The Legal Mulligan
Save Your Friends From A Bad Shot

by Brian Sullivan / DiscLife.com

You’re on the lead card in a tense doubles event, and you’ve shanked your drive. Your partner approaches the tee pad, takes a brief run-up and lets loose a real stinker of a shot, even worse than yours. However, he also stepped slightly off the pad before release. You immediately call “foot fault,” and the others in the group agree, giving you a funny look for calling a foul on your own partner. You simply smile, and instruct your partner to take a penalty-free second drive. He crushes this one, you score a two for the hole and a victory in the event.

How did you do it? By following the rules.

PDGA rules of play state that a player must not step on or over the marker disc prior to release, or off the tee pad. Doing so constitutes a stance violation. To be valid, a stance violation must be called by any member of the group or nearby official within three seconds of release, and must be confirmed by at least one other member of the group.

On the first infraction, the offending player is issued a warning and throws again from the same spot without penalty. Only after the first infraction are penalty strokes incurred. In other words, you only get one freebie, but if the opportunity presents itself, take the mulligan... it’s legal!