MULLIGANS whats your opinion?????

[chris0228]

I think it's funny when guys use the word cheating or cite specific club rules on playing more than one ball. It's a game fellas, no one to my knowledge on this site plays for a living (and if you do, this post is not meant for you). I agree, if you are planing on turning in your card at the end of the round or if you are playing a small wager game with some friends, then yes, play as close to the true rule book a you can. But I'm sorry, If I go out to my course at 4:30 to play 9 holes and the course isn't busy at all, then hell yes I'm playing more than one ball. I play with my club pro from time to time late in the afternoon on days the course is wide open, and he plays more than one ball too. I play with friends who shoot anywhere from the high 90's to low 70's, and it doesn't phase me one bit if either end of that handicap range pulls another ball and plays it too. Life's too short.....

[sean_miller]

. . . or cite specific club rules on playing more than one ball . . .

I can only comment on my own post - in response to the post where you said, "No rules out there that say you can't play multiple balls as long as you are not holding anyone up or hitting into anyone". Apparently some courses have rules about playing more than one ball. Personally I don't care how many balls you put in play as long as you're not holding anybody up or endangering people by spraying them when people think you've already hit.

[Fourputt]

I think it's funny when guys use the word cheating or cite specific club rules on playing more than one ball. It's a game fellas, no one to my knowledge on this site plays for a living (and if you do, this post is not meant for you). I agree, if you are planing on turning in your card at the end of the round or if you are playing a small wager game with some friends, then yes, play as close to the true rule book a you can. But I'm sorry, If I go out to my course at 4:30 to play 9 holes and the course isn't busy at all, then hell yes I'm playing more than one ball. I play with my club pro from time to time late in the afternoon on days the course is wide open, and he plays more than one ball too. I play with friends who shoot anywhere from the high 90's to low 70's, and it doesn't phase me one bit if either end of that handicap range pulls another ball and plays it too. Life's too short.....

When you play like that you are obviously not playing for score. When I play it's almost always for score. It's either a competition within the group, a club tournament, or scoring for handicap. I play 3-4 times a week for much of the summer, and almost never play for no reason at all. I even play by the Rules of Golf if I'm the only person in sight, and I have done so for 20 odd years. I'm no longer wired to do it any other way.

I play with guys occasionally who will drop and play a mullie.... their choice and I don't have any issue with it. It's just not how I play.

[ks8829]

I never took a mulligan playing golf and keeping score. It never crossed my mind. you have to be careful what group you play with if they all take mulligans.

[i-Guy]

I think it's funny when guys use the word cheating or cite specific club rules on playing more than one ball. It's a game fellas, no one to my knowledge on this site plays for a living (and if you do, this post is not meant for you). I agree, if you are planing on turning in your card at the end of the round or if you are playing a small wager game with some friends, then yes, play as close to the true rule book a you can. But I'm sorry, If I go out to my course at 4:30 to play 9 holes and the course isn't busy at all, then hell yes I'm playing more than one ball. I play with my club pro from time to time late in the afternoon on days the course is wide open, and he plays more than one ball too. I play with friends who shoot anywhere from the high 90's to low 70's, and it doesn't phase me one bit if either end of that handicap range pulls another ball and plays it too. Life's too short.....

You are entitled to your opinion and I agree that if you are playing the game for fun and not slowing anyone down (like the course is empty) then drop as many balls as you want...I call those practice rounds.

BUT if you are playing for score that you could use for your handicap...taking a mulligan is cheating . There is just no other way to describe it...sorry....

[Fourputt]

You are entitled to your opinion and I agree that if you are playing the game for fun and not slowing anyone down (like the course is empty) then drop as many balls as you want...I call those practice rounds.

The good thing is that anyone who takes mulligans on handicap rounds is only cheating himself....

If he then tries to take a mullie in competition he will be blasted with penalty strokes and disdain from his fellow competitors. If he plays by the rules in competitions with that vanity handicap he won't be competitive because it's an imaginary number with no legitimate foundation.

[sean_miller]

The good thing is that anyone who takes mulligans on handicap rounds is only cheating himself....

