EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT MULLIGANS
By Bob Denney, PGA of America
It is arguably one of the few sports terms believed to be named after a
person, and with ramifications beyond the border of a course and into politics
and daily life.
You don’t have to be a golfer to enjoy the benefits of a Mulligan – the term
is now widely used to describe any “do-over,” or second chance after initial
failure.
Of course, the rules of golf forbid the Mulligan, though it’s become part of
the game. Some golfers apply their own “rules” that the Mulligan will be in
“play” once per round, or just on the No. 1 tee.
READ: Your unwritten rules of golf
So, where and when did the Mulligan begin in golf? Well, that depends.
The USGA, and supported by research by GriffGolf.com, found the Mulligan
became rooted in the game’s lexicon sometime between the late 1920s and
mid-1930s. During that period, Canadian-born amateur David Bernard Mulligan had
established himself as a prominent member of clubs that included Winged Foot in
Mamaroneck, N.Y.
In the late 1920s, Mulligan had a regular club foursome, which he often
drove to the course in a 1920s vintage Briscoe, a touring car.
Once on the first tee, the story goes, his partners allowed him to hit a
second ball after mishitting his drive. Mulligan complained that his hands were
still numb after driving rough roads and a bumpy Queen Victoria Jubilee Bridge
(now Victoria Bridge).
Mulligan joined Winged Foot Golf Club sometime between 1932 and 1933. A
generation later, in July 1985, journalist Don Mackintosh interviewed Mulligan
for a column, “Around the Sport Circuit.”
PAR FOR THE COURSE: Some of our favorite golf jokes
Said Mulligan: “I was so provoked with myself that, on impulse, I stooped
over and put down another ball. The other three looked at me with considerable
puzzlement, and one of them asked, ‘What are you doing?’ ‘I’m taking a
correction shot,’ I replied.”
His playing partner asked what he called that.
“Thinking fast, I told him that I called it a ‘Mulligan.’ They laughed and
let me play a second ball. After the match, which Mulligan and Spindler won by
one point, there was considerable discussion in the clubhouse about that free
shot.
“It all worked out amicably enough, but 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. Naturally, this was always referred to as
‘taking a Mulligan.’ From that beginning, I guess the practice spread, and the
name with it.”
QUICK NINE: What are your rules on 'gimme putts?'
Such a tale appears to be on solid footing, though USGA research hints
there’s wiggle room for another “Mulligan.”
John A. “Buddy” Mulligan, a locker room attendant in the 1930s at Essex Fells
CC, N.J., would finish cleaning the locker room and, if no other members
appeared, play a round with assistant professional, Dave O'Connell and a club
member, Des Sullivan (later golf editor of The Newark Evening News).
One day, Mulligan’s opening tee shot was bad and he beseeched O'Connell and
Sullivan to allow another shot since they “had been practicing all morning,” and
he had not. After the round, Mulligan proudly exclaimed to the members in his
locker room for months how he received an extra shot.
The members loved it and soon began giving themselves “Mulligans” in honor
of Buddy Mulligan. Sullivan began using the term in his golf pieces in The
Newark Evening News. NBC’s “Today Show” ran the story in 2005.
Thus, a “Mulligan” found its niche along in our culture. Its popularity
thrives because of who we are – lovers of a good story and a term that somehow
fits. It thrives as we are reminded in a classic line from the 1962 John Ford
Western film, “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.”
“This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the
legend.”
By Bob Denney, PGA of America
It is arguably one of the few sports terms believed to be named after a
person, and with ramifications beyond the border of a course and into politics
and daily life.
You don’t have to be a golfer to enjoy the benefits of a Mulligan – the term
is now widely used to describe any “do-over,” or second chance after initial
failure.
Of course, the rules of golf forbid the Mulligan, though it’s become part of
the game. Some golfers apply their own “rules” that the Mulligan will be in
“play” once per round, or just on the No. 1 tee.
READ: Your unwritten rules of golf
So, where and when did the Mulligan begin in golf? Well, that depends.
The USGA, and supported by research by GriffGolf.com, found the Mulligan
became rooted in the game’s lexicon sometime between the late 1920s and
mid-1930s. During that period, Canadian-born amateur David Bernard Mulligan had
established himself as a prominent member of clubs that included Winged Foot in
Mamaroneck, N.Y.
In the late 1920s, Mulligan had a regular club foursome, which he often
drove to the course in a 1920s vintage Briscoe, a touring car.
Once on the first tee, the story goes, his partners allowed him to hit a
second ball after mishitting his drive. Mulligan complained that his hands were
still numb after driving rough roads and a bumpy Queen Victoria Jubilee Bridge
(now Victoria Bridge).
Mulligan joined Winged Foot Golf Club sometime between 1932 and 1933. A
generation later, in July 1985, journalist Don Mackintosh interviewed Mulligan
for a column, “Around the Sport Circuit.”
PAR FOR THE COURSE: Some of our favorite golf jokes
Said Mulligan: “I was so provoked with myself that, on impulse, I stooped
over and put down another ball. The other three looked at me with considerable
puzzlement, and one of them asked, ‘What are you doing?’ ‘I’m taking a
correction shot,’ I replied.”
His playing partner asked what he called that.
“Thinking fast, I told him that I called it a ‘Mulligan.’ They laughed and
let me play a second ball. After the match, which Mulligan and Spindler won by
one point, there was considerable discussion in the clubhouse about that free
shot.
“It all worked out amicably enough, but 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. Naturally, this was always referred to as
‘taking a Mulligan.’ From that beginning, I guess the practice spread, and the
name with it.”
QUICK NINE: What are your rules on 'gimme putts?'
Such a tale appears to be on solid footing, though USGA research hints
there’s wiggle room for another “Mulligan.”
John A. “Buddy” Mulligan, a locker room attendant in the 1930s at Essex Fells
CC, N.J., would finish cleaning the locker room and, if no other members
appeared, play a round with assistant professional, Dave O'Connell and a club
member, Des Sullivan (later golf editor of The Newark Evening News).
One day, Mulligan’s opening tee shot was bad and he beseeched O'Connell and
Sullivan to allow another shot since they “had been practicing all morning,” and
he had not. After the round, Mulligan proudly exclaimed to the members in his
locker room for months how he received an extra shot.
The members loved it and soon began giving themselves “Mulligans” in honor
of Buddy Mulligan. Sullivan began using the term in his golf pieces in The
Newark Evening News. NBC’s “Today Show” ran the story in 2005.
Thus, a “Mulligan” found its niche along in our culture. Its popularity
thrives because of who we are – lovers of a good story and a term that somehow
fits. It thrives as we are reminded in a classic line from the 1962 John Ford
Western film, “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.”
“This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the
legend.”