Philip Capelle

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Philip Bryson Capelle
2019 photo of Philip Capelle autographing his instructional book on pool for a fan.
2019 photo of Philip Capelle autographing his instructional book on pool for a fan.
Born (1947-11-26) November 26, 1947 (age 76)
Needham, Massachusetts
NicknamePhil
OccupationJournalist and Author
EducationUC Berkeley (BS in Business Administration)
Period1968-present
SpouseMariane Miller (m. 1976 d. 1985)
Website
billiardspress.com

Philip Bryson Capelle (born November 26, 1947, in Needham, Massachusetts) is an American pocket billiards author, instructor, and columnist. He has been active in pocket billiards media as a journalist providing 300-plus monthly articles for Pool & Billiard Magazine from 1996 to 2021.[1][2] His instruction and tournament coverage has also appeared in Professor Q-Ball,[3] The Grind, AzBilliards,[4] and most prominently on his Facebook page.[5] He has been covering major pool events for nearly a decade online[6] and in print media[7] and is considered by pool's fourth estate as "pool's number one instructional author."[8] His books have all earned rave reviews from a wide range of pool industry experts.[9][10][11]

Professional career[edit]

In July 1989, he started writing a weekly column for the Orange County Business Journal. In his first full-length feature, he predicted the 1990s bull market. Other features included lengthy interviews with leading corporate executives in Orange County. As an Orange County Business Journal reporter, he described in an article entitled "California Business" the way Fidelity, after their leveraged buyout of the company, gave them control over costs and the ability to avoid the kinds of losses incurred by competitors.[12][13]

2019 photo of Philip Capelle shooting 9-ball in corner pocket on a professional 9-foot Brunswick Gold Crown.

While at home nursing a dislocated shoulder in the latter half of 1994, Capelle began to seriously consider making a career change. His idea was to turn his passion for pool into a business writing and publishing books on pool.[14] Capelle acquired a team of backers and began work on his first book in January 1995. In December 1995, "Play Your Best Pool," a 480-page tome on all facets of playing pool, was published. The book received rave reviews from each of the leading pool publications, including Pool & Billiard Magazine, Billiards Digest,[15] and The National Billiard News. On page 17 of the June 20, 2020, issue of Billiards Digest, Capelle provided instruction on the break, pool drills, and getting your mental game back after a hiatus from playing pool.[16]

He then took a break from writing pool books to author "Woods vs. Nicklaus: Golf’s Greatest Rivalry." His next book on pool, "Break Shot Patterns," was published in 2011, and two more have followed, bringing his total of billiard books to 12.[17]

Books[edit]

• Play Your Best Pool (1995, 2005)
• A Mind For Pool (1999)
• Play Your Best Straight Pool (2000, 2015)
• Play Your Best 9 & 10-Ball (2001) 
• Capelle On 9-Ball (2002) 
• Mike Massey's World (2003)  
• Play Your Best Eight Ball (2004)  
• Capelle's Practicing Pool (2006) 
• Break Shot Patterns (2011)  
• Six Words to Pool Greatness (2016, 2021)
• Capelle's Columns (2017)
• Capelle's Columns Volume II (2021)

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Pool & Billiard Magazine"[Retrieved 4 July 2021]
  2. ^ "Capelle's Columns Volume II[Retrieved 4 July 2021]
  3. ^ "Professor Q-Ball" [Retrieved 4 July 2021]
  4. ^ "15-year Anniversary for Play Your Best Pool" [Retrieved 4 July 2021]
  5. ^ Philip Capelle Facebook Page[Retrieved 4 July 2021]
  6. ^ "Mika Immonen is the 76th World 14.1 Champion"[Retrieved 5 July 2021]
  7. ^ "Phil Capelle Archives" [Retrieved 4 July 2021]
  8. ^ "Billiards Press"[Retrieved 4 July 2021]
  9. ^ "Seyberts" [Retrieved 4 July 2021]
  10. ^ "Capelle's Practicing Pool"[Retrieved 4 July 2021]
  11. ^ "Reviews of Philip Capelle's Books"[Retrieved 4 July 2021]
  12. ^ Orange County Business Journal, "California Business," November 1992. [Retrieved 8 July 2021]
  13. ^ "How Tom Peters Helped One Title Company Thrive in a Bad Market"[Retrieved 5 July 2021]
  14. ^ "Capelle Publishing" [Retrieved 4 July 2021]
  15. ^ "Break Shot Patterns"[Retrieved 5 July 2021]
  16. ^ "Billiards Digest" Instructional Author Phil Capelle on Practice [Retrieved 5 September 2021]
  17. ^ "Philip B. Capelle Amazon Author Page" [Retrieved 4 July 2021]