Skin Challenge

No trophy for this event.

Sport: Golf

Gender: Men

Typically Held: January

Course: Championship

Summary: 18 holes Skins Match usually held on a Sunday in mid January before the interclub season commences as a gently competitive, but not too serious, event to be contested between four teams of eight to twelve players, representing Major Pennants; Interclub; LARN Cup; and a Staff team generally drawn from different departments. The purpose is a ‘get-to-know-you’ for the better golfers in the Club, and to allow the captains of the various Royal Sydney teams to assess the form of potential team members for more official competition in the coming months. The contests are played using GA handicaps, such that strokes allowed at any hole add another complexity to the game. At the end of the round, a list made of skins won is tallied and the team which scores the most skins is declared the winner.

The contest is generally followed by all four teams lunching together, and is a particularly enjoyable way of introducing the competitive season.

History: First played in 2012. A ‘Skins’ contest is an American adaptation of an earlier British, informal style of golf known as an ‘Accumulator’. The U.S. professional version tends now to be used in charity matches, played over nine or 18 holes. Each hole represents a ‘unit’ or ‘skin’. Generally played in groups of four (any number of players can participate) a player wins a skin when they have a lower score on the hole than the other participants. If there is no clear winner, i.e. the hole is halved, the next hole is worth two skins…and if a series of holes is halved, the number of skins to play for accumulates. If the ‘pot’ becomes worth six or seven skins, say, there is a lot at stake, and play can become quite nervy. When a skin is won, whatever its value, the next hole played is worth but a single skin. Any skins which are not decided at the end of the designated contest, generally 18 holes, are not counted in the final tally.

Traditions & Standards: At the lunch held after play, Team Captains introduce their team members, the winning team is announced and prizes are presented. Dress for lunch and presentation: Golf attire

Conditions of Play: Click here

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