Do OB stakes speed up play?

[Peter_Bacon]

I have been supt. at Wyantenuck CC for 14 years and we have always had OB stakes all around the outside of the course. I have been receiving complaints about the picket fence look.This was supposed to speed up play I was told. I have been slowly getting rid of them, but this year I am getting rid of 50%. I am only putting them on the property boundries of the club and will try to educate the members about playing provisional balls. I do not think it speeds up play at all and also eliminates any chance for recovery shots. What do you think?

[Jim_Kennedy]

Peter,
Torrington changed a lot of their OB's to lateral for the Amateur qualifier but went back, I think to keep the rating up. That might not work at Wyantenuck either but we are thinking of doing it at Hotchkiss, at least on a couple of our holes. We have some situations where we can't make the change because we can't allow play from the dorm or faculty housing areas. We also have the road bisecting the course and can't allow play over them either.
As for speeding up play, I think it cuts both ways. OB stakes are pretty definite and members usually know when there is no chance of the ball being in. They won't even look for the ball many times. Take away the OB and some players are going to make the effort to find the ball, as it may be playable. If they do find it they may be taking a couple shots to get it out from the thick stuff around the edges, wasting more time. If they find the ball then they must deal with it and abandon the provisional ball anyway.  Leave the OB and many will just hit their provo and leave the ball where it lies, possibly wishing it best regards for the upcoming winter  
Or try the lateral approach. I think that addresses the pace of play as golfers can play the ball if found, abandon it if found without trudging back to the tee, or dropping at the
spot where their ball decided to visit the neighbors. A lot of players would probably not even take the full 5 minutes for the search because of the lessened penalty.
It also has the added effect of leaving more balls for Bill King.  

[Mark_Fine]

Any OB stake that is not really OB (off the property), I would remove!  Safety issues are unfortunately another matter.

[Paul Richards]

Peter:

Don't have a lot to add that hasn't been said above, but if
you want to speed up play and add a classical look to your
course, try those candy-cane poles, black-and-white, one
per hole, at the 150-yard spot, in the center of the fairway.

They look classy and they really do speed up play.

It becomes VERY noticeable when they remove them for
tournament play just how much people come to rely on them.

[Jeff Fortson]

Peter:

I have but one comment to make.....

National Golf Links Local Rule that is printed on the Scorecard-

THERE IS NO OUT OF BOUNDS ANYWHERE ON THE COURSE

I think that pretty much states true perfection of the out-of-bounds rule.

Jeff F.

[Paul Richards]

Jeff:

I really like that!

OB within the confines of a course, in most cases, borders
on the ridiculous.

Which brings to mind that dreadful place, the Links at
Spanish Bay ...

[Brian Phillips]

I don't like the OB rule because it penalises too hard.  I would love to have another marking, maybe black and white that shows your ball is in water but you are not allowed to look for it.
The player then would drop as with the same rule as a water hazard.  No harsh penalty, you have got the player moved on up the hole and no time wasting looking for the ball....

[Bob_Huntley]

I haven't played there for donkey's years but doesn't El Dorado C.C. in Palm Desert, have seven or eight ob's within the confines of the course?

[Mike Vegis @ Kiawah]

The Ocean Course is another course that has no O.B.  If you can find it, you can play it (even off the cart paths....).