PERSPECTIVE FROM THE 19^TH HOLE: This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf. Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all of my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon, as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist. This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.

Two of my friends recently tussled with my post about whether official golf rules allow for use of what I’ll call a “mulligan” – the concept in golf that allows a do-over after a shot.

Most golfers would answer “no” to such a question.

First, the fact that I focus on this illustrates that I have nothing better to do than ruminate on golf rules – and, I post this halfway to Palm Springs, California where, yes, golf is on my agenda.

Second, on to the points made by my friends:

• One friend advised me that the word “mulligan” did not appear in the official golf rule book. True. To defend myself, I used the word only in colloquial fashion and not because it was official. My friend is right, so, from my on, at least in this point, I’ll put the word “mulligan” in quote marks.
• Another friend told me that there was a third occasion in golf rules where a “mulligan” was allowed. It is when a golf ball, hit off the tee or off the ground, disintegrates in flight. Play another ball without penalty.

To recall, I had earlier cited two incidents in golf rules where “mulligans” were allowed.

One occurred recently on the PGA Champions Tour. I player hit a three-foot putt, the ball lipped out of the hole, and came back to hit the player in the foot. The correct procedure was to take a “mulligan.” The player did not do so, hitting the ball where it came to rest and suffered a two-stroke penalty as a result.

The second occasion where a “mulligan” is allowed occurs when a golf ball hits a power line over the course, which tends to occur infrequently. In such a case, there is an automatic “mulligan” – no choice, hit again, no penalty.

See, if you read this post, aren’t you better off for doing so!