There are many variations of games when it comes to golf. Skins is one of those that are played by golfers across the globe mainly because it is simple and competitive.
What makes Skins such a great game to play in golf is that it can be both formal and informal. There are several versions of this game played while they also have an official one which is played and competed with millions of dollars in prize money at stake known as The Skins Game.
Basics of Skins
Between all the other games, Skin is relatively simple and straightforward. This is the very reason why golfers like to play Skins. The main idea of this game is based on the match play format and in most cases, played between a group of 3 or 4 people. The objective for the golfer here is to settle up based on how many skins they collected. Every hole on the course is played separately. The player is going to try and win each hole with the lowest score and the winner of that hole is deemed to have won ‘the skin’ there. That is the straightforward part.
In the event that 2 or more players are tied with the same score on a particular hole, no one is awarded the Skin. Instead, it is then ‘carried over’ to the next hole. When this happens, the score is then doubled.
Common practices and variations of Skins
The most common Skins game is played based on the handicaps of the respective golfers. For example, a 16 handicap golfer might receive 8 strokes on the toughest 8 holes depending on the course. However, there are also other variations of Skins being played as below.
- Skins Variation 1 – A small wager is placed on each hole. For example, $2 is placed on each hole. The standard Skins game is then played (with carryover during a tie). For every hole that is played, the amount accumulates and the winner takes all.
- Skins Variation 2 – This variation works with a different scoring system. The original rules are maintained while the winner of each hole will bring the skin to the next hole. The proceeding winner of the next hole will also win the skins of those that have been brought over by the other players. This means that if you are playing with 3 other players, you could potentially win an additional 3 Skins.
- Skins Variation 3 – In this version, the score is maintained but it is the value of the skin that changes in each hole. You are considered to have won that skin if you score a par or better. If you hit a birdie, it will double the value of the skin while this will be three times in the event of an eagle.
