Mar
1
Kurt Winter asked:
Before the game of pool became as popular as it is today, it was played in a much different place than on tables with pockets and felt. As a matter of fact, the game took place in an environment you probably could not imagine. Although it is difficult to determine exactly when the original was started, historians can say with some assurance that it began as an outdoor game in which a large stick, or a mace, was used to push the balls around.
Ground billiards was quite similar to other outdoor games, such as croquet; however, the balls were pushed with the mace instead of being struck with a mallet. Eventually, ground billiards became an indoor game played on a table with pockets, which were used as hazards rather than targets. The table was covered with green material to imitate the color of the grass on which it was originally played. Rails were placed on the table in order to keep the balls from rolling off, and the mace was brought to the indoor arena as well.
The mace was a semi-straight stick that was historically used to push the balls across the grass, and then on the table. The thick end of the mace was long and wide, with a flat bottom that was covered with rubber. The rubber end was the one most commonly used to make the majority of shots in the game. The thin end of the mace, called the queue, was used only for trickier shots, such as when the ball was resting on a rail. It is of note that only men were allowed to use the queue as it was feared that women would rip the material covering the table should they attempt to play in this manner.
While its transitional capability made the mace very versatile in both the outdoor and indoor environments, it gradually became obsolete as more and more people began to use the queue. As its popularity grew, the queue was transformed by covering the tip with leather and, later, a coating of chalk, increasing the friction between the stick and the ball. Thus was the advent of the modern pool cues, which replaced the mace in the 1800’s.
So, the next time you are in your game room bouncing the rubber end of your pool cue on the floor as you await your turn, just remember that this was once the end that was used to push the ball, whereas the cue was used for more intricate shooting from the rails!
Obviously, we don’t have maces in our vast inventory of pool cues, but if you want the best selection of pool cues, visit us at http://www.titancueandtable.com. As we can’t list every pool cue we have available, please contact us if you don’t see what you want, and we will do our best to find it.
Scented Candle Gift Sets
Before the game of pool became as popular as it is today, it was played in a much different place than on tables with pockets and felt. As a matter of fact, the game took place in an environment you probably could not imagine. Although it is difficult to determine exactly when the original was started, historians can say with some assurance that it began as an outdoor game in which a large stick, or a mace, was used to push the balls around.
Ground billiards was quite similar to other outdoor games, such as croquet; however, the balls were pushed with the mace instead of being struck with a mallet. Eventually, ground billiards became an indoor game played on a table with pockets, which were used as hazards rather than targets. The table was covered with green material to imitate the color of the grass on which it was originally played. Rails were placed on the table in order to keep the balls from rolling off, and the mace was brought to the indoor arena as well.
The mace was a semi-straight stick that was historically used to push the balls across the grass, and then on the table. The thick end of the mace was long and wide, with a flat bottom that was covered with rubber. The rubber end was the one most commonly used to make the majority of shots in the game. The thin end of the mace, called the queue, was used only for trickier shots, such as when the ball was resting on a rail. It is of note that only men were allowed to use the queue as it was feared that women would rip the material covering the table should they attempt to play in this manner.
While its transitional capability made the mace very versatile in both the outdoor and indoor environments, it gradually became obsolete as more and more people began to use the queue. As its popularity grew, the queue was transformed by covering the tip with leather and, later, a coating of chalk, increasing the friction between the stick and the ball. Thus was the advent of the modern pool cues, which replaced the mace in the 1800’s.
So, the next time you are in your game room bouncing the rubber end of your pool cue on the floor as you await your turn, just remember that this was once the end that was used to push the ball, whereas the cue was used for more intricate shooting from the rails!
Obviously, we don’t have maces in our vast inventory of pool cues, but if you want the best selection of pool cues, visit us at http://www.titancueandtable.com. As we can’t list every pool cue we have available, please contact us if you don’t see what you want, and we will do our best to find it.
Scented Candle Gift Sets
