Things to Do in Westfield

The piercing timbre of a well-struck drive and the satisfying rattle of a putt that found its hole grace golfers’ ears year-round at Golf 365, an indoor facility that fosters on-course excellence. PGA Tour credentialed instructor Sam Foley promotes straight-hitting swings in lessons that utilize the facility’s technological refinements, including V1 video swing analysis, golf simulator practice modes, and holographic Phil Mickelsons. The spacious center facilitates independent practice on its 2,000 square-foot putting green and within hitting bays with automated tee-up technology.

Chronic clubbers can enjoy an immersive golf experience with a round in a PGA Golf simulator, where vast screens conjure up the character of nearly 50 PGA Tour courses, letting players drive over the windswept mounds of the Old Course at St. Andrews or the seaside vistas at the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island. A twosome can play 18 holes in about two hours, leaving plenty of time to address other practice needs or start training their toddlers to read putts for them.

Mark Weghorst knows a thing or two about developing a sound golf game—the Carmel native played golf at Brebeuf Jesuit and went on to win the Mid-American Conference tournament as an individual while playing at Ohio's Miami University. After competing on several professional mini tours, Mark has returned to the Indianapolis area to help other golfers fine-tune their games. During lessons, golfers correct any flaws in their swings from Mark’s feedback, aided with V1 Pro video swing analysis and the trackman launch monitor . His lessons put to use all of the amenities at Zionsville Golf Practice Center, which has a driving range with heated stalls, a wedge range for short-game practice, and a plane board—a training device that helps golfers break the habit of slicing a shot into another dimension.

At any given time, the rowers making their synchronized strides across the Eagle Creek Reservoir could be adults or youths, Olympic-level competitive athletes or recreational paddlers out for exercise and sun. This variation in ages, backgrounds, and skill levels is in keeping with the Indianapolis Rowing Center's mission of popularizing the sport regardless of socioeconomic status or past experience. Upon opening the center in 1982 at Eagle Creek Park, the founders began to instill their nonprofit, Olympic-level training and competition knowhow unto rowers of all levels. Oarsmen buzz about the boathouse March–November, getting tips and taking lessons from a staff that includes a 2008 Beijing Olympian as well as collegiate-level competitors. Over time, the IRC has created a regional hub for rowing with its many programs for high-school, collegiate, and adult athletes as well as hosting collegiate rowing championships.

For the late Dr. George Henry Alexander Clowes, the most important things in life were science and the arts. The good doctor wanted to share this devotion with the Indianapolis community, so he devised and funded Clowes Memorial Hall at Butler University. Completed in 1963, the hall shares Butler's gorgeous aesthetic with its arching stone façade and lush crimson interior, which has room for over 2,000 patrons. In addition to major touring productions and public speakers, Clowes Memorial Hall is also the home of the Indianapolis Opera, the Butler Ballet, and the Indy 500.

At the newly erected Dallara IndyCar Factory, Indy Racing Experience joins forces with Dallara Automobili—an Italian manufacturer of competitive racecars that has been designing, building, and supporting professional IndyCars for more than 40 years. The 100,000-square-foot structure towers over the town of Speedway, Indiana, and houses the first Dallara factory outside of its hometown of Parma, Italy. Inside the interactive facility, visitors can watch technicians build cars for IndyCar racing teams before experiencing a race themselves on an advanced simulator or on a high-speed ride through the streets of town in a genuine IndyCar two-seater. The factory's expansive halls also host special events, from corporate banquets to town-wide attempts to break the world record for the longest game of hopscotch.