7 min read·Origin, rules & etiquette·GolfHandicapIndex.com
A mulligan in golf is an unofficial do-over -- a player replays a bad shot from the same spot without adding a penalty stroke. It is not recognized in the Rules of Golf and is never allowed in tournament play or handicap rounds. It exists only in casual, friendly golf as an informal agreement between players.
Quick Answer
A mulligan = a free do-over shot in casual golf. Not in the rulebook, not allowed in tournaments, not valid for handicap scoring. Must be agreed upon by the whole group before the round starts.
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The Full Definition
When a golfer hits a poor shot -- most commonly off the first tee -- and the group agrees to let them replay it without counting the original stroke, that replay is called a mulligan. The bad shot is simply erased. The hole is played and scored as if the first shot never happened.
No penalty is added. No stroke is recorded for the original attempt. The player just re-tees, hits again, and the round continues.
The key word is unofficial. You will find no mention of mulligans in the USGA Rules of Golf or the R&A rulebook. Under the official Rules, replaying a shot requires a one-stroke penalty. A mulligan skips that penalty entirely -- which is why it only exists in casual play, by mutual agreement.
✓
Mulligans are OK
Casual rounds with friends
Charity scrambles
Morning warm-up rounds
Any round where everyone agrees
✗
Mulligans are not OK
Any official tournament
Handicap rounds (GHIN, WHS)
Club competitions
Match play with scorecards
Where the Name Comes From
The origin of the word "mulligan" is genuinely disputed -- golf historians have debated it for decades. What everyone agrees on is that it comes from someone named Mulligan. The earliest known printed use appeared in the Detroit Free Press on October 13, 1931, suggesting the term was already in common circulation by that point.
Origin Theories
The David Mulligan Theory (most likely)
The most widely accepted story credits David Bernard Mulligan (1869-1954), a Canadian amateur golfer and hotelier. In the 1920s, after hitting a poor drive at his club in Montreal, he re-teed and called it a "correction shot." In a 1952 interview, Mulligan himself confirmed the story: "Thinking fast, I told him that I called it a 'mulligan.' They laughed and let me play a second ball... after that it became an unwritten rule in our foursome."
The Bumpy Ride Theory
A variation of the David Mulligan story says the drive to his Montreal course was so rough and bumpy that he arrived at the first tee too rattled to hit properly -- and his playing partners agreed he deserved a second chance simply because of the journey.
The Buddy Mulligan Theory
A competing story involves John "Buddy" Mulligan, an attendant at Essex Fells Country Club in New Jersey in the 1930s. Called away from his duties to fill a foursome, he argued he deserved a free shot since his partners had been warming up all morning while he was working. His partners agreed, and named the practice after him.
The Baseball Theory
Researchers have noted that "Swat Mulligan" was a fictional baseball player in New York newspapers around 1908 -- a byword for a powerful hitter. Some historians suggest the word migrated from baseball slang into golf, though the connection is considered tenuous.
"After that it became an unwritten rule in our foursome that you could take an extra shot on the first tee if you weren't satisfied with your original."
-- David B. Mulligan, 1952 interview with the Sudbury Star
Mulligan Names and Variations
Over the decades, golfers have developed creative nicknames for mulligans depending on when they're taken or who's playing. Here are the most common ones:
Mulligan Names & Variations
Breakfast Ball
A mulligan on the first tee of a morning round. Most widely accepted variation -- the reasoning being you haven't warmed up yet.
Lunch Ball
Same concept for an afternoon round. Less common, but used in groups that play after lunch and feel the same warmup logic applies.
Charity Ball
A mulligan purchased at a charity golf outing. Groups often sell them as a fundraiser -- players pay to use a do-over anywhere on the course.
Two Off the First
An agreement to automatically hit two drives on the first hole and use the better one. Common when players arrive late without time to warm up.
Gilligan
The opposite of a mulligan. An opponent can force you to replay a good shot. Rare but real -- used in some creative informal formats.
Mulligan Stew
A round where unlimited mulligans are allowed. Typically used for pure fun or practice -- not for any competitive purpose.
