A Hole-in-One for Family Fun

Kerry Haze

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Lakeview Putt & Play Tees Up Unique Family Entertainment.

Decades ago, Asheville was a mini-golf mecca, with several locations offering a chance at a hole-in-one. Now, the city only features two courses for some family-friendly fun—one of them being Lakeview Putt & Play.

The owner, Leslie Blaylock, decided to open her business partly because families needed something to do in the area and partly because it brought her nostalgia. 

“I can remember, when [my family] would go on vacations, that the one thing we all enjoyed doing was mini golf,” she said. 

With a lengthy career background in early childhood education, Leslie felt a calling to one day leave her 9-to-5 and become her own boss. She did some research, found the perfect location with the beautiful scenery of Lake Julian behind it, and started building the course from the ground up. 

       

“I thought, ‘Let’s let this new generation of kids find the fun that we all grew up with,” Leslie explained. “It’s just a great opportunity to get people outside.” 

Now, Lakeview Putt & Play, which is open year-round, has grown to be much more than just 18 holes. It features Western North Carolina’s only outdoor laser tag course, a huge indoor space where guests can play innovative virtual reality (VR) games, and, added most recently, a Gellyball course where guests shoot low-impact, biodegradable, hydrated gel orbs at targets or other players in a variety of game scenarios.

“You can actually have fun with [Gellyball] without having to worry about the mess or [impacting] the environment,” Leslie said.

Birthday parties and other celebrations are also a massive hit at Lakeview Putt & Play. Guests can choose to play any of the games, grab snacks and drinks, and even order a scoop of their signature ice cream flavor—The Hole in One, which is chocolate ice cream with a caramel ribbon and mini marshmallows—from on-site local creamery The Hop. 

Leslie said what’s next for Lakeview Putt & Play is hosting an annual pro-am mini-golf tournament, starting a mini-golf league, and continuing to fundraise to help the local community. 

“We do help the community with fundraiser nights, and we’ve just helped several of the area’s schools,” she said. “As a former educator, I’m a big proponent of trying to help schools raise money.” 

Leslie’s favorite part about her job is getting to know her customers. After five years of being in business, she’s seen some of the kids who have been coming there since they were little start to grow up.  

She’s proud of the tremendous loyal following Lakeview Putt & Play has had since the beginning and is incredibly appreciative that people are still enjoying it today.

“When people come here, we want them to leave with a smile on their face,” she said, “That’s everybody’s goal. I love the fact that people can sometimes get off their electronics for a few moments and just enjoy an activity that’s not related to a screen.”