re: Looking for opinions on playing by the rules but also being “fair”

When adding scores to my handicap I usually default to the rules used by my club in most of the tourneys.

We will decide bunker play ahead of time and is almost always, lift, rake and place.

On or just off the fairway we can play it "up" one scorecard so long as the situation isn't improved. Meaning, you can't move your ball from the rough to the fairway or fringe to the green BUT you can keep the ball on the fringe and move it within a scorecard.

They will generally mark bad spots on the course as ground under repair so it's pretty easy to know what those areas are, look like, etc. so you aren't penalized for a good shot.

A bad spot just off the green totally missing grass, okay..move it.

Under a tree 25' from the green...you play it from the same location (or close to).