Johnson#039;s Sports World tees up 25th year of summer fun
Published 12:00 am Friday, June 3, 2005
PROCTORVILLE -Students are out of school, the weather is nice and many people are looking for something they can do outside with their families and friends. Look no farther.
Johnson's Sports World in Proctorville is celebrating its 25th season of providing good times for guests, who can enjoy a variety of activities.
Whether they are racing in the go-carts, playing mini-golf or trying their swing at the batting cages Johnson's owners and staff say they only care about one thing.
"Our main goal is for people to have a smile on their face when they leave," said manager Jeff McPherson, who has been at Johnson's for 11 years.
That has been the goal since Johnson's opened 25 years ago. The business is owned by Bill Johnson, Gamoa Johnson and Sally Johnson.
"My husband (Billy Johnson) did the blueprints for it, it was his dream," Sally Johnson said. "His dreams came true."
Billy Johnson and his father worked together to get the business started.
The dream began as a driving range and then they added miniature golf and the batting cages. The Johnsons added the go-cart track in 1991.
The entire miniature golf course was redone in 1995. McPherson has added various cartoon characters for kids to enjoy while they golf.
He is currently making a Scooby Doo for the course.
"I love it.
This is the best job in the world - making people happy," he said.
A round of mini-golf is $2 for children and $3 for adults and the cost is half price for a second round.
McPherson said it has been the same price for years. He said they try to keep their prices down so people can enjoy themselves without spending a lot of money.
Lisa Lewis, Eric Christian and Kaitlyn Madden from Willow Wood were enjoying a round of miniature golf on Wednesday evening. This was their first visit to Johnson's and Christian said they came to, "have a little fun."
"She likes to golf," Christian said referring to Kaitlyn.
Gary Murnahan of Ironton was practicing softball technique with his daughter Jessica in the batting cages. Jessica is a softball player for the Ironton Little League. Murnahan said that they came to work on some stuff, but they also like to golf and ride the cars.
He said they try to cover the whole spectrum of activities.
"It's really fun because you get to do lots of things," Ten-year-old Jessica Murnahan said. "Hanging with your family, riding the race cars and learning new techniques for softball."
Murnahan said her favorite thing to do is to ride the race cars.
Johnson's opened for the season in mid-March, and usually stays open depending on the weather until October.
They are located on State Route 7 in Proctorville, 2 blocks west of the East End Bridge. Their hours of operation are 9 a.m. until 12 a.m., seven days a week and the phone number is (740) 886-7398.