St. Louis - Lessons and Purchasing a Cue?

[MacGyver]

Hello, I am in the St. Louis area, IL side closest to Brenden's...

I was wondering if anyone could give me the low-down on 2 things:

1. Are there any *great* instructors down here or anyone who can give great advice on strokes? I have never had any instruction but I heard it is helpful so I was looking to do about 2 hrs sometime, but no BCA instructers listed in this area(per BCA website). If anyone knows someone who gives good universal advice and can spot a bad stroke or know exactly how to improve a stroke, please let me know(I know how to aim, bank, english, cue ball control ect I think my stroke needs work though...

2. I currently use a walmart cue and obviously want to upgrade, but I always hear from everyone that you cant just buy a cue online, you need to shoot with different ones and different tips to see which you like best.

So does anyone know where in St.Louis to go to get the best selection on cues(in a lower $100-$250 range) that will let you test multiple cues on a table for awhile before making a decision? I'd like to set out a whole day for testing out different cues and tips so when I buy it, I know what to look for in the future. (obviously I have ZERO experiance when it comes to tips and cues, I am using walmart cue with walmart tip, so I dont know what is out there).

Thanks for any help you could give!

[dmgwalsh]

Are you anywhere close to Collinsville, Illinois? If so, you could probably do a lot worse than Mark Wilson.. http://playgreatpool.com/
I believe he was taught by Jerry Brieseth, who seems to be the "father" of a lot of pool instructors out there. I know Wilson also was taught by Sailor up in Racine Wisconsin.

Good Luck on the cue. You better hit with some first.

Dennis

[Pizza Bob]

Don't know about instructors (although I have heard Mark Wilson's name mentioned favorably on other forums) but as for cue selection, go to the Cue & Cushion on Woodson Ave. in Overland, MO. Everything from inexpensive to full custom. And if you go totally "off-the-board", Jim Buss' shop is just one block away. Have fun.

Adios,

Pizza Bob

[MacGyver]

Wow thanks!!!!

First thing monday I am contacting Mark and going to plan a trip out to Buss and Cue&cushion to figure out what I want in a cue.

[Bassn7]

You can get lessons right at Brenden's. I play there 3 times a week and work with an instructor myself. Ask for Marty.

[woody_968]

<blockquote><font class="small">Quote dmgwalsh:</font><hr> Are you anywhere close to Collinsville, Illinois? If so, you could probably do a lot worse than Mark Wilson.. http://playgreatpool.com/
<hr /></blockquote>

It will be hard to do better than Mark Wilson, he is one of the best out there. And yes, he did study under Jerry.

[MacGyver]

Wow!!!!

I just got back from an hour with Mark, and it really really really helped my stroke. I'm gunna practice it with it for a week or 2, but I will most likely take another lesson or more soon because of the quality of instruction... It really improved my stroke and therefore my game a lot more than I could have done on my own, no matter how much time I spent at a table.

Anyway, the equipment is really really nice, the place is clean and its actually easy to breathe there.... I feel next time I want to get in an hour or 2 of pool away from school I'll be heading out there!

Next up is heading out to cue&amp;cushion and trying to find a decent cue that will fit my budget.

Thanks all, I never would have known about Mark, the Billiards Bullpen nor even Cue&amp;Cushion if you guys hadn't told me, thanks again!

[MacGyver]

Second update:

Just got back from Cue &amp; Cushion, WOW its a pretty nice place, I only wish I coulda stayed longer and played some games.

Since I was on a budgest I looked around at many of the lower end cues, and after hitting many I came upon a used Joss for $175 with a wood joint and a turned down shaft to about 12mm(will have to check later exact... after I hit it I didnt care about anything as far as weight, taper or anything, it just felt right).

It doesn't have a wrap or anything fancy, but it sure hits nice and I'm really happy with it!

Also, my girlfriend picked up a $50 players cue with wrap and a pretty basic design, which worked out great for her.


Thanks for the great advice, anytime I need lessons or cues again I definatly know where to go, these past 3 days have been very good pool days!

Thanks!

[zeeder]

I, too, have had lessons from Mark and he is a great instructor. Glad you had a pleasant experience and good luck on the stroke!