Garland,
I have seen two examples of that situation.
One was a golf befuddled by a tree between two fairway, wondering why it should be there to force him to decide whether to aim right or left. Have hears similar things about creeks, steep banks, bunkers, etc. Total waste of time to convince them that decisions making was probably the reason they were put there......or to offer punishment for bad thinking and swinging combined.
At Wild Wing, I had carved a grass bunker in front of the 15th tees. Lack of grade required me to let water in through a flared end section, rather than catch basin with a rim. A golfer in my group topped a tee shot, which got in that pipe, which flowed to a pond near the green. After putting out, we saw his ball plop out of the pipe on to the pond. He retrieved it and was happy to get the ball back, considering that a win (at $4 per ball, it probably is)