Why I Quit After Playing Almost Everyday for 30 Years

shooter_Hans said:
It's called other interests.

Nobody wants to play this forever. A person is dead inside if they are playing everyday. There are other things to do.

I am at a wonderful balance.
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To each their own...but I don't take the same view as you.

In 1996 we bought a lot and had options but picked a specific floor plan of the choices for a house to be built....We chose that (smaller) floor plan because at the time we could not afford to buy a house with a room (other than the living room) that was big enough for a full size table......The floor plan we chose gave us the ability to add on a 16x20 room (at a later date)....When that room was added on it of course became the pool room....My daughter then came along and was born and I did have to sacrifice some of the space to give her her own room...but in the end I am in a "lucky" position that I have a pool table in my home and am able to play pool everyday.......and even luckier in that I have a wife that lets me.

I don't see it as "dead inside" you are what you make of yourself.....I know people that would trade with me in a heartbeat....

My Dad told me something years ago that has always stuck.....Don't worry or be mad about what you don't have....be happy and grateful with what you do have.

I had many situations, circumstances and decisions that took me away from pool for the last 5-7 years....mainly a job that required I get up at 1am and go to work for 10-13 hours a day and a sleep disorder that forced me to log in and record sleep hours to retain my DOT medical card.........so pool had to take a back seat to provide for my family....well I am done with all that and retired so now I can play pool again....

So quite the contrary to being dead inside......I am thrilled and grateful I now have the opportunity to play everyday.....and actually get out and compete again.

Even though I am a severe underdog right now....I can't wait for the next event that allows a 600+ player
 
It’s how I got my original Willie hoppie . The old gentlemen had it since new and he just couldn’t see any more. I swore I would never have it refinished And I never will. It’s sitting in a case now. It used to hang on my wall.
 
BRKNRUN said:
To each their own...but I don't take the same view as you.

In 1996 we bought a lot and had options but picked a specific floor plan of the choices for a house to be built....We chose that (smaller) floor plan because at the time we could not afford to buy a house with a room (other than the living room) that was big enough for a full size table......The floor plan we chose gave us the ability to add on a 16x20 room (at a later date)....When that room was added on it of course became the pool room....My daughter then came along and was born and I did have to sacrifice some of the space to give her her own room...but in the end I am in a "lucky" position that I have a pool table in my home and am able to play pool everyday.......and even luckier in that I have a wife that lets me.

I don't see it as "dead inside" you are what you make of yourself.....I know people that would trade with me in a heartbeat....

My Dad told me something years ago that has always stuck.....Don't worry or be mad about what you don't have....be happy and grateful with what you do have.

I had many situations, circumstances and decisions that took me away from pool for the last 5-7 years....mainly a job that required I get up at 1am and go to work for 10-13 hours a day and a sleep disorder that forced me to log in and record sleep hours to retain my DOT medical card.........so pool had to take a back seat to provide for my family....well I am done with all that and retired so now I can play pool again....

So quite the contrary to being dead inside......I am thrilled and grateful I now have the opportunity to play everyday.....and actually get out and compete again.

Even though I am a severe underdog right now....I can't wait for the next event that allows a 600+ player
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I tried to quit pool after 30 years of playing during covid. Time to do something else I thought. I’ve won all my local leagues. the highest I can be in apa handicap. Won plenty of tournaments. Did well in nationals but realized no matter the practice I wasn’t that level to win and I was ok with that. I decided I wanted to golf more and do other things. It lasted about 3 years . We down sized and I had no pool table any longer I just hit some balls maybe a day a week at the club..if that.. someone gave me a table. I put it up in my garage. Decided to play a league just for fun. I won’t get serious again I thought. now I got rid of that table for a diamond . I’m turning my garage into a pool room . I play leagues and 1 tournament a month and booked my trip to acs nationals in may. I play every day again not because I have to but because I love it. It’s my get away. I’m a pool player. It’s engrained in my dna. I’ve loved the game since the first time I saw it as a child. It’s where I’m happiest and at peace . I’ve ran 1000s and 1000s of racks and it never gets old. I won’t try to fool myself again.. I’ll play this game as well as I can until they put me in the dirt.
 
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In my 20's and early 30's, I was a 7 in league play, with a 75% win rate over the course of 300+ matches. Won a lot of cash tournaments outside of league play as well. I have a condition that came about, known as ankylosing spondylitis (arthritis of the spine). It eventually fused my spine completely up through the neck. No more ability to lift my neck and get down over the cue. I stopped playing for around 17 years due to this.

At around age 55 (I'm 60 now), I decided I had missed the game long enough. I contacted Schon with a request for a specific cue I wanted, and luckily they had one available, and shipped it out to me. I began playing again. Poorly at first. Still not that great, but I'm playing. That's the point.
I love the game. Have always had a deep passion for the sport itself. No, I'm nowhere close to how good I played in the past but...I'm playing pool. If you truly love the game, go out and play. Do what you love to do. Nobody that matters is going to make fun of you. Instead, you might find that many will respect, and admire you for still playing.
 
sbrownn said:
I'm playing some of the best pool in my life and I just turned 55. The three things that work best for me is a nice forward weighted quality cue (that makes you want to really want to get down on the shot with confidence), getting my chin as close to the cue shaft as possible (really helps my alignment and aim) and staying with standard maple shafts with a soft quality layered tip on my Carmeli setup.
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I also am playing some of the best pool in my life at 62
 
Its funny how golf can be played badly and still be fun but pool? Not so much. Find a table with 'comfort' pockets(4.5+) and try to enjoy it. Shooting at (and missing) little targets is not fun.
 
