Arvin, CA Health and Fitness

GolfTEC has thirteen convenient locations in the Los Angeles area, all staffed by experienced golfing professionals and computers who’ve sworn allegiance to the Three Laws of golfing robotics. Motion sensors and high-speed cameras monitor your swing and break down your form on a high-definition video display. GolfTEC’s PGA specialists point out your flaws, strengths, and coach you on how to permanently improve your game, from tee to green. Sensors chirp with approval when you’ve executed a perfect stroke or cracked an especially witty golfing joke.

Deb McCormack wears her fitness inspirations on her sleeve in the fusion classes she teaches at Mind-Body Exercise. Though her routines revolve mostly around Pilates and yoga, she pulls moves from a slew of unconventional styles, such as qi gong, tai chi, belly dancing, functional fitness, and capoeira. No matter the class, she aims to help her students feel mentally centered and focused while building stronger physiques so that they can experience how a bodybuilder feels walking a tightrope. She also prepares expectant mothers for childbirth and motherhood through classes that teach meditation, mantras, and methods for relaxation. None of her class styles—which also include yoga, boot camp, Pilates, and Zumba—require students to be flexible or, in the case of Zumba, experienced dancers.

A former gymnast and collegiate diver suffering from a stress fracture in her lower back, Cassidy Farwell sought a total-body workout that would strengthen her core and alleviate her lower back pain. Around the same time, all-around fitness enthusiast Syd Shelton became curious about Pilates's growing popularity, and took her first class. Though they sought out Pilates for very different reasons, it made such an impact on them that they decided to open their own studio together to share the total-body toning techniques with others. As certified instructors, Cassidy and Syd now lead classes designed to tone the body from head to toe, with emphasis on strengthening the hips, thighs, core, and vestigial tail.

For John Thompson, it all began with the desire to help people of all sizes and fitness levels live a healthier lifestyle. As a nationally certified personal trainer and fitness coach, John used his know-how to devise the high-intensity Ultimate 30-Minute Workout Experience, an effective, time-efficient workout that targets the whole body. Held 13 times a week, each boot-camp-like session combines cardio, weights, and abdominal exercises to boost sluggish metabolisms, tone muscles, and evict stress from tense bodies. To bolster the workout regimen, John and his fit-savvy crew craft custom nutrition programs, providing an easy-to-follow eating blueprint that helps clients establish healthy noshing habits and fit back into their high-school swim goggles.

The instructors at Balera Fitness Studio assure future pole-dancing students that, although they will be engaging in a style of dance that’s known for its come-hither maneuvers, "Nothing comes off but your shoes!" That's because they hone in on the unique fitness aspects of pole dancing, guiding students through exhilarating spins and limbering stretches that improve strength, balance, and flexibility. They welcome students of all ages and body types to their fun, sweat-manufacturing workouts. At private parties, they teach core-firming moves to celebrate special occasions such as birthdays, future marriages, and Stop Sign Impersonation Day.

Tucked amid the shadows of eucalyptus trees and mexican palms, Buena Vista Golf Course roams across 6,710 yards of dramatically undulating terrain. Throughout the par-72 layout, golfers grapple with uneven lies wrought by the hilly topography, as well as large, contoured greens that require a soft touch with the putter. As players make their way from tee to green, hillcrests offer glimpses of the surrounding farmland, the two lakes that comprise Buena Vista Aquatic Recreation Center, and distant mountains as they ripple out into the horizon and hide the unsightly edge of the earth. Guests looking to polish their game can consult Buena Vista's two PGA Class A professionals, who offer private lessons and club-fitting services.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par-72 course

• Total length of 6,710 yards from the back tees

• Course rating of 72.9 from the back tees

• Slope rating of 124 from the back tees

• Four sets of tees per hole

• Scorecard