Author: Racquet Network Staff

Racquet Network staff are certified experts. Many are also certified coaches. Racquet Network Experts undergo extensive training and product knowledge testing in order to ensure that we have the most knowledgeable staff in the racquet sports industry.
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Where to Play Badminton in Calgary

Where to play badminton in Calgary
Where to play badminton in Calgary
The information in this article is offered as a courtesy to our customers. We cannot guarantee that it is 100% accurate because these groups do not always update us when they make changes.

If you have questions about these groups and their activities, DO NOT call our store. Call or email the contact info for the groups below.

Our retail store staff will not be able to give you answers about any of these clubs or facilities. So please do not call the store.

SOUTHWEST BADMINTON GROUPS

FISH CREEK BADMINTON CLUB (GROUP)
Phone: 403-281-7024 (Frank)
Email: suneel@telus.net (Suneel)
Location: Woodlands Elementary School – 88 Woodgreen Drive SW
Summary: Adult group. Three courts. Tuesday and Thursday evenings September through April. There are 12-20 regulars at the intermediate level. Some of these players have been playing together for 30 years. Drop-ins are welcome but beginners typically don’t come more than once or twice. Racquet Network staff play here frequently.

FALL 2018 SCHEDULE
8:00-9:30 PM
Tuesdays, Sep 11, 18, 25 — Oct 2, 9, 16, 28 — Nov 6, 13, 20, 27 — Dec 4
Thursdays, Sep 27 — Oct 4, 11, 18, 28 — Nov 1, 8, 15, 29 — Dec 6

DIE HARDS BADMINTON (GROUP)
Phone: 403-281-6940 (Phil)
Email: phil-hum@shaw.ca (Phil)
Location: Southland Leisure Centre – 2000 Southland Drive SW
Summary: Adult group. June/July/August only. Four courts. Thursday evenings June through August. There are 25-30 regulars at the intermediate level. Racquet Network staff play here frequently.

HARSIDE BADMINTON CLUB (GROUP)
Email: hardside_badminton@shaw.ca
Location: Menno Simons Christian School – 7000 Elkton Dr SW
Summary: Adult group. Wednesday evenings. September to May. Racquet Network staff play here occasionally.

KINGSBORO BADMINTON CLUB (GROUP)
Locations:
Henry Wisewood High School – 910 75 Ave SW
Lord Beaverbrook High School – 9119 Fairmount Dr SE
Summary: Adult group. Wednesdays and Fridays. Season runs from September 2015 to end of May. Racquet Network staff play here occasionally.

NORTHWEST BADMINTON GROUPS

BEARSPAW BADMINTON CLUB (GROUP)
Phone: 403-239-1502
Location: Bearspaw School – 253210 Bearspaw Rd, Calgary, AB T3L 2S5
Summary: 6 courts.
Time: Monday and Wednesdays 7-10pm
Summary: Adult play. All Skill levels welcome. Players are primarily intermediate to Advanced level.
Nylon Shuttles provided but feathers are welcome.
They play during the school year, September to end of June.
Membership option or $7 drop-in fee.

BRIAR HILL / HOUNSFIELD HEIGHTS ADULT BADMINTON (GROUP)
Phone: 403-289-0921 (Lorne)
Location: HHBH Community Gym – 1922 14 Ave NW
Summary: Adult group. Morning group plays Tuesday through Friday. Three courts.

NORTHERN LIGHTS BADMINTON CLUB (GROUP)
NO LONGER ACTIVE
Phone:
Location: Beddington Heights Elementary School – 95 Bermuda Road NW
Summary: Adult group. Wednesday evenings. 6 Courts

SOUTHEAST BADMINTON GROUPS

BOT BADMINTON (GROUP)
Email: botfederball@gmail.com
Location: Prince of Wales School – 253 Parkland Way SE
Summary: Adult group. Tuesday and Wednesday evenings

FCR BADMINTON CLUB (GROUP)
Email: fcrnsa@hotmail.com
Location: MidSun Community Center – 50 Midpark Rise SE
Summary: Adult group. No summary available.

RIVERBEND BADMINTON (GROUP)
Phone: 403-816-1661
Email: RiverbendBadminton@groups.facebook.com
Location: Riverbend Elementary School – 65 Rivervalley Dr SE
Summary: Adult group. Wednesday evenings. September through April.

