How wide should a fairway be?

[Rob Marshall]

I played the Island at Innisbrook today. The 6th hole can't be more than 30 or 40 yards wide with a fairway bunker on the left side probably 225yards out.  The hole was playing 400 into the wind. You have jungle left and a forest right with tree roots sticking out of the ground up to 2 feet high. The fairway isn't 30 or 40 yards wide. That's jungle to forest. The play is probably hybrid hybrid.


What is a reasonable corridor width?

[Peter Pallotta]

Rob - my view is that a fairway should be a full 55 yards wide, BUT that it should also feature death-by-gorse-or-forests-or-massive pits of sand immediately outside of/abutting that generous strip of green. In other words, forget the "rough" or the "hazards" altogether, i.e. get rid of anything that impinges on those 55 yard-wide fairways, especially those shallow and forgiving fairway bunkers; but at the same time, give the golfer not an inch more than those 55 yards. In other words, give him freedom or give him death!
Peter

[BHoover]

It depends on several factors--wind, playing conditions, the type of course, etc. I don't think there is any "right" answer.

[Paul Gray]

Anywhere between 15 yards and 150 yards, but then I'm prescriptive like that. 

[Sean_A]

Depends on the terrain, typical weather and soil/turf.  On average for a sluggish, flatish course, I would say no less than 45 yards of fairway corridor that would not entail a lost ball.  However, I like relatively few, but deep bunkers slashing through fairways, some tilt and roll and keen conditions.  Add another 10-15 yards.


Ciao

[Adrian_Stiff]

There are no rules and variety is important, but 70 yards of corridor is a good yardstick. Fairways 30-35 yards in width are good yardstick. At the tee the corridor could narrow to as little as 10 yards widening to the maximum at 150. At the green the corridor could be down to 50 yards. In my world anything inside  these parameters is tight, outside its wide.

[cary lichtenstein]

Depends what surrounds it

[Patrick_Mucci]

Rob,
 
I think alot depends upon what's in close proximity to the fairway.
 
OB, Water, Woods, etc., etc..
 
I also believe that the length of the hole may have a bearing on the appropriate width.
 
You can't view fairway width in purely linear terms as a fairway could be 50 yards wide, but due to the sloping terrain, for all practical purposes, only 20-30 yards wide.
 
Shinnecock and WFW would be good examples of holes where fairway width isn't what you see and measure.

[Rob Marshall]

I hear you Pat, this particular hole is death left and torture right. The fairway is flat.  Close your eyes rip it and hope it's in play.

[Buck Wolter]

1/10th of the distance from the 16th tee to the clubhouse

[Patrick_Mucci]

I hear you Pat, this particular hole is death left and torture right. The fairway is flat.  Close your eyes rip it and hope it's in play.
 
Rob,
 
How long is the hole ?
 
And, are there any prevailing winds ?

[Joe Sponcia]

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[Rob Marshall]

I hear you Pat, this particular hole is death left and torture right. The fairway is flat.  Close your eyes rip it and hope it's in play.
 
Rob,
 
How long is the hole ?
 
And, are there any prevailing winds ?

431 from the tips. I was playing it at 400. It was playing into a 1 club wind. I'm playing it again on Saturday and I'll get the exact width for you.