What Is a Mulligan in Golf? History, Etiquette & Pro Tips
Some who have played it have called golf “the hardest game in the world.” At the very least, no one believes it’s easy. That’s perhaps one reason the mulligan was invented—to relieve the frustration from a bad shot. A mulligan is a do-over. It’s when a golfer, unsatisfied with the result of their shot, takes the same shot again. It’s a unique golf concept. No other sport allows a replay for a competitor. Mulligans aren’t legal in tournament competitions. But they’re very much a part of weekend golf outings with your buddies. A mulligan can also be used as a form of practice. If you hit a bad shot, you can try it again until you get it right or at least get it better.
History of the Mulligan
There are several conflicting mulligan stories floating around that claim the original use of the term “mulligan.” One story, dating back to the 1920s, involves a Canadian amateur golfer named David Bernard Mulligan. Mulligan arrived at the first tee, hit a bad shot and then teed up the ball again and took another shot. He told his playing partners that he took a “correction shot”, which he called a “mulligan.” A variation of that story has Mulligan arriving late for his tee time after a long car ride and then hitting a bad drive. Mulligan asked for another drive, which became the “mulligan.” A third story revolves around Buddy Mulligan, a caddie at Essex Fells Country Club in New Jersey in the 1930s. Mulligan used to fill in as a fourth golfer sometimes. Because he was called away from work, Mulligan didn’t have time to warm up. His playing partners would allow him a “mulligan” to make up for his lack of a warmup. There are various newspaper accounts of the term “mulligan” that predate the stories from David and Buddy Mulligan. It’s hard to know exactly when the term started but a mulligan has been used for decades in golf.
8 Ways to Describe a Mulligan
A mulligan isn’t just called a mulligan in golf circles. There can be variations of a standard mulligan for golfers. What’s important about using mulligans in a round of golf is that everyone agrees before play starts what the rules are for the mulligans. Often, if players have friendly wagers in their groups, they’ll allow 1 mulligan per round. The group can set their own stipulations as to how the mulligan must be used. Some players might only allow a mulligan on the first tee. Others might allow players to choose when they play their mulligan. There are numerous games you can play with different variations of mulligans. Below are 8 different types of mulligans.
Replay: The most common and straightforward way to describe a mulligan is it’s a repeat or replay of the same shot.
Breakfast Ball: If you’re playing a morning round of golf, the breakfast ball is a term for a bad shot, usually off the tee, that a player repeats. Often, players will agree to allow 1 breakfast ball.
Charity Ball: A charity ball is another form of a mulligan. It’s a “free shot” without penalty. In charity golf outings, teams can often buy a mulligan. For instance, a team that’s playing in a scramble, where 4 players get to hit the same shot on each hole until the ball is in the cup, a team could perhaps pay $50 for an extra drive off the tee for each player.
Two-Off-the-First Tee: Hitting 2 drives off the first tee is a common deal that weekend golfers agree to. It often happens when golfers arrive at the course late, and they don’t have time to warm up. The first ball can be considered a warmup shot. In this situation, a golfer often automatically takes 2 drives off the first tee and then uses the best drive. Since your drive is the first shot, it’s the time when you’re often not loosened up.
Lunch Ball: A lunch ball is a replay of a shot for an afternoon round.
Provisional Mulligan: A provisional mulligan is when you play a second shot but because it turns out worse than the first shot, you use your first shot. It means you discard your mulligan.
Reverse Mulligan: A reverse mulligan is when an opponent can force you to replay a good shot. That means the first shot doesn’t count but the second shot will count.
Gilligan: A gilligan is a noble gesture by your playing opponent to allow you to replay a bad shot as a mulligan.
It’s important to understand there isn’t a penalty associated with a mulligan. In tournament play, if a golfer hits the ball out of bounds, it’s a 2-stroke penalty. A golfer must tee the ball up again and instead of lying 1 after their tee shot, they’ll be lying 3 if their first shot went out of bounds. If a golfer hits their tee shot out of bounds and takes a mulligan, there’s no penalty.
The Purpose of a Mulligan
The biggest reason golfers take a mulligan? It can make the game more enjoyable. A mulligan offers relief for a bad shot. In golf, the second shot is almost always better. Below are 3 reasons to play with mulligans.
Practice: Do you want to get better at a particular shot? A great way to practice on the course is to take a mulligan. Or to take multiple mulligans. Often, players will go on the course alone and hit the same shot several times to get an understanding of what parts of it work and what don’t. Those types of practice rounds really involve multiple mulligans.
Speed Up Play: If you hit a bad shot, and it goes into the woods or the weeds, you’ll likely spend time looking for the ball. If you take a mulligan, you can just hit the shot again and move on.
Strategy: If you're playing a game with your partners, a mulligan can be used at an optimal time in your round to help you out. A mulligan can add another layer of complexity to an informal game.
The main concept to understand with mulligans is that for the most part, they’re meant to help golfers make it more fun to play.