LAKE BONAVISTA BADMINTON CLUB (GROUP)
Phone: 403-248-8530 (Pat or Kelly)
Email: pat.eberle@shaw.ca
Location: Lake Bonavista Community Center – 1401 Acadia Dr SE
Summary: Adult group. 4 Courts. Drop in welcome

NORTHEAST BADMINTON GROUPS

FRIENDS OF BADMINTON (GROUP)
Phone: 403-710-8393 (Alfred)
Location: Georges P Vanier Jr High School – 509 – 32nd Ave NE
Summary: Adult group. 4 courts. All skill levels welcome. Friday evenings.

U of C BADMINTON CLUB (GROUP)
2500 University Drive NW
Email: ucbadminton@gmail.com
Summary: Adult group. No summary available.

BADMINTON FACILITIES

VILLAGE SQUASH LEISURE CENTRE (FACILITY)
Location: 2623 56th Street NE
Phone: 403-280-9714
Summary: No summary available.

WESTSIDE REC CENTRE (FACILITY)
Location: 2000 69 St SW
Phone: 403-531-5875 ext 0
Summary: No summary available.

TALISMAN SPORTS CENTRE (FACILITY)
Location: 2225 Macleod Tr S
Phone: 403-233-8393
Summary: No summary available.

SOUTHLAND LEISURE CENTRE (FACILITY)
Location: 2000 Southland Drive SW
Summary: Friday, Saturday, Sunday drop in. Open courts. First come first serve. No coordinator present. Racquet Network staff play here occasionally. Kids programs available.

HILLHURST/SUNNYSIDE BADMINTON (FACILITY)
Phone: 403-283-0554 Ext.232
Email: frontoffice@hillhurstsunnyside.org
Location: 1320 5 Ave NW
Summary: Monday and Thursday evenings. There are 4 courts with good lighting, rubber compounded floor, showers and lockers for post beginners to advance level.

EDISON BADMINTON CENTRE (FACILITY)
Phone: 403-306-0001 (Billy or Beth)
Location: 2km North of Okotoks on highway 2A
Summary: No summary available. Lessons and programs available for kids and adults.

SUNRIDGE BADMINTON CENTRE (FACILITY)
Location: 401 33 ST NE
Phone: 403-263 9222
Email: info@sunridgebadminton.com
Summary: Private club. 16 professional IBF/WBF approved courts with a 30ft high ceilings. Lessons and programs available for kids and adults.

CLEARONE BADMINTON CENTRE (FACILITY)
Phone: 403-265-3886
Email: calgary@clearonebadminton.com
Location: 1853 – 120th Ave NE Calgary AB T3K 0S5
Phone: 403-265-3886
Email: calgary@clearonebadminton.com
Summary: Full service badminton club. 14 sprung wood courts with specialized flooring system and 32′ ceilings. Lessons and programs available for kids and adults.

SAIT BADMINTON CLUB (FACILITY)
Summary: Sunday mornings.
Phone: 403-284-8734
Email: tj.babey@sait.ca
Summary: No summary available.

SMASH CITY (FACILITY)
Phone: 403-569-0328
Location: 4839 47 St SE, Calgary, AB T2B 3S5
Summary: No summary available. Lessons and programs available for kids and adults.

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How Self-Serve Stores Trick You

Wilson Zone 60 Badminton Racquet

Wilson Zone 60 badminton racquet
Look at the photo on this racquet. Is this racquet for adults or kids?
The worst thing about shopping in the big self-serve sporting goods stores is that you don’t know what you are buying. And more often than not, the staff don’t know what you are buying either.

Take the racquet in this photo, for example. Is it an adult racquet? Is it a kid’s racquet? How can you tell?

Thousands upon thousands of these racquets were sold in major sporting goods stores in Canada and the US last year. The questions is, though, did the people who bought it know what they were buying?

Let’s look at the picture on the racquet’s face card. The badminton player is none other than Sho Sasaki, a Japanese badminton champion who competed in the 2012 and 2016 Olympics.

Based on that — and with no other information to go on — a reasonable person would assume that this racquet is suitable for adults.

But it’s not. It’s a child’s racquet, barely suitable for a 10-year-old.

In fact, this racquet is too short (by more than a centimeter) to be an adult racquet and too heavy (by about 15 grams) and far too stiff to be a child’s racquet.

In our store, this racquet is classed as a toy. It looks like a badminton racquet. You can even use it to hit a badminton shuttle. But it’s not really a badminton racquet because a badminton player would not use a racquet like this to play badminton in any kind of formal or semi-formal setting.

If somebody brought this racquet to practice with a knowledgeable badminton coach, the coach would probably advise them to get a new racquet.

