Pool solutions - from golf's predicament??

I've visited 9 colleges in the last couple years with my daughters. I played pool on every campus, either in the student unions or dorms or both. Pool is available at our Universities, whether it is promoted there is another matter.
 
im guessing a huge reason is video games for both sports. I think it can change also and go full circle where playing with bits, bytes and images will no longer be cool but real balls and sticks will be. A return to natural-away from artificial is going on now in many many areas. No reason it cant happen here but it wont be quick if it does.Video Games have too much momentum. 8-15 years possible-hopefully.
 
People just don't go out to play a leisure sport anymore.
Not picking on you but what do you mean? Saturday night at the pool room I saw several tables with casual players.

In my travels this past year I have seen some very successful rooms catering to both casual players and competitive players.

People do go out I think. What they choose to do is the question.
 
This is greed at its finest. It happens in every business and industry. The fact that there is such a thing as a realitor that specializes in golf courses is the exact reason it failed.

Everyone wants in on the money. If it's the hot thing, everyone wants a slice of the pie. When a company sells a product the first thing they push the following year is, how do we sell more. They'll never be ok with sales as they are. They push and push until they dry themselves out and wonder what went wrong. A good fishing spot is only good til everyone finds out.
 
15" cups are ridiculous. The "fun", if there is any, won't last. There is no satisfaction once you get to a certain level. If you want to create a fad that burns out quickly then go the route of making pool an easy game. You might see immediate success if you market it properly but the success won't last.
 
I think the best way to grow pool in the US would be to put tables/leagues/industry support in every college possible. Why college and not younger? There is nowhere for people under 18/21 to play anyway. If you get kids in college they are old enough to find a place to play and pool is cheap enough to actually participate in. I would also not have them play for any prize money. Simply for titles and trophies like most other sports.

It would require a level of financial commitment and organization thats non existent in the game today to do it right. Even then it could amount to nothing so I don't see it happening.

Most of the colleges and universities in NC have nice rooms in the student union. This is the first place that I was infected. Also there are many professors that play the game, especially from the science side. And many of my friends that play the game decent started @ the school. So they stay in the game.

I believe Tom Ross (Oops, meant to say Tom Rossman, aka Dr Cue) would come once a year for an exhibition (there's a circuit, or so I've heard). But the contacts are difficult to get. So I wouldn't expect anyone to divulge the details too readily.

My opinion about what's hurt pool the most (other than economy, which we have no control of), is APA heavy handing poolrooms to offer free pool for matches and practice. It's really become too cheap in our area to play. I know this is contrary to a quick thought. But if you don't pay anything, then you eventually don't appreciated the equipment or the game. Everything is hand fed to us. I'm not saying it should be expensive, but you should have to make an investment to appreciate the return.
 
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I was sent this by a business associate.
A LOT of similarities between golf and pool.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFEYC4Z44v0

You will love some of the discussions - and possible solutions.
I found it very interesting.

Mark Griffin

http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2...n-what-used/zQc6Q2OkZUuWgnvyToxzSN/story.html

MLB rightfully worries about scheduling any postseason games opposite almighty football (imagine your showcase event getting hammered by “Thursday Night Football”?), but the TV ratings for this Series are bad. Game 1 was the lowest-rated World Series opener of all time, attracting 12.2 million viewers. In 1980, 54 million people watched the Royals and Phillies in a World Series game. A New York Times Page 1 story Friday noted that the United States-Portugal World Cup match this past summer earned a rating twice as large as the first game of this World Series.


Society is changing , that is the problem , heck virtually every new neighborhood in the U.S. has a HOA cookie cutter houses ,everything is homogenized , nobody is allowed to be different in a traditional sense.People keep their kids at home for fear of them being assaulted.

In the late 60's i went to one of the 2 local poolrooms for at least an hour of pool Fri. and Saturday night when i was in junior high , my hometown is considered a Dallas suburb now but we never considered it one ,it supported its own population.

The way new developments are structured they can discriminate against certain businesses and it would be hard to bicycle or walk to a traditional downtown location.Pool is doing pretty good considering it doesn't have a foot in the door in public high schools like traditional letter sports like golf and baseball. I just watched an arena full of people in Ireland going ape crap over a dart league sponsored by Betway.
 
SouthernDraw...You mean Tom Rossman, aka Dr. Cue. Tom Ross is another instructor out in Denver. Like Dr. Cue, I have taken my show to almost all of the UNC campuses (some several times), along with a few dozen other public and private universities in North Carolina. It is still definitely a very popular college activity in many states across the land. There is no "circuit"...you create the circuit. I've been doing it successfully for the past 20 years. The contacts are not difficult to get (I have thousands), but it does take work (something many pro players go out of their way to avoid).

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

Most of the colleges and universities in NC have nice rooms in the student union. This is the first place that I was infected. Also there are many professors that play the game, especially from the science side. And many of my friends that play the game decent started @ the school. So they stay in the game.

