Here we are just weeks away from the biggest golf event of the year and I find myself somehow obsessed with a defunct, out-of-date, made-for-TV event that took place every year on Thanksgiving weekend.

Yes, even though the Skins Game meant Holiday shopping, Christmas trees and ski vacation planning to many of us, it also drove new viewers to golf on TV while showcasing a unique format that couldn’t be seen anywhere else. So, why even bring up the Skins Game now? Three reasons: viewership, ratings and at one point in time, it was simply so much fun.

The Masters seems to have become the one and only golf event that routinely draws in new viewers seemingly out of the woodwork who don’t normally watch golf on TV (with the US Open finishing in distant second). And viewership is what golf needs in order to attract future players to keep the game growing and thriving.

For a time in the 80s and early 90s, there was something fresh and fun about the Skins Game. In fact, the ratings for the early Skins were second only to the Masters, and I’m fairly certain that golf could use that kind of ratings boost.

If we can somehow bring the Skins Game back, albeit with some changes to make it fresh and fun again, it would give golf a nice shot in the arm during the doldrums of golf viewing that is typically experienced after the season concludes.

I figured if I am going to bring the Skins Game back, I better start right away in order to give the powers-that-be the time they need to pull it off. I know that come Halloween, if I don’t see it looming on a network schedule somewhere, I may be forced to send off a strongly-worded e-mail to someone.

THE SKINS GAME — REFRESHER COURSE 101

Jack Nicklaus playfully tosses his club during the Skins Game

For those of you who are not familiar with the Skins Game, here’s a refresher:

• It was a made-for-TV event shown annually over two days of the Thanksgiving weekend that ran from 1983-2008.
• It featured an intriguing mix of four golfers comprised of the biggest names in golf. The foursome would consist of players drawn from the PGA Tour, the then-named “Senior Tour,” a legend (or two) and typically one of the younger, noteworthy pros on Tour. On some years you would get a young Tiger Woods alongside Fred Couples, Raymond Floyd and Greg Norman. Or the draw could include Lee Trevino, Jack Nicklaus, Fred Couples and Davis Love III. This format resulted in a huge boost of exposure to players on the “Senior Tour” so this was a great chance for one of the legends to show the young bucks a thing or two while simultaneously giving exposure to the Senior Tour and provide them with a well-needed boost.
• The players would compete in a hole-by-hole match with whoever shot the lowest score on that hole of getting “the Skin” (the pot) for that hole. If two or more players tied the hole (halved), no skin was won, and all of the players would proceed to the next hole with all four again eligible to win the skin (aka “carryover” or “carries”) of both holes. The carries would grow as more holes were “halved.”
• At the end, the winner would be presented with one of those larger-than-life, Publisher’s Clearinghouse-type checks that were handwritten and would be signature to the event. It was always fun to see if someone would clean the slate and win them all sending the other three home with “bupkis.” Most years, at least one of the players would walk away empty-handed which had an air of cruelty to their efforts. Such is life in the game of golf.

THE SKINS GAME — WHAT HAPPENED?

The participants for the final Skins Game in 2008, from left Stephen Ames, Fred Couples, Zach Johnson and Brett Wetterich)

When I first started watching the Skins Game, I am pretty sure that it was the only golf I would watch on TV with the Masters as the possible, lone exception. I wasn’t a golfer back then, but there was something about the Skins Game where it had this laid-back vibe, while the money was absolutely front-and-center. It was like a “get-rich-quick” scheme played out with drivers and irons on perfectly sunny days in the Southern California desert. And, man, back in the day it seemed like each hole was being played for a lot of money. Okay, it ‘s still is a lot of money to me, but as far as golf purses go, the old amounts are comparatively pedestrian. This issue may be the very crux of the problem with the Skins Game.

What happened to the Skins Game anyway? Did it still exist somewhere and I just kept missing it? Nope; it was cancelled after 2008 when the format grew stale, the players were second-tier and the TV landscape had become over-saturated with Thanksgiving football that essentially took over the airwaves for the holiday weekend.

The biggest issue that spelled doom for the Skins Game was all about the money: The top-tier pros who were the reason for early-Skins rating success eventually simply made too much money to even bother with an event that didn’t guarantee them to walk away with anything. Plus, throw in the fact that it was during the Thanksgiving weekend, and many pros would rather be home with their families. These are real obstacles, but I think with the right mix of format, money and exposure, there is a place for this event on Black Friday, leaving the rest of the Thanksgiving weekend all clear for football.

THE SKINS GAME — WHAT WE NEED TO DO TO BRING IT BACK

The Big Three at the Skins Game

Here are my list demands which must be met in order to make the Skins Game relevant, enjoyable and hugely successful.  I have created this list in order of importance:

1. The field includes four noteworthy, top-tier players (see below).

2. It has to include no less than two of the cream-of-the crop PGA players including a two of the following: Tiger, Rory, Phil  and/or (believe it or not) Bubba.

