Side games
Skins: rules, scoring and a free calculator
Every hole is worth a skin. Win the hole outright and the skin is yours. Tie it and the skin is up for grabs on the next one.
2 to 4 players (it works for bigger groups too)
How Skins works
- Agree what a skin is worth before the round, for example $2.
- On each hole, the lowest score wins the skin. If two or more players tie for the lowest score, nobody wins it.
- Most groups carry over: a tied hole adds its skin to the next hole, so a hole can be worth two, three or more skins.
- At the end, add up each player’s skins. Everyone pays the winners for the skins they won.
On each hole
- Play the hole. Every player writes down a score.
- Look for the lowest score. One player alone on it wins the skin, and any skins that carried in.
- More than one player on it? No winner. With carryovers on, the skin moves to the next hole.
- Settle up at the end. The calculator below turns skins into who pays whom.
Carryovers
With carryovers, a hole that nobody wins adds its skin to the next one. If the first three holes are tied, the fourth hole is worth four skins to whoever wins it outright.
Without carryovers, a tied hole is dead and the next hole is worth one skin again. It is slower, calmer and keeps the money small.
Agree before the first tee what happens to skins still carrying at the end of the round. Most groups let the last hole decide it or play off.
Common variations
- Validation: the winner of a hole must also make par or better to keep the skin.
- Net skins: players get handicap strokes on the hardest holes, so a high handicap can win a skin with a bogey.
- Birdie skins: only a birdie or better wins a skin. Everything else carries.
- Skins with a pot: everyone puts the same amount in and the pot is shared by skins won.
Skins calculator
Add your players and type the strokes for each hole. You get the standings, who won what and who pays whom. It uses the same game engine as the Pocket Looper live card.
Handicap strokes (optional)
| Hole | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |||
| 2 | |||
| 3 | |||
| 4 | |||
| 5 | |||
| 6 | |||
| 7 | |||
| 8 | |||
| 9 |
Enter scores to start
Not started
Who won what
Settle up
Nobody owes anything.
Questions golfers ask
How do you play skins in golf?
Each hole is worth a skin. The player with the lowest score alone on a hole wins it. If two players tie for the lowest score, nobody wins it and the skin carries to the next hole in most games.
What is a carryover in skins?
A carryover is a skin that was not won because players tied. It carries to the next hole, which is then worth two skins, and so on until someone wins a hole outright.
How many players do you need for skins?
Two is the minimum, and three or four is ideal. With more players, ties become more likely, so carryovers get big.
How do handicaps work in skins?
In a net game, players receive handicap strokes on the hardest holes. The lowest net score wins the skin. The calculator supports strokes if you open the handicap section.
What if nobody wins the last hole?
Agree this before you start. Common choices are to play extra holes until someone wins, to split the carried skins, or to let them die.
More side games
Get this on every shot
Pocket Looper keeps Skins, Nassau, Wolf and more for your group on the live card, works out the settle-up as you play, and it is free.