On course club distances vs range distances

I'm getting back into golf after a hiatus. Been to the range and Top Golf but not yet on the course. I'm pretty sure the balls I will use on the course will perform way better than the range balls or Top Golf balls. But, no idea how much better distance wise or even trajectory wise. Guess I need to go later in the evenings when it is less crowded and hit multiple balls on the course to get a feel for my true distances. I know a Titleist ProV1 will play completely different than a Pinnacle Range ball.

Ball flight with the range balls was good. Most shots were pretty straight or slight draw. But really couldn't gauge distances on a very flat driving range. I was a 2.9 handicap index before my hiatus. But, it has been 3 yrs.

The range balls are probably "reduced flight" meaning they don't go as far as regular golf balls. The Pinnacle range balls at the range i go to are 10% to 15% shorter than the Bridgestones i currently use. The club i usually hit 150 yds goes only 135 when i hit yellow Pinnacle range balls, it's kinda frustrating really but i've learned to deal with it.

The range balls I use most often are the most hideous balls in existence. They’re mostly ones the course has found or drudged from lakes. Out of a large bucket (maybe 85 balls?) there are maybe 10-15 that I’ll even hit with driver. The worst of the worst are for half wedge shots (these are the balls so old that they have almost no dimples and partially cut, torn covers. the next group (still terrible, but what we’d hit full wedges with) are mostly intact and have greater than 25% of their original dimples, but less than 50%.

Well you get the picture but it’s the only range that’s convenient to my house. It’s a money issue there. The course has potential to be a nice course but 25.00-30.00 bucks a round golf is the norm around here for 18 w/cart so not many will pay much more than that unless the course is head and shoulders above the others. There’s a couple nice courses that are in the 40.00-50.00 range, so people just won’t spend more than 30.00 on the second tier ones. Even with 20.00 rounds, they aren’t exactly stacked with a full tee sheet either, other then weekend mornings.