Skins is the simplest golf side game there is, and one of the most fun. Every hole is worth a skin. The player with the lowest score on the hole, outright, wins it. If two or more players tie for the low score, nobody wins that hole. In most groups, the skin then carries over to the next hole, which is where things get interesting.
The basic rules
- Agree on a value per skin before you tee off.
- Play each hole. The lowest score wins the skin, but only if nobody else matches it.
- Ties carry over (if you play with carryovers). The next hole is worth its own skin plus everything carried into it.
- Settle at the end. Each skin is paid by every other player to the winner.
How carryovers work
Carryovers keep every hole meaningful. Say a skin is worth 5 points and holes 3, 4, and 5 all tie. Hole 6 is now worth 20 points: its own 5 plus 15 carried in. Win hole 6 outright and you collect all of it. That's how a quiet front nine turns into a tense back nine.
Some groups play no carryovers: a tied hole pays nothing and the next hole is worth a single skin again. It's lower stakes and faster to settle.
Scoring example
Four players, 5 points per skin, carryovers on. Each skin is paid by the three other players.
| Hole | Result | Skin value | Winner collects |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mike wins outright | 5 | Mike +15 (5 from each player) |
| 2 | Tie | 5 → carries | — |
| 3 | Tie | 10 → carries | — |
| 4 | Dave wins outright | 15 | Dave +45 (15 from each player) |
Doing this in your head for 18 holes, with edits when someone remembers a score differently, is where mistakes creep in. That's the part Weekend Skins handles.
Popular variations
- Net skins: handicap strokes apply on each hole, so everyone has a shot.
- Validation: a winning score must be par or better to count, or a birdie must be "validated" with a par on the next hole.
- Last-hole rule: decide in advance what happens to a pot still carrying after 18: split it, play it off, or drop it.
Tracking skins with Weekend Skins
In Weekend Skins you don't enter a scorecard. After each hole you tap who won it, or tap Tie. The app builds carryovers automatically, shows the current skin value, keeps live standings for every player, and recalculates every later hole if you go back and change an earlier result. At the end it shows who pays whom, using the fewest payments.
Skins FAQ
What happens if every hole ties in skins?
With carryovers, the pot keeps growing until someone wins a hole outright. If the 18th hole ties, groups usually agree beforehand to either split what's left, play it off, or let it go. Without carryovers, a tied hole simply pays nothing.
Are skins played with net or gross scores?
Either. Gross skins use actual scores. Net skins apply handicap strokes on the holes where players get them, which keeps the game competitive for mixed-ability groups. Decide before the first tee.
How many players can play skins?
Two or more. Skins is most popular in foursomes, and it works for any group size because each hole is won by one player outright.
How much is a skin worth?
Whatever your group agrees. Many groups set a small value per skin and let carryovers make the late holes interesting.