Just thought I'd start this thread to see what everyone else thinks of their local pool scene.
I started playing semi-seriously in the late 80's here in Edmonton and discovered what I consider to be a near-perfect room named Century Billiards. The place was primarily a snooker hall but had 9 fts and a couple bar boxes as well. Open 24 hours/365 days a year and was always busy, with Christmas day being one of the busiest days of the year. Weekly tournaments and always willing to host big events and a local crowd that consisted of way too many powerhouse players. Smoking was allowed and there was no alcohol service but the kitchen served some fantastic food. Like all good things, it came to an end when the owner(a gangster) was arrested and the club changed hands.
Fast forward 20 years and our local scene is awful, the only room that had the possibility to host any events has just gone bankrupt for the 4th(or more) time. Management didn't care about real players and would rather try and attract people to sing karaoke in a 40+ table room. Tables were kept in horrid condition with well-worn cloth and some of the worst cut pockets I've ever seen. Food was awful at best and service was almost non-existant but the club owner still thought it was a good idea to keep jacking up the prices in an attempt to make more money.
The only place left for people to play is a higher-end club that caters to the upscale business lunch crowd and has little to no interest in people who can actually play the game. While their tables are ok(very sloppy pocketed Brunswicks) but they are laid out poorly and most shots are impaired by either another table or a counter. Waitresses are smoking hot and the food is great but the actual pool is pretty weak.
Pool leagues here seem to rule the day though and our local VNEA charter is the king. They have an endless array of valley 7' tables scattered throughout almost every dingy bar is town. Multiple levels of play cater to the weaker crowd and the condition of many of the locations/tables drives the better players insane. League nights can run 4+ hours if you're stuck on one table in some of the really bad locations although the competition is generally pretty good in our highest brackets.
So how does your local area compare?
I started playing semi-seriously in the late 80's here in Edmonton and discovered what I consider to be a near-perfect room named Century Billiards. The place was primarily a snooker hall but had 9 fts and a couple bar boxes as well. Open 24 hours/365 days a year and was always busy, with Christmas day being one of the busiest days of the year. Weekly tournaments and always willing to host big events and a local crowd that consisted of way too many powerhouse players. Smoking was allowed and there was no alcohol service but the kitchen served some fantastic food. Like all good things, it came to an end when the owner(a gangster) was arrested and the club changed hands.
Fast forward 20 years and our local scene is awful, the only room that had the possibility to host any events has just gone bankrupt for the 4th(or more) time. Management didn't care about real players and would rather try and attract people to sing karaoke in a 40+ table room. Tables were kept in horrid condition with well-worn cloth and some of the worst cut pockets I've ever seen. Food was awful at best and service was almost non-existant but the club owner still thought it was a good idea to keep jacking up the prices in an attempt to make more money.
The only place left for people to play is a higher-end club that caters to the upscale business lunch crowd and has little to no interest in people who can actually play the game. While their tables are ok(very sloppy pocketed Brunswicks) but they are laid out poorly and most shots are impaired by either another table or a counter. Waitresses are smoking hot and the food is great but the actual pool is pretty weak.
Pool leagues here seem to rule the day though and our local VNEA charter is the king. They have an endless array of valley 7' tables scattered throughout almost every dingy bar is town. Multiple levels of play cater to the weaker crowd and the condition of many of the locations/tables drives the better players insane. League nights can run 4+ hours if you're stuck on one table in some of the really bad locations although the competition is generally pretty good in our highest brackets.
So how does your local area compare?
