Help!!!...looking to grow pool in my area...

[Rackemep]

I'm trying to generate interest in pool in my area and I'm looking for ideas...

The pool scene is almost nonexistent here in Kingman AZ...We have a BCA league on Tuesday nights and a charity league on Friday nights...The leagues are small, we only have 12 teams for BCA and only 10 teams for the charity league (most of the teams from the BCA league also have a charity league team)...There is no pool hall here for the youth to get into the game and there are only a handful of bars in the area that have pool tables...I have taken over a small tournament that used to be held every other Thursday and I'm running it every week now. We usually get 7 or 8 players but I would like to grow that number. I have made flyers and passed them around but that seems like it was a waste of my money, I have put up craigslist adds for the tourney...I have tried to get the bar to add some cash to the pot to help make it more enticing for players, but they say we (the pool players) aren't spending enough to make it worth adding any cash...

Anyone have ideas that might help me bring a few pool players out to play?...

 

[Black-Balled]

Boobies are always fun.

 

[the$banker]

sometimes here they will do a break and run pot or a snap the nine in pot.. like $5 more per person and then draw 2 names before the tourney.. they get the chance and if nobody gets it then the pot continue to stay and grow until somebody snaps it off. just a thought, i have family in Tucson and phoenix and i thought the pool scène was fine out there..

 

[BigDeal52]

Sounds like you have a lot of passion. Have you considered opening your own pool hall?

 

[Rackemep]

sometimes here they will do a break and run pot or a snap the nine in pot.. like $5 more per person and then draw 2 names before the tourney.. they get the chance and if nobody gets it then the pot continue to stay and grow until somebody snaps it off. just a thought, i have family in Tucson and phoenix and i thought the pool scène was fine out there..

In phx and Tuscon the pool scene is decent! I'm kinda out in the middle of nowhere ...I Will try your suggestions!

 

[Rackemep]

Sounds like you have a lot of passion. Have you considered opening your own pool hall?

If I had the capital to get started I would make a go of it...What scares me about the prospect of jumping into a venture like that here is there have been others who tried it and failed.

 

[Rackemep]

I was looking at our league stats over the last few seasons and the number of teams is actually dwindling down ...I may be fighting a loosing fight but there has to be something to do to turn it around...Theres a small billiard supply and spa store here and the owner sounds like she's ready to close her doors. It's sad to see...I have never lived somewhere without a decent population of pool players before...

 

[JBB2388]

Have you considered speaking to other bar owners in the area? I realize its not the same as a nice pool hall but we were able to convince the owner of one of the local bars that we hung out at to get a table about 18 months ago and we now play our APA 8-ball league out of his place and he is a member of our team. Good luck!

 

[Rackemep]

the squeeze isn't worth the juice says the bar owners...

Have you considered speaking to other bar owners in the area? I realize its not the same as a nice pool hall but we were able to convince the owner of one of the local bars that we hung out at to get a table about 18 months ago and we now play our APA 8-ball league out of his place and he is a member of our team. Good luck!

I have had conversations with a couple of them and the consensus is that pool doesn't generate enough cash to be worth while...It's the same conversation with the bar owners about recovering the table's....Hell I went to Home Depot and got some light bulbs to replace the burnt out bulbs at a couple of our league night stops because the bar owners have no desire to keep up with anything to do with the pool tables...the closest thing to a pool hall we have here is a place called Timeout Tavern...they have 6 bar boxes and they are vacant all of the time...It's rumored that these tables haven't been recovered or had any maintaining done to them since the late 90's (from the condition of the tables i believe it)....I talked to the owner about getting the lighting fixed and the tables recovered (they need new cushions and probably a bunch of other stuff fixed too) and he told me that he'll leave the tables the way they are until they are no longer usable and then they will get discarded and he'll extend the dance floor ...

 

[Donny Lutz]

Answers

I'm trying to generate interest in pool in my area and I'm looking for ideas...

The pool scene is almost nonexistent here in Kingman AZ...We have a BCA league on Tuesday nights and a charity league on Friday nights...The leagues are small, we only have 12 teams for BCA and only 10 teams for the charity league (most of the teams from the BCA league also have a charity league team)...There is no pool hall here for the youth to get into the game and there are only a handful of bars in the area that have pool tables...I have taken over a small tournament that used to be held every other Thursday and I'm running it every week now. We usually get 7 or 8 players but I would like to grow that number. I have made flyers and passed them around but that seems like it was a waste of my money, I have put up craigslist adds for the tourney...I have tried to get the bar to add some cash to the pot to help make it more enticing for players, but they say we (the pool players) aren't spending enough to make it worth adding any cash...

