The closely mown area of grass between the tee and the green is called the fairway.
The fairway is the intended playing corridor on most golf holes. Its grass is cut shorter and more evenly than the rough, giving golfers a cleaner lie and making it easier to strike the ball accurately. On a typical par-four or par-five hole, the tee shot is aimed toward the fairway before the player approaches the green.
Fairways can be straight, curved or divided by hazards. A hole that bends left is called a dogleg left; one that bends right is a dogleg right. Course designers use fairway width, slopes, bunkers, trees and water to shape strategic choices from the tee.
The fairway is not the same as the apron, which is the closely mown fringe around a putting green. The rough lies outside the fairway and is cut longer, while a bunker is a hazard filled with sand. On a par-three hole, players generally aim directly for the green, so there may be little or no conventional fairway to use.