https://youtu.be/uIkRjA4xF5A

Choosing your stance is a personal thing, finding out what works best for you is essential. The important thing is to have good stability, alignment and comfort for your stroke.

Your stance begins with the placement of your feet. Much like the story of Goldilocks and the Three bears, It’s important that you find a foot position thats not to far apart or to close together.

Once you’ve established your foot position the next task to incorporate is your center of gravity when bending down to the table. Be sure to place the same amount of weight on both of your feet. Now, place your bridge hand on the table and remember your bridge hand is not for support its meant to give you a sturdy base for your cue stroke.

Now, lightly grip your cue stick near the back approximately 5 inches back with your non dominant hand this should give your cue good balance point. Ideally, your arm should be at a 90 degree angle with your cue stick giving you a smooth stroke swing.

There are many types of bridge positions so if you are not familiar with a bridge you can check out some of the following links:

The Bridge
http://www.easypooltutor.com/articles/25-fundamentals-of-pool-and-billiards/20-the-bridge.html

How to Play Pool : How to Make a Pool Cue Bridge
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIkRjA4xF5A

It seems that everyone has a thought on this topic. How do you feel about it?

According to PoolDawg.com “ there is a saying  don’t break with your shooting cue and don’t shoot with your breaking cue.  Simply put, break cues were made for breaking.”

The short answer is you have to make your up your own mind. A breaking cue is meant to offer speed and to smash those balls. If it doesn’t matter to you and you want to shoot with your nice cue stick, the  thing to remember is that you might end up damaging your shaft and also mushrooming your tip which can turn out to be an expensive mistake.

If it comes down to an economic decision, maybe you can easily afford replacing tips as they are needed and do regular maintenance work.  Then you should need a breaking cue unless you decide to get one.

Either way you are welcome to come see us and test out a ton of different cues before purchasing one. This will help guaranty that you find the right weight cue for you and who knows you might even find a breaking cue too!

You might think this is a silly question, but like everything its good to think about things that might happen while trying something new. Of coarse billiards is much different than a sport like soccer, football or tennis. The possibilities of getting hurt while playing pool are very unlikely.

The things to be aware about when choosing to play pool is the scene in which it’s played. A lot of pool halls serve alcohol, so you can imagine what alcohol does to people when things don’t go the way they want specially in a situation in which money is involved. If you haven’t seen the movie The Hustler starring Paul Newman you better watch it and don’t forget the popcorn. This movie will give you an inside look into the underground pool scene.

All billiard style games are a lot of fun when played in a good environment with nice equipment. So be sure to do your research in order to find a clean, family friendly pool hall around your area.

Another thing you might think about is getting a pool table for your home, this will eliminate the careless people and the bad environments you might encounter.

Everyday is a happy billiard day with Golden West.

A nice billiard table for your own home. A gift every member of your family can enjoy during the holidays and the countless days there after.

Having a billiard table in your home is a one time investment which can provide a life long of actives for those gathering around it. There will never be a dull moment, it’s like a holiday a celebration year round. Everyone can join in, its easy to play. No more problems keeping the kids home. Friends will gladly come over every night for the fun and thrills of the game.

Golden West Billiards Tables and Accessories Give us a call to hear our holiday specials.

There is a Golden West Table for either billiards , pocket billiards or snooker in any size and styles suitable for the smallest or most elaborate home. Priced to suit your needs and convenient terms-pay as you play!

Main Image Credit
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/

This Christmas will bring cheer to those you love by giving pool tables and pool table related gifts, choose from our wide selection of designer cues and cue accessories, neon lights, balls, cue racks, arcade games, game tables, shuffleboards, foosball tables, billiard tables and much much more.

Don’t forget to stop by our showroom located at 5505 S.E. Johnson Creek Blvd. Portland, OR 97206 or call 800-423-5702 | 503-788-8032 for more information.

This short article will teach you how to play on a shuffle boards and also give you some tips to improve your game.

