For a long time, golf betting has been a category that many online sportsbooks did not incorporate into their offer. As the online sports betting market grew, it had to find new ways of attracting bettors, and that’s how golf betting was introduced to the betting industry. Nowadays, bettors can place their golf bets at any major betting site wherever and whenever they wish to. Betting on golf is exciting and fun but can also be very rewarding, which is why we’ll help you learn how to bet on golf and make the best out of it.
The Rules of the Sport
Learning how to play professional golf might take years of training and experience. Luckily, learning how to bet on it is much easier to master. With that being said, we will go through some basics first to ensure you understand how the game works. Later on, we’ll also check into some strategies and tips that can help you improve the betting odds. But, first things first.
To better understand golf betting rules, we need to go through some rules of the game. Golf is an individual sport in which one player competes against the other players by completing 18 holes on the field. The goal is to make the lowest number of strokes possible using various golf clubs to get the ball into each hole. Playing a hole is initiated by placing a ball on a tee, a small peg that is used to lift the ball a few inches above the ground. Once the ball gets into a hole, the player moves onto the next one. Each hole has its own part of the course that is different in terms of layout and length (as determined by the golf course).
Another thing you should know before you learn how to bet on golf is that there are two primary formats in professional golf:
- Stroke play
Stroke play is the most common format in golf. It’s where the winner is the player who needed the least ball strokes to pass all 18 holes in one or more rounds.
- Match play
Match play is the format in which the goal is to beat your opponents on each hole separately. Individuals or teams get a point each time they finish a hole with the least amount of ball strokes, and the winner is the player/team that earned the most points during the match.
When it comes to golf betting options, there are four major golf tournaments you need to know about. They are called The Masters Tournament (also known as Masters), the US Open, The Open Championship (also known as The Open), and the PGA Championship.
Most Popular Types of Golf Bets
Now that we know some of the basics, we can move on to what interests us the most – golf bets. You can place golf bets in both brick-and-mortar and online casinos. However, online casinos offer a lot more variety and plenty of different categories to bet on. The next part of our guide will be all about the most popular golf betting types as we go through the options you have in terms of golf betting.
Win Bets
These are the most popular golf bets and the most basic way to bet on golf. As their name suggests, these bets are the ones in which bettors wager on who will win a particular golf tournament. If that player does win, you will win your bet. Although “to win” bets are simple to understand, they are quite lucrative but not easy to win. In general, the worst odds you are likely to have with these kinds of bets are seven or eight to one. This means that if you place a $10 bet and your favorite wins the tournament, you will get $70/$80 for your efforts.
As this is a golf betting for beginners guide, we had to start with the most basic option. However, it doesn’t mean this type of golf bets should be disregarded by veteran bettors. Another great thing about “to win” bets is that you can place smaller bets on multiple golfers, and if any of them wins the tournament, you will get the prize and see a profit.
Versus the Field Bets
Versus the field bets are probably the most unusual type of golf bets. The sportsbooks give bettors the option to bet on the underdog of the tournament. If you aren’t sure how to bet on golf tournaments, this might be an exciting option to consider. You’re betting that anyone else will win the tournament except for that particular player. It does not matter who wins the tournament, as long as it’s not that designated player.
This type of bet is usually offered in later tournament rounds when one golfer is way ahead of the competition.
Futures Bets
Futures bets aren’t decided by only one tournament as they are long-term bets. In professional golf, there’s one major futures bet you can make, and that’s the one involving the PGA Championship. As a part of their golf betting strategies, bettors usually place bets at the beginning of the season or before the playoffs. However, in general, you can place futures bets at any point in the championship.
The main difference with placing the bet sooner or later is the betting odds you would get. As some players become clear favorites, the payout odds on them will decrease, and you would be earning less on your bet. On the other hand, if a player becomes less likely to win, his payout odds would increase, getting you a higher prize if he turns out to be a winner.
Head-to-Head Golf Bets
The next part of our golf betting guide will focus on head-to-head bets. These are the bets in which the sportsbook sets a line between two golfers, and the main focus of the bet is to see which one of them will finish better than the other. Their overall tournament results do not matter. All that matters is that you have picked a golfer that finishes the tournament with a better ranking than the other one.
These bets are fantastic as they offer lots of flexibility and an array of options when it comes to golf wagering.
