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I'm old enough to remember Tiger vs. Sergio at Bighorn, Fred Funk wearing a skirt and Fred Couples padding his wallet every fall like he'd just won a major.
The Skins Game has announced a return - during Black Friday at Panther National in south Florida - and I can't help but feel a little nostalgic about that young golf fan I used to be 16 years ago when it was last contested in 2008. I lived in Michigan - my golf-writing career stuck in neutral - and I spent every cold fall and winter night watching the Skins Game, the Battle at Big Horn, the PGA Grand Slam of Golf and anything else golf-related I could, daydreaming of someday meeting those golfers and teeing up the courses they were playing.
I don't know about you, but I'm glad that the Skins Game is being resurrected. Golf's rising popularity has fueled a major comeback of golf's silly season, where exhibitions, competitions and matches made for TV keep the game relevant year-round.
By adding the Golf Channel Games headlined by Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy in December, the second season of TGL during the dead of winter late December through March and now the Skins Game in its traditional day-after Thanksgiving slot, silly season golf is arguably better than ever. The popular PNC Championship - a father-son shootout every December that attracts many legends - has been great ever since Charlie and Tiger started competing, although TNT's The Match has been hit or miss in terms of entertainment value. The return of The Skins Game brings everything full circle. The only thing missing is the Shell's Wonderful World of Golf ... RIP.
How to watch the 2025 Skins Game
The 2025 Skins Game will have a little bit of a Ryder Cup vibe, starting at 9 a.m. Nov. 28 with 2025 FedExCup Champion and seven-time DP World Tour champion Tommy Fleetwood, 16-time PGA TOUR winner Justin Thomas, two-time major champion Xander Schauffele and eight-time PGA TOUR winner and Ryder Cup Captain Keegan Bradley slated to compete at Panther National in South Florida. It will be televised by Amazon Prime Video before a third annual NFL Black Friday Football game and brand-new NBA on Prime doubleheader.
The format will look like a traditional Skins Game, where each hole carries a dollar value and tied holes roll over to raise the stakes, except for the "reverse purse", where all players will begin with $1 million on the scoreboard that can be won or lost depending upon the outcome of each hole and shot.
For all the new, younger golf fans, here's a quick history lesson. The Skins Game started in 1983 as an unofficial money event on the PGA TOUR. It became so popular than Skins Games were launched by the Senior Tour/Champions Tour (1988-2011) and LPGA Tour (1990-2003), too. Heck, even Canada held its own World Skins Game (1993-2012). Eventually, fan interest and sponsorship money dried up during the recession and its aftermath.
I loved watching The Skins Games for the courses as much as the competition. They were held in exotic locales like Hawaii and Palm Springs. The 2025 Skins Game will be the TV debut of Panther National, an exclusive club designed by Jack Nicklaus and Thomas. Known as The Big Cat, the 18-hole championship golf course features steep elevation changes and dramatic vistas, with all but four holes featuring water or a forced carry, including island greens on Nos. 5 and 15 and island tees on Nos. 6 and 16.
The best news of all? I don't have to go shopping with my wife. I've got another good excuse to stay home again.
How excited are you for the return of The Skins Game? Let us know in the comments below.
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