Wally Armstrong - The Mulligan: Everyone Needs a Second Chance in Gold and in Life

Endorsements for The Mulligan

For those who have learned that golf is more than just a game, TheMulligan will be welcome reading that will provide helpful insights not just for their golf game, but for their lives as well.

Ben Crenshaw, two-time Masters Champion and
2002 inductee to the World Golf Hall of Fame

Wally Armstrong and Ken Blanchard not only understand golf but life and the value of relationships. They have put together a story that should warm your heart, help your golf game, and just may touch your life.

Jack Nicklaus, golf legend and 1974 inductee
to the World Golf Hall of Fame

I really enjoyed reading The Mulligan and I know my dad, Harvey, would have loved this simple little book because there are so many things in it that embody the wisdom, grace, and the importance of friendships my dad always treasured.

Tinsley Penick, PGA golf professional

A compelling story about the importance of a mulligan. It may only happen on the first tee in golf, but in the game of life it is there for the asking, provided you are prepared to ask and know the One who has the answer.

C. William Pollard, Chairman of The ServiceMaster
Company and author of The Soul of the Firm

If you want to improve your golf game and your life, reading TheMulligan is a must. Its a spiritual journey down the fairway.

John C. Maxwell, author, speaker, and founder of
INJOY Stewardship and EQUIP

Every now and then we need a wake-up call to remind us of the things in life that really matter. Thankfully,Wally Armstrong and Ken Blanchard in their book, The Mulligan, reassure us that second chances to correct our wrongs are just one swing away!

Paul J. Meyer, New York Times best-selling author
and founder of Success Motivation International, Inc.

In The Mulligan,Wally Armstrong and Ken Blanchard strike a common chord among sportsmen and those seeking a better understanding of the broader arena which is life itself. The lessons of second chances, forgiveness, and love are eternal as espoused by the great Old Pro himself: Jesus Christ.

Pete McDaniel, best-selling author and
Senior Writer for Golf Digest

As we walk the fairways of life, this great game teaches us early on that if we continue in our dedication to perfection good things may happen. The same holds true in our own lives; dedication, hard work, and trial and error will be rewarded. The Mulligan sets the stage for that perfect score. Great job Wally & Ken!

Jerry Rich, owner Rich Harvest Farms,
site of the 2009 Solheim Cup

If golf is a metaphor for life, then a mulligan is a perfect metaphor for Gods love. Ken Blanchards new book is a terrific reminder that whenever we ask, God gives us second chances throughout our lives and straight on into eternity.

Bill Jones III, chairman and CEO of Sea Island Company

THE MULLIGAN
Copyright 2007,Wally Armstrong and Blanchard Family Partnership

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Thomas Nelson, Inc. titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fundraising, or sales promotional use. For information, please email SpecialMarkets@ThomasNelson.com.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version (NIV). Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984. International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.

Editorial Staff: David Moberg, acquisitions editor; Thom Chittom, managing editor

Page Design: Lori Lynch, Book & Graphic Design, Nashville, TN

Cover Design: Chris Tobias

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Armstrong,Wally.
The Mulligan : everyone needs a second chance in golf and in life / by
Wally Armstrong and Ken Blanchard.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 10: 0-8499-0323-8
ISBN 13: 978-0-8499-0323-6
1. GolfersReligious life. 2. GolfReligious aspectsChristianity.
3. Christian life. I. Blanchard, Kenneth H. II. Title.

BV4596.G64A77 2006
248.4dc22

2006100416

Printed in the United States of America

07 08 09 10 11 QW 5 4 3 2 1

OTHER BOOKS BY WALLY ARMSTRONG AND KEN BLANCHARD

BY WALLY ARMSTRONG

The First Tee Shot: A Parents Guide to Teaching Kids Golf
(with Mike Yorkey)

The Heart of a Golfer (with Frank Martin)

Finishing the Course: Strategies For The Back Nine Of Your Life
(with Jim Sheard)

In His Grip: Insights on God and Golf (with Jim Sheard)

Playing the Game: Inspiration for Life and Golf (with Jim Sheard)

Wally Armstrongs Golf Log

BY KEN BLANCHARD

The One Minute Manager (with Spencer Johnson)

Raving Fans: A Revolutionary Approach to Customer Service
(with Sheldon Bowles)

Gung Ho! (with Sheldon Bowles)

Whale Done!: The Power of Positive Relationships
(with Thad Lacinak, Chuck Tompkins and Jim Ballard)

Putting the One Minute Manager to Work (with Robert Lorber)

Leading at a Higher Level (with the Founding Associates and Consulting
Partners for The Ken Blanchard Companies)

Lead Like Jesus: Lessons from the Greatest Leadership Role Model
of all Time (with Phil Hodges)

The Servant Leader (with Phil Hodges)

Leadership by the Book (with Bill Hybels and Phil Hodges)

The Secret: What Great Leaders Think and Do (with Mark Miller)

The Heart of a Leader

The Simple Truths of Service (with Barbara Glanz)

Customer Mania!: Its Never Too Late to Build a Customer Focused
Company (with Jim Ballard and Fred Finch)

Playing the Great Game of Golf: Making Every Minute Count
(recently retitled The One Minute Golfer)

Contents

MULLIGAN, in golf (n)In friendly play, permission granted a golfer by the other players to retake a flubbed shot especially the first shot of the game. Golfs generous forgiveness, The Mulligan, originated in the U.S. at Winged Foot Golf Club created via David B. Mulligan. This second chance shot is not allowed by the official rules of golf.

This Book
is Dedicated to
Duke Dupree
Harvey Penick
Davis Love, Jr.
and
All the Old Pros
Who Teach Us
about
Golf and Life

As a young lad, my passion for golf grew out of the cornfields of Indiana. I hawked golf balls in the fields lining the local nine-hole Indian Lake Country Club. On a good day, my pockets were full of balls to be sold for a few nickels and dimes. But the real money came through caddying and shagging balls for the club champion Duke Dupree.

Duke saw my love and desire to play, so he taught me the disciplines of the game. More than that, he helped me to believe in myself. He saw all the dormant possibilities in my life and made me believe they could come true. Duke was more than an employer. He was a teacher, brother, friend, and a father in many ways; Dukes impact on my life is immeasurable. Many times during my 300plus PGA Tour events, I have sensed Duke standing there beside me, encouraging me in the execution of the shot at hand.

Besides the wisdom of Duke Dupree, this book reflects the influence of two other men. One of these is the legendary golf professional Harvey Penick, author of