Grab a cue

In the long view, Professor Harold Hill was wrong.

The con man famous for leading “76 Trombones” laid out a musical indictment of the venerable game of pool.

“Ya got trouble,” he sang, “Right here in River City! With a capital ‘T’ and that rhymes with ‘P’ and that stands for pool.”

Call the game what you will – some refer to it as “pool,” others prefer “pocket billiards,” – it has always enjoyed a popularity that cuts across all socio-economic levels. It’s played in taverns and pool halls that range from seedy to decidedly upscale, and in some of the finest parlors in the world.

“That’s the great thing about the game,” said Wes Woolsey, general manager of McQ’s Billiards and Sports Bar. “If you give people a nice place to play, they will.”

The Spokane Valley establishment features 20 quality tables, an in-house league and a selection of custom equipment for players of all levels.

“We have good tables, and we have them refinished every year,” Woolsey said. “We want to make sure they stay in good condition. It makes the game more fun.”

League play is popular, especially over the winter months.

“Between all the different leagues, we have league matches or tournaments going on here just about every night,” Woolsey said. “For the summer league, we divide up the people we consider to be the best players, and they draft their own team. It’s your basic draft league. During the winter season people put together their own teams.”

Teams can consist of up to eight players per team, but only four can play at any one time.

And teams play both eight- and nine-ball.

“When teams play eight-ball, they play on the 7-foot tables,” Woolsey said. “When they play nine-ball, they play on the 9-foot tables.”

All that league play doesn’t shut out those looking to try the game for the first time. There’s always room for neophytes. Neophytes have a way of getting hooked on the game.

“That’s how most people start,” Woolsey said. “They start out hitting balls around with a friend, and they get hooked.”

Which is why McQ’s offers private lessons. They can be booked ahead of time with Bob Manchester.

Manchester likes to watch players a bit before launching into a full-blown lesson plan, he said.

“I like to watch how they play for a little while before I start working with them,” he said. “I like to see how they set up, how they hit the ball. Then I put together a list of about three things for them to start working on, and we go from there.”

Improving one’s game starts from the ground up.

“I like to start with the stance and make sure they have a good base,” Manchester said. “One of the most important things people need to learn when they’re starting out is to keep the cue level.”

One of the most important things a player can do to improve is to practice alone, Manchester said.

“That’s the fastest way to get better,” he said. “Working by yourself, practicing your individual shots will get you to the next level faster than anything else you can do. Work on one shot, get it down, and then move on to the next shot.”

One of the first things players do when they get serious about the game, Woolsey said, is invest in a custom cue.

“You need to fit the cue to the player,” Woolsey said. “The idea is to have a smooth stroke. For bigger guys, you need a bigger, heavier cue so they have the right kind of balance. For a woman or for a smaller player, you can go with a lighter cue.”