How to Bet on Golf: A Comprehensive Guide for Beginners
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With so many bookmakers offering golf markets, choosing suitable sites for your golf bets can be hard.
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All the golf betting websites listed on our website offer punters the most competitive golf odds, more each way places on players to finish, in-play betting, live streaming, and the highest payouts on your golf bets.
Top 10 Golf Betting Sites
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Golf Betting Online Guide
Please read our guide and get a helping hand on how to win golf betting online.
You can trace the history of golf back to the 15th century, a sport steeped in tradition. It is now one of the most popular sports on the planet, both in terms of people playing and watching the professionals.
The money involved is fantastic for those who can make it as professional golfers. Shane Lowry, who won the 2019 Open Championship, received a cheque for $1,935,000, not bad for four days of work.
For those who enjoyed watching the sport, it did not take long for people to realise golf was a great sport on which to bet. It isn't easy to trace when betting on golf started, but thanks to the rise of the PGA and European Tour, it has never been better.
Golf Bookmakers with the Highest Payouts
One point to note about the bookmaker's maximum payout limits on Golf bets is that they fall into two categories.
These are broadly:
- Non-PGA/US PGA and Majors
- PGA/US PGA Tours and Majors
There are generally different maximum payout amounts for each, and as always, you need to check the full terms of any bets placed to be sure.
What are the main Tournaments for Golf betting?
The major golf tournaments are, without a doubt, the best events for betting.
- Masters
- US Open
- PGA Championship
- Open Championship
The Masters, US Open, PGA Championship, and Open Championship are the four major competitions of the year and attract the most punters.
These events receive the most extensive media coverage, which makes them easy to follow, and bookmakers often get involved by offering special promotions before and during the tournaments.
This could be in the way of a free bet or by extending the number of places they will pay out from three to six, for example.
The choice of betting markets also tends to increase for a major, adding to the excitement of betting on golf.
In addition to the four majors, other golf tournaments that are good for betting include.
- The Players Championship
- Ryder Cup
The Players Championship is often called the unofficial fifth major and attracts plenty of betting activity. This is a massive tournament for the players and one they all want to win.
Each event above sees golfers playing for their glory, but individual success is put to one side for the Ryder Cup. This is a massive competition between Europe and United States golfers.
The teams compete over four days and across various formats to win the Ryder Cup, and the atmosphere at the course is tremendous.
There is nothing like it in golf, and people flock to the venue, which alternates between Europe and the United States, to cheer on the players.
The Ryder Cup is a thrilling spectacle and offers plenty of golf betting markets to enjoy.
However, one of the main reasons golf betting is such big business is the number of tournaments played throughout the year.
Taking the PGA, European, and Asia Tour as examples, there are not many weeks throughout the year where a tournament is not taking place.
This means you will always have an event on which to bet, regardless of the time of year, and that’s why so many people choose to bet on golf.
Golf Betting Odds Explained
Like most sports, you can bet on golf using fractional, decimal, or American odds.
These appear on UK betting sites as 5/1, 6.00, or +500.
Each of the odds listed in the example is the same value, just expressed differently depending on which you want to use for betting.
- Fractional odds tend to be more popular for those betting on golf in the United Kingdom.
- Across mainland Europe, decimal odds are readily used, and American odds are displayed in the United States and Canada.
However, most online bookmakers allow you to choose which odds you want to use, regardless of where you are.
Popular Golf Betting Markets
One of the many reasons people love to bet on golf is the number of ways to bet on the sport.
Betting tends to focus on individual tournaments as they arise throughout the season, although you will find some which can span the whole year, such as specials regarding specific players.
Tournament Winner
Nonetheless, tournament betting is where the bulk of the action takes place, and the most popular golf betting market is Tournament winners.
This is as simple as the title suggests and involves betting on the player you think will win the tournament.
If the player you back wins the event, your betting is a winner; if they fail to win, your bet is lost.
It does not get much simpler than that.
Which player you decide to back is a personal choice, but there are always things you can do to help you make an informed choice.
Look at the statistics online to see which players are in form, as that is always a good start.
Check the golf course at which the tournament is being played and see which players have a good history at that venue.
The Masters is always played at Augusta National, for example, making it easy to see which players have a good record when betting on the first major of the year.
Other big events tend to rotate around several courses, but most players will have played at the course during their career, which offers some insight.
Nothing beats doing your research when it comes to betting on golf.
First Round Leader
First Round Leader is another popular golf betting market.
Again, this is self-explanatory and requires you to bet on the player you think will be at the top of the leaderboard after completing the first round.
Some players get off to a fast start before dropping away later in the tournament, and these are the players you are looking for when betting on this market.
Top 5, 10, 20 Finish
It is also possible to bet on players to finish inside the top 5, top 10, and even top 20 of an event.
On the PGA and European Tour, the playing fields tend to be deep, so it is not always easy to pick which player will win the tournament.
That’s where top 5, 10, and 20 place betting is a good option.
This allows you to bet on a player to finish inside the top 5. 10 or 20 players come to the end of the event.
The odds will not be as good as for Tournament Winner, but it gives you a better chance of placing a winning bet.
Match Betting
Bookmakers will offer the chance to participate in match betting for some of the bigger tournaments, such as the majors.
