ball hits patron

what is the rule as to where the ball is played from if it hits a patron?

Rub of the green. Play it as it lies.

i believe there is a rule for when a patron purposely hits the ball. what is that rule?

LMAO..they call it Arnie's Army...lol..story goes they use to love Arnold Palmer so much, that if missed the fairway, people would kick his ball back into play, and if he was missing the green they would jump in front of the ball to make it bounce onto the green.

Generally speaking rule 18 covers balls, specifically what you are talking about is

18-1 By Outside Agency;If a ball at rest is moved by an outside agency, there is no penalty and the ball must be replaced.
(Player’s ball at rest moved by another ball — see Rule 18-5.)

or
as Lowpost said:

Rub of the Green
A “rub of the green’’ occurs when a ball in motion is accidentally deflected or stopped by any outside agency (see Rule 19-1).

You can goto this URL to see all the rule 18 covering balls:
http://www.usga.org/playing/rules/bo...le18.html#18-1

Like GoNavy said, there's a difference between a ball AT REST moved by an outside agency (replace ball as near as possible to original spot), and a moving ball that hits an object (play it where it lies).

Dang it, I was hoping the next time I drove into someone on a par 5 and they put the ball on a tee, I got to hit it from the tee. LOL