Prop Bets
As you learn more about golf betting and try different betting options, you’ll see what the best way to bet on golf is for you. If you’re looking for some fun online and you’re tired of the regular casino games, you might want to get to know a bit more about the prop bets. Golf prop bets offer a variety of options, and you can bet on pretty much anything. For example, the winner’s nationality, age, the number of birdies on specific holes, whether or not there will be a playoff, etc.
Some of these bets are straight gambling, while some of them require skills. If you decide to bet on how many majors a player will win or whether there will be any hole in one during a particular round, you will need some preparation first.
Golf Betting Tips and Strategies
Although the various types of golf betting have numerous possible outcomes, some strategies can help you predict the final results and improve your odds on almost any kind of bet. Here are some tips you may find helpful.
Analyze the History and the Current Form
One of the things that can make the most significant difference in your betting strategy is researching the history and current form of the golfers. By checking the history of a particular player and their performance at specific tournaments in the past, you can have a better understanding of golf betting and make more informed decisions about your bet.
Just like other professional players and teams, golfers can have hot and cold streaks. These streaks are vital, including tournament wins, top-five or top-ten finishes, and other important statistics. Player’s injuries and recovery times can make a huge impact on their game, and that is something you can use to your advantage.
Understand the Odds
Understanding the odds is the key to success in golf betting. Before placing a bet, you should calculate how much you’ll win if your bet turns out to be a success. You should ensure to bet only when there’s value in it comparable to the risk, but that is something that comes with experience as you learn how to bet on golf.
Bookmakers sometimes give different odds, and in time you will find a pattern that will help you spot the differences and the reasoning behind them. To optimize your betting, you can try to keep a record of your win and loss ratio to ensure you’re always in control.
Check the Weather
It might sound too simple, but weather conditions can have a crucial impact on the game, completely changing how the course plays. Rain usually makes the game slower, while strong winds force players to shorten their drives. Before placing a bet, it might help to check the daily forecasts and the extended forecast for the whole tournament. As important as knowing the basic rules of golf betting is, some external factors can be a real game-changer, too.
As you get to know players individually, you’ll learn how they perform under different weather conditions and measure how that can help them or hurt them.
Look for the Online Statistics
The official websites of major tournaments such as the PGA Tour or the European Tour publish plenty of helpful player stats that can help you develop a betting strategy. Those stats include all-time records, various rankings, accuracy off the tee, greens in regulation, driving distance, and more. If you’re new to this type of betting and not sure how to bet on golf, Sports Insights can also be of great help. It is a live odds platform that can assist you with making smarter bets.
Golf Majors in Numbers
The Masters
The Masters Tournament is held at Augusta National in Augusta, Georgia, one of the most renowned courses in the world. This year’s Masters took place from April 8 till April 11, and Hideki Matsuyama became the first Japanese male golfer to win a major championship.
The US Open
The US Open is typically the most challenging golf tournament in the world, and it might be difficult for newbies who just started learning how to bet on golf, too. This year it was played from June 17 to June 20 at Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla, San Diego, California. Jon Rahm became the first US Open champion from Spain and won his first major golf championship.
The Open Championship
The Open Championship, also known as the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world. Although it was canceled for the 2020 season, it returned this year from July 15 till July 18, taking place at Royal St. George’s Golf Club in England.
Collin Morikawa won the 2020 PGA Championship and the 2021 Open Championship, making him the first player to win two different majors in his debut appearance.
The PGA Championship
In our 101 guide to golf betting, we must not forget the PGA Championship. The 2021 PGA Championship lasted from May 20 to May 23 at Kiawah Island Golf Resort’s Ocean Course in South Carolina.
Phil Mickelson, an American professional golfer, won it by two strokes ahead of his competitors. The fifty-year-old golfer became the oldest player to win a major in the history of golf.
FAQ
How do you bet on golf?
There are different types of golf bets you can place, and the most common ones are the “win bets.” In these types of bets, you’re wagering on who you think will win a specific tournament.
Where can you bet on golf?
Now that you know the basics of how to bet on golf, you can try to implement what you have learned on one of the many betting sites that offer golf betting and live betting opportunities. All major betting sites feature golf wagering, and all you need to do is check which ones give the best odds.
Can you bet on the LPGA?
LPGA or the Ladies Professional Golf Association is an American organization for female golfers. Most golf betting sites offer their players a chance to place different kinds of bets on LPGA majors: the ANA Inspiration, US Women’s Open, Women’s PGA Championship, Women’s British Open, and The Evian Championship.
