Here is the scenario that happened today in the group in front of me in our club championships.

Par 4 with water all the way down the left.

Player hits his first ball into the water directly in front of the tee. Goes to the end of the tee box to hit his next and puts it in the fairway.

The next shot is pulled into the water. next to the green. There is an old drop zone that has been crossed out with the new one next to it. He drops into the wrong drop zone and plays his next shot. His marker call him to play it again from the correct drop zone. He walks up to his ball on the green picks it up and throws it in the water. Goes back to his bag, pull out another ball and throws it into the correct drop zone from 10y away.

He then proceeds to chip onto the green and two putts.

I find out after the round he signed for an 8.

His marker did not say anything about it and allowed the card to be handed in.

Later in the day he was also seen standing with both feet together directly behind the ball in the rough and nothing was said.

I hate cheats.

LOL what exactly is the ruling in that situation?

Off the top of my head, and I'm far from sure about this in most of the things he did.

One off the tee
Penalty
Shot to the fairway
Shot in the water
Drop (in the wrong place)
Plays from the wrong place (two shots???)
Corrects it, but makes an incorrect drop (one shot???)
Chips on
Putt
Putt

For 11. Having said that, I think DQ is probably the only real option for such blatant disregard for the rules (throwing his ball into the drop zone from ten yards away). NB I'm assuming that there is no penalty for throwing the ball away and using another one. It's possible that is another two shots for an incorrectly substituted ball, but I don't think so.

The 8 he signed for could only be correct if he took no penalty for playing from the wrong place and then subsequently no penalty for the incorrect drop, neither of which is correct, surely, so DQ is the right choice for signing for an incorrect score.

R&A Rules of Golf (Australia)

20-7. Playing from Wrong Place
a. General
A player has played from a wrong place if he makes a stroke at his
ball in play:
(i) on a part of the course where the Rules do not permit a stroke to
be played or a ball to be dropped or placed; or
(ii) when the Rules require a dropped ball to be re-dropped or a
moved ball to be replaced.
Note: For a ball played from outside the teeing ground or from a
wrong teeing ground – see Rule 11-4.
b. Match Play
If a player makes a stroke from a wrong place, he loses the hole.
c. Stroke Play
If a competitor makes a stroke from a wrong place, he incurs a penalty of
two strokes under the applicable Rule. He must play out the hole with the
ball played from the wrong place, without correcting his error, provided he
has not committed a serious breach (see Note 1).
If a competitor becomes aware that he has played from a wrong place and
believes that he may have committed a serious breach, he must, before
making a stroke on the next teeing ground, play out the hole with a second
ball played in accordance with the Rules. If the hole being played is the last
hole of the round, he must declare, before leaving the putting green, that he
will play out the hole with a second ball played in accordance with the
Rules.
If the competitor has played a second ball, he must report the facts to the
Committee before returning his score card; if he fails to do so,
he is disqualified.The Committee must determine whether the competitor
has committed a serious breach of the applicable Rule. If he has, the score
with the second ball counts and the competitor must add two penalty
strokes to his score with that ball. If the competitor has committed a serious
breach and has failed to correct it as outlined above, he is disqualified.
Note 1: A competitor is deemed to have committed a serious breach of
the applicable Rule if the Committee considers he has gained a significant
advantage as a result of playing from a wrong place.
Note 2: If a competitor plays a second ball under Rule 20-7c and it is
ruled not to count, strokes made with that ball and penalty strokes incurred
solely by playing that ball are disregarded. If the second ball is ruled to
count, the stroke made from the wrong place and any strokes subsequently
taken with the original ball including penalty strokes incurred solely by
playing that ball are disregarded.
Note 3: If a player incurs a penalty for making a stroke from a wrong
place, there is no additional penalty for substituting a ball when not
permitted.

