect to make the shot every time. I don’t slow stroke the shot as some might do out of intimidation.
My stroke does not change because of tight pockets. A good stroke hit accurately should pocket the OB.
Guess what? The table gets easier as the pockets get bigger. That’s just what my experience has taught me.
But I’ll concede when Bill Stroud offers his remarks, you should consider his words wisely since he’s an expert.