For more reasons than I can list in this thread pool is my pass time of choice and I have enjoyed the game for going on 12 years now. In many ways how I have approached pool parallels how I approach life in general no matter what I am doing. I have always found the friends that I have made to be the most rewarding aspect of whatever pursuit I have taken on. Over the years I have met some really good people and made life long friends playing pool.
My involvement with the forum and youtube has also provided additional interaction with people although I do not always have an opportunity to meet them in person. Back in September of last year I posted a thread where I expressed interest in purchasing carom plugs for my table. It was through this thread that I met Dan Bennicas.
Dan Bennicas is a retired residential designer and property developer who makes his home in Hilton Head South Carolina. In his younger years he caught the eye of Brunswick and Jimmy Caras. He toured with Jimmy Caras and did trick shot exhibitions which was put on by Brunswick Billiards. At one time or another he played many of the great champions of old like Mosconi, Johny Ervilino, Joe Balsis and Luther Lassiter. Dan was a very talented pool player and was able to compete with the best that the pool world had to offer. Dan opted not to enter the world of professional pool and among other things made his living doing photography, managing a bowling alley and owning a jazz piano bar. Dan spent most of his professional life designing high end custom homes and has even won awards for some of his designs.
Through all of that Dan never lost his love for pool and billiards. Since retiring he has taken on the task of designing a truly universal set of carom plugs. Many people have patented carom plugs but they have never really caught on because they just do not work well.
Over the last six months Dan has done an incredible amount of research and development on his invention which has now reached its 10 incarnation. Over this time I have kept in contact with Dan and this last week he graciously invited me in to his home to show me his creation.
I had never been Savannah or Hilton Head and must say both are really nice towns. Dan showed me Savannah and we played pool and 3 cushion for a few days. Dan has taken the time to recruit other pool players to try 3 cushion. Each thursday they get together and play 3 cushion and a new game called double 9 ball (completely different story.) We played on a great table, listened to jazz/blues and had a great time. It was really interesting to see that these life long pool players who had never tried 3 cushion were really in to the game. In the three days that we played the guys never complained about anything being wrong with the plugs and not once did any of the balls fly off the table.
Dan’s true desire is to help revive the game of 3 cushion with his new plugs. To me this will give pool players a viable option to convert their pool tables in to carom tables. I intend on doing some videos for my youtube channel that will maybe recruit some more players. Although 3 cushion is really down right now even more so than pool I think these carom plugs will help spur a renaissance for the game.
I really had a good time on this trip especially listening to Dan remanence about the bygone era of pool. Its meeting people like Dan and his friends that really makes life good.
In these pictures Dan is in the Green shirt. The guy in the white tshirt is Dustin Dans part fabricator. I am in the white hat and black tshirt next to Dan and the carom plugs on the table.
My involvement with the forum and youtube has also provided additional interaction with people although I do not always have an opportunity to meet them in person. Back in September of last year I posted a thread where I expressed interest in purchasing carom plugs for my table. It was through this thread that I met Dan Bennicas.
Dan Bennicas is a retired residential designer and property developer who makes his home in Hilton Head South Carolina. In his younger years he caught the eye of Brunswick and Jimmy Caras. He toured with Jimmy Caras and did trick shot exhibitions which was put on by Brunswick Billiards. At one time or another he played many of the great champions of old like Mosconi, Johny Ervilino, Joe Balsis and Luther Lassiter. Dan was a very talented pool player and was able to compete with the best that the pool world had to offer. Dan opted not to enter the world of professional pool and among other things made his living doing photography, managing a bowling alley and owning a jazz piano bar. Dan spent most of his professional life designing high end custom homes and has even won awards for some of his designs.
Through all of that Dan never lost his love for pool and billiards. Since retiring he has taken on the task of designing a truly universal set of carom plugs. Many people have patented carom plugs but they have never really caught on because they just do not work well.
Over the last six months Dan has done an incredible amount of research and development on his invention which has now reached its 10 incarnation. Over this time I have kept in contact with Dan and this last week he graciously invited me in to his home to show me his creation.
I had never been Savannah or Hilton Head and must say both are really nice towns. Dan showed me Savannah and we played pool and 3 cushion for a few days. Dan has taken the time to recruit other pool players to try 3 cushion. Each thursday they get together and play 3 cushion and a new game called double 9 ball (completely different story.) We played on a great table, listened to jazz/blues and had a great time. It was really interesting to see that these life long pool players who had never tried 3 cushion were really in to the game. In the three days that we played the guys never complained about anything being wrong with the plugs and not once did any of the balls fly off the table.
Dan’s true desire is to help revive the game of 3 cushion with his new plugs. To me this will give pool players a viable option to convert their pool tables in to carom tables. I intend on doing some videos for my youtube channel that will maybe recruit some more players. Although 3 cushion is really down right now even more so than pool I think these carom plugs will help spur a renaissance for the game.
I really had a good time on this trip especially listening to Dan remanence about the bygone era of pool. Its meeting people like Dan and his friends that really makes life good.
In these pictures Dan is in the Green shirt. The guy in the white tshirt is Dustin Dans part fabricator. I am in the white hat and black tshirt next to Dan and the carom plugs on the table.
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