Pool solutions - from golf's predicament??

[BasementDweller]

A lot golfers play pool - on days when they aren't golfing. A lot of pool players play golf more than they play pool.

I don't think that it is disgruntled golfers but simply that the golf fad is over. I forget the movie but there was one that featured a particular wine and for the next couple years that was the IT wine. Growers and wineries were in a boom period because of demand skyrocketing. Then when the novelty wore off things returned to normal.

I guess you're right about the disgruntled part. All I know is that there are a lot of people with golf bags sitting in the corner of their garages collecting dust. Many of them enjoyed the game but just found it to be too time consuming, especially as they grew older and got married and had kids and all that. I work with these sorts of guys.

I imagine if you took 20 former recreational golfers, but ones that took it seriously, and put them all into a competitive league against each other they would enjoy it. They would find it to be considerably cheaper and much easier to take home with them (purchase a table).

Why there isn't more interest in pool by these types I'm not sure. Maybe they think the pool experiment would end just like the golf one did.

I don't know. I do know that I've lost touch with people a bit. I just don't relate well to people that don't love pool. That's the main reason I find myself on AZ to be honest.

 

[Banks]

I imagine if you took 20 former recreational golfers, but ones that took it seriously, and put them all into a competitive league against each other they would enjoy it. They would find it to be considerably cheaper and much easier to take home with them (purchase a table).

Why there isn't more interest in pool by these types I'm not sure. Maybe they think the pool experiment would end just like the golf one did.

From what I see..

You have about a dozen different leagues - USAPL, APA, BCA, TAP, NAPPA, VNEA, ACS and a meriad of local leagues that we'll just call the other 5 for no real reason.

Then you have your table vendors - leasing to the locations.

Add to it you have different types of tables in widely varying conditions of.. well.. playability.

Then you have your host locations.

Soooo... where's the money being made? If there's a generally set amount of money to be made, what happens when you chop it a half dozen different ways, among a dozen different leagues? The players suffer.

 

[bdorman]

Unless you're in business solely to sell what's on the floor, this is bad math.

Bars sell alcohol and food. Get people in the door, keep them busy and happy, the rest is easy.

My reply was regarding family entertainment centers, i.e. no alcohol. Serve alcohol and you've got a pool room since no families are going to be there.

Actually the whole notion of a family entertainment center is passe too since the widespread adoption of of the video game console. Now families stay at home and play.

If the objective is to grow the pool industry, the appeal to families will fail for many, many reasons (ask Las Vegas casino owners how their decade-long effort to sell Las Vegas as family fun did).

Accept pool for what it is and build on that. Leagues that promote competitive fun. Local, state and regional tournaments for the better players. Money matches with free streaming and an online betting route (aka paramutual horserace betting).

 

[cleary]

Unless you're in business solely to sell what's on the floor, this is bad math.

Bars sell alcohol and food. Get people in the door, keep them busy and happy, the rest is easy.

It's not bad math when you're paying rent. A bar doesn't have to be a certain size.

 

[Banks]

It's not bad math when you're paying rent. A bar doesn't have to be a certain size.

No, it's bad math because it's being viewed the wrong way. Some places can survive simply selling what's on the floor. For other places, what's on the floor is nothing more than a lure to bring people in and spend more money. Pool is not generally one of those things that survives by itself.

A little confused what you mean with the second sentence.

 

[JB Cases]

From what I see..

You have about a dozen different leagues - USAPL, APA, BCA, TAP, NAPPA, VNEA, ACS and a meriad of local leagues that we'll just call the other 5 for no real reason.

Then you have your table vendors - leasing to the locations.

Add to it you have different types of tables in widely varying conditions of.. well.. playability.

Then you have your host locations.

Soooo... where's the money being made? If there's a generally set amount of money to be made, what happens when you chop it a half dozen different ways, among a dozen different leagues? The players suffer.

All those league operate independently. So the assumption is that if there were fewer leagues then the players would spend more money on the leagues that remain?

I don't see how the players are suffering. Each of these leagues operates on different nights for the most part and many players participate in several of them.

The money is being made by the rooms and the leagues. The players are paying for their entertainment and in some leagues the ones who finish highest can see some payback.

The only thing hurting pool is the drop in participation. If more people played then pool would be fine.