04/26/2026
Yes, I am the Great Grand Nephew of the inventor of the Mulligan term in golf.
But that’s not how this started.
Like most people, I had heard the word “Mulligan” countless times. It’s part of the game, part of the culture—something said with a laugh after a bad shot. I never gave much thought to where it actually came from.
Then one day, while doing some genealogy work on my father’s side of the family, one of my cousins said something that caught me completely off guard:
“That Mulligan in golf… you’re related to him.”
My reaction?
“Oh come on… really?”
After all, Mulligan is a common name—and ours is a big family. Like many people, I didn’t even realize the term came from an actual person, let alone consider that I could be connected to him… to this legend.
Honestly, I didn’t believe it at first. It sounded like one of those stories families tell that never quite checks out. But it stayed with me.
So I started digging.
And that’s when things really took a turn.
In the process, I connected with a new American cousin on Facebook. I reached out, not knowing exactly what to expect. As it turned out, he was the grandson of the legend himself.
That same year, my wife and I were planning a trip to New York City to attend the Times Square Ball Drop. We decided to take it a step further and arranged to meet him.
On January 1st, 2018, we met at the Barclay Intercontinental in Manhattan.
We were the first Canadian family he had ever met in person.
And then something happened that made the moment even more surreal.
We had chosen the Barclay Intercontinental simply for its location—never realizing that it was the very same hotel where my Great Grand Uncle, David B. Mulligan, had passed away in 1954.
What started as a simple curiosity had turned into something far more personal. Real connections. Real moments. Real history coming full circle.
From that point on, I couldn’t stop.
For several years, my cousin and I stayed in touch. Then in 2024, I asked him a simple question:
“Have you ever thought about creating something around your grandfather’s legacy?”
His answer surprised me—he had been thinking the same thing for years.
That conversation became the catalyst.
What followed has turned into a two-year journey into the life and times of David B. Mulligan. What began as an idea for a single article about the man behind the legend quickly evolved into something much bigger—a full-length book.
Because the deeper I went, the more there was to uncover.
Over the past two years, I’ve been researching relentlessly—following every lead, going down every rabbit hole, connecting pieces of a story that had been scattered across time.
And what I’ve discovered is this:
He was far more than just a name tied to a golfing term.
He was a man of substance. Of influence. Of presence.
Someone who was well known, respected, and accomplished in his time—yet somehow, his full story has faded into the background, hiding in plain sight.
Along the way, I also found myself relating to him more than I ever expected.
I hold a diploma in Hospitality and worked in the hotel industry in my younger years—something that closely mirrors his world, and that of another key figure in our family story, our cousin Donald Grant. From there, I found my way into the finance industry, built a career, played junior hockey, managed teams, and of course… developed a deep love for the game of golf.
Different paths, different times—but there are parallels.
And maybe that’s part of what’s kept me so invested in this journey. It’s not just about learning who he was—it’s about understanding how those same passions, interests, and experiences echo forward through generations.
Now, I’ll be honest…
I don’t condone taking Mulligans.
But I’ve played enough golf over the years to know plenty of playing partners who have taken one… maybe two… along the way.
And yes—I’ll admit it—I’ve taken one myself.
But for most of my golfing life, I’ve tried to refrain from the practice as much as possible.
He has become an inspiration in my own life. I find myself at times asking, “What would David do?”
I’ve fallen in love with New York City’s history. I’ve discovered that our family made a difference in the community I grew up in, in Canada’s National Capital Region, as well as in my birthplace of Montreal, Quebec.
David’s story has shown me that it’s possible to blaze your own trail—that success is not linear, and that everything we build, we build through people.
The book is coming along very nicely, and I expect to have it completed by the spring of 2027.