The Rules of Shuffle Board:

• A coin toss determine first turn
• You can play two player or four player
• You play to 15 points

Some tips to keep in mind:

• When shooting your weight be sure you use smooth controlled motions, in shuffleboard a little goes a long way.
• Try to develop using two hands, this will give you a better understand of the game.
• Frequently Practice!

The Objective of the Game:

Two Player: The winner of the toss gets first turn. Your goal is to slide your weight down the opposite end of the board while trying to stop near any of the score lines without falling off the table.

Your opponent has to keep the same thing in mind but, if they see a clear shot to knock your weight of the table they should take it since this reduces your points and vice versa.

You both keep shooting your weights until all 8 weights have been played, you tally up your points and switch sides until one of you reaches 15 points. Any weight in the middle of the table between the one point lines get 1 point, behind the 2 point line, 2 points and behind the 3 point line, 3 points.

Four Players is much like two players except you select teams of two and take turns shooting the weights down the table.

The Difference Between Billiards, Pocket Poll and Snooker

Billiards, Pocket Pool and Snooker are part of a class but are considered different sports. They have a lot of similarities and differences so be sure to continue reading.

Billiards:
Carom Billiards(carom meaning strike and rebound) is played on a straight-rail pocketless table usually 4x8ft, 5x10ft or 6x12ft. The object of the game is to hit the cue ball off both of the object balls while making contact with the rail cushions at least 3 times before hitting the object ball. This game can be very time consuming and difficult to play this has drawn in people tracing back to the 18th century.

Example of Carom Play
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kSGU7FkoOY
Carom Rules
http://infohost.nmt.edu/~billiard/house_rules/carom_billiards.html

Pocket Poll:

A billiards tables ratio is 2 to 1 meaning that the length of the table is twice the width. For example a standard size table can measure anywhere from 3.5ft x 7ft, 4ft x 8ft, 4.25ft x 8.5ft and 9ft x 4.5ft with a minimum requirement of 58inch all around it.

Why 58 inch? a standard cue stick measure 58” but you can always purchase short cues at your local manufacturer.

Now, there are tons of billiards game variations to choose from, the most common being 8 Ball and 9 Ball.

8 Ball consists of 7 solids and 7 stripes as well as a white and a black ball. In order to win an 8 ball game you have to score all of your balls, either solid or striped following by the black ball.

The name 9 ball explains it all, there are 9 balls on the table. Each player takes turns playing the balls in order from 1-9 and who ever scores the 9 ball wins.

Snooker:

Snooker is played on a large table usually 12’ x 6’ with 6 small pockets one at each corner and two right in the center along the rails.

A snooker game is pretty difficult you have 15 red balls and 6 numbered balls, yellow, green, brown, blue, pink, black and the white cue ball. Each of the colored balls have a designated spot and value while the reds each value at one point.

Now this is were it gets complicated depending whether there are or aren’t red balls on the table, the game will be played differently.

For example, when there are red balls on the table the player must first hit a red ball then a colored then a red until there are no more reds on the table. If there are no more reds each of the colored ball are sunk in corresponding turns. The person with the higher points wins.

The game can be a little more complicated than this so we recommend you read how to play snooker here.
http://www.wikihow.com/Play-Snooker

Golden West Billiards:

Construction Overview

In today’s world of manufacturing competition, the customer needs to be aware of the difference between a manufacturer and an importer.

Golden West Billiard Manufacturing is exactly what it implies.
We do all of our own in house Laminating, Wood Turning, and Wood Carving.
We do not buy parts from overseas. Golden West starts with the finest kiln dried hardwoods to create unsurpassed quality products one at a time, just for you.

and remember Golden West can make you a custom carom, or billiard table or snooker table to fit your game room needs.

Please be sure to come check us out, we have a large showroom with billiard tables, snooker tables, game tables and all sorts of neat billiard necessities.

1-800-423-5702 and we will be glad to give you a personal tour of our factory.

Here at Golden West Billiards we manufacture several unique styles of pool tables that appeal to a wide range of different tastes. We have Rustic, Classic, Modern, Designer, Specialty, Legendary and Antique style billiards tables to choose from. Not only that, we install and custom build everything in our facility right in the heart of Oregon and can provide you a matching shuffle board to fit your game room decor.

