Mulligan's Laws

Every time a golfer hits a terrible drive on the first hole, then quickly tees up another ball for a do-over, he or she immediately invokes the most famous name in golf--"Mulligan." And yet, absolutely nothing is known about this most profound thinker, the genius who first uttered the words, "I think I'll take another."

In 1993, Henry Beard, noted humorist and author of such enduring classics as French for Cats, Official Exceptions to the Rules of Golf, and O.J.'s Legal Pad, unearthed a copy of Thomas Mulligan's long-lost treatise on golfing wisdom and translated it from the original Scottish dialect. Mulligan's Laws has since become a classic, with over ninety thousand hardcover copies in print. Here are a few of Mulligan's golfing insights:If you really want to get better at golf, go back and take it up at a much earlier age. Nonchalant putts count the same as chalant putts. The statute of limitations on forgotten strokes is two holes. Few golfers are born with the natural talent for hitting the ball, but every player is blessed with the God-given ability to throw a club. Mulligan's Laws is a satiric yet affectionate send-up of the game where whatever can go straight, goes right, and whatever can reach the green, comes up short.