Report

Missed this one..  The closer you are to the green is always better because of strokes gained unless the hole didn't let you hit Driver for obvious reasons.  With driver if you can carry the trees on the left and stay shot of the greenside bunker its the right call, but because of what you said this is not the right club.  With 3 wood you have plenty of room (60 yards playable with 50 yards of dispersion for the club).  You are only challenging a small bunker and you are leaving yourself 70 yards to the hole. Dropping back to 3 iron avoid the brown bunker but put another bunker in play so no gain there and all your shots are now 20 yards longer. Not a good trade. Last option, lay back to 4 iron were practically all your shots are going to be in play but you are going to play all of them from 120.  For me is a 3 wood all day long.   

I suggest you read the Model Local Rule to understand better.  The MLR is in effect only if the Committee chooses so.  The rule should be worded to identify which specific areas are impacted.  It could be a simple description, it could identify specific painted areas, certain holes,  there are a number of ways the Committee can define where "root relief" is available.

1) They may do either.  2) No The wording of the suggested LR is sufficiently variable.

Two questions: 1) Is this case by case only or can the committee do a 'general declaration? 2) If former then are they required to mark all the selected cases?

It's just my opinion, but like a lot of landscapers, trees were planted when they were small w/o taking into consideration their growth 10 / 20 years down the road.   Even some of the resort courses in northern Michigan have tree roots that extend into the fairway.   There are quite a few in my area that mow and trim around the tree roots.