ShotTally / Betting & games
Skins game payout calculator
Round's over, someone owes someone money, and nobody wants to do the math in the parking lot. Enter the per-skin value and how many skins each player won.
How it works
In a standard skins game, each skin is paid to the winner by every other player. So each player's net is what they collect minus what they pay out on everyone else's skins:
Carryovers don't change the settlement math — a hole that carries just makes the next won hole worth multiple skins. Count total skins per player including carried value, and the formula handles it.
Skins formats worth agreeing on before the first tee
Decide three things up front: gross or net (net skins with handicap strokes keeps mixed groups honest), carryovers or not (carryovers create the big dramatic holes; no-carry keeps money moving), and validation (a "must tie or beat on the next hole to keep it" rule that prevents one lucky hole-out from deciding the day). None of them change how you settle — this calculator works for all of them.
FAQ
How do skins payouts work with 4 players?
Each skin is paid by all three other players to the winner. Net per player = skin value × (4 × their skins − total skins won by the group). The nets always sum to zero.
What happens to skins on a tied hole?
In a carryover game the skin rolls to the next hole, which is then worth two — and so on. In a no-carryover game a tied hole is simply worth nothing.
Should skins be gross or net?
Net (using handicap strokes) if the group spans more than a few handicap points; otherwise the low player wins nearly everything. Use course handicaps and give strokes by hole stroke index.
What's a validation rule in skins?
After winning a skin, the player must tie or beat the field on the following hole to keep it. It's an optional rule that stops one fluke hole from ending the game's drama.