If you have ever played the game of golf before you likely know what a fairway is but for those who haven’t it is just another confusing piece of golf lingo. A fairway is the shortest cut grass between the tee box and the green.
Weirdly enough there is no official definition for the fairway in the USGA rule book. Though this term seems obvious to many you find that it is not mentioned in the rule book what so ever.
Why Is It Called A Fairway?
Originally this part of the course wasn’t called a fairway at all but rather a fair green. The term Fairgreen can be seen in the 1744 rulebook of the game of golf.
It wasn’t until over a century later that they began to call this area of the course a fairway. The term “fairway” is believed to have come from either freemasons or fisherman.
Freemasons were involved in the construction of most early clubs. Because of this, it is believed they may have come up with the term.
The theory that fisherman created this term stems from the nautical term “fairway”. Which refers to a course a ship could follow to a destination.
Why Do You Want To Land In The Fairway
It’s one thing to know what a fairway is, by why do you want your ball to be there? The main purpose behind landing in a fairway is to ensure you have a good opportunity to hit your ball accurately. One aspect that can make it more difficult to hit the ball is its “lie”.
A lie refers to how the ball is resting in its environment. If you land on a fairway you will find that your ball will be sitting on top of the short soft grass. Because of this it is considerably easier to hit.
You may find your ball is tangled in some long grass if you miss the fairway. These environments are much more difficult to hit from. As a result, it is quite important that you stay on the fairway as much as possible.
Conclusion Understanding Fairways In Golf
We hope you enjoyed our guide to understanding fairways in golf. If you have any questions about this article please let us know. You can do this by reaching out via our contact page or in the comments below.
If you did enjoy this article please check out some of our others. Such as our guides to understanding par three courses or understanding bogey golf.
