VIDEO: Kelowna Driving Range tees up Toptracer

No longer do you have to choose between the technical feedback of a golf simulator or the real-life experience of watching your ball in flight in the outdoors.

The Kelowna Driving Range has installed a state-of-the-art system that brings the two together, and they're ready for you to take a swing at it.

Toptracer uses cameras and monitors to track and analyze your shots, along with various ways to make it fun.

And if Wednesday's soft opening is any indication, there seems to be an appetite for it.

"Our initial response was amazing," said owner Bob Anderson. "We were only open about three hours and the tee line was pretty much full just from word of mouth."

To use Toptracer, golfers first download an app and take the time to input their particulars.

Very quickly, the system will likely know more about your golf shot than you do, right down to the spin on the ball.

"It's going to tell you how far you hit it, what the carry was, what the ball speed was, what the launch angle was, the curve, the height, the landing and how close you were to a target," said Anderson.

The program will keep track of your shots and which club you're using to make them.

"So for the first time," he said, 'you're not going to guess how close to the hundred marker was I, or how close to a target, you're going to see it exactly and you've got two views."

The system allows you and up to three of your friends to take your game to famous golf courses like St. Andrews or Pebble Beach for a round.

For kids, there is a game that turns the driving range into a simulated ocean with sharks and other sea creatures to shoot at, but it's the combination of real ball flight in the open air with the technical analysis that makes it a truly unique golf experience.

"You're hitting real golf balls on a real driving range with real-time stats," said Anderson.

The system is up and running and available on a first-come, first-served basis. The Kelowna Driving Range is open from 9 am to 6 pm Monday through Saturday and 9 am to 5 pm on Sundays.