Professional pool and professional bowling - same predicament

[warfdiesel]

Do you think bowling is on an equal level of difficulty as pool? I don't.

Have you ever bowled on a tour shot. To compete on tour you have to be able to hit a spot on the lane the width of a piece of black tape about 45 or 50 feet down lane with your bowling ball. And if you miss you might squirt out the back or go through the nose. I believe to be a pro in any sport it is difficult.

However I will say this. At this point in time I would much rather play pool then bowl.

 

[bigwillo]

Bowling is more popular and golf for the same reason, your game is not affected by the other person's playing ability.

In pool if the other person is better your playing time at the table is exponentially reduced. In both bowling and golf you get play every hole and frame. You may not win but at least you get your chance to play and e game is not controlled by the better skilled player. The handicap also helps more in those sports than the handicap in pool for the same reason. In pool the poorer player still plays less than more and the game is controlled by the better player.

That is one of the main reasons I love POOL300. When you come to the table, you have a new rack and it doesn't matter what your opponent did, you still get a chance to make a strike.

www.pool300.com

 

[cajunfats]

Bowling is Cool.

While I had an Uncle and Cousins who bowled in Leagues in a nearby city, I did not pick up a Bowling Ball until I was in the Army. I enjoyed it very much and even played on a military league for a season. Got a Patch and a Card.

When I was younger, I'd watch ABC Wide World of Sports Bowling with Chris Schenkel. One of my faves was Johnny Petraglia! Wicked spin and curve!

I like the explosive nature of the pins flying! You notice it even on other lanes when you bowl.

Never bowled a 300 Game. Have bowled a lot of 200's +, of which I am proud. Amazing I had any time to play because I was spending 35 hours a week playing pool at the Recreation Center on Base.

I don't have anything to contribute to the opinion about the predicament in Bowling. I could write a book about the predicament in Pool, however.

 

[EagleMan]

Bowling has a tour; pool does not.

Read all about it ---> Could this happen to a pool player? :wink:

Good point. And I would add that I don't KNOW but would hazard a GUESS that no pro bowler has ever been stiffed on prize money in a PBA sanctioned event.

On the contrary, while you are right that pool doesn't have the equivalent of the PBA any more...pool players getting stiffed at even massively popular and iconic events seems to be becoming the rule rather than the exception.

(-:

EagleMan

 

[mcericville]

Just to throw in my two cents here - I actually work at a bowling alley/pool hall in Chicago. We have 16 9ft. tables and 16 BPA regulation lanes. We get maybe twice as many bowlers as we do pool players (our lanes have waiting lists quite often, where our pool tables are always open), but this may be anecdotal.

Have you ever bowled on a tour shot. To compete on tour you have to be able to hit a spot on the lane the width of a piece of black tape about 45 or 50 feet down lane with your bowling ball. And if you miss you might squirt out the back or go through the nose. I believe to be a pro in any sport it is difficult.

However I will say this. At this point in time I would much rather play pool then bowl.

I agree that being a pro in anything is insanely difficult, but I will also say this - both games involve the pursuit of a recognizable perfection (in bowling, a 300, in pool, not letting your opponent get a chance to shoot). However - in bowling there are WAY less variables involved. Lane conditions are pretty predictable after one frame, and after that, you're throwing a ball towards the same position every time. In billiards, there are WAY more variables - position, table speed, stroke replication, banking, kicking, safeties, combination shots, and that's all just in 9 and 8ball alone.

Also, when I started working at the bowling alley/pool hall I had never really bowled before, but I had been playing pool for 2 years. 3 years later, I average a 175 in bowling, but still have trouble stringing more than 2 racks together in straight pool.