Skill level rating system!

Not really that simple:rolleyes:

I'm sorry, I don't mean to make you sound like your completely lost on this but I'm telling you straight real life experience. Save the google seaches.

;)

Since you've widdled it down to just these two now.....

Bowling:

Every single bowling league in every single bowling alley of every town has DOZENS of amateur bowlers averaging well over scratch (200/210 in most cases) I carried 230/240s for years as an amateur. Wait, lets say you just get hot one weekend....as soon as you cash in any reginal event, your now a pro in thier eyes. Amateur everyday league bowlers, working 40 hrs a week full time jobs that 'qualify' are literally a dime a dozen. Trust me, its as simple as that.

Pro Golf:

PGA is the absolute upper eschelon of golf. More than 99% of all legitamate PRO golfers will never see the "PGA". And FYI, a PGA professional is rarely a touring player. It's an instructional position like a teacher in any other trade thus the required schooling/training.

If you want to become a Pro Golfer it is as simple as buying a tour membership to one of the many pro tours. NGA/Hooters, E-golf and Gateway are just 3 that I have held memberships. Look 'em up online, pay the fee and your in.

Wait it gets even easier.....In the world of golf, as soon as you make a check or winnings valued over $750 the USGA, considers you a PRO golfer and no longer elegible for amateur status period. Basically, say all you do is win your club championship and they give you a set of Golf clubs for example , BANG, your a Pro golfer.

:wink:
 
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Amateurs and pros are distinctly separated. Pros must pass a test to gain pro status and pay a monthly fee to the pro organization (the JPBA). The test is actually fairly easy consisting of a written test and playing test (scoring 630 in 3 games of bowliards for the men and 420 for the women). I think its just there so that anybody who calls themselves a pro would actually have the skills to seem like a pro to people who don't play. Any solid 'A' player should be able to pass it. Pros who want to go back to amateur status have to quit the JPBA and then wait a year before they can play in any amateur tournaments (so you can't just switch back and forth when it suits you). Amateur organizations have the right to ban or temporarily ban players that win too much even if they aren't a pro.

Pros can't play in amateur tournaments and amateurs can only play in some pro tournaments at half entry and half winnings. For example, in the Japan Open, the amateur entry is 15,000 yen or about $175 and the pro entry fee is about $350. If an amateur won the Japan Open (which happened a few years back) he would only receive 750k of the advertised 1.5M yen prize for the champion.

In professional tournaments, professionals are always seeded in the first round. I think this is a good thing because amateurs in Japan actually want to play the pros. If you are just looking for the money, you shouldn't be entering as an amateur anyways because you can only get half the prize fund. There are also plenty of amateur tournaments to make money from for the amateurs.

Here's something I wrote a while back about how pros are rated in Japan. Essentially, its self rated.
 
Here's something I wrote a while back about how pros are rated in Japan. Essentially, its self rated.

If I had my way, only the top 2 percent ''PRO'S'' would be playing against each other when it came down to a tournament that crowned the winner as the world champion, and ALL the players in the final tournament that crowned a WORLD champion would be PAID!

Glen
 
If golf and bowling, which are individual skill level games played, and to play them at ''PRO'' level, a skill level test is required to determine ''PRO'' level of play, why isn't some sort of skill level testing required for pool in order to determine what exactly is ''PRO'' level, ''SEMI PRO'' and all other amateurs?

Without some kind of skill level testing, pool will never have a ''PRO'S ONLY'' tour system, and will for ever be destined to be a mixed bag of players;)

Biggest problem is golf and bowling are points based games and very clear cut. They also all play the same game, not one person specialized in one things or another. Pool players, we have pro level 14.1 players that can't get to the 3rd round of a 9ball tournament because the game is "too easy". With 10 ball, 1pocket, straight pool etc, it's hard to define pro because these games are all played in very different ways. If we had a STANDARD GAME like 10ball or rotation, it would be easier by playing the ghost and each ball is a point. But there are various levels of "pro" so...
 
Wouldn't a skill level test answer that question in everyone's mind, ''I'm thinking about going ''PRO'', how good do I have to play to be considered a ''PRO''? Answer is, if your skill level test score puts you in the top 256 positions already filled, then you're ''PRO'' enough to bump someone down and take their place as a ''PRO'' in the next event;)

Another problem with this, in Billiards, is most tournament directors are sweating to fill a tournament up for the added money, and/or just to have a full field. So, does one really want "only" said rated pro to play (if only half of those said rated players show up)? Or is it better to be Open, as in the U.S. Open?

If I had my way, only the top 2 percent ''PRO'S'' would be playing against each other when it came down to a tournament that crowned the winner as the world champion, and ALL the players in the final tournament that crowned a WORLD champion would be PAID!

Glen

If Billiards has no big sponsor money, and only the top 2% of pro's played (very little money in entry fees), how are they going to get PAID anything besides peanuts?
 
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Sorry if it has been mentioned, I didn't have time to read the entire thread.

Joe Tucker has a practice book out called Guaranteed Improvement. Its great because it includes both shot making drills and cueball control drills. You keep score while going through each drill and he has a scoring chart that suggest what average scores different level's of players would achieve.

When doing the drills and you start to approach a new high score for yourself you will feel some pressure, but it still can't take into account how someone will deal with pressure in while competing.

Woody
 
14.1 similar

I'm not talking about playing against any one else while taking the test;)
Here's an example, ''WORLD BANK POOL CHAMPIONSHIP'' PRO'S ONLY!!! In order to qualify, each player is required to bank as many balls as possible, and has 200 shots to do so on a Diamond 10ft ProAm, and in order to qualify for the event, their score must be in the top 256 highest scores posted;) this would separate all those who want to play, from those that should play;) leaving only the best of the best to compete:grin:

14.1 Tournaments do it in a similar way you are talking about. You have "x" number of chances (usually 3 to 6 depending on re-buy) to take an opening break shot you set up and see how many you run, if you can run whatever the minimum amount to qualify based on the other qualifiers attempts your in the tourney and considered a "pro" I would imagine as you met or exceeded the qualifications of the other "pro's"
 
Biggest problem is golf and bowling are points based games and very clear cut. They also all play the same game, not one person specialized in one things or another. Pool players, we have pro level 14.1 players that can't get to the 3rd round of a 9ball tournament because the game is "too easy". With 10 ball, 1pocket, straight pool etc, it's hard to define pro because these games are all played in very different ways. If we had a STANDARD GAME like 10ball or rotation, it would be easier by playing the ghost and each ball is a point. But there are various levels of "pro" so...

You ever think that I might just have a different skill level test for the different games?...Like in one pocket, you have 15 balls per rack, at the end of 10 racks, the top 64 players scores get to play at the pro level?...how about a world bank pool tournament, where everyone has to take a test that involves 200 shots...including the break....who ever banks the most balls...being in the top 64 scores...plays;)
 
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