How you can play the Old Course at St Andrews

You can take on the Old Course at St Andrews on Toptracer during Open week.

How you can play the Old Course at St Andrews during the 150th Open Championship (and take on players from around the world!).

Today’s Golfer’s 2022 Major coverage is brought to you in association with TaylorMade.

Toptracer, the world’s leading driving range technology provider, is giving golfers across the globe a unique chance to take on The Old Course at St Andrews during Open week in the latest edition of its 9-Shot Challenge global tournament series.

To coincide with the historic 150^th staging of The Open Championship, the 9-Shot Challenge will be taking place exclusively on Toptracer Range platforms from July 9-17. Participants will hit approach shots on nine different virtual golf holes at St Andrews, as they vie for the top spot on global leaderboards.

Testing golfers’ approach play, participants will see where they rank in real-time throughout the duration of The 150^th Open Championship – with a selection of prizes up for grabs.

In addition to the 9-Shot Challenge, golfers can now virtually play the Old Course at St Andrews exclusively at Toptracer’s 550-plus global driving ranges, allowing more golfers than ever before to test themselves against the world’s most famous course.

RELATED: Hole-by-hole guide to The Old Course

The latest 9-Shot Challenge, along with the addition of the Old Course to Toptracer’s Virtual Golf game mode represents Toptracer’s commitment to growing the game of golf by making even the world’s best-known venues more accessible, and connecting them with communities across the globe.

“Experiencing that unique feeling of playing at the Home of Golf is on the wish list of every golfer so we are excited to support Toptracer’s 9-Shot Challenge giving golfers around the world the virtual thrill of playing the Old Course,” said Danny Campbell, Commercial Director at St Andrews Links Trust.

“The incredible technology provides a really immersive experience, bringing people around the world together. Whether it be rekindling memories from a previous visit or inspiring those who have never been, we hope this 9-Shot Challenge and virtual Old Course experience will whet the appetite for a visit to the course which started it all.” He added.

RELATED: Who is playing at The Open

“We are hugely excited to offer golfers around the world the chance to compete virtually on the Old Course  as the world’s best players tackle it at The Open,” commented Toptracer President, Ben Sharpe. “We are dedicated to finding innovative ways for players of all ages and abilities to further immerse themselves in the game of golf, and this 9-Shot Challenge is the perfect opportunity to do so.

“It’s this ability to bring people in all corners of the world together in a real-time, immersive, technology-driven event that sits at the core of who we are as a brand.”

He continued: “Additionally, we are thrilled to be able to exclusively offer the Old Course at St Andrews on our Virtual Golf game mode, and it’s fantastic to be able to bring the course to a bigger audience than ever before.”

RELATED: Everything you need to know about The Open

How do Toptracer ranges work?

Cameras above the hitting bays track every shot. The software tracks multiple balls at once and assigns them to the right bay.

It breaks the range down into triangles (like a grid) so your ball can be traced back to your bay by calculating the angle at which it enters and exits each triangle. Your numbers – including distance, speed, launch angle, shape and more – are recorded and displayed on a 21-inch touchscreen monitor and the app. 

Toptracer’s ball-tracking tech started life as ‘Protracer’, invented by Swede Daniel Forsgren in 2006 to improve televised golf coverage. Topgolf bought the camera-based system in 2016 and started rolling out its range-friendly version in 2017.

What other game modes are available at a Toptracer range?

Warm-up

Analyse multiple data points, including ball speed, launch angle, distance and more.

Driving Challenge

A nine-hole game scoring both distance and accuracy. If you don’t hit the fairway or a pin is obstructed for the next shot, there is a penalty. 

TopTracer30

Puts players in 30 realistic virtual on-course scenarios and measures how successfully the player navigates them – providing a mountain of data in just 30 shots.

Approach Challenge

Take aim at the flag as consistently close approach shots are the name of this game.

My Practice

Tells you all the key stats – total distance, carry, ball speed, height, hang time… It’s all relayed to an app on your phone for future reference.

Closest to the Pin

Just want to work on your iron play or wedge game? Choose a real target, tell the screen which one it is and fire away. It’ll tell you how close you got. 

Virtual Golf

Play on real-world courses, using the targets on the range, including Pebble Beach and the Old Course. A great
option for groups.

Long Drive

Who can hit the furthest? This game lets you settle the argument by turning the range into a proper long drive grid for up to eight players.

Points Game

This mode turns range targets into points; plus you can win bonus points for hitting a certain trajectory through
an ‘In Air’ ring. 

Go Fish 

Child-friendly range game that can be played individually or as a team where players bid to capture 24 sea creatures in a virtual aquarium.

RELATED: 16 fun golf formats you have to try

Where is my nearest Toptracer driving range?

If you want to try Toptracer30 or any of the other superb game modes available at the revolutionary ranges then you’ll need to know where your nearest facility is. Below are all of the Toptracer ranges currently available in the UK, listed alphabetically.

