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History of the
Mulligan Tour
The Mulligan Tour formed in 1999 when founder Erik Meland, tired of the same old 9-hole golf leagues, scheduled a series of tournaments at different local courses and offered a "new kind" of golf league that would promise a "PGA Tour" feel for the weekend, recreational golfer. He invited friends and neighbors (and friends of neighbors) to participate in the inaugural Tour season. That first campaign included 16 members of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of Harbour Pointe - named after the subdivision in Belleville, Michigan that was home to Meland and half the original membership. An engineer for an automotive supplier, Meland used his program management skills to organize the tournaments, each with its own name and trophy, and track the playing statistics like the pro tour. Using typical "league" playing rules, the Mulligan Tour would stress the fun, recreational aspect of the game but introduce a level of competition not readily available to the avid bogey golfer. Using previous scores as a basis for player's handicaps, 12 players traveled to Ypsilanti's Pine View GC on May 29, 1999 and launched the new Tour by contesting the first Pine View Classic. Dearborn school teacher Ron Stuart won the tournament by 2-strokes posting a net 4-under par 68. A week later, the Tour traveled to Willow Metropark and Harbour Pointe resident Tom Hamilton won the inaugural Tin Cup. June would see 2 more Harbour Pointe neighbors win tournaments - Kerry Homberger in the Western Swing and Mary Petree in the Crazy Brit - a tournament that used the modified British Stableford scoring system on the player's net scores. In July, the Tour faced it's first problems with weather. The inaugural Harbour Pointe Open, the Tour's first "major" championship, was stopped by lightning as the field made their way to the back nine. The tournament was cancelled and rescheduled for August and the Tour created policy for future cases when Mother Nature would not cooperate with the Tour's plans. In late July and early August, Todd Stuart would become the first to win consecutive tournaments, taking the Strokes on a Rope and Quad-Tour Challenge titles. The Strokes on a Rope offered a different kind of handicapping - converting the player's handicap to a length of string and allowing players to move their ball and improve their lie by a total amount over the tournament equal to the length of string. The Quad-Tour Challenge required the players to "draft" pro golfers that would team up for a 4-player score. Erik Meland won the first Caddyshack Classic but Jim Cwikla finished the '99 Tour schedule by winning the rescheduled Harbour Pointe Open and the PLAYERS Championship sweeping the Tour's first 2 majors. He earned $80 for the 2 victories but came up $4 short of Stuart, who earned $94 for the year and claimed the Mulligan Tour's first Money Title. -------------------------------------------- The Tour adjusted some of the rules for the 2nd year. The handicap formula was modified after watching so many net-scores blow past par. After another small tweak in 2001, the handicap formula has been left relatively unchanged since. Tournament winners have come from the low, mid, and high handicaps alike confirming the equity of the handicapping policy. Other changes to the playing rules were made in order to speed the pace of play. A 3-putt maximum rule allowed players to "pick-up" after missing the 2nd putt. And, mandating a "quadruple bogey max" gross score meant players would not get caught in a "blow-up" hole. Today, most players finish their rounds in 4 1/2 hours or less. Membership steadily grew during the early years from 24 players in 2000 to 34 in 2002. In 2004, membership reached 55 players and Meland created a Board of Directors from some of the veteran players to help guide the Tour's growth. More tournaments were added and the "Grand Slam" was formed as the Memorial tournament and the Match Play Championship joined the HPO and PLAYERS Championship as the Tour's majors. The Memorial tournament was actually Meland's first foray into tournament golf, first played in 1995 and now considered the "granddaddy" of the Mulligan Tour. ----------------------------------------- The Mulligan Tour's "master plan" includes establishing regional divisions as growth dictates. The Tour created its first 2 divisions before the 2005 season. The Central and Western divisions followed their own schedules but members were able to play in either tournaments much the way a pro golfer might play PGA Tour events and European PGA Tour events. The Tour added an Eastern division in 2010 to cater to the Oakland and Macomb county population. Recent years have seen the
addition of new tournaments including the
popular Commissioner's Cup - the Mulligan Tour's
version of the Ryder Cup. A team of 8
players from the Central division's leading
money winners takes on a team of 8 from the
West's top money gainers in team matches.
The Central won the first Cup in 2005 played at
the Lakes of Taylor Golf Club. But the
West rebounded and claimed the Cup for 2006
winning at the Legacy Golf Club. With the
addition of the Eastern division in 2010 the
Commissioner's Cup match rotates between
divisions with the defending champs playing
against the division that did not participate
the year before. ----------------------------------------- In 2010, the Tour added 2 new team events for the end of the season. The President's Cup is a one-day 27 hole event pitting 6 members of the Player's Advisory Council (PAC), formerly the Board of Directors, against a team of 6 members in good standing. The format includes 9 matches - 3 each of best ball, alternate shot and scramble. Team Management won the inaugural event 5½ to 3½. The Division Bell also debuted in
2010. This event brings a 4-player
team representing each of the Tour's regional
divisions to play a total net score from the
team. The Central Division won the
inaugural tournament held at Farmington Hills
GC. In 2016 for the sake of spreading
the rewards of competition, the Tour began
giving entry preference in these events to
players who did not participate in the
Commissioner's Cup.
