Golf Forums - Mulligans...Does anyone use them

As I understand it, a mulligan is the opportunity to play a free shot when you mess one up? Does anyone use these in games? do you have a limited number to use during a game? can they be used on a putt? Did a Mr Mulligan invent it, during a particularly bad round? I understand that the scores you record will not reflect your true ability during that game, but just wondered what peoples thoughts were on the subject.

I think you'll find it depends on the company you're in.

When I play with higher handicappers they'll sometimes allow a 'mulligan' off the first tee (reduces the pressure) but if you made a hash of it off the first tee and asked for a 'Mulligan' in other company you'd probably get laughed at for your cheek... 

Yes Roly.I/we use them one each when Im out with a certain group of fellas and ladies.only pre agreed though

and sometimes more than one is needed !!! or should I say lots !!

Hi Roly, Played in a charity game last week and we could buy 2 Mulligans each, but they could only be use with shots off the tee.And like Pete when I play with a certain group we allow Mulligans on two holes, again only with tee shots. I have never heard of them being allowed on putts.

"Mulligan," in its golf sense, is a relatively new word, but was in common use on golf courses by at least the 1940s.

And there are many, many stories about the birth of the golf term "mulligan" ... and it's quite possible that none of them are true.

Because nobody really knows how mulligan acquired its golf meaning (a mulligan, of course, is a "do-over" - hit a bad shot, take a mulligan and try again). All we have are ... those stories. And we'll tell a few of them here.

The USGA Museum offers several possible explanations. In one, a fellow by the name of David Mulligan frequented St. Lambert Country Club in Montreal, Quebec, during the 1920s. Mulligan let it rip off the tee one day, wasn't happy with the results, re-teed, and hit again. According to the story, he called it a "correction shot," but his partners thought a better name was needed and dubbed it a "mulligan."

Perhaps because Mr. Mulligan was a prominent businessman - owning multiple hotels - the term was more likely to catch on. But that's only if you believe this version. Which, alas, does not have any hard evidence to support it. (The USGA Web Site actually provides two other alternate versions of the David Mulligan story - the origins of "mulligan" are so mysterious that the same story winds up with three different versions!)

Another story cited by the USGA is of a John "Buddy" Mulligan, known for replaying poor shots at Essex Fells Country Clubs in N.J.

Another interesting theory is related by the Web site, StraightDope.com. Responding to a question about the origins of "mulligan" (a common Irish name and, remember, the Northeastern U.S. was heavily Irish in the early part of the 20th Century), StraightDope.com replied, "Another origin theory ties to the period when Irish-Americans were joining fancy country clubs and were derided as incompetent golfers. That would make the term basically an ethnic slur that caught on, like 'Indian summer' or 'Dutch treat.' "

The "Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins" offers a more prosaic explanation. It postulates the word derives from saloons that, back in the day, would place a free bottle of booze on the bar for customers to dip into. That free bottle was called, according to the book, a Mulligan. The term was adapted to the golf course to denote a "freebie" to be used by golfers.

Don't ya love Copy/Paste.

-- 26/06/2009 16:29:15: post edited by Gerry Gracie.

When playing with a couple of mates's, we usually allow one mulligan which can be used at anytime over the 18 holes, mainly always taken for a "poor" tee shot, have taken one for a missed putt, but it was on the 18th and didn't want to lose out on mr mulligan.
:)

No set rules for this,just group agreement with who your playing with.And usually used during anypart of the round..fairest way...as you never know when your gonna have a nasty shot !!!!

When I play we don't normally allow mulligans.

Most of my playing partners add our scores on here (and other sites) for our handicap so we can't allow mulligans.

Russ

I think they tend to be used more often in the States, as I've met up with a few people out there who have used mulligans in their round. I remember playing with one guy who seemed to have an unlimited supply of them, and he put down a three on a par 3 after putting at least two balls in the water. I'm not sure, I think he now works for an MP helping him with his expenses...