TOPTRACER RANGES: SCOTLAND

Fairways Golf Centre, Inverness

Forthview Golf Range, Falkirk

Gailes Golf Leisure, Irvine

Mearns Castle, Glasgow

Melville Golf Centre, Edinburgh

Paul Lawrie Golf Centre, Aberdeen

Wellsgreen Golf Range, Leven

TOPTRACER RANGES: ENGLAND

3 Hammers Golf Complex, Wolverhampton

A1 Golf Activity Centre, Barnet

AB Golf Performance Centre, Thame 

Aintree Golf Centre, Liverpool

Altrincham Driving Range, Altrincham 

American Golf Hemingford Abbots, Huntingdon

American Golf Rossendale Driving Range, Rossendale

American Golf Wythall, Birmingham

Aston Wood Golf Club, Sutton Coldfield

Ballers & Hackers, Nottingham 

Basset Down Golf Complex, Swindon 

Blacknest Golf & Country Club, Alton

Boston West, Boston

Branston Golf Range, Burton-on-Trent

Broadlands Golf, Wolverhampton

Burnley Leisure – Prairie Sports Village, Burnley

Burstwick Country Golf, Hull

Calderfields Golf Driving Range, Walsall

Carlisle Golf Centre, Carlisle

Centre Golf, Wickford

Charnwood Golf Complex, Loughborough

Chesfield Downs G&CC, Graveley

RELATED: Best Home Golf Simulators

China Fleet Country Club, Plymouth

Close House, Newcastle upon Tyne

Copcut Golf Centre, Droitwich

Delapre Golf, Northampton

Draycote Hotel & Whitefields Golf Club, Rugby

Drayton Park Golf Club, Abingdon

Express Golf Centre, Bradford

Farrington Park Golf Club, Bristol

Ferndown Forest Golf Club Ferndown 

Foregolf, Chester

Forest Driving Range, Coleford

Forest Hill Golf & Conference Centre, Leicester

Four Ashes Golf Centre, Birmingham

Golf Kingdom, Romford

Golf World Stansted, Bishop’s Stortford

Golfplex Bracknell, Bracknell 

Gravesend Golf Centre, Gravesend

Hedge End Golf Centre, Southampton

High Legh Park Golf Club, Knutsford

Hilden Park Golf & Leisure Club, Tonbridge

Humberstone Heights Golf Club, Leicester

Ingrebourne Links G&CC, Rainham

Keele Golf Centre, Newcastle-under-Lyme

Kingfisher Hotel G&CC, Milton Keynes

Kingsway Golf Centre, Royston 

Lavender Park Golf Centre, Ascot 

Leeds Golf Centre, Leeds

Leicester Golf Centre, Leicester

Lincoln Golf Centre, Lincoln

Liverpool Golf Centre, Liverpool

Lytham Golf Academy, Lytham

Manston Golf Centre, Manston

Moreton Hills Golf Centre, Wirral

National Golf Centre, Woodhall Spa

Norfolk Premier Golf, Norwich 

Oakmere Golf Club, Southwell

One Stop Golf, Hull

Pachesham Golf Centre, Leatherhead

Parley Golf Centre ,Hurn 

Paultons Golf Centre, Romsey 

Pedham Place Golf Centre, Swanley

Penrith Golf Hub, Penrith

Pine Ridge Golf Club, Camberley 

Portsmouth Golf Centre, Portsmouth 

Radlett Park Golf Club, Elstree

Rustington Golf Centre, Angmering  

Salisbury Golf Centre, Salisbury

Sandown Park Golf Centre, Esher

Sidcup Family Golf, Chislehurst 

Silvermere, Cobham

Snainton Golf Centre, Snainton

South Essex Golf Club, Brentwood

South Herefordshire Golf Club, Ross-on-Wye

Stokesley Golf Range, Middlesbrough

Sunbury Golf Club, Shepperton

Sunningdale Golf Club, Ascot 

The Belfry, Sutton Coldfield

The Golf Haven, Whitehaven

The Hertfordshire G&CC, Broxbourne

The Oaks Golf Centre, Carshalton

Tickenham Golf Centre, Clevedon 

Tilgate Forest Golf Course, Crawley

Tippity Green Golf Club, Sandwell

Topgolf Watford, Watford

Topsham Golf Academy, Exeter 

Trafford Golf Centre, Manchester

True Fit Golf Centre, Warrington

Wentworth Golf Club, Virginia Water 

Wessex Golf Centre, Weymouth

Westridge Golf Centre, Ryde 

Winchester Golf, Headbourne Worthy

Witney Lakes, Witney

Wokingham Family Golf, Wokingham

World of Golf Croydon, Croydon

World of Golf London, New Malden

Wycombe Heights Golf Centre, High Wycombe

READ NEXT: Best Golf Practice Nets

TOPTRACER RANGES: WALES

Cardiff Golf Centre, Cardiff

Celtic Manor, Newport

Just Play Golf at Penrhys, Ferndale

The Vale Golf, Pershore

TOPTRACER RANGES: NORTHERN IRELAND

Ballyearl Arts & Leisure Centre, Newtownabbey

Mourne Country Park Driving Range, Kilkeel

TOPTRACER RANGES: CHANNEL ISLANDS

Golf 19 Guernsey, Channel Islands

Longueville Golf Range, Jersey

Find out more at toptracer.com

RELATED: Toptracer30 fixes your game fast