What Is a Mulligan in Golf? The Do-Over Explained
By Erdi Doğan, owner and editor ·
A mulligan is a do-over: after a bad shot, usually a tee shot, a golfer hits again and counts only the second ball, with no penalty. Mulligans are a casual-golf custom, not part of the Rules of Golf. Under the Rules, replaying a shot is stroke and distance: you may always play again from where you last hit, but you add one penalty stroke (Rule 18.1). So a mulligan is fine in a friendly round, but a score that includes one does not reflect the Rules. Our golf scoring guide covers how the rest of a round is counted.
How mulligans work in casual golf
There is no official version, so groups agree on their own terms before they tee off. The most common local customs:
- One per nine or one per round, often only from the tee.
- First-tee mulligan: a single free redo on the opening drive, when nobody is warmed up.
- Charity mulligans: at fundraising scrambles, teams buy mulligans for a few dollars each, usually with a limit per player.
- Must play the second ball: once you take a mulligan, the second shot counts even if it is worse.
Agree on the rule on the first tee. Arguments start when one player thinks mulligans are allowed on every hole and another thinks they are tee-shots only.
What the Rules of Golf say instead
Rule 18.1 lets you take stroke-and-distance relief at any time: add one penalty stroke and play again from the spot of your last stroke. That is the honest version of a mulligan. Hit your drive into the trees, decide to replay it, and your second drive from the tee is your third shot.
The closest thing to a free redo in the Rules is when a stroke does not count at all, for example if the ball falls off the tee during your address and you have not made a stroke at it. That is not a mulligan: an actual swing at the ball always counts.
Mulligans and your handicap
Scores posted for a Handicap Index are meant to be played under the Rules of Golf. A round full of free do-overs makes your index lower than your real ability, which hurts you in every handicap match and competition you play afterwards. If your group plays mulligans, the fair approach is to count each one as stroke and distance when you post the score. The handicap calculation guide explains why only adjusted scores under the Rules belong in your record.
Where the word comes from
Nobody knows for certain. The most-told stories credit a Canadian golfer named David Mulligan, who is said to have replayed his opening tee shots at a Montreal club in the 1920s, or a locker-room attendant called John "Buddy" Mulligan at a New Jersey club. Both stories are told by golf historians, and neither is proven.
Mulligan, breakfast ball and gimme
| Term | What it means | Allowed under the Rules? |
|---|---|---|
| Mulligan | A free replay of a bad shot | No (replaying costs a stroke and distance) |
| Breakfast ball | A mulligan on the first tee only | No |
| Gimme | A short putt the other players agree you would have holed | Only in match play, where your opponent may concede your next stroke (Rule 3.2b) |
Frequently asked questions
Is a mulligan legal in golf?
No. A mulligan is a casual custom. Under the Rules, replaying a shot is allowed but costs one penalty stroke (stroke and distance).
How many mulligans are you allowed?
Whatever your group agrees. One per nine holes, tee shots only, is the most common arrangement.
Can you use a mulligan in a scramble?
Only if the event allows it. Many charity scrambles sell mulligans to raise money, with a limit per player.
Back to the golf scoring guide.
Sources
- Rule 18.1: Relief under Penalty of Stroke and Distance Allowed at Any Time, The R&A and USGA, Rules of Golf (2023)
- Rule 3.2b: Concessions (match play), The R&A and USGA