Mulligan Etiquette -- the Unwritten Rules
Since mulligans have no official rules, the etiquette around them is entirely social. Follow these guidelines and you'll never cause friction in a casual round:
1
Agree before the first tee
Never assume mulligans are allowed. Confirm with everyone in the group before play starts -- how many, when they can be used, and whether they apply throughout or only on the first hole.
2
Announce it out loud
Always tell your playing partners when you're taking a mulligan. Silent do-overs are poor etiquette and can cause confusion about scoring.
3
Play immediately
A mulligan must be taken right after the original shot, from the same spot. You cannot carry it forward and use it later in the hole on a different shot.
4
Keep pace of play in mind
Mulligans slow the round. If the group behind you is waiting, skip it. No do-over is worth holding up the course.
5
Never post a mulligan score for handicap
If you took mulligans, don't submit the round to your handicap index. Doing so gives you an artificially low handicap -- which is effectively cheating against your future opponents.
Calculate your real Handicap Index
Based on your actual scores -- no mulligans counted
Golf is uniquely demanding -- no other sport puts one player alone against a course, in silence, with no teammates to share the pressure. A bad first drive can derail a round psychologically before it starts. The mulligan exists precisely to short-circuit that spiral.
Research consistently shows that the second shot is almost always better than the first on the same hole. The mechanics haven't changed -- the mental reset has. That's the real value of a mulligan: not the extra shot, but the fresh start.
For charity events and casual rounds with mixed skill levels, mulligans also serve a practical purpose. They keep the game moving, reduce frustration for higher-handicap players, and make golf more accessible for people still learning the game.
Mulligans and Your Handicap
This is where it gets important. Under the World Handicap System (WHS) and USGA rules, scores submitted for handicap calculation must strictly follow the Rules of Golf. Mulligans violate those rules. A round that included mulligans cannot legitimately be posted to your GHIN or any official handicap system.
Posting a mulligan-assisted score gives you a lower handicap index than your actual ability warrants -- effectively sandbagging against future opponents. Even if nobody is watching, this matters.
If you're tracking your handicap seriously, keep your mulligan rounds separate from your posted rounds. Many golfers maintain both: a real competitive game played strictly to the rules, and a casual game played for enjoyment. Both are valid -- just keep them separate.
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Mulligan FAQ
A mulligan in golf is an unofficial do-over shot -- a player replays a bad stroke from the same spot without adding a penalty stroke. Mulligans are not recognized in the official Rules of Golf and are never allowed in tournament play or handicap rounds. They exist only in casual, friendly golf as an informal courtesy agreed upon by the group before play begins.
The term is most widely credited to David Bernard Mulligan (1869-1954), a Canadian amateur golfer and hotelier. In the 1920s, after hitting a poor drive at his club in Montreal, he re-teed and called it a "correction shot." His playing partners later named the practice after him. The earliest known printed use of the word appeared in the Detroit Free Press on October 13, 1931.
No. A mulligan is not allowed under the official Rules of Golf. Taking one in a tournament or formal competition is a rules violation. Under the Rules, replaying a shot requires a one-stroke penalty. Mulligans are only acceptable in casual, informal rounds where all players agree before the round starts.
No. Scores posted to an official handicap index must follow the Rules of Golf, which do not permit mulligans. If you take mulligans during a round, that score should not be submitted for handicap purposes. Posting a score that included mulligans gives you an artificially low handicap index and effectively cheats future opponents in net competitions.
A breakfast ball is a mulligan taken specifically on the first tee of a morning round. The name comes from the idea that you haven't fully warmed up -- you just came from breakfast. It is one of the most widely accepted informal mulligan variations, as most casual golfers agree the first tee is a fair place to allow a do-over.
A gilligan is the opposite of a mulligan. Instead of replaying a bad shot, a gilligan forces a player to replay a good one when requested by an opponent. It is a rare but real variation used in some informal games to add strategic tension -- you save your gilligan for when your opponent hits an exceptional shot.