It’s a predictable reaction. People watch the major championships and then want to get out and hit some balls at the driving range. The beauty of our time is that at the right facility, you can actually hit shots on the golf course you just saw on TV.
Last week, that was the case with Royal Troon, the links track in Scotland that hosted the 152nd Open Championship. Toptracer, the best-known ball tracking system because of its exposure in pro events, got together with the Royal & Ancient on a brand partnership, and the result was the Toptracer Global Challenge that allowed players to play Troon’s famous Postage Stamp par-3 hole both on-site in an indoor facility and at 1,000 Toptracer ranges around the world.
People went crazy hitting balls. In total, Toptracer said nearly 5,000 people participated and hit 523,000(!) shots. (That compares to the 34,710 strokes produced by …