Golf (billiards)
Encyclopedia
Golf billiards is a pocket billiards
game usually played for money
. Unlike the majority of such games, it allows more than two people to play without compromises or rule changes. The game borrows concepts from the outdoor game of golf
, which is historically related to the cue sports. It is usually played on 10–foot or 12–foot snooker tables as their size and structure are more appropriate (even in billiard halls in the United States where it is in fact more popular than snooker
itself, according to the Billiard Congress of America
).
The pockets are assigned numbers, clockwise starting at the top right corner pocket as viewed from the top (head) of the table, as the 1 hole (or 1 pocket) through 6 hole. The object for each player is to their own object ball in the 1 hole, 2 hole, 3 hole, etc., in ascending order.
The first player places their numbered ball on the . The player may then place the in as in snooker
, or on a "D"-less American-style table, in (i.e., behind the ).
The player attempts to pocket his ball in the 1 hole. If they succeed, the object ball is again and they proceed, playing with the cue ball as it lies, to the next hole, otherwise it is the next shooter's turn, who also shoots the cue ball from the "D" or kitchen at their numbered ball on the foot spot, aiming for the 1 hole. An object ball not pocketed is left on the table.
Once all players have taken their first shot, players shoot with the cue ball wherever it lies after the previous shot. Note that it is possible for the first player to win the game without any other player getting to shoot.It is possible to run the 1,2,3,4,5,6 holes but highly unlikely on a snooker table
If the player before the incoming shooter committed a , and the new shooter is (does not have a clear shot to his ball), the ball(s) in the way may be temporarily moved (gets A lift)so that the shooter has a clear shot. These must be put back after the shot. This rule is highly unusual, perhaps even unique, in the world of cue sports.
The game is won when one player legally pockets his ball into the 6 hole.
This last rule is very different from that in most pocket billiards games, in which a legal kick shot still requires that after the cue ball hits the object ball, a ball must contact a cushion or be pocketed.
, a local variant that has been subject to organized tournament play since 1947 in the Queen City
Pool League, is called "around-the-world" or "roundy" for short. It differs from standard golf pool in several ways:
Pocket billiards
Pool, also more formally known as pocket billiards or pool billiards , is the family of cue sports and games played on a pool table having six receptacles called pockets along the , into which balls are deposited as the main goal of play. Popular versions include eight-ball and nine-ball...
game usually played for money
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
. Unlike the majority of such games, it allows more than two people to play without compromises or rule changes. The game borrows concepts from the outdoor game of golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, which is historically related to the cue sports. It is usually played on 10–foot or 12–foot snooker tables as their size and structure are more appropriate (even in billiard halls in the United States where it is in fact more popular than snooker
Snooker
Snooker is a cue sport that is played on a green baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. A regular table is . It is played using a cue and snooker balls: one white , 15 worth one point each, and six balls of different :...
itself, according to the Billiard Congress of America
Billiard Congress of America
Billiard Congress of America is a governing body for cue sports in North America , the regional member organization of the World Pool-Billiard Association...
).
Rules
The players each receive a numbered . Using some method such as , an order is established, and the players always shoot in that order.The pockets are assigned numbers, clockwise starting at the top right corner pocket as viewed from the top (head) of the table, as the 1 hole (or 1 pocket) through 6 hole. The object for each player is to their own object ball in the 1 hole, 2 hole, 3 hole, etc., in ascending order.
The first player places their numbered ball on the . The player may then place the in as in snooker
Snooker
Snooker is a cue sport that is played on a green baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. A regular table is . It is played using a cue and snooker balls: one white , 15 worth one point each, and six balls of different :...
, or on a "D"-less American-style table, in (i.e., behind the ).
The player attempts to pocket his ball in the 1 hole. If they succeed, the object ball is again and they proceed, playing with the cue ball as it lies, to the next hole, otherwise it is the next shooter's turn, who also shoots the cue ball from the "D" or kitchen at their numbered ball on the foot spot, aiming for the 1 hole. An object ball not pocketed is left on the table.
Once all players have taken their first shot, players shoot with the cue ball wherever it lies after the previous shot. Note that it is possible for the first player to win the game without any other player getting to shoot.It is possible to run the 1,2,3,4,5,6 holes but highly unlikely on a snooker table
If the player before the incoming shooter committed a , and the new shooter is (does not have a clear shot to his ball), the ball(s) in the way may be temporarily moved (gets A lift)so that the shooter has a clear shot. These must be put back after the shot. This rule is highly unusual, perhaps even unique, in the world of cue sports.
The game is won when one player legally pockets his ball into the 6 hole.
Scoring
Players are assigned a certain predetermined value for each foul committed. These are known as "hickeys". Players owe each player the difference between their hickey count and that player's count. The game is also usually assigned a base value which is given to the winner by the losing players.Fouls
The following constitute :- Causing any ball to leave the table. If it is the cue ball, it is spotted by the next shooter on the D. Any other ball is spotted as close as possible to the foot spot.
- Pocketing a ball in the wrong hole.
- Failing to hit the shooter's ball first or at all.
- Failing to do one of the following:
-
- Legally pocket the player's object ball
- Contact a with any ball after a legal hit
- the cue ball off a cushion to a legal hit.
This last rule is very different from that in most pocket billiards games, in which a legal kick shot still requires that after the cue ball hits the object ball, a ball must contact a cushion or be pocketed.
"Around-the-world" variant
In New HampshireNew Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, a local variant that has been subject to organized tournament play since 1947 in the Queen City
Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester is the largest city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, the tenth largest city in New England, and the largest city in northern New England, an area comprising the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. It is in Hillsborough County along the banks of the Merrimack River, which...
Pool League, is called "around-the-world" or "roundy" for short. It differs from standard golf pool in several ways:
- The pockets, beginning with the same pocket as the standard game, are numbered counter-clockwise, and the table is a standard 4.5 foot by 9 foot pool table, not a snooker table, and ball-in-hand shots are taken from behind the head string, as there is no "D".
- All players use the same target object ball (the 1 ball).
- All of the object balls are racked in a triangle with the apex ball on the , and the game opened with a hard break (as in eight-ball); the 1 ball is played from where it lies after the break (unless pocketed on the break, in which case it is spotted back on the foot spot just as if it had been legally pocketed.)
- Scoring is simpler: 0 to 6 points, for the number of 1 ball shots successfully made, and there are no "hickeys"; whoever reaches 6 points first wins that . A consists of five games.
- Failure to contact a cushion with a ball is not a foul (as a consequence, particularly challenging can be set up).
- One may shoot at any ball, and use other balls to pocket the 1 ball; there is no requirement that the 1 ball be hit first or even at all.
- One may shoot at and pocket any ball other than the 1 ball into any (for no point award), and continue play; this is usually done to gain a better position on the 1 ball to pocket it in the necessary pocket. Balls pocketed in this manner are not returned to the table during the game. Pocketing the 1 ball into the wrong pocket remains a foul.
- If a shot fails to contact any object ball at all, the opponent may optionally require (in lieu of taking the turn) that the original shooter to re-shoot the shot from the original cue ball position (a subsequent failure ends the original shooter's turn, spots the 1 ball and gives the incoming player ball-in-hand behind the headstring) (Compare the in nine-ball.)
- Jump shots were banned in the tournament rules as of 1996 due to equipment damage concerns.