It really depends what kind of balls they are and how beat up they are because all range balls are rejects from the company that made them.

When new, and while they retain their dimples(they wear down) they fly the same as a two piece distance ball

It all completely depends on how much spin you put on the ball and how hard you hit it.  Range balls will spin considerably more than a real ball would.  Range balls also don't have consistancy with compression.   So yardage wise , it totally depends what kind of range balls are being hit , and how strong of a player you are.  An average drive for me is around 315 and I lose around 25 to 30 yards hitting the range balls we have at my country club that I play at.  All in all it just depends on what kind of range ball and how hard you hit the ball.  But around probably 20 yard average for distance loss.. 

Hey Zach, I work part time at Stonegate Golf Club and at our range, you hit the balls into a man made lake. The balls that we use are floater balls and they tell me that these balls go about 85% the distance as a regular ball goes. Now I have also worked at a driving range that had a teaching academy in Orange Beach, Al with Tony Trevino (Lee's son) and the balls that we used there went the same distance as a regular ball. Now keep this in mind, that after all the beatings that these balls took, they did start to lose some distance on them. We would change them out every so often. Other ranges that I have been to that use a swoosh or Wilson range ball, I found the distance on them to be about the same as the ball I play. I hope this helps you out some here and I am sure that other members here will post what they think and have seen at other driving ranges.

David

Range ball distances vs. a regular Titleist ball can vary. Anywhere from just a couple of yards, to double digits. There are so many variables, such as: spin, ball cover, etc., that can play a part. 

Zach,

At the range that I use, the balls are a one piece design that doesn't allow the ball to fly out of the far end of the range.  The staff there told me that the difference compared to a regular ball is about 10%.  So a drive of 300 yds. would be 30yds. shorter, but a wedge of 110yds. would be only 11yds. shorter.  Hope this helps.

Mark F

There's a difference? LOL!

So many variables to consider, It seems in Ohio most private clubs use swoosh Range Balls...not sure where that is coming from.  Is that typical?  I thought Top Flite ruled the range ball market?

A few years back, our range which used TopFlt range balls and switched to the swoosh range ball because they were cheaper by the dozen. And we go through a lot of balls each year with our membership of 450, outside tourney play on Mondays, Spring, Summer and Fall, so $0.50 per dozen was a significant dollar figure each year. This year we switched again, to TM Range balls, the Head Pro said that swoosh had jacked up their price and now these were the least expensive range balls that are equal in flight characteristics to most premium balls on the market. All three makes would wear down over time, mostly due to the picker scuffing and would become smaller and affecting the dimple coverage as the covers wore off. At the end of the year (now) more than half of the balls are in this condition, I pick out the good balls for each session at the range (natural grass hitting area) and use some of the semi dimple balls only for warming up with 20 - 60 yard wedges. 15 years ago, I came up with an idea of bringing a bucket of hot water to the range to drop the balls into on days like this morning, 29 degrees. After 10 minutes in the water, the temperature of the balls would rise to about 90 degrees, and the water would cool down to 90 degrees from losing heat to the balls, and exposure to the cold air temperature. It makes practice a lot more beneficial when the ball is softer, more compressible, when I practice this way. I find that when a course uses these name brand balls, Titleist included at my courses down in California, they are very close to the yardages I get on the course. It helps that the ranges use color coded flags at six different yardages, measured each morning to account for moving the hitting area back each day to fresh grass. I look forward to the 'official' start of spring each year when the balls are all brand new each first Friday or Weekend of April. There are cheap one piece range balls that are inconsistent, others with reduced flight to keep balls in the range on ranges with short area available to the back fence. At one interclub site home and away, the clubs range is less than 200 yards, and the range balls are the shortest reduced distance balls I have ever come across, driver hitting half way up the 40 foot net, estimated loss of 40 yards. Floating balls to use on water ranges are always shorter, there is less mass to the ball to allow it to float, less mass, less distance.  Lastly, there are ranges that buy used found balls from people who hunt for lost balls for fun and some pocket money, these get striped at the range and are used for I don't know how long as I do not go to a facility as these are, I want a better value for consistent balls and not hitting off mats. Hope this helps some with your pursuit of determining what flight/distance potential of range balls.

i would say about a club shorter if you hit a 1 or 2 piece range ball. 

At my club, the balls are about the same.  At another club in town, they use the limited flight balls, which are about 20% shorter.  There is a club about an hour away that uses the Cayman balls, which really mess with your mind.  I usually don't hit range balls there, as it gives me no idea on distance.  I'll just chip and putt to warm up there.

It is probably best to ask the pro or pro shop attendant if your not familiar with the range, as they can give you a better idea based on the balls used.

From my experience on the range, every other day during the school year and almost every day in the summer, range balls fly the same distance but will roll forever. A half swing pitching wedge for me with my prov1x will usually fly 110 yards and stop within a foot or spin back, but with range balls, it flies 110 and rolls out about another 10 or more yards.