Surf City Billiards

When you step into Santa Cruz’s newest poolhall, you won’t see the owner teaching a lesson on the table in the corner. He won’t be giving a dissertation on the differences between back- and front-handed English. No, Doug Millan opened Surf City Billiards for an entirely different reason. I’m not a good pool player at all, he said. But I always had fun going out for a beer with my buddies and shooting around. And those are the folks I’m really looking to attract into the hall. Not that Millan ignored the more determined players. He has plans to get leagues set up and weekly tournaments on the schedule to make sure the 15 9-foot Brunswick Gold Crowns are in constant use.

One of the most inviting features is the 22-foot vaulted ceiling, giving the space an open-air feel, especially during the day when skylights allow the bright California sun to shine in. The walls are tinted beige, and the carpet is a soft grayish blue to stay true to the beach theme. Surfboards and other beach paraphernalia hint that Surf City is an appropriate moniker. Five big screen TVs are grouped in the middle of the pool-playing area, which creates almost a stadium feel to the place, thanks in part to the high ceiling.