One of the best local scratch games in Northeast Ohio is the $100 Big Skins Game held every Monday at Chippewa GC in Doylestown. The game is open to anyone, pros or ams, and it’s a straight skins game — meaning anyone who can make a birdie has a chance.

It’s very straight-forward: pay the $100 plus (discounted) greens fees at the pro shop when you arrive, casually make up a group on the first tee, and go play summer-rules golf. $20 of the hundred goes to a pin shot on each of the four par-threes, which stays in line with the “go for it” format. The remaining $80 goes to “big skins”, meaning that the pot is divided equally among each of the players who “win” a particular hole against the field.

The $100 Skins Game is an amazing deal for several reasons:

1) Chippewa is always in great condition and owner Kevin Larizza and his guys always seem to get it right;

2) the $100 Skins Game starts at 11:30 a.m. every Monday so that the amateur players can roll right into the 2-Man Monday Scratch League starting at 4 p.m.;

3) Chippewa only charges $25 for the golf and cart when you enter the game;

4) you can get as much (or as little) side action as you want;

5) the guys who play in the game are serious but a lot of fun;

6) the pace of play is pretty zippy, as it usually takes only 3 1/2 hours to finish the 18 holes;

7) you can show up when you want, as it is an open game with no season-long commitment and no need to sign up or call ahead.

The game started off with just a handful of guys and has grown over the last couple of years. Most Mondays see 16-24 guys put up ” ‘da Benjamin”; sometimes more. Even on the crappy rainy days, 10 guys will tee it up.

Do the math — if you can hold off everyone else on a given day and take the entire pot, it’s some serious cheese. Even a “taste” can be tasty. But regardless if you get a skin or not, it’s always fun, the competition is great, someone always gets a good needle on the first tee, and you never know who is going to win when.

So if you feel like playing hookie on a Monday and want some competitive golf at a great-conditioned course, now you know where to go…

–Allen Freeman