Remember the original Skins Game on TV?

[PEZGolf]

I believe it started in the early 1980's, wth the Big Three (Arnie, Jack, and The Black Knight), along with the Merry Mex.  I miss that event during the Holiday Season.  It was on during the weekend after Thanksgiving.  I believe Lee made an ace in one year.  Then, Tom Watson took his place.  Payne won 3 in a row, and it was exciting to see him come from behind as he tried to defend his title.  Then, the Shark and Freddie Couples were big stars.  The ratings dropped, and it was terminated.  They should bring it back with Jordan, Rory, Jason, and the Zach Attack.  I would love to watch it after having the big turkey meal!

[SavvySwede]

Now with the wraparound season there are still regular tournaments being played. I don't see the big names going for an event like that when they can play somewhere else and earn world ranking points.

[bkuehn1952]

• "1983: First Skins Game held at Desert Highlands in Scottsdale, Arizona, with Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Arnold Palmer, and Gary Player as the participants. NBC televises the event throughout the U.S. with Vin Scully as the announcer. The only notable affiliate not to televise the first event was KYW-TV in Philadelphia.
• 1987: Lee Trevino made a hole in one on the par-3 17th hole. Though the event was taped, CBS's Brent Musburger told viewers about the hole in one during a halftime report on The NFL Today."

Yes, I remember the "Skins Game."  Early on it was an interesting event.

[Patch]

Thats not the old golf show I miss. 

[Pendragon]

20 hours ago, PEZGolf said:

I believe it started in the early 1980's, wth the Big Three (Arnie, Jack, and The Black Knight), along with the Merry Mex.  I miss that event during the Holiday Season.  It was on during the weekend after Thanksgiving.  I believe Lee made an ace in one year.  Then, Tom Watson took his place.  Payne won 3 in a row, and it was exciting to see him come from behind as he tried to defend his title.  Then, the Shark and Freddie Couples were big stars.  The ratings dropped, and it was terminated.  They should bring it back with Jordan, Rory, Jason, and the Zach Attack.  I would love to watch it after having the big turkey meal!

Yeah, I remember it well. It was great for a while and then, as you point out, it got stale and was cancelled.

The one thing I always would have liked to see was to have them put up their own money. That would have made it much more interesting for me. 

[PEZGolf]

2 hours ago, Pendragon said:

Yeah, I remember it well. It was great for a while and then, as you point out, it got stale and was cancelled.

The one thing I always would have liked to see was to have them put up their own money. That would have made it much more interesting for me.

I agree with you.  Today's players make so much money.  Let them put their own money up, and NOT just $20 a hole, either!

[mvmac]

10 minutes ago, PEZGolf said:

Let them put their own money up, and NOT just $20 a hole, either!

Yeah that would really entice them to play 

I liked the Skins Game as well but with the wraparound season and top players getting other lucrative opportunities (sometimes just to show up), we probably won't be seeing it come back.

[PEZGolf]

18 hours ago, Patch said:

Thats not the old golf show I miss. 

I liked Shell's Wonderful World of Golf----especially the classics like Hogan vs. Snead, Tony Lema, etc.  You got to see head to head matches in various countries.  I have some of the VCR tapes of those shows.  More recently, I also have Payne vs. Nick Price.

[Patch]

1 hour ago, PEZGolf said:

I liked Shell's Wonderful World of Golf----especially the classics like Hogan vs. Snead, Tony Lema, etc.  You got to see head to head matches in various countries.  I have some of the VCR tapes of those shows.  More recently, I also have Payne vs. Nick Price.

Thats the one I miss.

[Pendragon]

8 hours ago, PEZGolf said:

I liked Shell's Wonderful World of Golf----especially the classics like Hogan vs. Snead, Tony Lema, etc.  You got to see head to head matches in various countries.  I have some of the VCR tapes of those shows.  More recently, I also have Payne vs. Nick Price.

I agree. They had some exotic locales, and it was alway worth watching.

[HB_KeithC]

The Skins game was fun to watch.  I liked Shell's WWOG as well.  Always fun to hear the players casually chatting as they play.

I just can't get into the shoulder season.  For me, the pro golf season is over in the Fall and starts in Hawaii in January.

