There it goes… a wild slice arcing deep into the woods, just seconds after your buddy wished you a good round. The thought immediately pops into your head: Can I hit another one? This feeling is as old as the game itself, and the mulligan a cherished, if unofficial, part of golf lore. This article gets right to the heart of that question, clarifying what a mulligan really is, when you can take one, and the important etiquette that goes along with it.
In the simplest terms, a mulligan is a "do-over" shot in golf, taken without a penalty stroke. You top your drive off the first tee? You might take a mulligan. Shank an iron shot into the lake? You might be tempted to claim a mulligan. It’s essentially a free pass to replay a poorly executed shot, hoping for a better result the second time around.
While the exact origin is debated, the most popular story attributes it to a Canadian golfer named David Mulligan in the 1920s. As the story goes, after hitting a terrible opening tee shot, he simply re-teed and hit again, dubbing it a "correction shot." His friends found it amusing and named the practice after him. Whether that tale is 100% accurate doesn't much matter, the term stuck, and the mulligan became an ingrained tradition in casual golf worldwide.
It's important to understand this history because it speaks to the spirit of the mulligan - it was born from a place of friendly camaraderie, not from a desire to bend official rules.
This is where most golfers get confused, so let’s make it crystal clear. There is a massive difference between playing by the official rules of golf and playing a casual-friendly round.
Let's get this out of the way first. Under the official Rules of Golf as written by the USGA and The R&A, the mulligan does not exist. Period.
In any format of play that is considered "official," taking a mulligan is a breach of the rules. This includes:
Playing a second ball from the tee after a bad first shot without following the proper procedure is playing from a wrong place and incurs a penalty. The proper procedure, if you hit a shot out of bounds or believe it to be lost, is to declare a provisional ball or take a stroke-and-distance penalty. You don't get to erase the bad shot from history simply because you didn't like it. Taking an un-penalized "do-over" would invalidate your score for that hole and for the round, making it ineligible for handicap purposes.
So, if mulligans are illegal in "real" golf, when can you take one? The mulligan lives and breathes in the world of informal, casual golf. The entire point of these rounds is to have fun, enjoy the company of friends, and get some fresh air. In this context, a mulligan can be a great tool to keep frustration levels down and the pace of the game moving.
Acceptable situations for mulligans typically include:
Simply because you’re playing a casual round doesn’t mean it’s a mulligan free-for-all. To keep the game fun and fair for everyone in your group, it’s important to follow some generally accepted "mulligan etiquette." Sticking to these guidelines ensures no one feels like the privilege is being abused.
This is the most important rule of all. Don't just assume mulligans are in play. Before anyone tees off, have a quick chat about the "house rules" for the day. A simple, "Hey guys, are we playing first-tee mulligans today?" or "What's the mulligan situation?" sets the expectation for everyone. Common agreements include:
By agreeing beforehand, you remove any potential for awkwardness or conflict later in the round.
A mulligan is a privilege, not a pass to slow down the entire golf course. If you decide to hit one, do it quickly. Don't take another five minutes to deliberate, take practice swings, and go through a full pre-shot routine. Grab your ball, tee it up, take a quick look at your target, and swing away promptly.
The cardinal sin is causing your group to fall behind the pace of play. Your second chance should never make the group waiting behind you wait longer.
Mulligans are intended for truly horrendous shots. Think of these scenarios:
A mulligan is not for a perfectly fine drive that just ends up in the light rough instead of the fairway. It’s not for an approach shot that hits the green but is 40 feet from the pin instead of 15. Using a do-over to upgrade a decent shot to a great one is poor form and misses the spirit of the mulligan entirely.
This is a an almost universally understood part of the etiquette. Mulligans are for a tee shots or maybe a full iron shot from the fairway. They are never for:
Once you are within about 30-40 yards of the green, the mulligan window has closed.
Remember, no matter what you decide, the ball you choose to play becomes your ball in play. You can't hit a mulligan and then, if it's worse, decide to play your original shot. Once you re-tee, your first ball is officially out of play.
As a coach, I encourage players to think about the bigger picture. While a mulligan can save you from a bad start and make a casual round more enjoyable, relying on it too often can hinder your long-term improvement.
The Downside: Golf is a game of managing misses. Learning how to recover from a bad shot - punching out of the trees, hitting a clever recovery from the rough, or dealing with the pressure of a long "second" putt after a poor chip - is a massive part of getting better. The mulligan acts as a mental crutch, removing the need to learn these indispensable recovery skills. It lets you erase your mistakes rather than learning from them.
The Upside: On the other hand, for a beginner or a high-handicapper, a disastrous first tee shot can ruin their mindset for the next several holes. A quick, guilt-free mulliganことができます help them relax, find a rhythm, and actually enjoy the rest of their round, which is the ultimate goal. For this reason, especially with nervous or new golfers, I fully support the "breakfast ball."
In short, understanding when to take a mulligan in golf is all about context. They have no place in official, competitive, or handicap rounds, but they are a perfectly acceptable, and often enjoyable, part of casual golf when used with clear and agreed-upon etiquette. Always agree on the rules with your partners before you play, use them for truly bad shots only, and never let your do-over slow down the game.
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