What Is a Digital Driving Range and What Do You Get on the Screen?

"Digital driving range" is the phrase people use when they want a range where the ball does not just disappear into a field. Here is exactly what the screen at Golf Center of Arlington, 1301 NE Green Oaks Blvd, Arlington, TX 76006, shows you, what each game does, and how the data follows you home on your phone. It sits under our complete guide to how a driving range works and our main Toptracer driving range page.

How does a digital driving range track the ball?

Cameras mounted around the range watch the hitting line. When you hit, the system picks up the ball leaving your station, follows its flight, and draws the trace on the touchscreen at your bay a moment later. There is nothing to attach to your club and nothing to calibrate; you hit a normal range ball from a normal mat or grass tee. The technology at Golf Center of Arlington is Toptracer, the same camera-based tracking used on PGA Tour broadcasts to show shot traces on television.

Because the tracking is camera-based, it works outdoors on a real range with real ball flight. That is the difference between a digital range and a golf simulator: at Golf Center of Arlington the ball actually travels toward one of 12 color-coded target greens, and the screen reports what it really did. For the deeper explanation, read what Toptracer is and how it works.

What numbers appear on the screen after each shot?

Every shot at a covered bay or grass area at Golf Center of Arlington produces the same core readout. These are the numbers worth learning to read.

Read them together. A 7-iron that carries 150 with a low launch and a strong ball speed is a well-struck shot you de-lofted; the same carry with a high launch and weaker ball speed is a thin one that got lucky. The screen makes that distinction obvious within a few balls, which is why a digital range shortens the learning curve so much for beginners. See is Toptracer good for beginners? if that is you.

What games can you play on the bay screen?

The touchscreen at every station at Golf Center of Arlington offers a menu of games and practice modes. You switch between them at any time during your bucket; nothing costs extra. Here is the full list with what each is best for.

Virtual Golf deserves its own mention: with more than 20 courses available, you can play a virtual round on a famous course during a normal bucket at Golf Center of Arlington. Our guide to playing Pebble Beach on a golf simulator in DFW explains how a hole plays on the screen.

How does a session sync to your phone?

Log in to the Toptracer app at the bay and your session is saved to your account. Afterward you can open the app and see every shot you hit, sorted by club, with carry, distance, ball speed and launch. Over a few visits that becomes a personal yardage chart based on real shots rather than a guess, and a history you can compare month to month. There is also a global leaderboard if you want to see where your Long Drive or Closest to the Pin scores sit against other Toptracer ranges.

1. Buy a bucket and pick a station. Medium is 60 balls for $21, or $15 for members. Any covered bay or grass area works.
2. Log in on the touchscreen. Sign in to your Toptracer account before you hit so the session is recorded. Guests can hit without logging in, but the data will not be saved.
3. Tell the screen which club you are hitting. Change it each time you switch clubs so your app history sorts correctly.
4. Play or practice. Switch between games and Warm Up whenever you like.
5. Review in the app. Open Toptracer on your phone later to see shot-by-shot data and your stored club distances.

Do the grass tees have screens too?

Yes. At Golf Center of Arlington every covered bay and every grass hitting area has a Toptracer screen, so choosing real turf does not mean giving up the data. On top of that, Toptracer GO adds mobile-app tracking on 28 additional outdoor grass tees and outdoor mats, so you can hit from the far end of the range and still see each shot on your phone.

Covered bay or grass with the screen?

The covered bays are under a roof, heated when it is cold, and fitted with a Power Tee that lifts a fresh ball into place after each swing; they open straight onto the outdoor range. Grass areas give you real turf and real divots. Both get the same shot data. Many regulars warm up in a bay, then move to the grass for iron work.

Not sure which suits your first visit? Which driving ranges in Arlington have Toptracer bays? covers the layout in detail.

Is a digital range good for beginners or just for data nerds?

Both, and honestly it is better for beginners. A new golfer hitting into an empty field gets no feedback beyond feel; the same golfer at a Toptracer bay sees within five balls that every shot starts left, or that the driver is carrying 40 yards less than the 3-wood. The games remove the pressure: Points Game and Go Fish reward getting the ball in the air toward a target, which is exactly what a beginner should be practicing. No golf experience is required to use any mode.

For serious swing work, the digital range is the everyday tool and a TrackMan session is the deep dive: a Doppler-radar launch monitor used on the same outdoor range in a supervised session, with a web report and swing video sent by email. Our comparison, Toptracer and TrackMan compared, explains when to use which.

How much does the digital range cost and when is it open?

There is no separate charge for the screen. A medium bucket of 60 balls is $21 ($15 for members), a large of 90 is $28 ($20) and an extra large of 120 is $35 ($25). Regular prices are 30% off from 9 AM to 6 PM daily when you mention the special at check-in, and the 8 to 9 AM self-service window is member pricing for everyone. Golf Center of Arlington is open Monday–Saturday 8 AM–11 PM and Sunday 8 AM–10 PM, with the last bucket sold one hour before closing. The range is lit at night and the screens work just as well under the lights. No reservation is needed for individuals; groups of about eight or more should call 817-469-9005.