The closely mowed surface where players putt is called the green.
More formally, it is the putting green: the specially prepared area surrounding the hole where golfers normally use a putter. Its grass is cut much shorter than the fairway or rough so the ball can roll smoothly and predictably toward the cup.
A green is not necessarily flat. Slopes, ridges, tiers and subtle breaks affect the ball’s path, so golfers study the grain, speed and contours before choosing a line. The flagstick marks the hole’s location, which can be moved to different positions to distribute wear and change the challenge.
The fringe is the slightly taller grass around the green, while the fairway is the maintained corridor leading toward it and the rough is longer grass outside that corridor. Putts can be played from the fringe, but the shorter grass of the green is designed specifically for precision rolling.