In his plus fours, vest, tie and cap, Steve Young cut a striking figure right out of the past, particularly when the Banff Springs Hotel, first built in 1911, loomed in the background.

The club's director of golf also cut remarkable tee shots with a special set of hickory-shafted clubs identical to those used back in the day, making it even easier to imagine that you were playing the Stanley Thompson-designed mountain course in the years before the Second World War.

That sense of suspended disbelief, where around every corner there is a link to the past, is what a new GolfLeaf Themed Experience offered by Rocky Mountaineer is all about.

Nothing sparks the imagination, that sense of nostalgia, like riding the rails. And when that trip takes you along one of the most inspired and historic set of tracks anywhere in the country — if not the world — well, you might be inclined to agree with the Aussie couple heard to remark between Kamloops and Banff: "It just doesn't get any better than this."

But it does, particularly if you are a golfer or an oenophile, as the new GoldLeaf Themes cater to each of those particular tastes.

The golf or wine adventures are each eight days long, beginning in Vancouver and continuing by rail to Kamloops and Banff, and then by coach to Calgary for flights home.

For golfers, the clubs come out on the third day of the adventure following an overnight at the historic and iconic Fairmont Hotel Vancouver in deluxe accommodations, a daylong train ride to Kamloops and an overnight at the tranquil South Thompson Inn & Conference Centre.

That morning you'll catch a luxury van motorcoach to Predator Ridge Golf Resort, the site of the 2008 Telus World Skins Game, and one of the pre-eminent golf resorts in Western Canada. After a round on either the Predator course or the soon-to-be-opened Ridge course, it's off to nearby Gray Monk Estates Winery for a wine-paired meal prepared especially for your Rocky Mountaineer golf group, and then back to Predator Ridge's upscale lodge for the night.

The next morning, a motorcoach whisks you deeper south into the Okanagan for a round at The Harvest, a picturesque and challenging course set among the working orchards on Okanagan Lake shoreline. Dinner that night is back at Predator Ridge, yet another wine-paired feast featuring lo cal produce and wines.

The next day is a free day in Kamloops, the perfect opportunity to either relax in the pastoral beauty of the South Thompson Inn on the bank of the river the Kentucky-style inn takes its name from, or play Tobiano golf course, named the country's best new course in 2008. A motor coach will take you there for your game and back to the inn for your last night in British Columbia.

Up early the next day and you'll be set for what is in many ways the highlight of the trip — the train ride from Kamloops to Banff that takes you through some of the most majestic scenery and historically significant places in the country.

The rugged Rockies provide the views, while places like Craigellachie — the site of the Last Spike — the Spiral Tunnels and Lake Louise Station provide those links to the past.

Arriving in Banff, having been transported back in time along the 115-year-old rail bed, the sense of time travel continues as you check in at the 122-year old Banff Springs Hotel, one of the truly magnificent hotels built by Canadian Pacific Railways in mountain locations.

Likewise, the service throughout is exceptional, as it is at all Fairmont resort properties.

You could spend all night poking around the hotel, with its numerous lounges, dining rooms and bars, but it's best to get to bed early because the next morning you'll be teeing it up on a golf course set in one of the most beautiful locations imaginable.

Don't believe me? I played the Banff Springs golf course with Tom Cunneff, senior editor from that bible of golf magazines, Links, and he didn't hesitate in proclaiming it the most incredible setting he's ever played golf in. And this guy lives in Hilton Head and has played St. Andrews and Augusta, along with many of the top courses in the world.

And if you're fortunate enough to play a round with Steve Young, you'll get a history lesson at every hole. (He's not bad with the subtle golf lesson here and there, too).

After golf, there's still plenty of time for a gondola ride, a hike or a walk around town, but most golfers will take advantage of the Banff Springs Hotel spa, which includes an outdoor pool and hot tub with views that can only be described as one in a million.

Another wine-paired dinner in the hotel is followed by your last night of the trip, and as the only thing to do in the morning is to catch the limo ride to Calgary for your flight home, this is the night to explore the historic hotel and find out why it is so deservedly referred to as The Castle.

As you would expect, time travel does not come cheaply, with rates ranging from $7,000 to $10,000 per person for either eight-day adventure.

But we're definitely talking bucket-list stuff here, and the fact that all aspects of the trip — from food to service and train car to accommodations — are first class all the way, make the ticket price a little easier to swallow.

