Sports are a science, and golf is no exception. Practicing for long hours without a plan does not make a player better. What matters most is efficiency. "Back in the day, I used to hit 1,000 balls a day" has long since become a war story told by old-school golfers.
Raising the quality of practice requires smart work built on an analysis of one's own shot data. That is not something reserved for professionals. Shot-analysis equipment is increasingly being installed at driving ranges, and weekend golfers who use it well can make proper use of what little practice time they have.
To find out how, this reporter tried out Toptracer, said to be the most widely installed analysis system at outdoor driving ranges in Korea, and asked teaching professional Kim Tae-woong how to use it for efficient practice and real improvement. The session took place at Walkerhill Golf Club in Seoul's Gwangjin District.
The Data You Should Watch Depends on Your Handicap
Toptracer pours out an array of data in real time with every shot. Among its many functions, the one golfers use most is the "My Practice" mode. The monitor displays carry, total distance, ball speed, launch angle, apex, flight time, landing angle, curve and shot consistency.
"Weekend golfers, regardless of skill, tend to look only at ball speed among all the data," Kim said. "But in fact, the data you should be looking at differs somewhat by level."
Golfers shooting in the 90s to around 100, for instance, first need to clean up their impact. So it makes sense for them to watch ball speed, which is the result of how the ball was struck. Golfers in the 80s and low 90s, by contrast, already have the ability to make contact, so from that point they should check how consistent their shots are, which means looking at distance and direction data. More advanced golfers shooting in the 70s should focus on improving shot quality through launch angle, apex and landing angle.
If You Want to Reach 300 Yards, Push Your Limit
Distance is an ability every golfer dreams of, regardless of skill or age. The desire to hit the ball even one yard farther runs from the moment a player first picks up a club to the moment they put it down for good.
Kim advised golfers who want more distance to make frequent use of the "Long Drive" mode, which displays average and maximum carry distance along with the distance of each individual shot.
"To hit it long, you have to break through a kind of wall," Kim said. "If you keep swinging with your own maximum distance in mind and try to go beyond it, at some point you will find that your distance has grown."
There is also the fun of competition: players can create a room for up to eight people and compete with friends and family. A longest-drive event can also be run simultaneously across every bay in the range.
To Master the Approach, Wake Up Your Touch
Better players save par with an uncanny short game even when they miss the green, and occasionally flip the mood of a round in an instant with a chip-in birdie.
One of Toptracer's strengths is that it allows short-game practice aimed at actual targets. Outdoor ranges equipped with Toptracer typically have six to eight targets set in the field, at distances ranging from 40 to 100 meters. The direction and distance to each target also change depending on which bay a player uses.
"Switching between targets in warm-up mode to build a feel for distance and direction is a big help with your approach play," Kim said. He also recommended using the consistency figure in My Practice mode, which combines distance and direction data. In this reporter's case, consistency with a 52-degree wedge came out at 78%.
When practice gets dull, the approach challenge mode can make it fun again. It pits players against one another on the accuracy of approach shots over nine holes of famous virtual courses around the world, with scores calculated by how close the ball finishes to the pin.
Players can also compete against golfers worldwide. Kim Seok-ki, an executive director at Nanotech, which imports and sells Toptracer in Korea, said online competitions are held during the Masters and the Open Championship on Augusta National and the Old Course at St Andrews within the approach challenge mode. Prizes such as tournament merchandise and gallery tickets are given to those who place, he said.
A 'Match Rehearsal' for a Final Shot Check
It is common to strike the ball well at the range and fall apart on the course. "At the range you hit a 9-iron, then an 8-iron, then a 7-iron in order, but on the course you hit a driver, then a 6-iron, then reach for a wedge — the order of clubs is never fixed," Kim said. "You have to reduce the unfamiliar feel that comes from switching club lengths from one moment to the next."
The "Toptracer 30" mode is built to have players change clubs from the tee shot to the green, just as they would in a real round, by playing a virtual hole. Presented with a 360-meter par 4, for example, a player can practice shots aimed at the green using a driver, iron and wedge. It detects direction as well as distance and tallies the success rate of each shot. Complete the mission on one hole and a new hole is assigned. Playing it felt like hitting screen golf in a wide-open outdoor range. Over a total of 15 shots, this reporter recorded a fairway accuracy rate of 50% and a greens-in-regulation rate of 56%. It also calculates a handicap, which came out at 21.3. Having been away from the game for a while, this reporter's play has deteriorated badly, and it was startling that just 15 shots were enough to come close to pinning it down. "Hitting 30 shots is demanding," Kim said. "But because the effect is substantial, I recommend amateur golfers practice this mode a lot."
Walkerhill Golf Club, Where You Meet Augusta's 12th Hole
Walkerhill Golf Club reopened last year after a renovation. In keeping with the reputation of the Walkerhill hotel, it is equipped with a range of premium facilities. All 61 bays have Toptracer installed, for a start. Tenants include Team Glorious, which supports player training on the domestic men's and women's tours, as well as a performance studio and a fitting center. The seminar room can host small lectures and corporate events.
The pride of Walkerhill Golf Club is its short-game complex, an homage to the par-3 12th hole at Augusta National, home of the Masters. Players can practice approach shots, putting and bunker play under realistic conditions. The green is laid with the same artificial turf used in TGL, the screen golf league that Tiger Woods helped launch, so players can experience consistent speed regardless of weather or season.
On the first floor is the Orange Bagel Cafe, serving authentic New York-style bagels. A premium car wash sits across from the range.