But chances are tens of thousands of people who didn’t know any better were tricked into buying this racquet last year because they were hanging on the walls of virtually every major sporting goods store in North America.

And that’s the problem with self-serve sporting goods stores. They buy what they know they can sell. They don’t care of it’s the real thing or a toy. They look at the packaging, the brand name, the colour, the price and the margin. That’s all they need to know if people will buy it.

A Random Sample of Our Badminton Racquets

Racquet Selector For a full list of racquets in this category, please check out our ONLINE RACQUET SELECTOR. You can sort by sport, gender, brand, size, weight, balance and more.
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Challenge – Kobra vs Shadow Tour

BABOLAT SHADOW TOUR BLACK-YELLOW-BADMINTON-SHOE
We think you will like the new Shadow Tour better than the Salming Kobra. Take a pair for a test drive and see for yourself.
Racquet Network is betting that Calgary squash players will like the Babolat ™ Shadow Tour better than the Salming Kobra.

In fact, we are so confident that players will like Babolat’s Shadow Tour better than Salming’s Kobra that we are inviting players to take them for a test drive.

“It doesn’t matter what you compare,” says Brent Johner, owner of Racquet Network, “The Shadow Tour is better shoe than the Kobra and it costs a lot less.”

“The gum rubber is better on the Shadow,” says Johner. “The upper is more durable. The eyelets for the laces are stronger. The insoles offer a better ride and the Shadow is better ventilated than the Kobra.”

In fact, Johner describes the Kobra as “seriously overpriced.”

“The Kobra sells for $220.00,” Johner points out. “The Shadow Tour is $170.00. How can that be, when the Shadow Tour is a much better shoe?”

To make the case and to give Calgary squash players an opportunity to decide for themselves, Racquet Network has arranged to have a fleet of Shadow Tour shoes available for players to test drive. After putting down a small security deposit, players are welcome to take a pair of Shadow Tours for a 24 hour test drive.

“There are going to be a few players who think it’s worth an extra $50.00 to wear shoes with the Salming name,” Johner predicts, “but I suspect that when players who already know the Kobras try the Shadow Tours, they will prefer to save the fifty bucks.”

Players who wish to take the Kobra vs Shadow Tour Challenge may come into our southwest Calgary store anytime during the 2018-19 season.

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Kids Court Shoes

YONEX ECLIPSION 2 JUNIOR TENNIS SHOE
We carry kids shoes that are ideal for use in school gyms.
Racquet Network carries Calgary’s largest selection of kids court shoes shoes. In fact, we have the largest selection of court shoes of all kinds.

Come in for a fitting with our experts and leave with the perfect fit for your feet. We are open 7 days a week. Monday to Friday 11:00am to 8:00pm. Saturday and Sunday 11:00am to 5:00pm.

Many of our kids shoes are ideal for use on the hardwood floors found in typical Calgary schools. They are perfect for volleyball, dodge ball, badminton, basketball, floor hockey, net ball, and other sports.

We carry all available sizes and offer three general price points including budget, recreational and performance.

Shoe Selector For a full list of shoes in this category, please check out our ONLINE SHOE SELECTOR. You can sort by sport, gender, brand, size, width and price.

Kids Court Shoes

Shoe Selector For a full list of shoes in this category, please check out our ONLINE SHOE SELECTOR. You can sort by sport, gender, brand, size, width and price.
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Where to Buy Stringing Machines in Canada

YONEX ST-7000 STRINGING MACHINE

Racquet stringing machines are like everything else in life. You get what you pay for.

Table top racquet stringing machines, in our expert opinion, are almost useless. While they can be used to put string in a racquet, table top machines are not accurate and cannot be used to produce any volume. They are not a good buy for anybody except possibly people who live in remote areas where access to professional stringing is difficult.

People who want a new stringing machine that is capable of stringing a racquet with even a basically acceptable level of accuracy must be prepared to spend $1500 or more. If used, the same machine will usually cost at least $1000.00.

Meanwhile, stringing machines capable of producing even low volumes will cost $5000 or more and machines capable of high volumes will be north of $10,000.

All of the stringing machines that we sell in Canada must be special ordered and require a lead time of at least two to four months. Some of the most popular and most expensive machines, such as those made by Babolat ™, have waiting lists of up to two years.

Racquet Stringing Machines in Canada

Stringing machines must be special-ordered. Most machines require a lead time of two to four months because they have to be assembled by the factory before they can be shipped. Some of the high end machines can have waiting lists of two years or more.