The Greater Cleveland Skins Game will open up its 19th season on Thursday, April 23 at Fowlers Mill Golf Course. All amateur players are welcome to participate in this 9-hole weekly skins game conducted at seven different area courses throughout the season.
Steve Blackburn Jr., defending champion from Willowick, will lead off the season by hitting the first tee ball at 4:30pm on April 23rd.
John Niedzialek, Greater Cleveland Skins Game Director states, “We have a schedule to please most golfers. Some of the courses have given us great green fee rates to support the amateur players of the area. We have added two new courses this year, Quail Hollow Country Club and Wicked Woods Golf Course.”
Other courses on the schedule include Fowlers Mill, Pleasant Hills, Chardon Lakes, Thunder Hill, and Powderhorn. All of these courses are in excellent shape, especially considering the greens fee rates Skins Game players will be charged. For example, Fowlers Mill is only $20 including the cart; Thunder Hill is charging $15.00 with cart; and Powderhorn is $13.00 riding and $6.00 walking!
Courtesy of member Nick Cerri, 2007 Skins Game Champion Dave Sotka, and assistance from Quail Hollow’s Director of Golf Olle Karlstrom, the Cleveland Skins Game will be played four times at Quail Hollow at great $25.00 rate. A few dates have been left open on the schedule to allow the opportunity to add other courses to the schedule.
Cost is $30 for the skins game entry, plus the (reduced) green fees detailed above. As always, payouts from the Greater Cleveland Skins game are available in merchandise gift certificates if so desired.
Skin Game players also qualify for a one-of a kind event known as the “Greater Cleveland Shoot-Out” on Labor Day, where area sponsors provide donations for a big event. The season culminates on October 15th when the the leading skins money winner is crowned “˜Greater Cleveland Skins Game Champion’ and takes home the ‘Thompson Cup.’
“The intent of the Greater Cleveland Skins Game, our season-ending Shoot-Out tournament, and the associated golf scrambles is to provide an opportunity for amateur players to get a little “˜pay back’ for all the work they put into their games and all the money they spend on golf in the area,” says Niedzialek.
2008 Greater Cleveland Skins Game Champion Steve Blackburn is ready to play. Says Steve, “Hopefully, everyone is ready to go. This winter was too long and I know I can’t wait to get out there and knock it around with my friends from the Cleveland Skins Game.” Steve’s season-long winnings total was $1,318 in 2008.
The Greater Cleveland Skins Game will again receive great online exposure this year. Participants can log onto the ‘Northeast Ohio Golf’ website at NEOHgolf.com (or go directly to the Skins Game pages on that site via ClevelandSkins.com) to see weekly results and leaderboard updates. Players also can check out all the other tournament opportunities being played in the area using the Tournament Calendar posted there.
Remember, players do not need to pre-register for the Skins Game events; simply show up at that week’s course 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start, and groupings will be made on the tee.
Questions? Skins Game Director John Niedzialek can be contacted at golf@clevelandskins.com or 440-639-8524.
See the 2009 Greater Cleveland Skins Game schedule…
— John Niedzialek
