A golf match format designed to keep YouTube matches competitive and entertaining from the first tee to the final putt.
During the COVID shutdown of 2020, I discovered YouTube golf. What started as a way to pass the time quickly became one of my favorite forms of golf entertainment. The personalities, friendly competition, and creative match formats make YouTube golf enjoyable whether I am playing golf regularly or not.
However, traditional match play can sometimes create a challenge for content creators. Once one side builds a comfortable lead, the outcome can become predictable and the final holes can lose some of their drama. The golf may still be good, but the tension that makes competition exciting begins to fade.
The Floating Mulligan is a simple format idea intended to keep matches competitive while preserving the spirit of the game.
Genevieve Ling — I first discovered YouTube golf in 2020 during the COVID shutdown, when I came across Genevieve Ling's channel. Her smile, positive attitude, and videos about course management brightened those days and had me playing some of my best golf. Genevieve Ling Golf
Golf Girl Games — As Ms. Ling transitioned toward professional golf, I discovered Golf Girl Games. The personalities, competition, and chemistry among the players make it consistently entertaining and my favorite YouTube golf channel. Golf Girl Games
Good Good Girls — After Alexis and Marissa branched off, their channel quickly became another of my favorites. Good Good Girls
Traditional match play works extremely well on the golf course. It identifies the better team and rewards consistent play.
However, YouTube golf has a second objective: creating entertaining content. Once a team builds a lead of three or four holes, the match can become difficult to recover from. Viewers begin calculating how many holes remain and whether a comeback is realistic.
The best YouTube golf matches are often the ones where both teams still have a chance to win late in the round.
Traditional mulligans are often used as a way to create excitement, but they introduce several new problems.
Players frequently use them too early. Others save them for later and become overly cautious while waiting for the perfect opportunity. Some players simply forget they still have one available.
More importantly, traditional mulligans do not respond to the flow of the match. A team that is already leading receives the same benefit as a team trying to mount a comeback. In some situations, a traditional mulligan can actually make a lopsided match even more lopsided.
The Floating Mulligan takes a different approach by tying the mulligan to the state of the match rather than to a specific player or team.
The Floating Mulligan is a simple match-play variation. The mulligan does not permanently belong to either team. Instead, it floats to whichever team is currently trailing in the match.
The mulligan is available to the trailing team, but its use is optional. Teams may choose to use it immediately, save it for a critical shot later in the hole, or never use it at all.
| Hole | Winner | Match Score | Mulligan Next Hole |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Team A | A +1 | Team B |
| 2 | Halved | A +1 | Team B |
| 3 | Team B | All Square | None |
| 4 | Team A | A +1 | Team B |
The Floating Mulligan does not guarantee a close match. Better golf will still win most of the time.
What it does provide is a small mechanism that helps keep both teams engaged. It creates more comeback opportunities, more strategic decisions, and more meaningful closing holes.
Most importantly, it helps maintain uncertainty. As long as viewers believe either team can still win, they are more likely to remain invested in the outcome.
This format was designed specifically with YouTube golf in mind. It is not intended to replace traditional match play or tournament golf. Instead, it is simply a way to create more entertaining and competitive content.
If any creators decide to try the Floating Mulligan format, I would love to see how it works in practice.