Substituted Ball;Wrong Ball
Rule 15
15-1. General
A player must hole out with the ball played from the teeing ground,
unless the ball is lost or out of bounds or the player substitutes another
ball, whether or not substitution is permitted (see Rule 15-2). If a
player plays a wrong ball, see Rule 15-3.
15-2. Substituted Ball
A player may substitute a ball when proceeding under a Rule that
permits the player to play, drop or place another ball in completing the
play of a hole.The substituted ball becomes the ball in play.
If a player substitutes a ball when not permitted to do so under the
Rules, that substituted ball is not a wrong ball; it becomes the ball in play.
If the mistake is not corrected as provided in Rule 20-6 and the player
makes a stroke at a wrongly substituted ball, he loses the hole in match
play or incurs a penalty of two strokes in stroke play under the
applicable Rule and, in stroke play, must play out the hole with the
substituted ball.
Exception: If a player incurs a penalty for making a stroke from a
wrong place, there is no additional penalty for substituting a ball when
not permitted.
(Playing from wrong place – see Rule 20-7)
15-3.Wrong Ball
a. Match Play
If a player makes a stroke at a wrong ball, he loses the hole.
If the wrong ball belongs to another player, its owner must place a ball
on the spot from which the wrong ball was first played.
If the player and opponent exchange balls during the play of a hole, the
first to make a stroke at a wrong ball loses the hole; when this cannot be
determined, the hole must be played out with the balls exchanged.
Exception: There is no penalty if a player makes a stroke at a wrong ball
that is moving in water in a water hazard. Any strokes made at a wrong
ball moving in water in a water hazard do not count in the player’s score.
The player must correct his mistake by playing the correct ball or by
proceeding under the Rules.
76
Rule 15 / 16 77
b. Stroke Play
If a competitor makes a stroke or strokes at a wrong ball, he incurs a
penalty of two strokes.
The competitor must correct his mistake by playing the correct ball or
by proceeding under the Rules. If he fails to correct his mistake before
making a stroke on the next teeing ground or, in the case of the last
hole of the round, fails to declare his intention to correct his mistake
before leaving the putting green, he is disqualified.
Strokes made by a competitor with a wrong ball do not count in his
score. If the wrong ball belongs to another competitor, its owner must
place a ball on the spot from which the wrong ball was first played.
Exception: There is no penalty if a competitor makes a stroke at a
wrong ball that is moving in water in a water hazard. Any strokes made
at a wrong ball moving in water in a water hazard do not count in the
competitor’s score.
(Lie of ball to be placed or replaced altered – see Rule 20-3b)
(Spot not determinable – see Rule 20-3c)

I'm still confused LOL

sounds like your marker doesnt know the rules either from my understanding.

1 tee shot in water
2 drop
3 shot to water by green
4 drop
5 chip(from wrong drop)
6 penalty stroke
7 penalty stroke
8 (should have been played from where the ball lies) but he threw his ball and didnt play it from there so he should be DQ'ed

that is my interpritation of it.

maggot's post suggests that if he was in serious breach, then he should have played from the correct drop zone (which he did), but if it was not a serious breach (sounds very much like it wasn't) then he should have played it out. You could argue that when he redropped, he played from the wrong place again, incurring a further two stroke penalty. This seems harsh though. Doesn't mean it's wrong, but if the penalty is more severe for a non-serious breach than a serious breach, it feels like things aren't right.

That said, Decision 20-7c/2 specifically mentions a similar situation (this one's on a putting green, but I think it is still applicable:

Q: In stroke play, A mistakenly replaced his ball in front of B's
ball-marker (which was near A's ball-marker) and putted.
The ball came to rest about one foot from the hole. The
error was then discovered and A lifted his ball without
marking its position, placed it in front of his own ballmarker
and finished the hole. What is the ruling?

A: When A replaced his ball in front of B's ball-marker and
putted, he played from a wrong place and incurred a
penalty of two strokes; the ball was in play (Rule 20-7c).
When A then lifted his ball from where it lay about one
foot from the hole without marking its position and did not
replace it, he incurred the general penalty (two strokes) for a
breach of Rule 20-1 – see second paragraph of Rule 20-1.
Thus, A incurred a total penalty of four strokes. (Revised
– Formerly 20-7b/2)

So I think the answer is 13 (which incidentally isn't one of the poll options).

