Golf side game
How to play Skins
For 2 to 6 players.
How it works
Every hole is worth a skin. The lowest score on the hole wins it outright; if two or more tie for low, nobody wins it.
Ties
With ties carry over (the default), a tied hole’s skin rides to the next one, so it can be worth two skins, then three, until someone wins a hole outright. Skins still carrying after the 18th go unclaimed. With it off, a tied hole’s skin is simply gone.
The money
- Each skin pays (the default): the winner collects a set amount from every other player for each skin ($2 to start). With four players a skin is worth $6.
- Split a pot: everyone buys in ($20 to start), and the pot is split by skins won. If nobody wins a skin, everyone gets their buy-in back.
Handicaps
Net (the default): each player’s handicap strokes on the hole come off their score, with full handicaps or off the low player (the lowest handicap gets no strokes and everyone else the difference). Gross: scores as they are.
Example
Four players, $2 a skin. Ann wins the 1st alone: $2 from each of the others. The 2nd and 3rd are tied, so two skins carry. Bo wins the 4th alone: three skins, $6 from each of the others.
This is how Putt for Dough plays it; setup changes the amounts. Free, with no account: one phone keeps score, everyone follows the money live, and settling up is a tap.
More games
- Nassau For 2 to 6 players, one on one, or two teams of two in a foursome.
- Banker For 2 to 6 players.
- Wolf For a foursome.
- Vegas For a foursome, in two teams of two.
- Stroke play For 2 to 6 players.
- Stableford For 2 to 6 players.
- Dots For 2 to 6 players, on top of any game.
- Birdies For 2 to 6 players, on top of any game.
- Sixes For a foursome. Also called Round Robin or Hollywood.
- Bingo Bango Bongo For 2 to 6 players.
- Low ball / high ball For a foursome, in two teams of two.
- Nines For a threesome. Also called 5-3-1.
- Team skins For a foursome, in two teams of two.
- Team stroke play For a foursome, in two teams of two.