Anyone have ideas that might help me bring a few pool players out to play?...

Most owners seem to be looking to get rich without any effort.

Here are some ideas that I've seen work during the past 59 years...

Give customers what they want! Put up a "suggestion" box and actually consider changes that people suggest!

Contact other businesses to sponsor teams, events, etc.

Contact local tv and radio stations. They love free news items and even videos that they can use on the air.

Educate the help so that they can answer questions from customers.

Keep a clean place and get rid of trouble makers (instead of coddling them if they spend enough).

Offer a variety of tournaments and leagues.

Have a resident instructor and an experienced tournament director.

Promote pool rather than JUST drinking...

...this list is just a start. There've been several great threads on "the perfect pool hall" in the past. Worth reading.

 

[averageJOE]

you should try and post flyers at high traffic areas like the post office, public library, and community centers where all types of people come it will give you some good variety of people. You also might want to talk to the local schools to see if they have any Jr pool teams, clubs, if not see if you might be able to get something going.
Just a few thoughts but good luck.

 

[bdorman]

The first maxim of increasing sales is that your current customers are your best salespeople/advisors; design an incentive to have them recruit new players and teams. At least let them know that this is a major objective. They might come up with great ideas...after all, they are probably closer to their "first year in pool" than you are.

IMHO free pool lessons are the biggest draw. Even if someone is looking for a new activity and considering pool, they probably don't pursue it because they don't know how to play and don't know where to learn.

Does your area have a community education program? They offer all sorts of programs like Flower Arranging, Yoga, Tennis, etc. Why not pool?

 

[Push&Pool]

I'll be honest right away and say I didn't real all the responses, so I apologies if I repeat something already told :sorry:

This is an idea for you or someone else to do, but if you/they have the money, will and time necessary. It would be a good thing if the city you live in has at least some 30 000 - 50 000 people, to make sure there would be enough traffic.

Somebody advised you to open a pool hall. But in an area where pool is weak, it would be a terrible move. Instead, open a bar. A medium sized place, don't go for any luxury in order to save as much money as possible. Still, it has to be a nice place, but used furniture in a good condition at discount will do. Location? Close to the city center or some other high-traffic area. And if one or more schools and/or colleges were close to it - bingo

Offer drink and simple food. Food would primarily be there for the kids and students. Being in a high-traffic area like the city center will ensure a steady flow of all kinds of customers throughout the day. Serving ice cream would be a nice bonus.

Have the music playing all the time. Dance music and cheaper alcohol for night parties. Make sure you have air conditioning. Decorate for Christmas. Do all the stuff you can think of so people would love your place. Talk to other owners, read online and preferably seek help from experts so you could be ready for anything before you even start the business, and to make sure you don't miss anything out.

Plan ahead and leave enough room for games. Get betting machines (those will always attract customers), darts and table soccer. Make sure they're all cheap, they can be used, but should be in good condition.

Now, finally moving to pool. Get two or three 7 ft coin op bar boxes with sets of average or better bar cues. All the equipment should be cheap, can be used, but it must not be crap. Best quality cues, cloth and rails aren't a priority when your customers never saw pool before, but it absolutely has to be playable without bigger problems. There should be enough room around every tables for players to move. Make sure they don't steal the balls. At least brush the tables regularly to keep them somewhat clean (not perfect, but playable). And please, don't be like most bar owners these days and don't run out of chalk! :angry:

Keep the prices per game low (maybe 0.50$). This includes table soccer, darts etc as well. Remember that games are here to attract people, and you make your money by selling drinks and food to those same people who come playing, and by having them lose their money on betting.

Organize weekly tournaments. Saturday afternoon maybe? Entrance fee, let's say, 4-5$. Half goes to the winner, the other half to you. Second and third get a couple of free drinks. Leave the tables open while the tournament lasts, don't force them to pay for every game.

If there's a league in your area like APA, allow league matches in your bar. Both players and observers will come in and order drinks, so it will pay off.


In short, this is the best way I could think of for starting a potentially successful business (if you're hardworking enough ) and making pool popular in your area at the same time. This doesn't apply only to you, but to anyone with some cash and the will to start and run their own place. Just remember that pool halls alone won't pay off for some time, especially in regions where pool popularity is low, but if you make it a part of a well-organised, all-round bar, I don't see this strategy failing. Then, it's just me...

