The Skins Game
Greetings from Classic Swing Golf School in Myrtle Beach South Carolina.
Most golf fans will remember the Skins Game that used to be played every November. The format pitted four well-known player against each other in a winner-takes-all format for each hole. The Skins Game was played and televised on Thanksgiving weekend each year and initially drew some of the most famous names in the game.
In the inaugural match in 1983, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, and Tom Watson faced off with Gary Player winning the first Skins Game winning a total of $170,000.
Although never a ratings getter, since the regular PGA tour ended in September, house-bound golfers were loyal watchers, hungry for a bit of golf before the season resumed in the spring.
Over the years, the Skins Game attracted some of golf’s biggest names with Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Lee Trevino, Payne Stewart, Fred Couples, and Greg Norman among the winners. In 2001, Greg Norman won $1.000.000, the only player to ever break the million-marw.
By the mid-2000s, the PGA expanded to a year-round tour and many top names began to lose interest in the Skins Game. Consequently, lesser-known golfers such as Brett Wetterich, Stephen Ames and K. J. Choi competed and never high viewership dropped.
Ironically, the Skins Game ended after South Korean K. J. Choi’s 2008 won, when the show’s sponsor, LG (a South Korean company) cancelled its sponsorship.
Today, many weekend golfers still enjoy a friendly version of the Skins Game, if you are one of them and don’t want to go home a “little lighter” than you were when you arrived at the course, come see our pros at Classic Swing Golf School, they’ll tighten up your game, and your wallet!– By Dan Defreest