I expected the GoldLeaf train service to be exceptional, and the gourmet dining and ultra-modern observation car did not disappoint.

What I didn't expect was the passion and commitment Rocky Mountaineer's on-board staff demonstrated from the moment we climbed aboard until the moment we disembarked.

Each car is assigned a crew, who serve as polished and knowledgeable servers for your wonderful meals. But what surprised me and the rest of the passengers was their abilities as tour guides.

As we approached certain mile markers between the 10-hour Kamloops to Banff trip, one of them would appear at the front of the observation car, microphone in hand, and provide a fresh and informed dialogue on all manner of subjects, be they wildlife, geography, train history or local legends.

It was clear from their deliveries that there was nothing forced or scripted about their talks — a la CN Tower elevator guides — and they were all too happy to engage passengers who asked questions about hanging glaciers, about why the lake water is aqua blue and about how many elk are in the Banff Park. And the engineer driving the train also would radio back when he spotted wildlife near the tracks, and we counted elk, bears and deer as they stood watching us pass.

Most of the passengers on board were from outside Canada, and we Canadians held a certain pride when we heard the ohhs and ahhs as another bend in the tracks revealed another landscape out of the Group of Seven catalogue.

A straw poll revealed that for those who had been dreaming about taking a luxury train ride through the Rockies all their lives the reality lived up to the fantasy.

If You Go

Adding to the exclusive nature of the eight-day Rocky Mountaineer Golf and Wine Adventures, to punch your ticket for the next ride you've got almost a year to cool your heels in the station.

The GoldLeaf Wine Experience next leaves Vancouver station on June 16, 2011, followed by a Sept. 8 trip, while the single GoldLeaf Golf Experience scheduled for 2011 pulls out of Terminal City on June 23, 2011.

Perhaps it's just as well you've got nearly 12 months of paycheques before hopping aboard, as the cost of a golf or wine trip of a lifetime can tax your life savings.

The single occupancy rates for either trip, which includes pretty much everything for eight days except your flights in and out of Calgary and Vancouver, is $9,699, doubles go for $7,499 and triples for $6,899.

Helpful websites

www.rockymountaineer.com, www.fairmont.com/banffsprings, www.banffspringsgolfclub.com, www.stigr.com (South Thompson Inn & Conference Centre)

www.predatorridge.com, www.graymonk.com, www.harvestgolf.com, www.summerhill.bc.ca

Golf package includes

• Two day Rocky Mountaineer GoldLeaf Themed Experience Service

• Three nights deluxe hotel accommodation at Fairmont Hotels & Resorts

• Four nights deluxe hotel accommodation in the Thompson Okanagan region

• Seven breakfasts, four lunches, seven dinners (incl. several wine-paired meals)

• Concierge accompaniment in the Thompson Okanagan region

• Private motorcoach transfers in the Thompson Okanagan region

• Two rounds of golf, with options to add a third or fourth round (i.e.. Tobiano, The Dunes, Sun Rivers)

• Limousine transfer from downtown hotels to the Rocky Mountaineer Station in Vancouver

• Choice of sightseeing or golf in Banff

• Limousine from Banff to Calgary

• Luggage handling

• National Parks Pass

Not Included

• Transfer from Vancouver airport

• Meals other than specified

• Activities other than specified

• Gratuities for rail, hotel, concierge and transfer staff

• Fuel surcharges

• GST/HST as applicable

Wine package includes

• Two day Rocky Mountaineer GoldLeaf Themed Experience Service

• Three nights deluxe hotel accommodation at Fairmont Hotels & Resorts

• Four nights deluxe hotel accommodation in the Thompson Okanagan region

• Seven breakfasts, four lunches, seven dinners (including several food and wine-paired meals)

• Concierge accompaniment in the Thompson Okanagan region

• Private motorcoach transfers in the Thompson Okanagan region

• Guided winery tours and tastings

• Limousine transfer to the Rocky Mountaineer Station in Vancouver

• Choice of activities in Banff

• Limousine from Banff to Calgary

• Luggage handling

• National Parks Pass

Not Included

• Transfer from Vancouver airport

• Meals other than specified

• Activities other than specified

• Gratuities for rail, hotel, concierge and transfer staff

• Fuel surcharges

• GST/HST as applicable