It’s a predictable reaction. People watch the major championships and then want to get out and hit some balls at the driving range. The beauty of our time is that at the right facility, you can actually hit shots on the golf course you just saw on TV.

Last week, that was the case with Royal Troon, the links track in Scotland that hosted the 152nd Open Championship. Toptracer, the best-known ball tracking system because of its exposure in pro events, got together with the Royal & Ancient on a brand partnership, and the result was the Toptracer Global Challenge that allowed players to play Troon’s famous Postage Stamp par-3 hole both on-site in an indoor facility and at 1,000 Toptracer ranges around the world.

People went crazy hitting balls. In total, Toptracer said nearly 5,000 people participated and hit 523,000(!) shots. (That compares to the 34,710 strokes produced by the 157 player who were in the Open, won by Xander Schauffele.)

Among the other highlights: Seven players played at least 1,000 tee shots at the Stamp; there were 56 holes-in-one registered (none in the actual Open), with the Golf Club Luminous in Toyota, Japan, leading the way with 3,430 attempts. Maybe not surprisingly, the same club had the most aces with six.

Of course, nobody playing had to worry about where their shot ended up, and if they had to play sideways out of the Coffin Bunker like a good number of the pros did. And that’s the advantage of playing simulated golf and not for a living.

This article was originally published on golfdigest.com