Paths 5-8 feet wide that cross through fairways should not be called OB but casual relief areas so players don't throw from them. No problem with parallel paths being "OB and across" but not just OB itself. Paths themselves are fluky OB because a shot that would be OB if it were a trench, creek or flower bed does not end up OB because the disc skips or slides across the path inbounds. You have to be more unlucky versus less skillful to actually land on a path.
I don't exactly agree with you Chuck. I think that, in the case of the 3 foot creek, you've gotta look at the way the designer is using the creek to determine if it is a bad OB. As some examples...
260 foot par 3 - wide open - 3 foot wide creek running through it at 160 foot
If you're a new player that can't throw 200 any time you land anywhere it is often going to be random, so bad punishment for them. And it is irrelevant to most players with some moderate skill. -
NOT OB
260 par 3 - wooded tunnel - creek at 220
Assuming a fair 260 foot tunnel that a pro player can achieve, say 80% of the time, the creek becomes a decision you make. You have an 80% chance of achieving the green, and a 20% chance you don't. What this means is that 1 in 5 shots are going to clip something. Are you willing to take the chance that you may clip a tree near the creek and wind up out of bounds, compounding the damage? Or do you play for it? Chuck you've got a better sense of the numbers than me, but my experience has me feeling like it is more like a 60-40 chance for a high intermediate to advanced player. If you're clipping a tree nearly 50% of the time it becomes a question of: "Do I take the risk of going for the green, or do I play a layup to 200 which is more like an 80% proposition for me and then lay a conservative up play? -
OB
450 par 4 - wide wooded tunnel - creek at 390
Even for a high caliber pro player a 450 foot wooded par 4 reachable with some sort of natural line, maybe a slight S play or a right pan with minimal fade, with a tucked green on one side or the other (preventing direct approach to the basket without a kiss right or exaggerated late skip [tough at the end of a 450 foot shot]) - those trees at the edges of the tunnel are going to come into play for a shot with horizontal movement. The pro player is left with a decision: risk reward. Run for the green, and the very eagle-able par 4, or lay up and avoid all of the risk? -
OB
Obviously I'm thinking mostly about advanced and Open players and I don't want to type forever - but there are hundreds of ways to lay out examples for amateurs as well and hundreds more for the open and advanced guys. Regardless, in the end, the small creek turns into something that helps dictate the decision making strategies of the player. Just because it takes poor 'luck' to wind up in the OB does not mean you shouldn't make the creek out-of-bounds. It works well to shape the way you want players to approach the hole by virtue of its presence. At least, when I'm building my home-course in the future that is how I'll be thinking of it.