"My Scorecard
- Good or Bad."
By 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.
Now, the "Winter Rules" function was
established by a posting at the golf course in Alaska that allowed
players to relocate their fairway shots to a tuft of grass because
of all of the dead grass hardpan that was a result of the winter
kill. My friends and I adopted this rule with glee and were doubly
blessed when we noticed there was was no expiration date on the
rule! This meant we could relocate our ball if it landed in someone's
divot, a rut caused by erosion, or just buried in grass that had
not been mowed for a couple of days. I have tried to stop using
"Winter Rules" since I no longer live in Alaska, but
old habits die hard!
I said earlier in this article I would sleep
on a decision and I have just had an epiphany. I think I am going
to have some signs made up and distribute them to the local golf
courses. The signs will ask the golfers to be on the honor system
and donate one dollar to the First Tee organization for every
Mulligan they take on the course. Who knows, there could be a
ground swell of money coming to the First Tee. For those of you
who don’t know about the First Tee, it is an organization
devoted to introducing the game of golf to children who would
not normally have access to golf...a worthy endeavor.
Keep swinging.
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