What Is a Disc Golf Skins Match?

While most disc golfers are familiar with standard stroke play, where every throw counts toward your total score, there are actually several different ways to compete on the course. One of the most entertaining — and mentally demanding — is the Skins Match.

A disc golf skins match adds a unique layer of pressure and strategy, rewarding the player (or team) who wins each hole outright rather than tallying strokes across an entire round. It’s all or nothing, every single hole.

The Core Concept: Win the Hole, Win the Skin

In a skins match, each hole is worth a set value — called a skin.

• Win the hole: You earn the skin (and its value).
• Tie the hole: The skin carries over to the next hole, increasing the stakes.
• Lose the hole: You get nothing.

That means every hole offers a new chance to score, regardless of how you played the last one. A player who’s ten strokes behind in a standard tournament can still win big in a skins match if they start stringing together hole victories.

The mental game shifts dramatically. If your opponent parks the drive, there’s no point laying up — you have to attack. Skins rewards aggression and risk-taking rather than consistency. It’s less about minimizing mistakes, and more about seizing moments.

Skins as a Gambling Game

At its roots, skins evolved as a friendly betting format, and many casual players still use it that way. You can assign any value you like to each skin — a dollar, a quarter, even a single point.

Let’s say you’re playing a $1 skins round with three friends:

• If you win a hole outright, everyone owes you $1.
• If two players tie, that dollar rolls over to the next hole — making it worth $2.
• A streak of tied holes can turn into a massive payout once someone finally wins.

You don’t have to play for money, though. Many players track skins purely for bragging rights or to add some pressure to casual rounds. Still, tossing quarters at the end of the round can make that final putt feel just a bit more dramatic.

“It’s not about the cash — it’s about pride,” as one pro put it during a JomezPro Skins broadcast.

Pros and the DGPT Skins Matches

The Disc Golf Pro Tour (DGPT) has helped bring the format to a larger audience through official and exhibition skins coverage. Players like Eagle McMahon, Simon Lizotte, and Calvin Heimburg have appeared in skins match videos that routinely draw hundreds of thousands of views.

It’s easy to see why. Traditional multi-round stroke play can sometimes lack drama — especially when one player builds a large lead. In a skins match, every hole is its own battle. The stakes reset again and again, creating tension and entertainment from the first drive to the final putt.

The DGPT’s incorporation of skins into their media schedule gives fans a new way to experience the sport — one that blends high-level skill with the casual, trash-talking energy of a weekend card with friends.

Team and Match Play Variations

You can also play team skins, which combines the excitement of match play with group strategy. Teams of three or four compete head-to-head, with each member playing one-on-one against an opponent.

Each hole is still worth a point (or a skin), but the team’s total determines the overall winner. The strategy often lies in how you pair your players:

• Best vs. best for pure competition.
• Weak vs. strong to sacrifice one matchup and win others decisively.
• Rotating matchups for variety and fun.

Team skins adds a social and strategic element that’s hard to match — it’s disc golf at its most competitive and collaborative.

Final Thoughts

A disc golf skins match turns every hole into a high-stakes contest. It rewards boldness, creativity, and a fearless mindset. Whether you’re playing for quarters, pride, or a DGPT camera crew, skins transforms disc golf from a marathon into a series of mini showdowns — and that’s what makes it so addictive.

If you’ve only ever played stroke play, try a skins round with your friends. You might find that a pocket full of quarters — or a few “carried-over” holes — makes for one of the most exciting ways to play the game.

Photo Courtesy of DGPT