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My Scorecard - Good or Bad

© Russell G. Bell

I look forward to each and every round of golf I play but I cringe at the end of every round when I look at the scorecard. I realize I could have done so much better than what I posted as a score. I also know my posted score would be much worse if I had not allowed myself the "Mulligan" for each nine holes, or if I had not invoked the "Winter Rules" habit of moving my ball to a better lie.

My rational mind tells me I am not a professional golfer, therefore these little "accommodations" are not earth-shattering in the greater scheme of life.

Let's talk for a few minutes about these two score helpers. When I play a Mulligan it is always off of the tee box; I use the "Winter Rules" everywhere else, except for the greens, of course.

A Mulligan: the derivation of the word "Mulligan" has never been factually attributed, but it is simply a second shot (without penalty). Normally I allow myself one Mulligan for each nine holes. When I would play with my friends in Alaska we would also allow ourselves an additional Mulligan off of the first tee. This first shot invariably headed for the woods and everyone knows the second shot is always straight and true (not). If the second shot were also wayward we would suck it up and play the second shot even if it meant a lost ball penalty. We would take a drop near the point of entry into the hazard and assess ourselves a lost ball penalty stroke. When the Mulligan did fly straight and true we never took the allowable five minutes to look for the first ball - it was assumed the lost ball was the cost of the Mulligan.

When I travel to my hometown to play in the tournament my brother David puts on each year, the tournament officials allow you to buy 5 Mulligans for 5 dollars. This money goes into the kitty to help buy Christmas presents for needy kids in the area, a cause worth supporting.

Perhaps if I were to keep track of all of the Mulligans I used through out the golf season and put the equivalent amount of money into the red kettle, I would either feel better about their use or I would find myself using fewer Mulligans because of the end cost. I will have to sleep on this one.

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