What Is a Mulligan in Golf? Meaning and Rules

A mulligan in golf is an informal do-over. You replay a shot, usually a bad one, without counting the original stroke and without taking any penalty, as if the first attempt never happened. It is a friendly courtesy rather than a rule, and it is most commonly taken off the first tee.

The catch worth stating plainly: the mulligan appears nowhere in the official Rules of Golf. It is a social convention among casual players, and using one in competition or in a round you intend to post for handicap purposes is simply not legal. Here is what it means, where the word likely came from, and the etiquette that keeps mulligans friendly.

What actually happens when you take a mulligan

Say you top your opening drive and it dribbles 40 yards. Take a mulligan and you tee up a second ball, hit again, and play on from the better shot, pretending the first never occurred. No stroke is added for the flubbed attempt, and no penalty stroke is charged. That “erase and retry” quality is exactly why it is not part of the real rules, which count every stroke.

Because it is unofficial, there is no fixed limit written down. How many mulligans a group allows, and where, is whatever the players agree on before the round.

Mulligan versus the official rules

The gap between a mulligan and a legitimate replayed shot is the whole point.

Situation	Stroke counted?	Penalty?	Legal under Rules of Golf?
Mulligan (casual do-over)	No	No	No
Provisional ball (ball may be lost)	Yes, if the provisional is used	Stroke-and-distance	Yes
Re-tee after a lost ball or out of bounds	Yes	Stroke-and-distance	Yes
Breakfast ball (first-tee mulligan)	No	No	No

A provisional ball often gets confused with a mulligan, but they are opposites: a provisional counts every stroke under stroke-and-distance, while a mulligan pretends the bad shot away.

Where the word comes from

The origin is genuinely uncertain, and reputable golf sources present it as folklore. The most-told story credits David Mulligan, a Canadian golfer in the 1920s or 1930s, who is said to have re-hit an errant drive, called it a “correction shot,” and had his playing partners name the do-over after him. A competing account points to a New Jersey locker-room attendant, also named Mulligan, in the 1930s. There is no definitive record settling which is true, so treat the tale as a colorful legend rather than documented history.

How many mulligans, and only off the tee?

There is no official number because there is no official mulligan. In practice:

• The classic version is one mulligan off the first tee, sometimes called a “breakfast ball,” to shake off nerves before the round settles in.
• Some casual groups extend it, allowing a mulligan per nine, or one per player for the round.
• Traditionally it is a tee-shot courtesy, but relaxed games apply it anywhere by agreement.

The key etiquette rule is to settle the terms before the first swing, so nobody is claiming a surprise do-over on the back nine.

Mulligan etiquette in a group

Even in a friendly round, a few unwritten courtesies keep mulligans from slowing play or souring the mood:

• Take it immediately. A mulligan is replayed right after the offending shot, from the same spot. You do not get to walk up the fairway, dislike your lie, and then decide to go back.
• Keep pace. If the group behind is waiting, skip the do-over. A round bogged down by repeated re-tees is the fastest way to make mulligans unwelcome.
• Apply it evenly. If one player gets a first-tee do-over, everyone should. Mulligans work as a shared courtesy, not a privilege claimed by the loudest player.
• Never in a real match. The moment money, a trophy or a posted score is on the line, mulligans are off the table unless every participant explicitly agreed beforehand.

Because the mulligan lives entirely outside the rulebook, these norms are what keep it fair. They are social agreements, so the group that talks them through on the first tee avoids the arguments that unspoken assumptions create.

Related casual terms

The mulligan sits inside a small family of golf slang for informal do-overs and side bets. A “breakfast ball” is simply another name for a first-tee mulligan, a nod to the early-morning nerves it forgives. A “gilligan,” as noted above, flips the idea by letting an opponent make you replay a good shot. Some groups also use a “sandy” or other side-bet terms, but those reward specific outcomes rather than granting a do-over. Keeping the vocabulary straight matters mostly so everyone agrees on what is being offered before the round starts.

Keep mulligans where they belong

Mulligans make a relaxed weekend round more fun and less punishing for beginners, and that is a perfectly good use of them. Just keep them out of competition, out of any match with a wager unless everyone agreed to them, and out of scores you post for a handicap.

If you want organized side-games that reward good play rather than erase bad shots, look at the Nassau golf game and the Vegas golf game rules. For a team format popular at charity outings where mulligans are often sold, see our golf scramble rules, and to keep your scoring honest, read golf handicap explained. The short version: a mulligan is a friendly do-over, not a rule, so enjoy it in casual play and leave it in the bag when the score counts.