Every golfer remembers their first skins game. Maybe it was a scramble with three coworkers who had no idea what a carryover was, or a Saturday morning group that argued for ten minutes on the second tee about how much each skin was worth. Skins has a way of turning an ordinary round into something with a pulse. Every hole matters again, even the ones you’d normally forget by the time you reach the cart.
The problem has never been the game itself. It’s the bookkeeping. Who won hole four? Did that skin carry over after the tie on six? Who owes who at the turn? That’s exactly the gap ParTeeOf18 was built to close, and if you’ve never run a skins game through the app before, this guide walks you through it from the first tee to the final payout.
What Is a Skins Game, Quickly Explained?
If you’re wondering what is skins in golf, the basic idea is simple: each hole has its own prize, called a skin. Win the hole outright with the lowest score, and you pocket that skin. Tie the hole, and the skin carries forward, stacking value onto the next hole. It rewards aggression and punishes a bad number at exactly the wrong moment.
Why Golfers Love It?
Skins keeps every player engaged on every hole, not just the front nine or the ones where they’re playing well. A double bogey on hole three doesn’t end your day. There’s always another skin sitting right there on the next tee, waiting.
A Real Example
Say four friends set a five dollar skin per hole. Holes one and two get halved by ties, so hole three is suddenly worth fifteen dollars. That’s the kind of swing that makes a Tuesday twilight round feel like a Sunday finish.
Why ParTeeOf18 Is Built for Skins Games?
ParTeeOf18 was designed by golfers who got tired of juggling side bets across texts, napkins, and half remembered math at the clubhouse bar. The app treats skins as a core format, not an afterthought, which means the scoring, carryovers, and payouts all happen automatically while you play.
Automated Scoring That Removes the Guesswork
You and your group enter scores hole by hole, and the app instantly calculates who won the skin, who tied, and how much the next hole is worth. No mental math on the fairway required.
The Built-In Wallet for Payouts
Once the round ends, ParTeeOf18’s integrated wallet handles who owes what. Entry fees, winnings, and payouts are tracked automatically, so nobody has to chase a buddy for cash days after the round.
Setting Up Your ParTeeOf18 Account
Before you can run your first skins game, you need a profile the app can build around. This takes a couple of minutes, and it pays off every round after that because the app already knows your handicap and home course.
Downloading the App
ParTeeOf18 is available for iPhone and Android. Search for it in the App Store or Google Play, download it, and open it up. The install itself takes less time than picking a tee time.
Creating Your Profile
Add your name, your handicap if you have one, and your home course. This information feeds into scoring accuracy later, especially if your group plays handicap-adjusted skins instead of gross scoring.
How to Start Your First Skins Game With ParTeeOf18?
This is the part that actually matters on game day. Once your profile is set, starting a skins game takes well under a minute, and the app walks you through every step before you even reach the first tee box.
Step 1: Create a New Game
Open the app, tap “Play,” then “Create New Game.” Select Skins Game as your format, pick your course, set the number of holes, and toggle on Adjust Handicap if your group wants net scoring.
Step 2: Add Players
Tap Add Players and search for golfers from your contacts, or add guest players by name. Select everyone in the group, choose the tee box, then tap Confirm and Save to lock in the field.
Step 3: Adjust Handicaps
ParTeeOf18 opens the Adjust Handicap screen automatically. Handicaps pull in directly from GHIN, or you can enter each player’s index by hand. Tap Save once everyone’s numbers are set.
Step 4: Assign a Scorekeeper
Head to the Scorekeeper section and pick one player to run the scoring for the group. That person will enter everyone’s strokes hole by hole for the rest of the round.
Step 5: Set the Skin Bet
In Game Options, enter the Skin Bet amount, then toggle Carry Skins to Next Hole on Tie based on how your group likes to play. Save it, and the stakes are locked in for everyone.
Step 6: Start the Game
Open Game Management to double check the skin bet and carryover settings, then tap Game On. From that point, the round officially counts.
Step 7: Enter Scores and Track Skins Live
The scorekeeper enters each player’s strokes after every hole, and ParTeeOf18 tracks who owns each skin in real time, updating the scorecard automatically as the round moves along.
Step 8: Submit the Scorecard
Once the last putt drops, tap Submit Scorecard. The built-in wallet settles every player’s winnings based on skins won, no calculator, no clubhouse math session required.
Customizing Your Skins Game Rules
Not every group plays skins the same way, and ParTeeOf18 accounts for that. You can adjust the format to match how your regular game actually works instead of forcing everyone into one rigid setup.
Gross vs Net Skins
Some groups play gross scores only, while others use handicaps to level the field. ParTeeOf18 lets you toggle net scoring using each player’s handicap, which keeps a 20 handicap competitive against a 6.
Handling Carryovers
You can choose how carryovers behave, whether they roll straight into the next hole or reset at the turn. Set this before you start so there’s no confusion when a tie happens on hole nine.
Tracking Payouts Without the Awkward Math
The 19th hole conversation used to involve someone pulling out their phone calculator and everyone else waiting around. ParTeeOf18’s wallet feature changes that entirely, since the app already knows exactly who won what by the time you’re walking off eighteen.
The Integrated Wallet Explained
The wallet tracks entry fees and winnings for every player automatically as the round progresses. By the final hole, it already knows the full payout breakdown before anyone even reaches the clubhouse.
No More Chasing Buddies for Cash
Instead of a group text three days later asking who still owes ten dollars, the app settles it before you’ve finished your post round drink. It’s a small thing that saves a surprising amount of friction.
Tips for a Smooth First Skins Game
A little prep before the round keeps things running smoothly once the group is actually walking the course. These are the small habits that separate a chaotic first attempt from a clean, fun one.
Set Expectations Before Teeing Off
Talk through the skin value and net versus gross scoring with the group before hole one. Five minutes of clarity on the range beats a debate mid round.
Test the App on a Practice Round
If you’re introducing ParTeeOf18 to a group that’s used to paper scorecards, run a casual nine holes first. It builds comfort with the interface before real money is on the line.
Conclusion
Starting your first skins game doesn’t need to be complicated, and it definitely doesn’t need a spreadsheet. ParTeeOf18 takes the format golfers have loved for generations and strips out the parts nobody actually enjoys: the math, the memory games, and the awkward payout conversations. Set your round, invite your group, pick your skin value, and play. The app handles the rest, which means more attention on your swing and less on your phone’s calculator app. Once you’ve run one skins game through ParTeeOf18, it’s hard to imagine going back to tracking it any other way.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is a skins game in golf?
A skins game gives each hole a set value called a skin. The player with the lowest score on a hole wins that skin outright. If players tie, the skin carries over and adds to the value of the next hole.
2. Is ParTeeOf18 free to use for skins games?
ParTeeOf18 offers a free version with core scoring features, along with membership tiers that unlock additional stats, exclusive games, and course tools. You can start a basic skins game without paying anything.
3. Can I play skins with just two players?
Yes, skins works with two players just as well as a full foursome. The scoring logic in ParTeeOf18 adjusts automatically no matter how many players are in your group.
4. How does ParTeeOf18 handle ties on a hole?
When a hole is tied, ParTeeOf18 automatically carries the skin’s value forward to the next hole based on the carryover rule you selected at setup. You don’t have to track it manually.
5. Do I need a handicap to play skins on the app?
No, a handicap isn’t required. You can play gross skins with raw scores, or add your handicap to your profile if your group prefers net scoring.
6. Can everyone in the group see live scores during the round?
Yes, once you invite your group into the round, scores sync in real time and everyone can see the live leaderboard as it updates hole by hole.
