Getting rid of mulligans

**Baraethon** · November 4, 2008

Is driving me nuts. For the first year I've played (about september 2007-2008) I have always played with a "1 redo per hole" rule.

Yes, 1 per hole.

Anyways, I am starting to hit some decent shots now, and if want to play in some WJGA tournaments next season, which I do, I need to stop with the mulligans and actually hit the ball well, consistently. Which of course, as with everything in golf, is really f***ing hard!

So how do I get out of this habit, and start playing my normal scores (mid-high 40's) without mulligans?

**zeg** · November 4, 2008

Just stop. Your scores will go up until you learn to focus on every shot. No other way around it... just remind yourself that a mulligan is cheating when you're tempted to hit again.

**cstorms** · November 4, 2008

Don't allow yourself mulligans! If it is too frustrating at first, start with 1 mulligan per 2 holes, next round 1 mulligan per 3 holes, etc. until you aren't relying on them anymore. Good luck

**microcrayfish** · November 4, 2008

Yeah just stop. It shouldn't be hard. Golf is a came of consequences, if you do things right then good things happen and if you do things poorly then bad things happen and you have to deal with it either way. Mulligans should never have been a part of your game to start with and the sooner you get rid of them the better it will be for your game. Learning to deal with the adverse situations you may find yourself in after a bad shot will help your golf game a lot more than taking another shot just to prove to yourself that you can get it right. If you know that you can't hit another ball then it will force you to concentrate more on each shot and hopefully your game will improve. Hope that helps .

**Fourputt** · November 4, 2008

Is driving me nuts. For the first year I've played (about september 2007-2008) I have always played with a "1 redo per hole" rule.

You'll never play your best as long as you know you have that safety net. Learn to count every stroke and that should inspire you to really think about what you are doing before every shot. You will learn to manage the course better, and more than that, you will learn how to recover from bad shots, bad lies, and bad breaks. Those things will still happen, no matter how good your game becomes, and being able to deal with them tactically and emotionally will go a long way toward making your entire game stronger. Nobody ever became a good golfer without learning to face adversity head-on and overcome it.

I get no greater thrill in the game than saving a stroke (or 2 or 3 strokes) after being in trouble or hitting a bad shot. Today I got up and down on at least 6 or 7 holes to help salvage what could have been a disastrous round. I only hit 3 fairways and 4 greens in regulation, but I still shot an 83 from the back tees (7000 yards). My driver was adequate, but my short irons completely deserted me. It was my wedges and my putter that saved the day. And not a mulligan to be seen.

There's no big secret to it... just do it (and a lesson or 2 won't hurt either)

**Fat Slice** · November 4, 2008

If you take mulligans, you don't have a handicap. Just knock it off and join the people who take scoring and rules seriously. You'll be happy and never look back!

**misty_mountainhop** · November 4, 2008

If you take mulligans, you don't have a handicap.

Indeed. What's the point in it?? If you want to hit lots of shots and not worry about the bad ones, go to the practice range.

Drop them; you'll benefit in the long run. Can't play in comps using mulligans after all...

**TheLauncher** · November 4, 2008

Occasionally, when time allows, I'll drop a ball after an errant shot for practice. I always play my original shot no matter the outcome and pick the second one up. I never do this on the tee and of course never when it's busy.

But in your situation, for now I would recommend playing one ball throughout a hole, without the distraction of "do-overs". As others have indicated, it is in the true spirit of the game to play every shot, regardless of how little you may like the situation you've put yourself in.

**TheLauncher** · November 4, 2008

Also, you might do well to acquaint yourself with the rules of the game re. procedure of play in the case of a lost ball, OOB, and hazards, as it seems that your current procedure is to take a mully. Knowing how to accurately put the correct rules into practice will increase your fellow golfer's respect for you, and imho, increase your enjoyment of the game.

**tjy355** · November 4, 2008

Is driving me nuts. For the first year I've played (about september 2007-2008) I have always played with a "1 redo per hole" rule.

Quit.

Take up golf .

**Chief Broom** · November 4, 2008

To the OP...

I think you've figured out for yourself why playing a mulligan is ultimately a bad idea. It becomes a habit. A habit that is hard to break. A habit that hurts your chances for getting better at this game, and a habit that prevents you from being able to play at a higher level (competition).

Personally I don't think mulligans are such a bad thing for someone who is learning the game, but as in anything else it can be overdone. When learning pretty much any sport you take liberties with the rules in order to facilitate the process and to ingrain proper mechanics into your muscle memory. The driving range, and short game practice area are examples of where you work on mechanics rather than keeping score. So too can one go out onto a course and work on the game there in a much more relaxed and informal atmosphere/approach. That's where hitting a mulligan or several shots can be useful. But you have to realize that eventually you have to go out there and play the game as is intended. No doubt it will be painful and discouraging at first, but that's golf. The only way you'll get better and improve is to fully incorporate the rules of golf into your game. That doesn't mean that you can't play a round where you don't strickly follow the rules, but you always should realize that when it counts you have to play every shot.

**meenman** · November 4, 2008

Is driving me nuts. For the first year I've played (about september 2007-2008) I have always played with a "1 redo per hole" rule.

I am not trying to hate on you here but if you take a mulligan every hole then you are not shooting in the mid to high 40's, more like low to mid 70's.

when I play with my friends (that have all played 10 years longer than me) on paper they beat me by 5-6 strokes, but factoring in their 6-7 *mulligans* I have destroyed them. Their games have never gotten better in 10 years due to their reliance on mulligans. It is easy for them to try a shot that requires a 250 yd carry because they feel it is their right to lay up with a second shot if they miss. For me its not worth fighting with them over it, they don't post official scores and we don't play for money. They just will never realize how good they could be since they have never played right.

**mirv** · November 4, 2008

i've been gradually weening myself from mulligans over the past year or so. i used to just take a mulligan wherever and whenever i felt like it, but i've got myself down to what i refer to as "driver mulligans," meaning that the only place i can call mulligan is on the box, and then only if i hit my drive out of bounds or into a water hazard or something. plus i only allow myself of those for every nine holes. it's really forced me to tighten up the rest of my game, which has forced me to acknowledge the problem areas in my game and correct them. as a result, just like the first poster said, i've gone from mid-high 40s with mulligans to mid-high 40s without mulligans, and then even went another step and started shooting low 40s without mulligans.

basically, mulligans let you ignore your problems. the sooner you can get yourself away from them and start focusing on what's causing you to have to use mulligans in the first place, the sooner your scores will start improving.

P.S. - there's a plumbing company here called "mulligan plumbing." i'd be nervous calling them, cause i'd be thinking the entire time "these are the 'whoops, i'm going to try that again' guys."

**Jay-Bird** · November 4, 2008

Take one ball to the tee. Having a second ball in your pocket can't help you psychologically if your goal is to put the drive in play.

Focus on every shot. Comit to every shot. Play the ball as it lies. Live with the results. When you finish a round of 18 with NO MULLIGANS your score may be higher than you think it should be, but that's OK. You will have accomplished something. You will feel pround of the fact that you actually PLAYED GOLF.

**wachesawgolfer** · November 4, 2008

That is right, you should not "maul it agin", laddie.

**Uber$winG** · November 4, 2008

Mulligans are worse than Caddyshack II.

Just stop cold-turkey… you’re not quitting heroin, you’re starting to play golf.

**Jay-Bird** · November 4, 2008

mmmm, cold turkey .....

**tjy355** · November 4, 2008

Mulligans are worse than Caddyshack II.

That's harsh! LOL

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Getting rid of mulligans

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