# What greens in regulation means, and what it is worth

A green in regulation is reaching the putting surface with two putts left for par: par minus two, so one shot on a par 3, two on a par 4, three on a par 5. The fringe does not count and proximity does not matter.

## Key figures

- A tucked pin costs a golfer holding shots inside 9 yards of the line about 19 percentage points of greens hit, and one spreading them 27 yards either side only about 2.
- Greens in regulation falls with approach distance because dispersion patterns widen in proportion to how far the ball travels, so it is largely decided off the tee.

## Scope

- The dispersion model prices a target from a stated dispersion pattern; the figures describe that model rather than a census of how many greens an average handicap hits.

Full page: https://pinflag.io/greens-in-regulation