What is a ‘skin’? A search to learn why term is used for the Skins Game

It probably has to do with trading posts. 

But one source noted the word “nudes.”

Another source suggested calling it “Carryover Clash.”

Instead, though, the golf betting game is termed a “Skins Game,” as is the event set for 9 a.m. ET Friday that will feature Xander Schauffele, Tommy Fleetwood, Keegan Bradley and Shane Lowry playing for, yes, skins. Skins is the term applied to what is earned when a player wins a hole, and they typically have cash attached.   

But why ‘Skins?’

Here’s what the dictionary, ChatGPT, a golf historian, the USGA Golf Museum and Library, and the USGA told me. 

The origin of ‘Skins,’ according to Merrian-Webster  

Nothing about golf here, unfortunately. To the dictionary’s defense, the Skins Game hasn’t been played since 2008. 

Definition 1a(1) said skin was “the integument of an animal (such as a fur-bearing mammal or a bird) separated from the body usually with its hair or feathers.” Definition 1 c (1), though, may be of value here, as it said “ the pelt of an animal prepared for use as a trimming or in a garment.”

But there’s no interest in the adjective definition, which says:

“Devoted to showing nudes.”

The origin of ‘Skins,’ according to ChatGPT  

I had some fun here. My two questions are in italics. 

Where does the term ‘skin’ originate in golf? 

The exact origin of the golf term “skin” isn’t definitively proven, but the most widely accepted explanations come from gambling slang rather than from golf itself. Here are the two leading theories:

1. “Skin” as a slang term for money (most common explanation)

In mid-20th-century gambling circles, especially in the U.S., a “skin” was slang for a dollar bill or a small wager. When golfers began playing informal betting games where each hole was worth a set amount of money, that pot became known as the “skin.”

Over time, the slang carried over, and the format itself became known as a skins game — each hole has a monetary value, and winning the hole wins the “skin.”

2. “Skin” as a reference to animal skins (older linguistic link)

A less likely but occasionally cited idea is that it derives from old trading practices where animal skins represented units of value, similar to chips or tokens. There’s no strong evidence this directly led to the golf usage, but it’s part of the broader history of “skin” meaning “a thing of value.”

When did it become established in golf?

The term appears to have become popular in North American golf gambling circles around the 1950s and ’60s, and it gained mainstream visibility in 1983 with the first televised Skins Game, featuring Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Tom Watson.

Bottom line:

The golf term skin almost certainly comes from American gambling slang for money, which golfers adopted for hole-by-hole wagers.

2. If you had the choice, what would you call it other than ‘skins game?’

Here are a few fun, clean alternatives I’d choose if golf were naming the format today, and each still keeps the idea of “win a hole, win the pot,” but without the odd “skins” link:

“Carryover Clash”

Highlights the drama of holes piling up when no one wins outright.

“Hole Bounty”

Each hole has a “bounty” on it. Simple and intuitive.

“Winner-Takes-the-Hole” (WTH)

Straightforward, a little cheeky.

“Target Play”

Each hole is a target worth something.

“Claim the Hole”

Has a competitive, almost match-play feel.

“Stakes Play”

Keeps the gambling essence but sounds more formal.

“The Gem Game”

Each hole is a “gem” to capture; great if you want a modern, playful name.

The origin of ‘Skins,’ according to a respected golf historian   

I reached out to the Society of Golf Historians X account, operated by the very knowledgeable Connor Lewis, and it’s worth a follow. On Tuesday, he tweeted out his answer, which you can see below:

The origin of ‘Skins,’ according to the USGA Golf Museum and Library — and several old Skins Game programs 

This was nostalgic. I messaged the USGA Golf Museum and Library, and they sent over explanatory pages from eight programs from the Skins Game heyday.  

Below are some of the things I found:

– 1985: There was some definition here. Said the program: “The Skins Game gets its name from friendly gambling terminology as applied to non-tournament golf. Skins are units (in this case, at least $15,000); the winner of each hole earns a skin. 

–1986: Golf Digest called the Skins Game … the War on Spikes. I don’t mind that. 

– 1987: Not much insight here, but an ad from Indio Toyota in California was good. It was headlined: “Whole in One.”

– 1990: In a feature on Don Ohlmeyer and Barry Frank, two of the key people behind the scenes of the Skins Game, I thought this part was interesting: “Don Ohlmeyer had an idea. The same kind of idea that spawned such tremendously successful ventures as “Monday Night Football” and “Sportsworld.’ His latest brainstorm was to be something called The Skins Game. While The Skins Game was an original concept in the television industry, Ohlmeyer knew it would work. He knew that golfers around the world had been spicing up their weekly rounds for years with this popular and fun betting proposition. And he knew that, even on the shortest of putts, winning a skin provided its share of nervous tension. Don Ohlmeyer decided to bottle this “nervous tension” and turn it into a made-for-TV drama.” The story also mentioned the LPGA Skins Game and the Senior Skins Game. 

– 1992: The highlight here was a picture of Payne Stewart dressed from top to bottom in the colors of the Washington NFL team. 

– 1993, 1994, 1995: The same info on Ohlmeyer and Frank. But I did like the very-’90s look of the fonts and design. 

The origin of ‘Skins,’ according to the USGA’s website 

This went deeper, but another issue was presented. 

Here’s what the website said:

As a format of golf gambling, ‘skins’ has been around for decades, but really only became popular after the creation of “The Skins Game” in the 1980s. In other parts of the country, ‘skins’ is also known as ‘cats,’ ‘scats,’ ‘skats’ or ‘syndicates.’ Of these, ‘syndicates’ seems to be the oldest term, going back at least to the 1950s, and possibly earlier. It has been suggested that ‘skins,’ ‘scats,’ etc. are simply shortened, simplified versions of the term ‘syndicates.’

So … why did someone use the term “syndicates?”

The takeaway 

So I’m not sure I found the answer and maybe added more problems. But the trading-post thought seems right. 

“The Syndicates Game” sounds pretty sweet, though. 

And information on the “Nudes Game” wouldn’t be reported on at this site. 

Editor’s note: If you do have a definitive answer, please email me at nick.piastowski@golf.com.