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A tribute to
the founder Erik Meland After 18 years as the
driving force of The Mulligan Tour, our Founder
and Inspirational leader Erik, El Presidente’,
Meland has turned the keys of the Tour over to a
group of 9
members who formed a new LLC to take the
Tour forward into its next era. Erik
organized and ran the league based on the
principal of fun, love of the game and a place
that amateur bogey golfers could compete in a
friendly tournament, similar to a PGA type
setting. The new ownership team is
committed to continue the core principals
established by Erik. The new owners would
like to thank Erik for his amazing commitment
and vision that has made the Mulligan Tour what
it is. Below is an excerpt from the Tour
History to give everyone a perspective of where
it all began and the journey from then to
now. “The Mulligan Tour
formed in 1999 when founder Erik Meland, tired
of the same old 9-hole golf leagues, scheduled a
series of tournaments at different local courses
and offered a "new kind" of golf league that
would promise a "PGA Tour" feel for the weekend,
recreational golfer. He invited friends
and neighbors (and friends of neighbors) to
participate in the inaugural Tour season.
That first campaign included 16 members of the
Royal & Ancient Golf Club of Harbour Pointe
- named after the subdivision in Belleville,
Michigan that was home to Meland and half the
original membership. An engineer for an automotive supplier,
Meland used his program management skills to
organize the tournaments, each with its own name
and trophy, and track the playing statistics
like the pro tour. Using typical "league"
playing rules, the Mulligan Tour would stress
the fun, recreational aspect of the game but
introduce a level of competition not readily
available to the avid bogey golfer. Using previous scores as a basis for
player's handicaps, 12 players traveled to
Ypsilanti's Pine View GC on May 29, 1999 and
launched the new Tour by contesting the first
Pine View Classic. Dearborn school teacher
Ron Stuart won the tournament by 2-strokes
posting a net 4-under par 68. Membership
steadily grew during the early years from 24
players in 2000 to 34 in 2002. In 2004,
membership reached 55 players and Meland
created a Board of Directors from some of the
veteran players to help guide the Tour's
growth. More tournaments were added and
the "Grand Slam" was formed as the Memorial
tournament and the Match Play Championship
joined the HPO and PLAYERS Championship as the
Tour's majors. The Memorial tournament was
actually Meland's first foray into tournament
golf, first played in 1995 and now considered
the "granddaddy" of the Mulligan Tour. (Also affectionately
known as the “Erik Meland Memorial ‘Hey! He’s
not dead yet!’ Tournament”) The Tour
created its first 2 divisions before the 2005
season. The Central and Western divisions
followed their own schedules but members were
able to play in either tournaments much the
way a pro golfer might play PGA Tour events and
European PGA Tour events. The Tour added
an Eastern division in 2010 to cater to the
Oakland and Macomb county population.” The Tour has matured
over the years and now hosts about 35 events
each year. Over 120 players have been involved
in the last two years. The Tour is a great
recreational outlet for the competitive juices
of bogey golfers. A motivation for some to work
out a little more and stay a little healthier.
For some it has become something deeper. Our
oldest member has been quoted as saying “If it
wasn’t for The Mulligan Tour I’d be dead now.” We
understand Godfather. When we look across that
snow covered yard, our minds wander to that
first tee off at Pineview. A reuniting with our
brothers and sisters. We see in our minds one
more great shot. One more great round. We feel
the anticipation of victory, one more time. Thank you Erik.
--------------------------------- This year The Tour added a silly season event,
because we could! Our newest fall event will be
The U of M Open, played at the University of
Michigan Golf Course, and not on a football
Saturday. --------------------- 2019 The decision was made to expand the
Commissioner's Cup teams to 10 players per side.
The more the merrier!
-------------------------------- The Tour has moved closer to the new
World Handicap System, averaging a player's best 5
out of the last 10 rounds played x .95 to obtain
an MTHI (Mulligan Tour Handicap Index).
Adjustments for course ratings and tees are made
at each event.
After a year of experience, the Tour
decided to move to a .85 multiplier to obtain an
MTHI. A small adjustment to balance the
competitiveness of the field. The Match Play
Championship this year will be conducted on two
weekends to allow for a regular tour event on that
same weekend.
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