A modern version of The Skins Game is returning to Thanksgiving week.
Pro Shop, the new golf media company led by “Full Swing” executive producer Chad Mumm, on Thursday announced a deal with the PGA Tour that brings back The Skins Game for the first time since 2008.
It will be held on Black Friday after Thanksgiving in 2025, an example of more collaboration with the PGA Tour to showcase its best players away from the traditional presentation of golf.
Still to be determined are the meat of the details — who’s playing, for how much, and where.
The Skins Game was the cornerstone of what once was known as the “silly season” in golf. It began in 1983 with Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson and Gary Player (Vin Scully was the announcer) and held over Thanksgiving weekend in the California desert.
A “skin” went to the player who won a hole, and each hole was worth money that increased toward the end of the match. Fred Couples became the face of The Skins Game from winning nearly $4.5 million in 11 appearances. He also had the personality that fit the casual contest.
But interest began to wane, even with Tiger Woods making occasional appearances.
The last Skins Game was in 2008. It lost its title sponsor and the 2009 event was canceled. By then, the PGA Tour had gone to a wraparound season with official tournaments being held right up until Thanksgiving.
Mumm joined with Mark Olsen of Vox Media, Joe Purzycki of Puck and David Miller from the PGA Tour to launch Pro Shop, a media, commerce and entertainment company geared toward creating golf content that appeals to a younger audience.
Mumm is best known recently for his work with the Netflix docuseries “Full Swing,” now approaching its third season.
Pro Shop raised nearly $20 million this summer from Powerhouse Capital, the PGA Tour and EP Golf Ventures, among others. It also acquired Skratch, a digital and social media network the PGA Tour created about a decade ago to appeal to a younger audience.
“Reimagining an iconic event like The Skins Game in a retro-modern way that engages today’s sports fans is exactly why the PGA Tour has partnered with Pro Shop,” said Chris Wandell, the senior vice president of media for the PGA Tour. “We look forward to seeing how the newest iteration of the Skins Game unfolds as Pro Shop and Propagate identify cast, format and creative approach.”
A long-anticipated signing has now been made official.The LIV Golf League announced Scott O'Neil as its new Chief Executive Officer on Wednesday, replacing Greg
The new CEO of LIV Golf has something the outgoing one never had—a relationship with PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan.Whether that means a faster road to pos
Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay and Nick Dunlap Compete at The American Express at PGA West in La Quinta, Calif., – Thursd
After years of controversy over Park Hill Golf Course, the vast piece of undeveloped land in northeast Denver is set to open to the public as a park this summer