One off the tee
Penalty
Third to the fairway
Fourth in the lake
Penalty
Sixth from the wrong drop zone
Penalty
Penalty
Ninth from the right drop zone
Penalty
Penalty
Putt
Putt

For 13. Ouch. I assume that since he was playing from the wrong place the second time, it doesn't matter how the ball came to be in the wrong place, so the fact he threw it in there is not relevant (I think anyway).

Some leagues adopt a double par maximum rule. I'm not saying yours does or it's right, I'm just saying that would be an 8.

If that had been the case, the OP would not have posted in the first lace, and would not have written "cheat"

The player does not have a score for the hole.

When he played a stroke from the wrong DZ, it didn't appear to be a serious breach ("There is an old drop zone that has been crossed out with the new one next to it.")

He should simply have played the ball as it lay on the putting green and should have played his 8'th stroke from there.
Instead he picked up his ball in play and played it from a wrong place (not the previous place) and because he did not replace the ball or play a stroke from the previous spot, he will be DQ'ed if he tee's off the next teeing ground.

Dq signing for an incorrect score.
Taking an incorrect drop.
Probably didnt declare the ball he was using after throwing his other in the water.

Unless the second one was a serious breach (highly unlikely since he played from a worse position) there shouldn't be a DQ at this point. DQ comes later for signing for an incorrect score

I don't get this part.....???

edit: suggesting he tamped down the grass behind his ball?

Yep, improving his lie, the grass was way above the ball before he decided to stand there.

I think this is probably right. I would love a definitive answer though.

Being a 4 round club championship with both gross and nett results for A,B & C grades there is no maximum on a hole. This is the clubs second most prestigious event after the pro-am/tour event.

Only one way to stop him cheating, speak to the committee about what you saw asnd they'll keep and eye out for him. He'll come unstuck in the end as someonewho knows the rules inside out, and won't take any cheating, will play with him sooner of later.

I agree and stand corrected.

Gee, I came up with 16 strokes. I'm assuming that there was not a serious breach of the rules because it doesn't appear that the player gained a significant advantage. Thus, there was no need for the player to hit from the correct drop zone. In any event, even if he thought he had committed a serious breach, he should have holded out with the first ball and played a second ball from the correct drop zone and let the Committee figure out which score to count.

1. tee shot into water
2. penalty for taking relief (26-1)
3. stroke onto fairway
4. stroke into water
5. penalty for taking relief (26-1)
6. stroke to green from old (i.e. incorrect) drop zone
7. penalty for playing from the wrong place (20-7)
8. penalty for playing from the wrong place
9. penalty for moving a ball at rest (18-2)
10. penalty for illegal substitution (15-2)
11. penalty for illegal substitution
12. stroke to green from new drop zone
13. penalty for playing from the wrong place (20-7)
14. penalty for playing from the wrong place
15. putt
16. putt

I think the thing is that when you assign the penalty for playing from the wrong place (numbers 13 and 14 in your post), that expunges the penalty for illegal substitution and also for moving a ball at rest. At present, you have five penalty strokes for what was effectively one "error". See 20-7 Note 3, which states:

Note 3: If a player incurs a penalty for making a stroke from a wrong place, there is no additional penalty for substituting a ball when not permitted.

At least, this is where it says it in the R&A rules, I assume that the USGA one is identical. I think the same logic applies in the moving a ball at rest one. Once he picked that up, he should have replaced it under penalty of one stroke, but he didn't, he went and played it from the wrong place, so receives a two stroke penalty instead, not as well as. I think anyway.

I thought about that, but a double snowman is more poetic than a 13. However, after reading the rules again, I do agree with not penalizing the player for the incorrect substitution. And I think you might be right about the one stroke penalty for moving the ball at rest.

Any rules officials on here to give a definite answer?

Thanks for the replies so far.

Did he play the exact same ball type throughout the hole/round?

lol this isn't the tour i don't think the one ball rule would apply