Golf term
Fairways in Regulation
Fairways in regulation (also called driving accuracy) is the percentage of par-4 and par-5 holes on which a golfer's tee shot comes to rest in the fairway.
Tracking fairways in regulation is a quick way to spot a recurring off-the-tee direction problem, but the stat has two significant blind spots. First, it ignores distance: a short straight drive that leaves 220 yards to the green scores the same as a long drive that leaves 80 yards, even though they create very different approach shot difficulty. Second, it treats a ball in the first cut of rough identically to a ball deep in trees — both are simply "missed fairway."
Strokes gained off the tee corrects both problems by pricing each tee shot in strokes based on the resulting distance and lie. A long drive in light rough often produces a better strokes gained number than a short drive in the fairway, which the raw fairways-hit count would call a win and a loss respectively. For players working to improve off the tee, strokes gained off the tee is the more actionable number to track; fairways in regulation is a useful secondary signal when combined with it. See the golf stats worth tracking for the full comparison.
Sources
Related terms & guides
Glossary
Greens in Regulation (GIR)
A green in regulation is reached when your ball is on the putting surface with at least two putts remaining for par — i.e. in one shot on a par 3, two on a par 4, or three on a par 5.
Strokes Gained
Strokes Gained Explained: The Complete Guide
Strokes gained measures every shot against a benchmark of expected scores, revealing exactly where you gain or lose strokes versus a chosen standard — instead of guessing from fairways, greens, and putts.
Glossary
Scoring Average
Scoring average is the mean number of strokes a golfer takes per round, calculated across a defined set of rounds.
Guide
The Golf Stats Worth Tracking
Guide
How to Track Your Golf Stats