Golf Skins?

Question

I understand what Skins are when it comes to golf. What I want to know is, why is it called this? Where did the name come from for this type of rules?

Answer 1

There is no definitive answer as to why skins is called what it is.  There is much speculation but none of it has been proven.  The only thing that we can trust is what the USGA writes but it is in no way a satisfying answer:

"As a format of golf gambling, 'skins' has been around for decades, but really only became popular after the creation of 'The Skins Game' in the 1980s. In other parts of the country, 'skins' is also known as 'cats,' 'scats,' 'skats,' or 'syndicates.' Of these, 'syndicates' seems to be the oldest term, going back at least to the 1950s, and possibly earlier. It has been suggested that 'skins,' 'scats,' etc., are simply shortened, simplified versions of the term 'syndicates.' "

Answer 2

http://golf.about.com/cs/golfterms/g/bld...