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.

Eaglequest Coquitlam is a haven for golf enthusiasts of all stripes and sizes; it features a 9-hole golf course, state-of-the-art practice facilities, and an 18-hole mini-golf course. With holes that range from 77 to 147 yards, the par 27 golf course challenges short-game skills and grants golfers ample time to discipline misbehaving drivers by sending them to timeout in their head covers. The 76-stall driving range features a synthetic landing area with realistic targets, and a learning academy helmed by PGA of Canada instructors can help golfers further improve their swings. For pint-sized practice, players can putt their way through the 18-hole mini-golf course designed to be both charming and challenging by incorporating large rocks, pieces of wood, and an intersecting brook. The golf centre also houses a 9,000-square-foot clubhouse with a café, pro shop, and resident hobbit that whittles wooden spoons into sand wedges.

Course at a Glance:

• Nine-hole, par 27 course
• Course length of 1,006 yards from the farthest tee
• Two tee options available
• Click here to see the scorecard.

Leaves rustle, a twig cracks, and instantly the air is filled with a technicolor rain shower of paintball ammo, prompting nearby players to dive and take cover behind a weathered school bus. The abandoned vehicle sits on just one of Capture the Flag's 20 outdoor playfields. Dense forests and open hills sprawl across the 116-acre grounds and set the stage for year-round paintball games in various styles, such as downed pilot, where teams must either protect or target a pilot. After bouts, a patio offers safe haven and complimentary unlimited hot dogs, BBQ, and crystal powdered drinks to groups, and a rumpus room's fireplace offers a cozy resting place during winter months or a convenient place to hang one’s rotisserie. Across town, more simulated battles unfold at Capture the Flag's partner business, Laser Trek & Airsoft Arena. There, the fluorescent glow of black lights reveals competitors hiding amid the 9,000 square feet of arena space. In addition to laser tag, the three indoor levels also host Airsoft games.

Founded 29 years ago with a single, small club, World Health expanded its healthy presence across Calgary with today's 7 locations. Ultramodern equipment and friendly staffers fill each hub, supplementing a variety of group fitness classes and personal-training sessions with flexible membership options. In Revs and Revs Plus classes, bike-mounted students pedal through aerobic drills before slow-downs allow for safe speed-bump crossing and heart-rate recovery. Fight-inspired Kick classes coalesce self-defence moves from karate, boxing, and kickboxing; Breathe?s gentle combination of yoga, Pilates, and tai chi beckons internal peace with flexibility and balance exercises. For a solo workout session, personable trainers customize sessions that chase each individual?s fitness goals. With the help of a personal trainer, exercisers often note a greater sense of motivation and accountability, improved fitness and nutritional knowledge, and biceps that literally take the shape of pistols.

Founded in 1994 by former commercial airline pilot Paul Sass, The Home Vintner supplies connoisseurs and novices with an abundance of award-winning pours and do-it-yourself kits for individual winemaking and beer brewing. With Winexpert kits, at-home vino makers blend varietal juices from around the world that will be ready to drink or cellar in 4–8 weeks, depending on the kit. Alternatively, brewers dive into barley bubbles with Barons beer kits that contain measured ingredients to make a hoppy Canadian blond ale, an English-style redwood ale, and a crisp Dutch-style lager, among others.

During classes, the staff of certified wine- and beer-makers walks pupils through each step of the brewing and vintning process, such as carbon-dioxide removal, corking, storage, and determining each libation's year by monitoring its reaction to different Bon Jovi songs. Courses dispense both basics of production and new methodologies, so apprentices can discover new approaches and skills to try with their next batches.