why do they call it a mouligan?

Question

what isthe origin of the word

Answer 1

The correct spelling is "mulligan". Here's the origin as it relates to golf:
There are many theories about the origin of the term. The United States Golf Association (USGA) cites three different stories explaining that the term derived from the name of a Canadian golfer, David Mulligan, one time manager of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City, who played at St. Lambert in Montreal during the 1920s. One version has it that one day after hitting a poor tee shot, Mr. Mulligan re-teed and shot again. He called it a "correction shot," but his friends thought it more fitting to name the practice after him. David Mulligan then brought the concept from Canada to the famous U.S. golf club Winged Foot. A second version has the extra shot given to Mulligan due to his being jumpy and shaky after a difficult drive to the course. The final version of the David Mulligan story gives him an extra shot after having overslept, rushing to get ready to make the tee time.

An alternate, later etymology credits a different man named Mulligan — John A. "Buddy" Mulligan, a locker room attendant at Essex Fells, New Jersey. In the 1930s, he was known to replay shots.

According to the USGA, the term first achieved widespread use in the 1940's.

Answer 2

The bottom line is that we don't know. Some mysteries may never be solved.

The term "mulligan" in golf is a second shot allowed by an opponent and not counted on the score, when the first shot was hideously muffed (or missed altogether). Usually it happens on the drive, although not always. Needless to say, ignoring the first stroke happens only in "friendly" golf, not in professional or "serious" golf. Tiger Woods is not given mulligans when he plays tournaments.

Just as an aside, note that Mulligan is also a general "nickname" or stereotype for an Irishman, an underworld term for policeman (obviously dating back to when so many police were Irish), and a type of stew. Presumably all these relate to the surname Mulligan, of Irish origin.

The term mulligan in golf dates from the 1940s, and the origin is uncertain. By 1949, it had made its way into P. Cummings' Dictionary of Sports, so must have been fairly common before that.

One theory about the origin cites a certain individual named Mulligan who blew so many drives that the club allowed him blah blah blah. Those are presumably the type of origin stories that you heard a particular golf club claim for their own.

Answer 3

"Mulligan"

Definition: Most simply put, a "do-over." Hit a bad shot? Take a mulligan and hit it again. Mulligans are played only when expressly agreed upon by all partners in a friendly match, and are never allowed when the official rules are being followed (i.e., in a tournament or handicap round). Mulligans are most commonly played on the first tee, or played as one mulligan per nine holes. Mulligans are often sold at charity tournaments (as distinguished from official tournaments) - for example, if you would like to have five mulligans to use during a round, you would pay to purchase them. Then, five times during a round when you wanted to hit a shot over, you would be able to do so.

Also Known As: Mullie

Examples: The golfer's shot was a terrible one, so he took a mulligan.


How Did the Word "Mulligan" Acquire Its Golf Meaning?
"Mulligan," in its golf sense, is a relatively new word, but was in common use on golf courses by at least the 1940s.
And there are many, many stories about the birth of the golf term "mulligan" ... and it's quite possible that none of them are true.

Because nobody really knows how mulligan acquired its golf meaning (a mulligan, of course, is a "do-over" - hit a bad shot, take a mulligan and try again). All we have are ... those stories. And we'll tell a few of them here.

The USGA Museum offers several possible explanations. In one, a fellow by the name of David Mulligan frequented St. Lambert Country Club in Montreal, Quebec, during the 1920s. Mulligan let it rip off the tee one day, wasn't happy with the results, re-teed, and hit again. According to the story, he called it a "correction shot," but his partners thought a better name was needed and dubbed it a "mulligan."

Perhaps because Mr.

Mulligan was a prominent businessman - owning multiple hotels - the term was more likely to catch on. But that's only if you believe this version. Which, alas, does not have any hard evidence to support it. (The USGA Web Site actually provides two other alternate versions of the David Mulligan story - the origins of "mulligan" are so mysterious that the same story winds up with three different versions!)
Another story cited by the USGA is of a John "Buddy" Mulligan, known for replaying poor shots at Essex Fells Country Clubs in N.J.

Another interesting theory is related by the Web site, StraightDope.com. Responding to a question about the origins of "mulligan" (a common Irish name and, remember, the Northeastern U.S. was heavily Irish in the early part of the 20th Century), StraightDope.com replied, "Another origin theory ties to the period when Irish-Americans were joining fancy country clubs and were derided as incompetent golfers. That would make the term basically an ethnic slur that caught on, like 'Indian summer' or 'Dutch treat.' "

The "Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins" offers a more prosaic explanation. It postulates the word derives from saloons that, back in the day, would place a free bottle of booze on the bar for customers to dip into. That free bottle was called, according to the book, a Mulligan. The term was adapted to the golf course to denote a "freebie" to be used by golfers.

Answer 4

There is considerable debate about this topic, to say the least. There are several clubs and several people who have staked claims about the origin of the term 'mulligan.'

The story most widely accepted focuses on a gentleman named David Mulligan who played at the St. Lambert CC in Montreal, Canada during the 1920s. There are several versions of the David Mulligan story.

Mr. Mulligan was a hotelier in the first half of the century, a part-owner and manager of the Biltmore Hotel in New York City, as well as several large Canadian hotels. One story says that the first mulligan was an impulsive sort of event - that one day Mulligan hit a very long drive off the first tee, just not straight, and acting on impulse re-teed and hit again. His partners found it all amusing, and decided that the shot that Mulligan himself called a 'correction shot' deserved a better name, so they called it a 'mulligan.'

Story two: Mulligan played regularly with a group of friends at St. Lambert, and in the morning he drove to pick up his golfing buddies. The road into the club was reportedly bumpy and windy and just sort of generally poor, with bridge of bumpy railroad ties. An extra shot was allotted to Mulligan, the driver of the car, on the first tee because he was jumpy and shaking from the difficult drive.

Story three: this story again identified a specific moment, citing a day when David Mulligan showed up late to the course, having scrambled to get out of bed late and get dressed and get to the course on time. He was frazzled on the first tee, hit a poor shot, and re-teed.

Another version of the 'mulligan' story comes from the Essex Fells CC in N.J. This story is one of the latest, and may therefore be less credible. According to this version, the term was named after a locker room attendant at the club named John A. 'Buddy' Mulligan, who worked at the club during the 1930s and was known for replaying shots, particularly on the first tee.

Hope this helps. Happy Holidays.

Answer 5

There was a TV show in the 80's and 90's called Empty Nest. The star of the show was Richard Mulligan. This guy always cheated at golf and Joe Issue started calling his do overs "Mulligans".