Skins golf game rules
In Skins every hole is a prize. Make the lowest score on a hole, with nobody tying you, and you win that hole's skin.
How to play
Agree a value per skin (or a buy-in pot). On each hole, the player with the single lowest score wins the skin. If two or more players tie for low, nobody wins it.
Carryovers
With carryover on, a tied hole's skin rolls to the next hole, so the next outright winner takes two (or more). With carryover off, a tied skin is simply gone.
Scoring and payouts
Side Pot supports two ways to pay:
- Per skin: every other player pays the winner the skin value for each skin won.
- Pot: everyone puts in a buy-in, and the pot is split by skins won at the end.
- If skins are still carrying after the last hole, by default the tied players split them (you can also drop them or give them back).
Handicaps
Net skins give strokes by stroke index. A player who picks up scores net double bogey and can't win the hole.
Worked example
Four players, $5 a skin, carryover on. Hole 1 is tied. Dave makes birdie on 2 alone. Hole 3 is tied. Mike makes birdie on 4 alone.
Dave wins 2 skins on hole 2 (one carried) and Mike wins 2 skins on hole 4. Each collects $10 from each of the other three: Dave +$20, Mike +$20, Sam −$20, Jon −$20.
These numbers come straight from the scoring Side Pot uses in a real round. Load them into the calculator below and change anything.
Skins calculator
Dave, Mike, Sam, Jon
- Dave+$20Net up
- Mike+$20Net up
- Sam−$20Net down
- Jon−$20Net down
Why (6 entries)
- Mike → Dave $10 · Skins hole 2: Dave wins 2 skins (1 carried)
- Sam → Dave $10 · Skins hole 2: Dave wins 2 skins (1 carried)
- Jon → Dave $10 · Skins hole 2: Dave wins 2 skins (1 carried)
- Dave → Mike $10 · Skins hole 4: Mike wins 2 skins (1 carried)
- Sam → Mike $10 · Skins hole 4: Mike wins 2 skins (1 carried)
- Jon → Mike $10 · Skins hole 4: Mike wins 2 skins (1 carried)
Common questions
What happens to a skin when players tie?
With carryover, it rolls to the next hole. Without it, nobody gets that skin.
What if the last hole ties with skins carrying?
Side Pot splits the carried skins among the tied players by default. Some groups play a playoff or return them — pick that in setup.
Are skins played gross or net?
Either. Net skins are fairer in a mixed group; gross skins reward the best ball-strikers.
Related games
Let Side Pot keep the book.
Tap scores, and every Skins result, the money and the settle-up are worked out for you.
Score your next Skins round