Exactly why I don't mind people taking mulligans - go ahead, you're not doing yourself any favours. Off topic anecdote: A few years back I had a vanity handicap. A couple work / golf buddies and I played a few rounds at 4 "tough" courses. We played from the tips - the angles and sightlines from the tips actually made those courses easier than they were from the whites. Only problem was, the slop ratings were much higher. My handicap dropped to a level I couldn't play to at my "easy" home course. The only course I struggled on (according to my misleading handicap) was my home course. I think if people want to manipulate their index, they can still do it "honestly". Play courses and tees that don't suit your game and the HDCP climbs - turn in those cards - go back to your home course and win all the low net prizes.

[The Recreational Golfer]

No mulligans allowed when you're keeping score. Period. Part of what makes this game great is taking personal responsibility for your failures. Mulligans let you avoid that.

I play practice rounds during the winter where I'll drop a few balls if there's a short shot that gives me trouble. That's not the same thing, though.

[Yukari]

Personally, there is no such a thing as a mulligan for me. It's called hitting 3.

As for others who take a mulligan, as long as I am not competing or betting with them, I couldn't care less--except with one caveat--just don't tell me you birdied a hole after taking a mulligan.

[iacas]

No mulligans when I'm playing for an individual score.

I'm not going to pretend I've never taken a mulligan. If my friend Dan and I rush to the first tee, we might decide to allow a mulligan on the first tee as a warm-up swing. None during the round, though. So I suppose I could pretend that the "stipulated round" had not yet begun or something, but we all know what it is.

[DavidFehertysBike]

I try to stay away from mulligans because i need to learn to acept whatever shot i hit and move on. But try a game with the mulligan included. Sometimes a couple of guys and i will play a 2 ball nassau where you get one mulli per hole except with the putter. Its really fun. We "shoot" in the mid 60's sometimes.

[natp0wers]

When i am playing a casual round with my friends and we don't have time to hit any balls before we tee off we usually take two off of the first tee if needed.

[zeg]

No mulligans when I'm playing for an individual score.

I was thinking about this yesterday. I know that during a competition it'd be DQ (for practicing on the competition course), but otherwise, if you declared ahead of time that your shot was a practice and you were going to discard it regardless of the outcome, is there any problem with taking a practice shot on the course? It doesn't seem that way, but you never know where a rule might be lurking, and I don't know whether "competition" is meant to include any time you're playing for any purpose.

[iacas]

I was thinking about this yesterday. I know that during a competition it'd be DQ (for practicing on the competition course), but otherwise, if you declared ahead of time that your shot was a practice and you were going to discard it regardless of the outcome, is there any problem with taking a practice shot on the course? It doesn't seem that way, but you never know where a rule might be lurking, and I don't know whether "competition" is meant to include any time you're playing for any purpose.

Playing for a score that's just for handicap has looser rules. You can do gimmes and write down the score you "most likely would have made" and all sorts of hooey. You can use a range finder that measures slope... etc. All sorts of scores are acceptable for handicap that wouldn't be in competition.

[zeg]

Playing for a score that's just for handicap has looser rules. You can do gimmes and write down the score you "most likely would have made" and all sorts of hooey. You can use a range finder that measures slope... etc. All sorts of scores are acceptable for handicap that wouldn't be in competition.

Ah, yes, good points. Thanks.

[Shanks A Million]

No mulligans when I'm playing for an individual score.

A friend of mine calls that a "breakfast egg". If neither has had the chance to warm up, you get two drives from the first tee. We also both will rehit shots that we messed up on, but of course, we play the first ball, the rehits are just for practice.

[Rezgolf]

I usually don't care what others do with there round as long as it doesn't affect me. Mulligans IMHO, introduce some inaccuracy acutual ability. Again, if you are playing with me and decide to take a mulligan, as long as we are not holding up play, I have no problem with that. BUT, at the end of that round you need to acknowledge that your score is "fudged" a little, and don't start bragging!

[woodzie264]

as most have said - never during a "real round;" I'll take some extra shots, even play two balls on days during practice a round with no one behind me. Never a Mulligan when scoring the round...