 

[jalapus logan]

How to grow pool?

1 Dig a hole ~ 6" deep and about as wide

2 Insert an 8 ball or a 9 ball in hole

3 Cover with topsoil (if in clay, you may wish to amend the soil with 60% compost)

4. Water regularly

8 balls tend to yield approximately 10 - 12 seven foot valley bar tables and 9 balls tend to yield the same number of 4.5 X 9' Diamond professional tables.

For tips for a good yield in high altitudes, consult AZB's own Cuebuddy.

 

[Rackemep]

How to grow pool?

1 Dig a hole ~ 6" deep and about as wide

2 Insert an 8 ball or a 9 ball in hole

3 Cover with topsoil (if in clay, you may wish to amend the soil with 60% compost)

4. Water regularly

8 balls tend to yield approximately 10 - 12 seven foot valley bar tables and 9 balls tend to yield the same number of 4.5 X 9' Diamond professional tables.

For tips for a good yield in high altitudes, consult AZB's own Cuebuddy.

Thanks ill try that lol...

 

[Scott Lee]

Most owners seem to be looking to get rich without any effort.

Here are some ideas that I've seen work during the past 59 years...

Give customers what they want! Put up a "suggestion" box and actually consider changes that people suggest!

Contact other businesses to sponsor teams, events, etc.

Contact local tv and radio stations. They love free news items and even videos that they can use on the air.

Educate the help so that they can answer questions from customers.

Keep a clean place and get rid of trouble makers (instead of coddling them if they spend enough).

Offer a variety of tournaments and leagues.

Have a resident instructor and an experienced tournament director.

Promote pool rather than JUST drinking...

...this list is just a start. There've been several great threads on "the perfect pool hall" in the past. Worth reading.

Donny...Apparently you didn't read the OP's post. He is out in the middle of nowhere! There are no TV stations, poolhalls, instructors, or businesses to "sponsor" pool teams. The local bar owners don't care about pool...pretty hard to 'educate' someone who doesn't care.

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

 

[Johnson]

so much of what makes a room successful depends almost entirely on the owner assuming that they're around the bar on a daily/weekly basis, if u have options choose a room w an owner that treats people like people not customers, next u want an owner that will work w u whether that's w added $ or maintaining equipment and monthly/yearly tourneys

next i would identify what type of players u have in your area and what type u are wanting to attract, a bar near here had a lot of c players and ran a blind draw partners tourney for well over a decade, my personally i would want a weekly tourney and also a weekly ring game and if it was successful u could create an a and b ring game

 

[Rackemep]

Update...

Thanks for all the help...I have taken some of your suggestions and its working....

I got the bar to open the tables for us during tournament play (no more dropping quarters and we can use the red circle cue ball's...They still wont add any cash but hey at least its a start)

I started a 9-ball break pot for a buck a ticket (I put $10 in just to get it rolling <---started this last week and we already have the pot close to $30...I only draw 3 names)

I made more flyers and put them in high traffic area's

I made it to where the top female shooter at least gets her money back

When I started this thread we were getting 7-8 players on an average night...Now our average is 11-12 and we have had a couple of nights where we were having to turn people away because the16 player bracket was full up....(We have to limit it to 16 or we will be there until after closing time)...

Thanks again for all the help...

Shaun

 

[Rackemep]

I'm still trying to figure out how to get the bar owners to recover the tables...

This is something I have been thinking about tell me what you think...I was thinking of trying to find some entry level cues (players, action, cue-tec etc) and holding a raffle...The proceeds would go to getting the tables redone...I dont know if this would generate enough cash to even come close to getting new cloth put on the tables or not but I'm sure it would make some of my players happy (everyone likes the prospect of winning something)...

Any ideas???

 

[Blue Hog ridr]

Sounds like yer headed in the right direction if you have taken over a weekly tourney.

Word of mouth and eventually you will see a few strange faces.

That is about the only thing I was going to suggest. We run an end of the month Scotch Tourney at one place.

Fairly easy to fill the bracket up with 24 players. Its a fun afternoon.

Our LO holds a Sat night Scotch Tourney every 2 weeks in one of the bars that sponsors some teams. They like to see the place fill up.

If you decide on a few more fun Tourneys here and there, talk to a couple of bar owners and ask which nights are the slowest and if they would be interested in hosting a tourney.

I would hope that most bar owners would be receptive to the idea of a few more people
on their slow nights.

If you can scratch their backs, they might scratch yours a bit too.