OB Local Rule Required or Optional?

[Brock]

I may not fully understand the options here. The Local OB rule was in place for a league. I snapped one hard left that I wanted to re-tee but the group said the league plays local rule and drop hitting 4 to speed up play.

I think I would have been better off re-teeing as a typical drive would have gotten me way more yards. Yes, could have went OB again, but where I dropped I was looking to make 7 at best. I didn’t push the issue and dropped, but felt like I could still retee. My google search didn’t immediately answer my question. 

[ChetlovesMer]

11 minutes ago, Brock said:

I may not fully understand the options here. The Local OB rule was in place for a league. I snapped one hard left that I wanted to re-tee but the group said the league plays local rule and drop hitting 4 to speed up play.

I think I would have been better off re-teeing as a typical drive would have gotten me way more yards. Yes, could have went OB again, but where I dropped I was looking to make 7 at best. I didn’t push the issue and dropped, but felt like I could still retee. My google search didn’t immediately answer my question. 

Did you ask a league official?

To my understanding, the local rule gives you the option to drop and play 4. 
As I understand it, even with the rule in affect you always have the option to retee and hit 3. 

[DaveP043]

Search for the Local Rule E-5 in Section 8 of the Committee Procedures here:

https://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/rules/rules-2019/rules-of-golf/rules-and-interpretations.html#!ruletype=cp&section=rule&rulenum=8

The drop procedure is specifically defined as an alternate ("...the player MAY take relief....") to taking stroke and distance relief, it doesn't require you to take the drop.  As long as Stroke and Distance is one of your options, hitting a provisional is also an option.  However, you should remember that once you hit a provisional, you may not invoke E-5 for your original ball, although you can use it for your provisional.  If you don't find the first one, your provisional is stroke 3, invoke E-5 and drop with 2 penalty strokes, you're lying 5.

[Shorty]

This would be like insisting that you take a particular option for an unplayable lie rather than another option. Or demanding that you do or don't remove the flag. 

It must be great to play golf in competitions run by people who know nothing about golf.

[dennyjones]

I played a course a few years back where the marshal would not allow me to retee the first tee shot that found water.  They were pushing everyone to play fast.   

I just wrote it off as a "thing".   Did it follow the rules of golf, no,  but it wasn't the end of the world and I lived to play another day.  

OB may be another issue but the intent is to speed up play.  

[Missouri Swede]

Seems like the league (for @Brock) and the marshal (for @dennyjones) want to negate the unambiguous wording of rule 18.1. 
 

Quote

At any time, a player may take stroke-and-distance relief by adding one penalty stroke and playing the original ball or another ball from where the previous stroke was made (see Rule 14.6).
The player always has this stroke-and-distance relief option:
    •    No matter where the player’s ball is on the course, and
    •    Even when a Rule requires the player to take relief in a certain way or to play a ball from a certain place.

“No thanks, we’re playing by the R of G today, marshal.”

[Brock]

Appreciate the direction and clarifications here. 
 

The “league official” is unfortunately less of a rules expert than myself (and more focused on drinking beer). I’ll be better prepared next go. The league is more on the casual side from what I’d guess many on here prefer to deal with, myself included.