Now that we are in the age of electronics, most entertainment now days can be very secluded. People spend hours on the computer, on a gaming system or sitting in front of a television screen, When they could be socializing directly with family and friends.

Here at Golden west we value family time. We believe that associating with people you care about creates greater emotional bond and so we believe that a pool table would make a great gift for your dad, grandad, husband or child. And since pool tables have a long shelf life, the pool table is the gift that keeps on giving.

Nick Varner Cues 10% Off Black Friday Sales 2015!

Nick Varner 8 time world champion with five different disciplines of pocket billiards won his first title by 1980, he is truly a billiard legend.

After many times of winning the world championship, Nick was made a member of the BCA Hall of Fame and now has a line of cues inspired by his favorite tournaments that reflect over 25 years of experience.

Golden West Billiards, an American company, was founded in 1964 by CEO Donald Brostoski.

Don’s father owned a pool room in Santa Ana California and Don grew up loving pool.  In the afternoon, after grammar school, Don’s job in the pool room was to brush and clean all of the pool
tables.  When finished he would pick up a pool cue and hit balls around the table.  Plenty of good players taught Don how to play pool and he became very proficient at playing  the game.

Don joined the Air Force, at the age of 18, during the Vietnam era.  Life in the military taught Don
the value and meaning of responsibility and completing tasks in a thorough and prompt manner.

After serving in the United States Air Force for over 4 years Don left to pursue his dream of
starting and owning his own American business.

Don and his wife Susan opened a small billiard supply company in North Hollywood, California. His training from the US military was invaluable in his dedication to succeed in the American dream
of building a business while adhering to your principals .

Don’s idea was to build the best playing slate pool table in the marketplace.  Using all American products was very important in his plans.  The tops of the pool tables would all be the same.
The price difference would be in the furniture style of the table and not in the playability of the table. This philosophy is still adhered to today.  All Golden West pool tables have the exact same playing surface.  The slate, cushions, cloth, and pockets are exactly the same.  The only difference in the tables is in the furniture aspect.  Styling was very important to Don and his plans for building a more attractive pool table that would complement a customers home décor.  Pool tables were very commercial looking and Don’s vision was to reproduce pool tables built at the turn of the century.  Using old world techniques with modern technology Don’s dream has become a reality.

Unique antique and contemporary designs have become the trademark of Golden West Billiards over the past 42 years.

Unlike other so called American pool table manufacturers, Golden West does not purchase parts from overseas.  Foreign pool table manufacturers dominate the marketplace today.  Cheaply made products may look decent but become throw away models very quickly.  Pool tables made with
inferior woods and finishes are commonplace in the marketplace today.  Formaldehyde is a primary ingredient used in the finish of imported pool tables and has been found to be very harmful to your health. Golden West believes in quality over quantity and strives to be environmentally responsible.

Over the years Golden West moved to several different locations in Southern California.  Each move was into a larger facility with more equipment.  More employees were added and production soared.   In 1993 Golden West moved to Portland Oregon.  Oregon was selected for several different reasons.  American northwest hardwoods were grown locally, readily available,  and the business climate was much more favorable for American businesses to succeed.  This move
turned out to be a deciding factor in the success and growth of the Golden West Billiards
overall business plan.

Golden West presently ships pool tables to dealers through out the United States and Canada.
Golden West dealers can also be found in many countries around the world.  The exportation
of pool tables worldwide has increased at a rapid growth and continues to be an integral part
of the business.

Don’s children have been primed to continue the tradition of manufacturing American pool tables.
Rob is the plant manager and vice president of the company.
Laura runs the office and the wholesale dealer network.
Denise gives moral support and insight from her home in Texas.
The 5 grand-kids can often be found doing odd jobs around the plant and office when not in school.

With the whole family involved, Golden West Billiards will remain the leader in producing quality American built pool tables in the United States, without sacrificing their principals and integrity,
for years to come.

“AMERICAN built and PROUD of it” will continue to be a motto that has merit and means
everything to Don, his family, and all of the employees at Golden West Billiards.

Buy AMERICAN and support your local economy.