If I only hit the ball 250 yards I would be having a bad day lol.
It come down to the clubs. The starters clubs you use have limited distances and accuracy. Many holes are not reachable in regulation with starters clubs depending on your Tier (the higher the tier, the longer the holes) and to progress you do need to upgrade at a point. There are plenty of ways to earn credits for free so you can upgrade your equipment. Alternatively you can buy credits to upgrade.
It certainly makes the game more enjoyable and you will see your score drop. My advice before upgrading is to ask the forum for advice so you can make an informed choice,