What is a "skins" game?

It's normally played by a group of 4 golfers. At the professional level each hole has a prize value of a certain amount of money. For the sake of explaining let's say the first six holes are worth $10,000. The middle six holes $20,000 and the last six, 30,000. That totals $360,000.

If there is no clear winner of the first hole, that $10,000 is added to the prize money for the second hole, making it worth $20,000. If nobody wins hole 2 then the $20,000 is added to hole #3 making it worth $30,000. One of the players finally wins the 3rd hole so he wins the $30,000. Hole #4 is now worth $10,000. It continues in this same manner until 18 holes have been played. If at the end of 18 holes whatever prize money hasn't yet been won will be awarded to whoever is the first one in the group to win outright an additional hole.

At the amateur/friendly level, the dollar values are obviously far less with Saturday morning foursomes playing for maybe a couple of dollars per hole.

A " skins " game is a game where each hole counts as a " skin ".It is usually played within the foursome where the player with the best score wins the hole. In the event the best score is tied that point is called a 'carry over " and the next hole is worth 2 skins, etc. The skin carrys a money value which is determined prior to the first tee off. At the end of play, 18 skins are available. Example: Player 1 has 9, player 2 has 5, player 3 has 4 and player 4 has 0. Each player then pays the difference in holes to the other players.. In the event the last holes are tied there is a chipoff to determine who gets the last points.

My understanding is that it's also called shirts and skins. One team gets to keep their shirts on. The other team has to take their shirts off. :)

But the game itself - informal football, sometimes basketball.