3. Next, it has to include one of the following either flashy or established PGA stars: Fowler, Poulter, Mahan, Bradley, Westwood or GMac.

4. Finally, it can have one “wildcard” pick from the Champions Tour, LPGA, PGA or someone that has legendary status that can compete without embarrassment. This can be any of the names above or a wildcard that is both widely-known and that adds to the intrigue: Freddie, Michelle Wie, Greg Norman, Sergio, Gary Player (Why not? Have him tee from the “golds”), or even Anika. The wild card has to be a personality who transcends mainstream golf somehow.

5. All competitors and caddies are “miked” throughout the event and are assigned a dedicated camera to each player so that all aspects of the event are covered from head to toe.

6. The Skins Game should still televised over the Thanksgiving holiday but instead of two days (preferable), current-day logistics may dictate the need to have it all take place just on Black Friday (day after Thanksgiving). This will appeal to those of us who prefer not to brave the madness at the malls.

7. The purse must be huge overall: We need to start with $1.8 million purse total broken out as $100,000 per hole — at the very least. There is no escalation of hole values as the event draws on; the holes are all worth equal amounts (*see below for discussion of prize money). There may need to be a “secret sponsor’s player fee” paid to the participants in order to assure their attendance. I would prefer not to know about this payout as I prefer the fable where a pro goes home empty-handed. This amount should be split between the players and the charities of their choice  or they can decide to donate all of their winnings to the charity. This should provide for excellent exposure to their charities and part of the TV coverage should include segments devoted to the charities.

8. If there is a tie/carryover on No. 18, whichever the two (or more) that tied on 18 go to a sudden death playoff; winner take all. No ties, no carries.

THE SKINS GAME — OBSTACLES TO OVERCOME

The biggest obstacle is setting the purses that are enough to draw out the huge names in golf while somehow not alienating the viewing public who could turn on the spectacle by thinking that it is just “the rich getting richer.” The reality is that the old purses from the Skins Game past, although riches beyond many of our dreams to many of us working stiffs, are not significant to the all-important “cream-of-the-crop” list mentioned above. The answer to this quandary of balancing large purses to attract the top names while not making them look greedy lies somewhere in having these massive purses committed partially (or substantially) to the charities of choice to the players. As mentioned, the spotlight to the charities could be huge to them while providing goodwill from the competitors themselves showing their allegiance to these organizations.

The second big obstacle lies in attracting this top talent on a holiday weekend, especially when the top talent already have more money than they can spend in a lifetime. I do know know the “ins and outs” of making pros clear their calendars for an event, so this may be like to trying to force LeBron James into the Slam Dunk contest. But, I would hope that the benefit to their respective charities combined with the massive exposure to the event would hopefully be enough to attract the big names.

THE SKINS GAME — WHAT MAKES IT SO FUN AND UNIQUE?

Fred Funk dons a skirt after being out-driven by Anika.

My main reason that this is a special event is due to the unbelievable access that the nature of the event grants to the viewers. For nearly every golf broadcast, we as viewers bounce from leader to leader on hole to hole where we see a variety of putts, drives, irons, etc. However, we don’t get a great chance to really follow players from shot to shot like we can as a member of the gallery. Just once a year, I would really enjoy hearing the banter between players, caddies, and competitors in a shot-by-shot format. It’s a different viewing experience but overall fun and an eye-opening glimpse into the pro mindset. Plus, the pros themselves seemed to genuinely enjoy the event. They would all get into the act and let their hair down a bit giving us a rare glimpse into what they are like away from glaring lights of heated competition. But, make no mistake about it: Every pro wanted to win the most skins and none ever wanted to get shut out.

In order for this to work, the players and caddies all need to be miked up as they have done in the past. This allows us to get into their discussions when planning shots, strategies, and execution. This format exposes us to live each shot with them as they try to figure out a way to win the hole outright. In fact, I recall that this was the only event where I really ever saw real conversations between players and their caddies from shot to shot and hole to hole. I also remember enjoying the exchanges between the players themselves. I liked the “good shot,” “nice play” and “how’s the family doing” type of stuff that all of us golfers do when we are out playing.

I remember watching when guys would get shut-out and thinking how hard it would be for the losing pro to see someone like Norman walk away with $800,000, while Freddie scooped up a paltry $40,000, but the loser got nothing but bills for the trip. That’s the breaks in the Skins Game. A guy like Norman could do nothing all day, watch Tiger and Jack halve hole after hole, then he sticks it close on 17 and walks away with everything. There’s nothing quite like massive reward for minimum effort.

Give me my Tiger TV! Let’s throw Rory into the Shark Tank. Heck, while we are at it, let’s see The Shark himself make a return! How about Anika? She still has game, I bet. Throw in a Bubba and sprinkle in a marketing-machine like a Rickie or a Poulter and we have ourselves some good turkey TV! So, I’m looking for your tweets, golf fans! I promise that this would work. It’s been gone long enough and it’s high-time for the Skins to come back to a TV near you.  Let’s get the Skins Game back!