I just noticed that Illustrator provides the option of using yards as an application-wide unit of measurement. Has this always been the case? Have I somehow missed it before now?
Even for large-format, does anyone really work in yards? How about cubits or fathoms?
I’ve never noticed before either. Probably a new ‘feature’ to make someone feel useful. But now that you pointed it out, I should probably add a conversion table to get yards into inches. Because it’ll be a fad soon.
Never saw the need for using “yards” for dimensions at all.
Keep it in inches and you’ll be fine…
I can think of reasons to use yards, but not fractions of yards (hence conversion table)
Give a designer an inch, they’ll take a yard. 
This designer thinks that “A Yard of Ale” sounds better than “91.44 cm of Ale”.