Playing The Game
What is a mulligan in golf?
A mulligan is an informal do-over — replaying a shot with no penalty added to the score — that has no basis in the official Rules of Golf and exists purely as a casual custom among friendly rounds.
Ask for one in a medal round or a competition and the answer is simply no — the Rules of Golf, set jointly by the R&A and USGA, have no provision for replaying a shot without penalty, and doing so in a counting round would breach the rules outright. Where it lives is the social game: a first-tee nerves shot, agreed among the group before you even start, replayed without consequence purely by mutual consent. Some societies allow one a round, some restrict it to the very first tee only, and plenty of regular four-balls never mention the word at all — it's entirely down to who you're playing with, not any governing body. Confusing casual custom with the actual rules is a common beginner mix-up, alongside golf etiquette more broadly. Mark the round, mulligan or not, with our golf gifts.
Written by Craig Fearn, The Golf Gift Co.
From the journal