Hope Mills scores a hole-in-one with Putt-Putt's return
By Lisa Carter Waring
Correspondent
A recent news article just announced some terrific news - Putt-Putt is returning to its Cumberland County roots. Even better, Millstone Village in Hope Mills has been selected as the location for the new Putt-Putt facility.
I think Millstone Village is an excellent choice for the site, and the future Putt-Putt Fun Center will be a tremendous asset to our community. After all, Putt-Putt has always been about bringing together families and friends for wholesome fun and entertainment.
I did have to smile when I read that insurance executive Jimmy Smith, one of the investors in the venture, said that he and all the other partners still have pictures of the kid's birthday parties at Putt-Putt. That is because I doubt there are many people who have more special memories about those Putt-Putt birthday parties than me.
You see, one summer I was the "Putt-Putt Birthday Girl." It was my job to coordinate all the birthday parties at Putt-Putt for the kids and their families.
Like many people my age, I grew up playing Putt-Putt with friends and family.
I developed a much deeper affiliation with Putt-Putt, however, during my early high school days. Throughout my sophomore, junior and senior years of high school, I was the regular babysitter for Don Clayton's two grandchildren, Dave and Scott Lloyd. Don Clayton was a Fayetteville businessman and the founder of Putt-Putt.
When three other Clayton grandchildren came along - Amy, Hannah and Lisa Clayton - I became their babysitter too.
In fact, I spent so much time with all the Clayton grandchildren they often joked affectionately that Lisa, the last of the five grandchildren, was named after me.
Needless to say, I spent a lot of time around Putt-Putt and related activities. I even traveled with the family to one of the National Putt-Putt Championship tournaments. My job was to watch the kids while their parents spent the day working on the televised event.
After my senior year of high school, I was offered the job of "Putt-Putt Birthday Girl" during the summer prior to my leaving to attend East Carolina University.
My job was to coordinate the birthday parties - from the balloons to the birthday hats - and to ensure that all the kids had a safe and fun experience.
I tried to make sure each birthday party was special for the kids.
I remember part of my job as "Birthday Girl" was to drive from the Putt-Putt golf course on Bragg Boulevard to Superior Bakery on Hope Mills Road to pick up the cake before each party.
It was a long drive, and I wondered why they didn't choose a bakery that was closer. I figured it out when I tasted the first birthday cake.
As happens, Clayton's grandchildren grew up. I went on to college bound and determined to become a teacher.
I guess I figured that if I could organize 15 4-year-olds armed with golf clubs, golf balls and water balloons, that teaching school would be like a piece of Putt-Putt birthday cake.
Lisa Carter Waring is a retired educator and consultant who lives in Hope Mills. She can be reached at LCart99@aol.com.