I believe Tom Ross would come once a year for an exhibition (there's a circuit, or so I've heard). But the contacts are difficult to get. So I wouldn't expect anyone to divulge the details too readily.

My opinion about what's hurt pool the most (other than economy, which we have no control of), is APA heavy handing poolrooms to offer free pool for matches and practice. It's really become too cheap in our area to play. I know this is contrary to a quick thought. But if you don't pay anything, then you eventually don't appreciated the equipment or the game. Everything is hand fed to us. I'm not saying it should be expensive, but you should have to make an investment to appreciate the return.
 
I have a different view. First and foremost, before everything else, golf, pool, and bowling are conduits for human interaction. Without human interaction, these three sports barely exist. A smart phone with multiple social media options has replaced poolrooms, bowling alleys, and golf courses. One does not need to go anywhere to socialize anymore if he has a smart phone. Just look around. We are witnessing the largest scale mass psychosis in the history of mankind. Pool cannot outrun that.

It is my view that it will not stay this way forever. Sometime in the future, it will become cool again to talk with another human being, face to face. In the meantime, I think our industry should look inward, do a self-examination, and take a hard look our games, rules, equipment, and activities. Pool is missing a handful of components needed to solidify its place in the recreation and sports landscape.

No, I do not have an answer. This is only my opinion.
 
In pool we have the Valley bar box already and there is still a problem. If pool gets any easier then it will become as ridiculous as the 15" cup imo.
 
One does not need to go anywhere to socialize anymore if he has a smart phone. Just look around. We are witnessing the largest scale mass psychosis in the history of mankind.

I could not agree with this statement more. I witness "phone zombies" all the time. It is actually very sad to see the decline in people's social skills.
 
I could not agree with this statement more. I witness "phone zombies" all the time. It is actually very sad to see the decline in people's social skills.

Yes, people play on their phones but that has ZERO to do with people going to the pool room or golf course.

The Nintendo hit the American market the same time as pools last boom (following the Color of Money).

Post #25 was perfectly said for the struggles in golf and could also be true for pool on a smaller scale. Why people choose not to get into golf and pool in the first place, that's a different topic. They're boring.
 
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SouthernDraw...You mean Tom Rossman, aka Dr. Cue. Tom Ross is another instructor out in Denver. Like Dr. Cue, I have taken my show to almost all of the UNC campuses (some several times), along with a few dozen other public and private universities in North Carolina. It is still definitely a very popular college activity in many states across the land. There is no "circuit"...you create the circuit. I've been doing it successfully for the past 20 years. The contacts are not difficult to get (I have thousands), but it does take work (something many pro players go out of their way to avoid).

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

Yes, you are correct, Tom Rossman, aka Dr. Cue. That was at UNC Charlotte. We had 9' Gandys back in the early '90's and upgraded to 9' Diamonds in late '90's. Also, I think that "circuit" may not be the best term here also. But, not really sure any other term is accurate. This is an enriching use of student activity fees that each student pays every semester. It sure impacted my life-long affair with pool.

BTW, finally UNCC has started a football program. They move into the FBS next year. One ramification of adding football is Title IX. Most importantly, it means that as all those new male scholarships have to be met by equal scholarships for women (or at least show movement towards that goal). So new athletic programs are being looked at. Wouldn't it be nice to see if they could start a women's pool team. I don't think this will happen because I am sure that they only want an NCAA sport. However, pool would be a great sport to add because it is so cheap compared to any other sport, in terms of equipment, facilities, medical expenses, etc. Really getting in the door of NCAA would change the sport. The selling point is really (REALLY) low costs, factoring in equipment, facilities, medical costs, etc. Every conference below the Big 5 conferences could see the benefits.

Daren Johnson
 
pool needs a universal handicap ranking like golf does..... that would help.

I actually think the same thing. I also feel that "pro tournaments" don't work and end up being a waste of money for promoters and players alike (aside from the winner). Large tournaments that are handicapped from banger to elite pro, could gain a following and be successful.
 
If the strategic element isn't returned to the game it will continue to spiral down.

The "game" of today is not the original game.....it's been diluted beyond recognition.

The "ball in hand" rules are silly and would never be allowed in other sports/games. Can you imagine "ball in hand" in any other sport/game?

The "cream of the crop" would still be the best using the original pool rules and the game would be much more entertaining, challenging and (of course) popular.

To be the best in anything takes putting your best foot (rules in this case) forward and this has not been done in pool. If the strategic element isn't returned to the game it will continue to spiral downward and be lost forever. 'The REAL GAME is the teacher'



In pool we have the Valley bar box already and there is still a problem. If pool gets any easier then it will become as ridiculous as the 15" cup imo.
 
Hi Mark,
this is Rick from Big Daddy's Billiards, are you interested in some tables? if so call me 410-302-4010 Thanks, Rick.
 
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