How it plays
- 1Play each hole. The single lowest score on the hole wins the skin.
- 2If two or more players tie for the low score, nobody wins it — the skin carries and the next hole is worth two.
- 3Carryovers keep stacking until somebody wins a hole outright.
- 4Most skins won over nine holes wins the day.
Scoring and handicaps
- One skin per hole, nine skins available before carryovers redistribute them.
- Net skins: apply handicap strokes by stroke index before comparing scores. This is what lets a 20 handicap take a skin off a scratch player.
- Tie the whole round on skins and the tie-break is the last skin won.
- In the league, skins convert to the standard 10 / 6 / 3 / 1 finishing points.
Over nine holes
Skins is made for nine holes and made for camera: the tension compounds hole after hole, and a carried-over ninth with four players standing over putts is the best closing shot in the rotation.
How to actually win it
- Late carryovers change the strategy completely — when three skins ride on one hole, the aggressive line is the correct line.
- Playing net skins with big handicap gaps? Cap the strokes at one per hole or the high handicapper sweeps the card.
- Announce the carryover total on the tee. It is free drama and it keeps everyone honest about the stakes.
Questions people ask
What happens when a hole is tied in a skins game?
Nobody wins the skin. It carries over to the next hole, which is then worth two skins. Carryovers keep stacking until one player wins a hole outright, so the last holes of a skins game are often worth several skins at once.
Can you play skins with handicaps?
Yes. Allocate handicap strokes by stroke index the same way you would in net stroke play, then compare net scores on each hole. Many groups cap it at one stroke per hole so a single high handicapper cannot take every skin.
How many players do you need for skins?
Three or more. With two it becomes match play with carryovers. Four is the sweet spot — enough players that holes get tied often, which is what builds the carryover stacks.
Watch it played
We film Skins live, badly, every season
Five friends, one camera, nine holes, and a forfeit waiting for whoever finishes last. The full round card for every Skins week is on this site the day the episode drops.