A Mulligan is a an extra shot in golf without taking the penalty strokes. In other words a mulligan is a redo on the golf course. The word Mulligan is one of the most classic words in golf. Golf is obviously a very hard sport. Even the best professional golfers on the planet occasionally shank a ball into the weeds. When playing competitively, mulligans are not allowed. Mulligans are allowed when you are playing for fun and just practicing.
Growing up, my grandpa would always take me golfing. He was the Mulligan King. Whenever I would shank one out of bounds or into the lake he kindly say “take a mulligan!”. Obviously if I was playing in a tournament and I hit one into the lake, I would either need to re tee or drop and penalty strokes would be added to my score.
If you are a beginner in golf and need practice, I would get used to taking lots of mulligans. It is a great way to fix your swing and get better at golf. I have been playing golf all my life and I still take mulligans when I am out practicing. I usually count the extra stroke I am taking because I like to stay honest and see what I really scored, but taking an extra shot isn’t a big deal on the golf course.
Why you need to be careful taking mulligans
Mulligans are good but they can quickly become a good way to lie to yourself. I have played with people before, that take mulligans the entire round and say they shot even par. The problem with this is that when you take multiple mulligans you didn’t actually shoot even par. You are lying to yourself if you are doing that. If that makes you feel better about your game then by all means do it, however, I don’t think that you are going to get any better at golf by taking constant mulligans.
Why it is good not to take Mulligans
Mulligans are nice to take, however, when you constantly take them you miss out on all the shots that are hard, but necessary in golf. For example, if I am teeing off on a par three and I hit my ball into the bunker, I can either play that ball or say, I am going to take a mulligan and hit another one. Say that my second ball lands on the green and I decide to just go up to the green and play the better ball. Obviously, my “score” will probably be better if I play the second ball, although I am missing out on the practice of hitting out of the bunker. Good golfers know how to hit out of the sand trap and if you never learn you will never become a great golfer. The professionals all go to the course and practice hitting multiple balls out of the bunker. This is how your get good at golf, not by avoiding hard shots.
Are Mulligans allowed on the PGA tour?
Unfortunately, no. If Mulligans where allowed on the PGA tour then we would all be professional golfers.