Things To Do In Calgary

Bow River and its adjacent aquatic arteries join ponds and marshland at Golf Canada Calgary Centre, creating aquatic layouts for the Les Furber–designed, 9-hole, par-3 course and the 18-hole, par-72 all-grass putting course. Hole 9 on the putting course even challenges players with an island green, and those who make it there without getting wet can pretend to be castaways even after the sun has set, thanks to stadium-style lighting.

To gear up for the courses’ myriad challenges, golfers can buckle down at a heated, lighted driving range that ranked in Golf Range Magazine’s 2010 Top 100 Golf Ranges in America. The swingers practice their long game from 52 enclosed tee boxes, aiming at target greens or clouds shaped like flag pins. Nearby, putters take the stage at a short-game practice area with a 4,000-square-foot putting green, a 3,500-square-foot pitching and chipping green, and greenside and fairway practice bunkers. Golfers can also hone their game in high-definition golf simulators, which unlock the fairways of legendary courses such as Pebble Beach and Pinehurst, or enroll in lessons with PGA of Canada pros led by award-winning instructor Jay Myren.

Callaway goes beyond minting high-performance golf clubs and gear—it actively pursues new technologies to ensure its products are of the highest quality, and that golfers are selecting the right equipment to match their playing style. At Callaway Golf Learning & Fitting Centre, golf experts employ the Callaway performance-analysis system, which combines computer analysis and high-speed digital photography to break down a player’s swing, a technology that has helped Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els. Data recorded during these swing sessions includes club-head speed, angle of attack, and launch angle. This information allows the professionals to generate personal specifications for custom clubs or elective surgery to attach a hybrid club to the client's right arm.

At the end of a session, clients take home a personalized booklet of the swing photos. Later, they can go online to review their swing by looking at a full-motion video or freeze frames, which can reveal key details about how post-swing pirouettes interfered with swing mechanics.

Part of the proceeds from each club-fitting session benefit the Jennifer Ashleigh Children’s Charity, which helps families with the expenses surrounding a child’s chronic illness.

Intent on helping others attain their fitness goals in the shortest and safest possible amount of time, Dave MacDonald employed his experiences as a certified personal trainer and his know-how garnered as a graduate of St. Francis Xavier University’s Human Kinetics program to found Vitality Fitness Group. Dave’s staff of affable instructors shares his vision and strives to foster a nonjudgmental workout space that differs from a generic gym in its conscious eschewal of intimidation, overcrowding, and life-sized Schwarzenegger cut-outs. Opting instead for small classes, Dave seeks to develop a personalized approach to wellness. In order to keep each 45-minute boot camp entertaining and to prevent boredom, instructors cover an ever-changing variety of exercises, combining traditional training methods such as light running and sprinting from the clutches of minotaurs with fun activities including obstacle courses. Aware that getting bodies in motion remains only half of the svelting equation, Dave's team also proffers nutritional and motivational advice to interested participants.

Bikram Yoga Northwest’s certified team of women instructors cultivates healthy lifestyles through the Hatha-style yoga practice and shares their passion with students of all ages and fitness levels within their eco-friendly, heated studio. As students bend and stretch through the series of 26 postures, they draw in deep breaths of purified air passing through the room’s air exchange system. This custom system ensures that the studio's warm and humid environment remains as fresh and pure as the morning dew on Mr. Clean's forehead. Further keeping the studio sanitary, it is floored with anti-microbial Mondo Yoga flooring, which serves double duty in preventing bacteria and cushioning yogis with a softer and slip-resistant workout surface. Eco-friendly practices extend throughout the on-site changing rooms and showers, which sprinkle guests with drops from low-flow showerheads and thermal-efficient hot-water tanks.

Run by designer Jenna Herbut and her brother Chandler, also a designer, the fairs showcase the work of more than 250 Canadian artisans and designers at events Merge magazine has described as "the craft sale for the next generation." The laid-back emporium—that has received tons of positive press—thrums with the energy of younger designers such as Wally & Roops, Kukubee Designs, and Nikki Babie as they enthusiastically promote their wares. Music serenades ears wandering between booths, and homemade creations from vendors such as Monkey Butter sate hunger with snacks that are as sweet and savoury as a love poem written in worcestershire sauce. In addition to vendors, there are live bands, food trucks, and a bar.

As an extension of her mission to improve designers' livelihoods, Jenna channels her background in marketing into a parallel venture Make It! University, which helps artisans hone their business models. Make It! has also partnered with Etsy, the online handicraft marketplace, to bolster their support for crafters.

The course at Boulder Creek demands both strength and control as players knock dimpled orbs about the 6,963-yard Ron Ehlert design. Each challenger must remain wary of the terrain’s most prominent feature: the 30 acres of water that confront play on 14 of the 18 holes. Despite the daunting watery depths, the course caters to all levels of golfer with five sets of tee boxes that render the course as short as 5,272 yards or as long as 6,963 yards. Additionally, an on-site practice facility comprised of a 300-yard driving range and a putting green offers an ideal spot to limber up before a round or practice for the professional mini-golf circuit.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 72 course
• Five sets of tees per hole
• Total length of 6,963 yards from the back tees
• Course rating of 72.2 from the back tees
• Course slope of 125 from the back tees
• Designed by Ron Ehlert