It’s pretty much impossible to play only once a week in a tournament and expect to perform well. So that means you need to play some tune-up golf: a couple of easy-access skins games to get some feel and scoring mojo going.
But where can you do that in Northeast Ohio? What open games exist that don’t require a season-long commitment? Where you can show up when you can, but don’t have to feel like you’ve skipped out if your schedule doesn’t permit it?
The list below are ‘show up and play’ games on a set schedule, meaning they are run weekly with no pre-registration required or expected (i.e. the definition of an ‘open game’):
– Of course, the ‘Big Daddy’ of open games in NEOH is the Greater Cleveland Skins Game run by John Niedzialek. It’s a traveling game for amateurs only played every Thursday at a different golf course around 5 p.m., primarily on the east side;
– Also pretty well known is the weekly Monday Chippy skins game starting at noon before the playing of the evening 2-Man Scratch League. It’s an open 18-hole $50 skins game ($100 for pros) held at Chippewa Golf Course in Doylestown, with a golf-and-cart rate of $25;
– On Cleveland’s west side, there is an 18-hole open $20 skins game at Ironwood Golf Course (right) in Hinckley that Bobby Brown runs every Friday starting at 1 p.m., with a reduced golf-and-cart rate of $25. The golf course has really rounded into shape the last few years and the pace of play is usually nice and speedy;
– New for 2014, Chris Plute at The Fairways at Twin Lakes in Kent is running a 9-hole skins game every Thursday at 5 p.m. starting April 17th. (This game will be folded into the Cleveland Skins Game a couple of Thursdays this season.) The total entry fee is $25, with $13 for golf/cart. $10 to that night’s skins pot, and $2 to a year-long total money list pot;
– Brian Perkins is still running his weekly 18-hole Sunday skins game at Erie Shores Golf Course in Madison starting April 6th. (The league travels 4 times during the year as well; league schedule here and rules here.) They get 32+ guys each week, a nice turnout. Entry fee is $22 per week plus an optional $10 side skins game, a $3 ‘most pars’ (two tie all tie, progressive pot), and a $2 no double bogeys pot (available to 7+ handicaps and above, two tie all tie, progressive pot). There is also a $15 one-time league fee if you want to play in the season-ending match play.
Know of another open skins game on a set schedule that should be part of this list? Then please email Northeast Ohio Golf and we’ll confirm it and add it to the story.
Just doing our part to keep your golf game sharp and competitive…