They will pair two golfers together, and you must decide which player you think will come out on top in a virtual head-to-head match.
The player which finishes with the lowest score for that round of tournament is the winner and this market can provide an interesting alternative to those mentioned above.
Other golf betting markets you may be interested in include Top Nationality and Hole in One betting but perhaps the most popular is Each Way betting.
Each Way Golf betting
To find good value when betting on golf, it is best not to back the favourite because that comes with the added risk the player will not win the tournament.
That’s where golf betting Each Way comes into play and this is an attractive option when you do not back the favourite.
An Each Way bet on a player means you are betting a stake on that player to win the tournament and an equal stake on the same player to finish within a specified number of places.
The number of places inside which the player must finish for the bet to be considered a winner will depend on the bookmaker at which you place the bet.
It could be inside the top 5 or top 6 for example and for the major events, bookmakers often extend the number of places they are willing to pay as a promotion.
It can often be more lucrative to back an outsider Each Way than to back the favourite to win a tournament. That’s why golf betting Each Way is a very popular choice for golf punters.
Best Golf Bookmakers for placing Each Way Bets
- Boylesports
- Bet365
Compare bookmakers and their each-way places on offer for the 2020 US Masters Golf tournament. As you will see, a range of choices is available from bookie to bookie.
Combine your golf bets each way with the bookmaker sign-up bonus, and you can get rewarded hopefully twice over.
Boylesports offer a free bet if you come 2nd, 3rd, or 4th too, so another handy incentive to place bets with the Irish bookie.
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Bookmakers that live stream Golf events are thin on the ground because Sky Sports have the rights to stream the more exclusive PGA events like the US Masters.
You can entrust the bookmakers listed for live streaming sports of 100's of other sports events.
The beauty of golf in terms of betting numbers plays a huge role in the sport.
Players constantly move up and down the leaderboard during a round of golf.
Even the final putt of a tournament can change the place of players on the leaderboard, which is very exciting.
The odds for which player will win the tournament will change throughout the event and this is a good place to begin for golf betting live.
The favourite may make a slow start to the tournament and see their odds drop as they start the back 9 holes.
However, things may be about to change as they pick up a birdie on the 10th hole. You decide now is the right time to back them to win the event having seen their odds drop from before the start of the competition.
During most tournaments on the PGA and European Tour, players are grouped in twos and threes for each round.
It is possible to bet on which of these players you believe will come out on top as the round progresses.
The odds will change after each hole and you can wait until a few holes have been played before placing your bet.
During tournaments like the Ryder Cup, match play is in operation and that means players win a point for each hole where they take fewer shots than their opponent.
You can back a player to win the next hole thanks to golf live betting. It is best to be following the action live yourself before betting in this way and we have some additional golf betting tips you can follow below.
Latest Golf Betting Sites for In-Play Bets
Your best bet for in-play golf betting is to stick with the proven top bookmakers like, Bet365, Boylesports, Pinnacle or try a newer bookie and collect a nice bonus on top – the Vbet free bet offer is a good option.
All these latest golf betting sites offer superior in-play betting markets on golf like Hole-by-Hole Betting.
Here you can check the statistics for which players have performed the best on certain holes at say the US Masters course.
On Par-5 holes for instance chosse the big hitters in teh field thay'll have an advantage from the start for sure.
Where Greens come more into play choose the best putters.
Golf Betting Strategy
The first thing to be aware of when betting on golf are the various courses.
Golf Courses and Players
Every golf course is different and while some golf courses adopt a similar style, they will never be the same. It is important to know which players have a liking for a specific golf course or event.
Some players like playing on links courses, others are more suited to parkland style course.
Some golfers finish regularly in the top ten of some tournaments but struggle in others. Spotting these trends and knowing which players play well at certain courses and tournaments will help you greatly when betting on golf.
Weather Conditions
The weather conditions can play a big role in who succeeds during a golf tournament.
If the weather is wet and the ball is not travelling far having hit the fairway, this is likely to favour the longer hitters.
Players who may be accurate but cannot hit the ball a great distance may struggle when it is wet because there is no extra roll on the ball.
The opposite can be true when the weather is very dry.
The shorter hitters will get more distance out of their shots and less accurate players may struggle to keep the ball under control.
Why betting on the Big Names doesn't always stack up
Always betting on the big names is not a good idea.
When betting on golf tournaments, the depth of the field is incredible and there are some 50 players, who on their day, could win the event.
For example, in 2019 between and including the US Open and the Open Championship there were 8 tournaments on the PGA Tour.
The winners of those tournaments were Gary Woodland, Chez Reavie, Billy Andrade, Keegan Bradley, Brooke Henderson, Nate Lashley, Matthew Wolff, Dylan Frittelli, Jim Herman and Shane Lowry.
The likes of Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Tiger Woods, Justin Rose and Jordan Spieth are no where to be seen.
This highlights the point perfectly and shows that any player on the PGA or European Tour is capable of winning a tournament at any time, even a major.
Always do your homework before betting on golf and you will make good, informed bets.
Andy has been a professional punter on the horses for many years. It is his passion for sports betting in general that made him create this website and promote the best online bookmakers' bonuses. He currently enjoys punting on football and horse racing.