I’m standing on the 18th tee looking at the grand façade of the Royal & Ancient headquarters in the distance at St Andrews, preparing to hit my drive – but I’m not really.

In fact, I’m in the heart of the Somerset countryside testing out the latest Toptracer technology at Farrington Park Golf Club which includes playing some of the world’s most iconic golf courses virtually.

As my drive disappears into the distance down the wide fairway, a sense of satisfaction pours through my veins as I look at trying to make birdie on the final hole at The Old Course thanks to the wonders of modern technology.

The virtual golf course is not only an entertaining way to pass your time at the range, it will completely transform how you practice and will likely help to lower your scores.

As someone who spends considerably more time on the range than on the course I know how dull practice can be, but Toptracer ranges offer something vastly different to what I am used to. This isn’t like reaching for your best driver and walloping 50 balls all over the range. It’s practice with a purpose and I had an absolute blast taking on St Andrews.

It is completely optional but if you visit a range where Toptracer is available then give it a try, even if it’s just once. You’ll almost certainly love it and if for some inexplicable reason you don’t, well it’s only cost you a few pounds.

Before activation you will need to download the free app to your smartphone, create an account and then scan a QR code from the monitor. After that, you’re good to go.

The range has numerous flags or targets at varying distances, all of which have been pre-loaded onto the monitor in your bay. The yardages to all of these targets are customised to each individual bay to ensure maximum accuracy on the simulation.

This accuracy comes via two cameras positioned on the roof either side of each individual bay. They track the flight of the ball for a limited distance which then allows Toptracer to gather enough information about the speed, height and direction of the ball to provide an accurate representation of where your shot is going to end up.

The use of these cameras provides something a little different to the data you would get from a launch monitor, which is the most commonly used shot measuring tool.

After selecting the game you wish to play, pick a target out on the range, select it on the monitor and that’s the line you need to hit all of your shots. It is highly advisable that you select a target which is fairly central to your bay as it makes your alignment much simpler. And remember, you aren’t hitting to the actual

target on the range, it’s only the line that matters. That can be a little disconcerting at first when you are hitting a 100-yard shot at a target 150 yards away, but the thing to focus on is the line, not the target.

So line up to your target, trust that you have the right club for the distance provided, swing away and then watch on the monitor to see the outcome. It’s incredibly satisfying when you turn to the screen and see your ball landing a few feet from the pin. You just don’t get that kind of buzz on normal range sessions.

One thing I can say without any hesitation is that I’ve never gotten so much out of a range session. It’s highly enjoyable but also manages to recreate the tension and stress that you normally only experience when playing an actual round of golf. That’s what makes Toptracer such a brilliant concept. It’s practice with a purpose.

Regularly practicing with Toptracer enabled should make you better at golf though.

One thing I can say for certain is that you will get much more out of a practice session using Toptracer than you would with a regular range session when most golfers end up just repeatedly smashing balls with the driver and not focusing too much about where they are going.

Another way in which it can help is by giving you accurate distances for each club. This is one of the most important things that can help amateur golfers improve. You simply must know exactly how far you hit each club otherwise you will be throwing strokes away needlessly on the course by taking the wrong club on approach shots.

One session using Toptracer will allow you to work that out and you’ll have a lot of fun doing it.

In fact, the ‘My Practice’ option exists specifically for this. You enter the club you want to use, hit a number of shots and by the end of the hour you have an accurate record of how far you hit each club in the bag and it’s only cost you a few pounds.

Nick Percy, the manager at Aintree Golf Centre told me that installing Toptracer was a real game changer for them. “As soon as we got to try it we knew we had to have it. It’s fantastic. I don’t know why every range doesn’t have it”.

So, if you’re serious about your golf or just want to start out in the game take a trip to Farrington Park and give it a go.

And if you’re wondering, no I didn’t make birdie, my ball ended in the Valley of Sin in front of the 18th green and I was unable to get up and down.