re: Play it up or down?

A very fair way to play a course when the conditions are not good is to allow a drop in the fairway cut if the lie is not good. No roaching the ball with your clubhead - just a drop on the spot the ball is at if the lie is terrible. This does not guarantee a perfect lie, but eliminates divots, bare areas or bad cuts on the fairways. Once we started playing this rule, it was amazing how little the ball was moved/dropped. In the rough we use it in the winter or as a "root rule".