garczar said:
It’s funny how golf can be played badly and still be fun but pool? Not so much. Find a table with 'comfort' pockets(4.5+) and try to enjoy it. Shooting at (and missing) little targets is not fun.
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Just get out there. Just do it. I’m not exactly a porn star but I’m on the playing field. Call me Rudy
 

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At the age of 69+3 wink, I have a morning fitness program that has me at the table for approximately an hour. Just like going to the gym. I exercise my body and mind with emphasis on stretching and flexibility. My Kicks Like A Mule Challenge gives me routine and variety.
My strength and stamina are not what they used to be but my knowledge is greater. With that said, I still enjoy learning. The CRS(can't remember stuff) makes for daily learning and the good feeling while I maintain my fitness. 🤷‍♂️ The once a week league play provides therapeutic interaction and often new friends. Win or Lose driving home with a smile is proof of concept.
 
I got hooked by pool in Cambridge, MD, just before my 20th birthday, and I still play in non-handicapped tournaments every week at 79. Like most non-pros, I have my ups and downs. I'll beat a semi-pro one match and lose to a complete stiff the next, but even when I peaked (around 30) I wasn't a jewel of consistency. And the most important thing I ever realized was that I was never going to make a living at the game.

I may only get in the money once a month in those weekly tournaments, but what keeps me coming back is the great group of players associated with it. They're like family. Once or twice a year my wife goes out there with me and takes pictures of all the players in action, which I'll then print and pass out the next week. I'm about 20 to 50 years older than most of the other players, but AFAICT age has never been an issue, and as long as I can remain competitive, I don't think it will be. The beauty of pool is that as long as you don't act like a jerk, talent is the only thing that counts, not age, ethnicity, sex, or any of the other irrelevant factors that way too often drive people apart.

My all time pool idol wasn't a pro, but a DC area bookie named Mickey (Peaches) McGuire, a pretty fair player who one night accomplished something that gave me a goal to shoot for: He won the weekly 9 ball tournament on his 80th birthday, beating a great local player (Freddy Boggs) in the final. When he sliced the nine ball down the rail in the hill-hill game, it was one of the most memorable moments I've yet to witness in 60 years in pool rooms.

Mickey (Peaches )McGuire:
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LHP5 said:
Man I’m 35 and just don’t have the will to drive to the pool hall and shoot for a few hours. Real different when I lived and breathed at hall in my 20’s. Really need to get a table for the house.
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20's and 30's? Man, you were supposed to be busy chasing , , , uh, now, what was I talking about?
 
buckshotshoey said:
Dont take this as a personal attack, but I'll be completely blunt...
You are a whiny ass man child.

You are feeling sorry for yourself. So what if you can't play as well as you used to. Nobody will in their upper years. You are taking the game too seriously. Based on personal experience, pool is not all about results. It is the journey that matters. It's about comradship (is that a word).
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Do you two know each other? Man... that's some tough love! LMAO
(but I agree)
What I think everyone should do after 50 or 60 is get their eyes checked and do what it takes to get back to 20/20 with glasses, contacts, or implants if cataracts exist for close up and distance.
 
I picked up a cue very late in life (as compared to most of you) - probably was in early 30s. I started playing for recreation, fun and making friends. For several years I just banged balls. Then go a bit serious and kept getting better. Given that I played only 8-10 hours a week, the growth was phenomenal. I started moving up the corporate ladder into upper management and time for pool kept decreasing. For past 6 years I have not played any league or competion, but yet everyday I spend two 15 minutes session at the table at home. Believe it or not, it is a stress buster for me .. from an extremely stressful job! Continue to play pool is one of my retirement objectives and no matter how much I deteriorate ... for me it is one of the aspect that life has provided to me to enjoy!
 
bbb said:
i played really bad when i was younger but thought i played really good.....:eek:
now i am older and play less bad but still bad
and since i am wiser now ...I KNOW IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!😂
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Yeah, but old farts are allowed 3 little white lies daily on any and all subjects they wish to apply them to. 😁
 
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As we all age, we should not overlook the physical benefit from playing pool -- between sitting, standing, bending, and stretching, repeatedly, for hours on end -- pool is truly a form of low impact exercise. (Yeah, I realize its nothing like running, yoga, or even hiking over rough terrain, but the older one is, the more it is.) Years back, I got into a knock down, drag out argument over this idea with my GP who obstinately refused to afford my theory any validity. Still pissed off when I got to the pool room, I related this to my old 1P buddy (who by coincidence was also a physician) who responded: "Bring that old bastard down here and let him play with us for four hours, and then we can talk about it."
 
I took a 13 year hiatus because there was a series of "life events" that left me no choice. There were things that required my attention that were more important than this game I love. About 11 years ago I was able to return. I know now I will never be the player I was before I quit. But I enjoy the comradarie and competition just as much. I continue to strive to play my best.
 
garczar said:
Its funny how golf can be played badly and still be fun but pool? Not so much. Find a table with 'comfort' pockets(4.5+) and try to enjoy it. Shooting at (and missing) little targets is not fun.
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I don't think anything is as fun if you've played at a high level before and now don't. Until you change your expectations / standards. I quit playing golf and pool both for about 12 years. I was a very good golfer, but just a pretty good pool player. Golf wasn't any fun at all when I started playing again because of previous expectations, so I quit completely. Didn't have that issue with pool (I probably play better pool now than before).
So, my son drags me out on the course last summer after not touching a club for almost 10 years, and even though it was the worst golf I had played since I was a kid, I had fun because the reasons for being out there were different than before.
 
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