The birthplace of the Texas flag, Montgomery, now has its first miniature golf course—and the new business stays true to Montgomery’s history with a Texas theme. On May 5, owner Jason Long realized a two-year goal of opening Longview Greens Miniature Golfing in Montgomery, a miniature golf course reminiscent of those he enjoyed in his youth at his home in Pennsylvania. “Up in Pennsylvania, and in the northeast in general, there is a large number of miniature golf courses,” Long said. “I always enjoyed playing. When I moved down here in 2007, I wondered why—with the weather that we have down here in Houston—there wasn’t more miniature golf businesses around. When I didn’t see it, I just told myself, ‘I think I can do this.’” Visitors can compete with friends and family on 18 greens at Longview Greens, some of which include Texas themes. Green designs include one shaped like the state of Texas, a cowboy boot and perhaps the most challenging green—its Par 4 green. “I think the 11th green is the most challenging,” Long said. “It is a Par 4, which is generally unheard of when it comes to miniature golfing. It is very complex.” Long said one of his biggest motivations is to encourage families and friends to spend time together outdoors and play games in good fun, away from social media and technology for a few hours. “When I was younger with my family, we would have a game night,” Long said. “A lot of those things these days are kind of passe; folks are now worried about their cellphones or iPads. I thought it would be great to get people to unplug for a little while and spend some time with their friends and family and have a good time outside.” As the business grows, Long said he is focused on building the “premier” miniature golf course in the state that encourages friendly competition for children and adults. “When people step into a miniature golf course, they want to see a course that is lush with landscaping, so it is appealing to the eye and is also challenging,” Long said. “I helped to design a lot of these greens. I considered a lot of risk versus reward for a lot of these greens where you can take a safer approach and get a safer score, or take a riskier approach. There is a competitive angle to it.” 735 Clepper Dr., Montgomery 936-242-0604 www.facebook.com/longviewgreens/ Hours: Fri. 11 a.m.-11 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.-11 p.m., Sun. 1-9 p.m.