What is a Mulligan in Golf: History & Origin Explained
By Mike Bailey
If you play golf, you’ve probably heard of a Mulligan, even though there’s nothing in the Rules of Golf that explicitly allows it.
But do you know the origin of the term? Does anybody, really? There are stories, of course, but the one aspect that everyone seems to agree upon is that it originated with a fella named “Mulligan.”
What is a Mulligan?
But first, let’s define “Mulligan.” It’s a do-over, and it doesn’t just apply to golf. I’ve heard it in many other references. For example, when a musician starts playing a song and hits a wrong note, that person might take a Mulligan and start the song over.
I once interviewed a famous baseball pitcher who was also a passionate golfer. He said there were many first innings during his baseball career when he wished he could take a Mulligan and start the game over if he gave up a run or two early.
But on the golf course, it’s the privilege of redoing a bad shot — most commonly a tee shot — and not counting the first one. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve played a friendly match, and my opponent took a Mulligan on the first tee only to win the first hole. Of course, I’ve probably benefited from Mulligans on a couple of occasions as well, but I can’t seem to remember them.
Mulligans Aren’t Exactly Legal
Again, I have to emphasize that employing a Mulligan is not following the Rules of Golf. According to the Rules, if you drop another ball on the golf course, you are assessed a one-stroke penalty plus distance. There are no Mulligans in real tournaments, although you might be able to buy them in charity scrambles, which isn’t exactly a real tournament (teams often shoot notoriously low and suspect scores at charity scrambles).
Scramble rules aren’t in the Rules of Golf either. (A scramble is a format where each player on a team hits a shot, the team then picks the best or preferred shot, and each player hits from there until the ball is holed out.)
Since the idea of a charity scramble is really to raise money for a good cause, Mulligans are often sold before the event to help raise more money.
In other words, players might pay an extra $20 for a pair of Mulligans to be used anywhere on the course, either on the tee shot, on an approach, or most commonly, on a putt, where all members of the team might have already missed a crucial eagle or birdie try, for example.
In casual play among friends, Mulligans are rarely used on putts, and they are usually not used well into the round. Although I’ve played in groups from time to time, where everyone is granted one Mulligan to use whenever.
Is a Breakfast Ball a Mulligan?
Most commonly, a Mulligan might be granted on the first tee, especially if players haven’t warmed up on the driving range. In these cases, it’s usually referred to as a “breakfast ball,” although I’ve also heard them called “lunch balls” when a group tees it up later in the day.
The breakfast ball designation comes with a certain understanding that once you’re off the first tee, you don’t get any more Mulligans. After all, the excuse for the breakfast ball is usually that you’re not warmed up, which doesn’t apply to the rest of the round.
Still, many casual players seem to hit unlimited Mulligans throughout a round, especially if they don’t keep score. That can be pretty annoying to others in the group, especially if that player tends to look for all those balls. And if a player does keep score while using Mulligans, is the score legit?
The answer to the last question, of course, is “no.” And if you’re using Mulligans, you shouldn’t be posting your scores for your GHIN (Golf Handicap Information Network) handicap.
Quite honestly, it’s dishonest, although if you are, you’re certainly not sandbagging since your handicap is going to be lower than it would have been had you not used Mulligans. (Some called this reverse sandbagging or setting up a vanity handicap.)
How Did This Mulligan Thing Start?
So you might be thinking the Mulligan started in Ireland since it’s an Irish name. But that doesn’t appear to be the case.
There are two popular theories, but it doesn’t seem like the term became commonplace until several decades after the golfers named Mulligan played the game.
One was a Canadian golfer named David Mulligan, who played at the Country Club of Montreal back in the 1920s. Legend has it that David Mulligan, who was a bit jumpy or nervous on the first tee, hit a poor tee shot, re-teed, and hit another, calling the second one a “correction shot.” He eventually brought the concept to the storied Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, N.Y.
Another theory has this practice named after John “Buddy” Mulligan, who was a locker room attendant at Essex Fells Country Club in New Jersey back in the 1930s.
The story goes that after he would finish cleaning the locker room, he would play a round with the assistant pro and a member or two. Because they were able to practice before their round, and he wasn’t, he believed he was entitled to an extra shot if he needed it when the round began.
He would tell the members about his privilege, and the members started putting the practice in play as well, referring to the do-over as a Mulligan.
Having fun with Mulligans
Regarding the concept of the Mulligan being illegal, it’s essential to note that golf is meant to be fun. So if you’re not submitting your scores for your handicap or playing in a tournament, you can certainly have fun with Mulligans.
Maybe you’ve got a game with your buddies, and everyone gets two Mulligans to use anytime during the round. It seems to me that you should save them for as long as you can to use them in a crucial spot. (A shank, sometimes known as a “Monika,” might be a good spot to use one.) I would most likely use it on a critical putt or a bad drive.
How many Mulligans are too many? That’s up to your group, but if you hit Mulligans after bad shots on every hole (and a Mulligan can turn out to be a bad shot too among poor golfers), that’s probably overdoing it. They slow down the pace of play and will probably annoy your playing partners.
The Opposite of a Mulligan
But what if you played a game that involved the reverse of a Mulligan? What if you hit a great shot, say to within inches of the hole, or you made a long putt, and your opponent invoked a “Gilligan?”
What’s that, you ask? Well, something that would surely frustrate the castaways. Your good shot wouldn’t count, and you would have to hit it over.
Pros and really good players like to play this game, which is similar to playing worse ball, where you and your partner hit shots and have to pick the poorer shot of the two to play each time until the ball is holed.
Of course, there should be limits to these Gilligans, right? They couldn’t call a Gilligan on a hole-in-one? Well, not if those people were your friends.