What do you think??

Neil after reading your post what I could not believe is that you seem surprised that the usual was being done again.

Jenn called me today to ask if I was going to stop in and see her and mentioned that the tables were being worked on. The first thing I asked was if they were being worked on or just being recovered again. She said who was doing the work and I thought that is an improvement so I just had to stop in and check it out.

When I got there the mechanics were just finishing so I did not see any of the work in progress.

When they were out of the way the first thing I did was to shoot a ball from the corner to the third diamond from all four corners. I'm sure you can guess the results, yes, I got four different results varying by about half a diamond.

Next I took two balls to measure the pocket openings with results just a little less severe than your measurements just by looking at the gap between the balls.

I was hoping to be surprised and find that the tables were finally being repaired rather than just being recovered. I guess that it wasn't meant to happen. What really did surprise me was that they were using 860 Simonis, seems like kind of a waste imo.

Steve
 
Neil said:
The only reason they used Simonis is because that is all ----- will put on a table from what I heard. I figure that it will be worn all the way through under the head of the rack in about a month. Since there still is a divot there.

Wait till you see the bar boxes after he is done with them. According to him, it is impossible to cover the side pockets without folding the cloth. Even though none of the ones there have the cloth folded!
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It's been almost two years since I quite working there and I have only played there once in the year and a half. Now I don't even stop in at all except to see Jenn (my daughter) when she is working.

That room has been my home away from home since '65 and it makes me sad to see the way it has gone downhill.

Steve
 
Wow I could've recovered the tables for unlimited free table time and I have no skills, but obvious better skills than the guy who did em.

I certainly wouldn't pay that ridiculous amount of cash to play a table that was covered like that. Put it this way....I pay $8.00 to play from open till close which is more than you would pay per hour.
 
In my opinion, you have every right to be upset. Unfortunately, this type of thing is becoming more and more prevalent in rooms these days, especially as the economy has tightened. The room I used to frequent, which is the only room in town with 9 footers to play on flat out refused to even recover the gc's. I toughed it out there for as long as I could but after 4 years with the same cloth, the table play just degraded too much. Being a former table mechanic and relative good freind of the owners I offered my services many times at very low rates just to get some playable tables back in there but they declined, so I feel your pain. I ended up having to just not play there anymore and the still had not recovered the tables when I left town 6 months ago, making now 6 years with the same cloth. Pathetic.

You shouldn't own or run a pool room if you just don't care to run it properly. Care to share the name of the room you are talking about so I can make sure not to end up there next time I'm in the area? :)
 
Neil,

I think you should just save the 3 grand you would spend there in a year and buy your own table. I have a table at home and love it. I should use it more but love it none the less.

BVal
 
pretty sad

It's pretty sad that there's no place in the Grand Rapids area that has quality well maintained equipment to play on!!!
 
Unfortunately you mentioned that he is opening a bar/restaurant there. I'm guessing that the tables are now becoming a secondary business. I prefer the pool halls (the one's that are left) to the bar/pool rooms. Definitely less distractions when trying to get in some serious practice, less bangers and beer spills on the tables.
 
Neil said:
Sure, it's Anazeh Sands. There are two of them, one on each end of town. The one I play at (or did) apparently is getting renamed to Charleys Pub and Grill. (He got a deal on a used sign that had that on it.:rolleyes:)

The mechanic is none less than the supposedly great Greg Thorton. In my opinion, he has a LOT to learn about being a table mechanic. I wasn't going to name him, but since he thinks he is so good, he should appreciate the free advertising. LOL.
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Can't believe it's the Sands. I thought you must have lived a ways from G.R. and didn't want to travel that far. I haven't been in there for 20 years and was looking forward to getting in there again this summer(with you of course-hopefully) if I get a chance to get to MI for a visit. It is truly sad that a room like that could end up in this condition.
 
must do

One thing for sure; if you don't return there because of this, you definitely have to let the owner know why....otherwise it doesn't do any good...And if you do continue to go there and spend your money (even while complaining), I don't think anything will change..
 
Neil said:
Great thinking, but plan B is out. The owner is a part time lawyer with connections. No one else is allowed to open a poolroom. Several have tried, and were denied the necessary permits. The asians did it anyway with just 2 tables. They lasted about two months before they got busted.
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I understand your situation and I have a similar one here where I live. There's a room about 1.5 miles from my home with 7' and 9' tables, food, & drinks. The room caters to APA leagues and the owner isn't a player by any sense of the word. To save money he hired some local guys to work for him who had no training setting up and leveling tables and his equipment is the worst i've tried to play on. I won't even go in the door of the place it's so bad. I drive 30 miles one way to play in a 9 ball league and the tables there aren't great, but they are light years ahead of the room 1.5 miles from my house.

It's sad when a room owner doesn't know anything about playing pool and good equipment. The bangers are the ones he depends on for his business and tournaments and good players on descent equipment doesn't mean a thing to him.
 
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