If you can't skip due to not being good at it or bc of wind…. How do you fish docks? Do you just try to be as tight to the cover as possible? Any other tips or tricks?

Practice till you stop hitting the dock.

Until you get better at it fish the shady side. Cast parallel and run the bait down the side.
Find another pattern.

Angle and release point are key. Practice practice practice is the key.

Notice there are, actually, three keys...three keys to three locks.....Once you have mastered these and can skip under almost everything, you say "I unlocked the three lock box"....then send 10cents to Hagar LTD, 1000 Agave Drive, Los No Cinco Cinco, Mexico, 773333

I have never been very good at Skipping baits but since I first started bass fishing over 30 years ago my preferred way of fishing has been Flipping and Pitching baits. I always liked that style of fishing especially heavy cover or vegetation and docks. I also studied Denny Brauer back in my early days and worked forever to learn to flip and pitch with my left hand which is how I flip mostly unless I am trying to hit an angle that requires me to use my right hand. So my advice would be to keep practicing on skipping baits but if you also practice flipping and pitching it is an awesome technique for putting baits back into areas with good accuracy also.

There are baits that simply skip better than others. Even for some salty dogs, a professional overcast is always going to happen. You can load up a rod and reel with mono and a big Jig (like a pig-n-jig setup). Cut off the hook (actually bend the hook inward so it will not hurt anything), and go out on the driveway and just practice skipping the jig under a truck or car. Use mono, because the line will be no good after a while. When you go out on the water, you will see a difference in your presentation. Some baits will skip very easily, and others will tumble. You have to try and use something that is one of those magical baits, that will skip easier to really get back into the good area. Practice makes perfect.

I'm no expert, but I've been able to improve my skipping over the years and there are a couple things that I have noticed have helped.

1) getting started...make a really long cast (further than you'll ever need for a skip) and put a piece of tape on the spool. That way if/when you backlash, it won't go as deep into the spool. You can try tightening the cast control way down too, but I found the tape method is better because once you have it down you just take the training wheels off and you're good.
2) if it's choppy...it's going to be a lot harder. For me personally, it makes it almost impossible...but I'm sure others can do it just fine even then.
3) not all baits can be skipped. The larger the surface area of the bait, the better it will likely be at skipping
4) technique wise for me, I do much better when the bait is close to my rod tip. I try to keep it around 2-3" from the end of the rod tip. I know not everyone does it this way, but it works for me - for now.

Easiest setup to start skipping is 6'6 medium action spinning rod and a gitzit/tube bait with 1/8 ounce jighead or pegged texas rig weight. 2 types of skips with this set up. The long single skip- cast fairly hard at a 45 degree angle about 20' out and the bait will hit water and make one large skip to get under a cable or limb with decent distance. Multi skip- same setup and with about 1' of extra line below tip of rod roll the tip of rod and release just above surface of water.

It is alot easier to learn the process with a spinning rod than the baitcaster. Once you have it down then you can pick up the baitcaster and use heavier baits to gain additional confidence. Usually a sweet beaver type plastic and a 3/8 ounce jig will skip pretty good as well as a t-rigged weightless senko. Learned the spinning rod deal from watching Guido Hibdon on Bassmasters 35 years ago and Woo Dave's using a spin cast real doing the same to skip under duck blinds.

You just haven't bought the right nrx rod yet, keep searching lol

I have some spots where I drop it along the outside corners or along a pole or items on the outer edges. Heck, the in between docks with a crankbait pattern is ridiculous on some lakes. Too many people focus on the boat dock when fishing boat docks. When the sun is bright, they are in the shadows, but they are scanning out in the light too.

Agreed on the spinning rod. There are videos on you tube on how to do this. Barry Stokes who used to host the Fox Sports Southwest Fishing Show; don't know if he still does, had one on skipping for crappie under docks with spinning tackle. it would apply to bass fishing too.

Try a Texas rigged weightless 6” senko