The Downfalls of Mulligans in Golf: Why You Shouldn’t Take Mulligans
Golf is a sport known for integrity, fairness, and the pursuit of excellence. One popular aspect and debate among golfers is the use of mulligans. While mulligans seem harmless ways to erase mistakes and enjoy the game, they are bad habits that avid golfers might want to reconsider.
What is a Mulligan?
A mulligan in golf is redoing a shot without taking a penalty. A mulligan is a free, do-over or a second chance to replay a shot without incurring a penalty.
Why You Shouldn’t Take Mulligans
Here are all the reasons why you should consider stopping taking mulligans.
Plateauing Improvement
Most golfers enjoy the relaxation of being outside with friends and getting away from life’s daily stresses. However, the main reason we continue to “tee it up” is to improve our skills and our scores steadily.
Each golf shot is not going to be perfect. You may play a round of golf that’s filled with poor shots, and the temptation to use mulligans becomes enticing.
If you consistently bail yourself out with mulligans, you aren’t barring the penalty of poor golf shots. Facing and learning from mistakes on the golf course is pivotal to growth and will allow you to develop physical and mental skills to improve your game.
By suppressing the consequences of a poor shot through mulligans, golfers limit themselves the chance to develop resilience and problem-solving skills. Overcoming challenges on the course is an essential part of improving as a golfer.
Distorted Perception of Your Abilities
If you regularly rely on mulligans, they can create a distorted sense of skill level, as golfers may believe they are performing better than they are. For example, if you shoot an 85 but use two mulligans during your round, your true score could realistically be 90.
Lying to yourself about your scores can create unrealistic expectations each time you head to the golf course. These expectations can lead to disappointment and even more use of mulligans to achieve your expected outcome.
Impact on Concentration
If you or your playing partners allow mulligans throughout the round, you could subconsciously affect your concentration. If you know going into a shot you can utilize the safety net of a mulligan, you won’t focus as hard on your initial shot if you knew mulligans were not an option.
Playing without mulligans will force you to concentrate heavily on every shot. This might produce better outcomes overall.
Encouraging Perfectionism
We all want to hit great shots after great shots on the course. However, golf is far from a game of perfection. No matter the skill level, golfers will face poor shots and adversity throughout a round.
Embracing imperfections is part of the golf’s charm. But mulligans, however, can create a perfectionist mentality where flawless shots are expected each time. This can lead to frustrations and frequent use of mulligans.
Pace of Play
Taking mulligans can cause slow play, frustrating golfers behind you. It will also create longer rounds for you and your playing partners.
Even if taking a mulligan is quick, searching for the original ball and the mulligan adds up during the round.
Strengthen Mental Toughness
Golf is as much of a mental game as it is physical. We are all going to hit shots we wish we had back. We all are going to get frustrated.
The best way to improve your mental toughness after a bad shot is to focus on the next shot, use some resilience, and recover.
It’s much harder to develop your golf mentality if you bail yourself out with mulligans. In the long run, the lessons learned from overcoming setbacks without the aid of mulligans can be invaluable, both on and off the golf course.
Final Thoughts on Why You Shouldn’t Take Mulligans
If you enjoy golfing casually and aren’t too concerned with improving, mulligans can be an easy way to have more fun. Just make sure you don’t slow down play for groups behind you.
However, if you are determined to improve your golf skills and want to take your game seriously, you should consider putting an end to mulligans.
Why you should stop taking mulligans?
- Mulligans distort your perception of your abilities
- Mulligans plateau performance
- Mulligans hinder concentration
- Mulligans limit mental toughness development
- Mulligans create unrealistic expectations
- Mulligans slow down the pace of play
So, the next time you’re tempted to take a mulligan, consider the long-term benefits of facing the challenges head-on and allowing the game to shape you into a more skilled and resilient golfer.
