What Is Toptracer and How Does It Work?

If you have watched a golf broadcast and seen a glowing line arc across the sky behind a tee shot, you have seen Toptracer. The same camera-sensor technology used on PGA Tour broadcasts is built into every hitting area at Golf Center of Arlington, so a normal bucket of balls turns into a session where every swing gets measured, traced and saved. This page explains what Toptracer is, what the screen tells you, and what it looks like at our range at 1301 NE Green Oaks Blvd, Arlington, TX 76006.

How does Toptracer track a golf ball?

Toptracer uses camera sensors that watch the range. When you hit a ball, the cameras pick it up as it leaves your hitting area, follow it through the air and calculate the flight path. Within a second or two, a trace of that flight appears on the screen in your bay, along with the numbers behind it.

There is nothing to attach to your club and nothing special about the ball. You hit ordinary range balls off a mat or off grass, exactly the way you always have. The difference is that Toptracer sees where each shot actually went instead of leaving you to guess from a distant bounce.

Because the system is camera-based, it works on the whole range, not just in a booth. At Golf Center of Arlington that means Toptracer is running on the 18 covered bays with Power Tee automatic teeing systems and on the 28 natural-grass hitting areas, day and night, rain or shine.

What numbers show up on the screen?

Each shot produces a small set of measurements. They are simple enough for a first-timer to understand and useful enough that serious players build practice plans around them.

On top of the numbers, the screen draws the ball flight itself. You see the shape of a draw, a fade, a push or a hook the moment it happens, which makes cause and effect much easier to learn.

What does the Toptracer app add?

Your session at the bay can sync to the official Toptracer app. That is where the technology stops being a novelty and starts being a practice tool. The app stores your club data and your history, so you can look back at how far your 7-iron carried last month versus today, or whether your driver dispersion is tightening.

• Store distances for every club in your bag from real shots, not guesses.
• Keep a history of sessions so improvement is visible over weeks and months.
• Take your numbers to a lesson so your instructor starts with facts.
• Compare yourself on the global leaderboard in the games that keep score.

If you want to go deeper than ball flight into what the club is doing at impact, that is where a TrackMan session comes in. Our guide to shot tracking and swing data: Toptracer and TrackMan compared explains the difference in plain language.

Where is Toptracer set up at Golf Center of Arlington?

Every hitting spot on the range has some form of Toptracer. Here is how the range is laid out.

The range is lit at night, so the tracking keeps working after dark. Golf Center of Arlington is open seven days a week, Monday–Saturday 8 AM–11 PM and Sunday 8 AM–10 PM, and the last bucket is sold one hour before closing. More detail on the bays, grass areas and Power Tee is on our Toptracer range page and in the guide to what a digital driving range puts on the screen.

What games and practice modes can you play?

Toptracer is not only a measuring tool. The bay screen offers a menu of modes, and most of them work for a group taking turns as well as for one golfer working alone.

• Warm Up shows ball speed, launch angle and distance shot by shot with nothing to win or lose. It is the best place to start.
• My Practice tracks each club and stores the stats over time.
• Toptracer30 is a 30-shot skills assessment that produces detailed analysis and personalized insights.
• Virtual Golf lets you play iconic courses such as Pebble Beach, St Andrews, Torrey Pines and Royal St. George's from your bay. See how virtual courses work on an outdoor range.
• Closest to the Pin, Approach Challenge, Points Game, Long Drive and Driving Challenge turn accuracy and power into a contest.
• Go Fish (catch 24 sea creatures) and Angry Birds are the modes kids and first-timers ask for.

Scores from the competitive modes feed a global leaderboard, and Golf Center of Arlington runs Toptracer golf leagues for people who want a regular night out with a standings table attached. Sign-up is through Contact Us.

Is Toptracer the same thing as TrackMan?

No, and the difference matters if you are deciding what to book. Both are used at Golf Center of Arlington, but they answer different questions.

A simple way to think about it: Toptracer tells you where the ball went, every time you practice. TrackMan tells you why, in a session built around your swing. Many golfers use Toptracer weekly and book a TrackMan session when they want a deeper diagnosis.

How do you use Toptracer on your first visit?

1. Buy a bucket. Medium is 60 balls for $21, large is 90 for $28 and extra large is 120 for $35. Members pay $15, $20 and $25. From 9 AM to 6 PM daily, regular bucket prices are 30% off; mention the special at check-in.
2. Pick a covered bay or a grass area. No reservation is needed for a walk-in visit. Groups of about eight or more should call ahead, and groups of 15 or more should reserve.
3. Choose a mode on the touchscreen. Start with Warm Up if you want numbers, or Points Game if you want a contest.
4. Hit and read the screen. Each shot traces on the screen a moment after it lands. Adjust, hit again, and watch the pattern change.
5. Sync to the app. Save the session so your club distances and history carry over to the next visit.

Every bucket also includes access to the free short game practice area: putting green, chipping green, sand bunkers and uneven-lie stations. New guests can take $10 off a first visit by joining the email and rewards list. Full pricing is on the price list, and if you are brand new to golf, start with why Toptracer suits beginners.

Prices as published on golfcenterofarlington.com; subject to change.