How to Bet on Golf: Best Tips and Tricks [2022 Edition]

Want to bet on golf? Read on. 

Golf is one of the most fun and exciting sports today. It's an activity that allows golfers to spend time relieving stress and anxiety from our busy daily schedules. This sport is one of the varieties of stick and ball games in our history and is attributed to the Scots. The Dutch also played a similar game where players would hit a leather ball to reach a specific target a few hundred yards away. They must achieve the fewest shot attempts in reaching the target to win the game. Despite their similarities, the Scottish sport is distinctive from other sports in history because of the hole. 

Golf is also a sport for gambling enthusiasts, as it has many options for betting in different types of tournaments and events. Bettors can choose when and where to place their bets on any event offered by sportsbooks operators. If you want to know how to bet on golf, here are a few things to consider.

How to Bet on Golf

Golf is a fun sport to watch, and most parts of Europe enjoy it more by betting on significant events and tournaments. People in North America also have an increasing market in betting on golf, as the PGA (Professional Golfer’s Association) affiliates itself with gambling as they are creating good relationships with betting business owners and operators, which gave the increase of events telecasts and betting on golf markets made available in reputable betting sites. Whether you are a seasoned gambler or just a beginner, you must know the mechanics of golf betting before starting.

How to Start Betting on Golf Tournaments

Before you start placing your bets on golf, you need to know how the odds on golf work. For instance, if Jack Nicklaus has an 8-1 (+800) to be the tournament's winner, you would be able to win back your investment 8-times. If you bet $100 at +800, your winnings will be $800.

In a golf tournament, the famous golfer has between +600 and +1300 and could go up to +50000 (500-1) with the biggest longshot. Matchup betting lets bettors choose a golfer with a better score in the tournament or a particular round. 

For example, if you want to bet $10 on Tiger Woods to beat Jack Dustin Johnson, and Woods's odds are -110, you need to place $11 as your bet to win $10. Sportsbook created the -110 (also known as “juice”) to represent the tax that would initiate a wager.

Types of Bets for Golf

Outright Winners

Outright bets are the most common type of bets for golf. It is simply placing your bet on the golfer who you think would win the tournament. Golf usually has 100-1 or better odds than odds often hit. Some bettors are having difficulty choosing because there are usually many golfers joining a tournament, making it hard to predict who will win. This type of bet offers a large payout for your tiny investment.

Finishing Position Bets

Finishing position bets means giving bettors the option of choosing golfers who will make it to the top 5, 10, or 20. This betting on golf offers less payout than the outrights, but it can help bettors manage their bankroll while waiting for the tournament's winner. 

Golfers also rely on luck in winning tournaments while harnessing their skills to give bettors hope for a bigger payout. Bettors would usually pick from the top golfers they think are in good form and have a good history in statistics. Sportsbooks also apply dead-heat rules on finishing position bets, where you will only get 1/5th of your wager if the golfer you picked finishes in a five-way tie in the top 20.

Matchups

Another exciting type of betting on golf is matchups, where bettors can choose a golfer to go up against another contender. Players with almost identical outright odds are the stock picks and shows lines close to -110.

A matchup bet is an opportunity for bettors to target golfers who have a terrible form and match them up against golfers who are playing better. Some courses favor a golfer that bettors must take advantage of in betting on matchups. Bettors must be familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of golfers and how they play against other golfers.

Props

Props bets are a betting on golf where sportsbooks would categorize grouped golfers into their country of origin and gives an option for bettors to bet on the top Englishman, Spaniard, American, and many others. This type of bet is also available in major tournaments such as the Masters. Eliminating golfers from groups due to different types of courses will narrow down the best players who will compete to win the tournament.

Three-way Odds

Three-way odds is a bet on golf that allows bettors to add a third golfer to the odds mix and choose which of the three golfers will win the tournament or finish in the highest position of the tournament.

Round Totals

Oddsmakers will present a final score prediction for a particular round, where bettors can choose a golfer to place their bets on and wait until they finish the round. Golfers will have an actual score of over or under that particular round total.

Golf Futures

Futures odds allow players to bet on golf in major tournaments well before the scheduled event. Major tournaments like the Ryder Cup and the Masters are the ideal golf futures type of betting because they take months of preparation before the event start.

Golf Live Betting

There are many available mobile or online sportsbooks that offer live golf odds. Some tournaments are constantly adjusting based on the competition results on the course. Golf live betting includes odds to win the round, hole-by-hole odds and outright winner odds.

Strategies for Betting on Golf

If you want to bet on golf, you need to know a few essential factors before proceeding. 

Current Form

Oddsmakers start from the current form, where they build out the tournament odds every week. Golf bettors must take this opportunity for their handicapping and choose their golfers with hot streaks.

Cold and hot streaks can also have the top-5 and top-10 golfer’s finishes or their usual average performance. Bettors should also pay attention to these streaks and what causes them. Golfers may have the momentum with their excellent plays, and sometimes they are just matched up with weaker tournament fields. 

Cold streaks can give skids to golfers and affect their putting or driving accuracy. Golfer’s injuries can cause cold streaks and may take time to recover from their past swing techniques, mechanics, and familiarity with new clubs. These factors have a significant impact on a golfer’s overall performance.

Course Fit

Course fit matches a golfer’s capabilities to perform on the current course layout. The term “horse for courses” is a popular betting term that describes this feature. Golf courses have a significant effect on every golfer’s performance. Whether playing on a longer average length to the hole or having a shorter distance, they must find the proper adjustments for every shot. Courses with narrow fairways and many hazards can develop a golfer’s accuracy with every shot.

Golf courses have sand bunkers and water, and pin placement increases a golfer’s techniques in achieving a correct approach, scrambling metrics, and the ability to adapt to unpredictable greens. Their abilities can help them get an edge over other competitors and be on top of the leaderboard.

Course History

Another tip you can use when you bet on golf is knowing the history of a course. It can help you make the right decisions in betting. You have to consider the layout, familiarity, and knowing what makes a golfer comfortable playing. Following recent activities of a golf course can help a bettor determine how a golfer will perform during a tournament. Course history indicates how a golfer prepares and manages their playing style in different types of golf courses.

Bettors must always check on a golfer’s statistics to determine how they performed on a course. It is essential to know their consistencies and how they performed with the layout matches of the past tournaments. It would also be beneficial to golf bettors to have regional familiarity and know what state or region a golfer comes from and their experiences in playing various courses beyond professional tournaments.

Weather

Weather is one of the fundamental factors that affect the entire tournament. It contains shifts in wind directions, pouring rain, or the sun's intense heat that causes a significant impact on every golfer’s gameplay. They may feel exhausted or may play slower because of the course condition. It would be best for bettors to pay attention to detailed daily weather forecasts before making their first bet on golf. 

Final Thoughts

Betting on golf is a fun and entertaining way of gambling because it involves thorough preparation and determination to get the best results. It is also available on many different traditional or online betting platforms. The opportunities to win by betting on golf are overwhelming, which you should take advantage of and be successful.

Now that you know how to bet on golf, explore our reliable sportsbook to place your wagers.