He bets Chinese will get in swing of thing.

• Position: People - Jerry Howell to open miniature golf courses in China

Jerry Howell isn't exactly a miniature-golf nut. And he wasn't all that crazy about going to China for the first time in 1999. But by year's end, he expects to be part owner of what may be the first miniature golf course there. His joint venture, Yangzhou Goldensunshine Technology and Entertainment, will have 54 holes on 1.4 acres in Yangzhou, a city in eastern China known for its waterfalls and gardens.

His coarse will have those, too. No mechanical dragons or cheesy Great Wall replicas for him. "I sort of felt like it would be a good idea to keep it the theme of what they're famous for."

It's still a departure from what he and his family are known for in Eastern North Carolina. Howell's mom Irene, started a day-care center in Kinston in 1956. Today, Howell's Child Care Centers, now specializing in care for the mentally retarded, have more than 500 residents in 26 centers from the coast to Charlotte.

Howell, 51, made his mark in the field in 1997 by starting Goldsboro-based Howell Support Services, which provides in-home care for the mentally retarded. That same year, Howell -- who spent much of his early work life in the family business and in various computer jobs -- also started EnterSoft, a Goldsboro-based Internet-service provider. He sold EnterSoft to Cary-based Portbridge in July for an undisclosed sum. He still owns Howell Support Services, which generated revenue of $2.1 million in 2001.

The Howells' China connection began 10 years ago when his mother addressed a conference in Nanjing. Charles Li, a...