Felt so good
Edmond gets a smoke-free pool hall.
EDMOND — Nathan Toland always liked shooting pool, he just didn’t always like where he did it.
For a man who has never smoked and found his love for the game on a church pool table, most pool halls fell short of his standard for play. He showered after playing in tournaments so his wife wouldn’t be bothered by the smell of secondhand smoke and he traveled across Oklahoma to find quality tables. This went on for years, until he did something.
“I was thinking to myself, ‘Why doesn’t someone open a pool hall, first of all in Edmond, but second of all why doesn’t somebody open a pool hall that’s nonsmoking?’ ” Toland said. “After a long time of thinking that, I finally decided, ‘Why don’t I do it?’ ”
Toland recently opened The Bridge in Edmond. It’s a smoke-free pool hall with professional-quality tables, a full bar, food and espresso. It’s designed to meet the demands of the most competitive of players while maintaining a comfortable and laid-back feel for those seeking casual fun.
“Most people, when they think of pool or a pool hall, they think of a seedy place,”
Toland said. “Being an avid pool player, I talked to so many people that talk about how much they like playing pool but they never do it. I’ve always wanted to have a place that was nonsmoking and you didn’t have to worry about what was going to happen in the parking lot.”
The Bridge features two sizes of tables. There are standard bar-size tables, which measure 7 feet by 3.5 feet, and professional size tables, which measure 9 feet by 4.5 feet. The larger tables are used in most professional competitions, Toland said.
“We have eight of each size because that means we can run a 64-person bracket on either the bar size or professional-size tables,” Toland said.
Visitors can play individual games on the bar-size tables for $1 per game. There are also hourly rates for the smaller tables, and the professional tables must be booked by the hour. A private room also is available for reservation, and in another corner a restored snooker table is available for use.
Toland carefully worked on every detail for the playing experience. A competitor himself, he selected high-quality tables, balls and cues. He even made certain the lamps hanging above the table were the optimal height.
“My hope is that people from all around will be able to appreciate what we’ve done here,” Toland said. “We really tried to put a lot of care into making every single customer’s experience exceptional.
“I want people not to just come in and say, 'wow that was the nicest pool hall in the state,' I want people to say, 'wow I had a great time,' ” Toland said.