Golf Glossary
Skins
In short
Skins is a points game in golf for two to four players or more. Each hole is worth one skin. The skin goes to the player who finishes the hole alone with the lowest score. If there is a tie, the skin stays on the table and carries over to the next hole. Whoever holds the most skins at the end wins.
What is skins in golf?
Skins is one of the most popular games in private rounds of golf. It is not a format from the rulebook but an agreement between the players. Everyone plays their own ball, and on each hole the scores are compared. The player who finishes the hole alone with the lowest score wins a skin. The word skin stands for the prize that can be won on a hole.
The special feature of skins is the carryover. If two players post the same lowest score on a hole, nobody wins the skin. It is carried over to the next hole, where two skins are then up for grabs. The more holes are tied, the more valuable the skin becomes. That makes the game exciting and often gives it a dramatic finish.
Skins suits groups of two to four players but also works with bigger groups. Because every hole counts on its own, even players with a poor overall round can win individual skins.
Skins rules: scoring and carryover
The rules are quickly explained.
- Before the game the players agree what a skin is worth. The simplest option is one point per skin.
- On each hole every player plays their own ball into the hole and the scores are compared.
- The skin goes to the player who has the lowest score alone. If two or more players share the lowest score, nobody wins it.
- An unwon skin carries over to the next hole, where two skins are then up for grabs, three after another tie and so on.
- At the end of the round the player with the most skins wins.
What happens to skins that are still unwon after the last hole is not set. Agree this before the start. Three solutions are common: the skins are void, an extra hole is played until someone wins, or they are shared among the players who tied.
Because skins is not an official format, the group’s agreements apply. The Rules of Golf for normal play apply as always.
Practical example: four players, four holes
Anna, Ben, Clara and David play skins for one point per skin.
Hole 1, par 4: Anna 4, Ben 5, Clara 5, David 4. Anna and David share the lowest score, so there is no winner and the skin carries over to hole 2, where two skins are now in play.
Hole 2, par 3: Anna 3, Ben 2, Clara 3, David 4. Ben has the lowest score alone and wins two skins.
Hole 3, par 5: all four score 5. There is no winner and the skin from hole 3 carries over, so two skins are in play again on hole 4.
Hole 4, par 4: Clara scores 3, the others 4 or 5. Clara wins the two skins from holes 3 and 4.
After four holes Ben has two skins, Clara two, Anna and David none. The fact that Anna and David each made a par on hole 1 gained them nothing because they cancelled each other out. That is what makes skins so exciting: a strong score only pays when it stands alone.
Handicaps in skins: gross or net
Skins can be played gross, which means the actual strokes count. In groups of very different ability that favours the best player, so many groups play net.
In net skins every player receives handicap strokes. Usually the player with the lowest handicap plays off zero and the others receive the difference from that player. The strokes are given on the holes with the lowest stroke index on the scorecard.
Example: Anna has a course handicap of 10 and Ben has 18. The difference is 8. Ben receives eight strokes on the eight hardest holes. If he makes a bogey on one of these par-4 holes and Anna a par, both have a net 4. The skin carries over.
There is no binding World Handicap System recommendation for skins, so agree before the round whether and how handicaps are used. The result of a skins game does not count for your handicap. The round itself can still be a normal handicap round if it meets the conditions.
Variations and tips for your skins game
There are many variations, and every group has its own house rules.
- Validation: a player who wins a skin must at least win or tie the next hole for the skin to count. Some groups use this to prevent lucky wins.
- No carryover: a tied skin is void. That lowers the tension but avoids big winnings.
- Birdie bonus: a birdie or better is worth more than one skin.
- Team skins: two pairs play four-ball and the best team score wins the skin.
Tips:
- Play for points. That keeps the game relaxed, even when carryovers pile up many skins on one hole.
- Keep a skins tally and note after each hole how many skins are in play.
- Do not play nervously on tied holes. A carryover raises the pressure, but a calm putt still wins.
- Settle before the start what happens to unwon skins at the end.
Origin: from club game to TV format
Who invented skins is not documented. The game has long been played in clubs and among friends. The name became famous through a televised event: the first Skins Game, an exhibition outside the official schedule, took place in 1983 at Desert Highlands in Scottsdale, Arizona. The players were Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Tom Watson. It was played on the Thanksgiving weekend after the official season had ended.
In that event every hole was valued separately, and a tie carried the value over to the next hole. The broadcast made the format known worldwide.
Today golfers everywhere play it as a casual group game. The rules are simple enough to explain on the first tee.
How it differs from match play, Nassau and bingo bango bongo
Several games use the hole as the unit of scoring. The differences:
- Match play: two players or teams compete and the number of holes won decides. Skins can be played with more players, and each hole has its own value.
- Nassau: a match with three contests for the front nine, back nine and the full round. Skins has no block scoring.
- Bingo bango bongo: three points per hole for different achievements, regardless of strokes. Skins only compares strokes.
- Wolf: a rotating player picks a partner after the tee shot or plays alone.
- Stableford: points per hole according to the score, added over the round. There is no carryover.
Skins is therefore a game for players who like tension on every hole. Because a carryover raises the value, a single hole can decide the game.
Try it at Golf Lounge
Skins works well in the TrackMan simulators at Golf Lounge Resort Hamburg in Moorfleet, which offer classic rounds as well as tournament and skill formats. You hit real balls into the screen, and the software converts the ball flight to famous courses such as Pebble Beach or St Andrews. The simulators can be used all year round whatever the weather, with up to four people per booking and one to four hours bookable. You keep the skins score yourselves by agreement.
Frequently asked questions
What is skins in golf?
Skins is a points game for groups. On each hole the player with the lowest score alone wins a skin. If two players share the lowest score, the skin carries over to the next hole. Whoever has the most skins at the end wins. It is an agreement among players and not an official format.
What happens on a tie in skins?
On a tie nobody wins the skin. It stays on the table and carries over to the next hole, where two skins are then up for grabs, then three after another tie and so on. What happens to skins still open after the last hole should be agreed before the start.
How does skins work with handicaps?
In net skins every player receives handicap strokes on the holes with the lowest stroke index. Usually the player with the lowest handicap plays off zero and the others receive the difference. There is no binding World Handicap System recommendation, so agree it beforehand.
Where does skins come from?
Who invented the game is not documented, and it has long been played in clubs and among friends. It became famous through the first televised Skins Game in 1983 at Desert Highlands in Arizona with Nicklaus, Palmer, Player and Watson. The televised event spread the format worldwide.
As of: October 2026