Tehachapi, CA Outdoor Activities

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.

Under the gleam of black lights, even teeth glow luminously, exposing the smiles of adventure-seekers as they putt mini-golf balls or set high-score records on arcade games at Fin's Glow Zone. The mini-golf course’s 18 holes come to life under glowing depictions of pirates, treasure, and spooky aquatic creatures such as sharks, giant octopi, and scuba-diving Bengal tigers. Inside the Balladium Ball Blaster, players compete for points amid a volley of foam balls throughout the neon playground. The private party room at Fin's hosts birthday celebrations, which can include pizza, arcade tokens, and trick candles that can only be extinguished after being doused in a gallon of milk.

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

Nobody in Santa Monica has a snow-covered slope in their backyard to practice slalom runs. Some think they can just march up a mountain and dominate a black diamond on courage and instinct alone. Instead, they wind up face first in snow, wishing they’d practiced.

In order to prepare skiers and snowboarders for the real deal, and to spare them from slushy, frostbitten shame, two-time world ski champion Bob Salemo devised his innovative Virtual Snow training system. In a controlled indoor environment far away from menacing ski lifts and snowballs tossed by mountain goats, winter-sports enthusiasts perfect their maneuvers in fun training drills led by skilled instructors and the clever teachings of Salemo himself. The faux ski-course simulator, which resembles a large conveyor belt, mimics the smooth surface and wily turns of a downhill slope as its snowy surface rolls beneath the feet of students on skis or snowboards. Future Picabo Streets or Shawn Whites not only expand their abilities to new levels, but they can also practice tricks without bailing out and shake off any bad habits they learned from sleet gangs.

Compete Green's endurance events, from 5Ks to marathons, revolve around sustainable practices and an engagement with the outdoors. Cofounders Tom Taylor and Ben DeWitt honed their hamstrings and toughened their hooves while churning up trails from the South Shores of Lake Michigan to Xterra's off-road triathlons in Maui. Tom and Ben found more common ground in their interest in environmentally conscious event management. Compete Green initiatives furnish their 100% free-range participants with sustainable awards such as tree seedlings and organic and recycled apparel. Race-day amenities include prevalent recycling bins, recyclable race numbers, and an athletic-shoe-recycling program.

Rising like an ivory and adobe mirage amid the towering hills of Southern California, Ojai Valley Inn & Spa curates recreation and relaxation across stately grounds that date back to 1923. Guests can trade forehand hits on one of the resort's four lighted tennis courts or hunt for birdies across the acclaimed 18-hole golf course that has hosted seven Senior PGA Tour events and welcomed rarefied guests such as Bob Hope, Will Smith, and the mashie niblick from a bygone era.

Massage therapists and aestheticians tend to weary travelers at the resort's sprawling spa, which instills tranquil thoughts with everything from plush massage beds to the ornately patterned tiles in the Kuyam chamber room dedicated to mud- and clay-mask treatments.

Locally sourced produce and herbs harvested from the inn's garden are infused into dishes at the inn’s restaurants, which feature both indoor and outdoor dining experiences. The resort also encompasses 308 guest rooms that embody the rustic refinement of Spanish colonial style for those looking for a relaxing weekend or a romantic getaway with their beloved tennis racket.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 70 course
• Length of 6,292 yards from the farthest tees
• Course rating of 71.0 from the farthest tees
• Slope rating of 132 from the farthest tees
• Three tee options
• View course layout