How Does a Mulligan Work?
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What is a Mulligan?
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A mulligan generally refers to the player of a game redoing an action, because the previous attempt at the action did not meet the player's expectations. Mulligan is a flexible term that can be used to describe many activities, but is most often used in the sport of golf.
Mulligans in Golf
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In golf, a mulligan is an extra swing taken to replace a previously taken--presumably bad--shot. A common place to take a mulligan is on a drive that lands far off the fairway, or is extremely short. One may take a mulligan on shots out of rough or bunkers that only move a short distance. Mulligans are not commonly used when putting. Since mulligans in golf arise due to a lack of skill, they are not allowed in competitive play, and are only employed regularly during informal social games. The entire focus in golf is using control and accuracy to limit the number of swings taken, so allowing a mulligan, in a sense, is not in the spirit the game. Mulligans are best used when playing for fun with a group that is not seriously keeping score and as a tool to learn how to take a certain shot better.
Mulligans in other activities
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While the term mulligan originated and is primarily used in connection with golf, its usage has spread to other activities. For one, the game of disc golf uses the term in the exact same way as golf, except instead of an extra swing, a player makes an extra throw of a disc. In certain card games, such as "Magic the Gathering," mulligans are allowed in the form of drawing a new starting hand, when the initially drawn hand is undesirable. Often such a mulligan comes with the penalty of drawing one fewer card the second time. More generally, mulligans can refer to a second chance at just about anything from retaking a standardized test to a second try at a romantic relationship.
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