What is a Skins game in golf?

Skins is a golf game format that emphasizes individual play and friendly competition, as golfers vie for the lowest score on each hole. Designed to add an element of excitement and strategy to the traditional round of golf, Skins rewards players for their performance on a hole-by-hole basis, while fostering the spirit of rivalry among participants. With its unique rules and thrilling carryovers, Skins offers a compelling alternative for golfers looking to enhance their experience on the course.

How do you play skins?

1. Establish the participants: Skins can be played with any number of golfers, but it's most common in groups of two to four players.

2. Assign a point or monetary value to each hole: Before starting the round, the players decide on a point value or monetary amount for each hole (e.g., $1 per hole or 1 point per hole).

3. Win the hole: To win a hole in Skins, a golfer must have the lowest score among all players on that particular hole. Ties don't count, so if two or more players have the same score on a hole, no one wins the skin for that hole.

4. Carryovers: In case of a tie on a hole, the skin's value carries over to the next hole, making the following hole worth double the original value. This continues until a golfer wins a hole outright, claiming all the skins accumulated during the carryover.

5. Accumulate skins: The objective of the game is to accumulate the most skins (points or money) throughout the round.

6. Final tally: At the end of the round, the player with the most skins is declared the winner. In the case of a tie, a sudden-death playoff or other agreed-upon method can be used to determine the winner.

Variant: Whole Round or Group Skins

Whole Round Skins is a variation of the traditional Skins game, where the winner of each skin is determined after all golfers have completed their round. In this variant a skin is only awarded if one player has lowest score of all golfers on a hole. Whole Round Skins is typically played with large groups where each participant buys in a flat amount, and the total pot is divided at the end by the number of skins awarded. Payouts in this format can be large, but it is also theoretically possible for no one to win!