[David in FL]

We used to refer to all those post season events as the "silly season".  I honestly don't miss them at all.  While YMMV, I much prefer to watch real golf tournaments, and I especially enjoy watching the new kids coming out.

[PEZGolf]

2 hours ago, David in FL said:

We used to refer to all those post season events as the "silly season".  I honestly don't miss them at all.  While YMMV, I much prefer to watch real golf tournaments, and I especially enjoy watching the new kids coming out.

You are right about the "silly season", but I did watch some of the Father-son tournament this past weekend.  It was interesting to watch Lee and Jack hit some good shots, and see players like Larry Nelson (with that hitch in his swing), Lanny Wadkins (one of my all-time favorites because he played with real intensity), Hale Irwin (with the loop in his swing), and Berhard Langer.  I seldom watch the Champions Tour, so this was a great chance to watch some of my old favorites.

    By the way, you can tell from comments about their swings that many of these old players have very individualistic swings.  They are not "cookie-cutter" swings that are so prevalent on the regular Tour.  Thank God for Jim Furyk and Bubba, who show us that you do have to seek the "perfect swing" to be a good player.  My swing has a little loop or hitch at the top, but my downswing is right on plane, and I am accurate with all my clubs with the full swing.  It may not be the "perfect swing", but guess what----it is a swing that works and is perfect for me!

[dak4n6]

i kind of miss the silly season. Just like with work and family for us working slobs, it was a time to lay back, reflect, and enjoy, rather than grinding, grinding, working, trying to get ahead, grinding, working, grinding some more....rather, it was a reprieve....

I remember a segment with Freddie where he showed how he lines up way left and tries to hit a power push/fade..

Those were the days...

[vangator]

I loved both the Skins Game and Shell's WWG.  I liked the Skins Game better.  I remember it got moved to just before the Super Bowl didn't it?

I watched every one.  I knew it was doomed when they had to keep inviting Stephen Ames to play.  That meant nobody else wanted to.

Edited December 15, 2015 by vangator

[PEZGolf]

9 hours ago, vangator said:

I loved both the Skins Game and Shell's WWG.  I liked the Skins Game better.  I remember it got moved to just before the Super Bowl didn't it?

I watched every one.  I knew it was doomed when they had to keep inviting Stephen Ames to play.  That meant nobody else wanted to.

You are so right.  I forgot about Stephen Ames, and I did not watch the show when he was on. The only times I really liked it is when a golfer who understood "entertainment" was on, like Payne, the Merry Mex, the Fuz, etc.  I still remember at a practice round for the US Open, when Payne was playing with Larry Mize, Tom Kite, and Ian Baker Finch.  I believe it was at Medinah in 1990.  On one hole, a par 4, Payne drove first.  When it was time for Larry to hit, an air horn went off at the top of his swing and he almost missed the ball!  I recorded this with a camcorder, and still have the tape.

      You can hear me say, "What jerk did that in the gallery?"  Then, Larry looked at the culprit, who was not wearing his customary plus-4's.  I said, "I cannot believe that Payne did that."  Larry gave him the "evil eye", and then teed up another ball.   He looked right at Payne, took a waggle, and waited.  Another waggle and waited, and then took a short, quick swing to beat the noise of the horn.  Everyone laughed, and then Larry striped one down the middle.

    I also remember seeing Lee Trevino play an exhibition match with the resplendent Doug Sanders at the Thendara Golf Club in Old Forge, NY, in 1973.  The Merry Mex put on quite a show in the warm-up, and during the match told one joke after another.  I swear he missed his calling and should have been a stand-up comedian.  I do not think he stopped talking during his swings!   The two of them were real showmen, and everyone in the gallery got "more than their money's worth"!

[vangator]

39 minutes ago, PEZGolf said:

I also remember seeing Lee Trevino play an exhibition match with the resplendent Doug Sanders at the Thendara Golf Club in Old Forge, NY, in 1973.  The Merry Mex put on quite a show in the warm-up, and during the match told one joke after another.  I swear he missed his calling and should have been a stand-up comedian.  I do not think he stopped talking during his swings!   The two of them were real showmen, and everyone in the gallery got "more than their money's worth"!

Sounds like you were actually in attendance.  Sounds like good times.

[PEZGolf]

Just now, vangator said:

Sounds like you were actually in attendance.  Sounds like good times.

Great times, and the memories will last forever.