Updated on: October 4th, 2024
Despite golf appearing to be extremely boring to many, the sport actually has a large following. This has translated into a massive interest in golf betting. This is particularly true in the United States, where four of the majors played each year are hosted.
The last few years has seen the sport grown exponentially; especially since a crop of talented players have made the game so much more exciting. Names like Jason Day, Jon Rahm, Tiger Woods and Justin Rose make sports bets so much harder to make but also much more rewarding. There is now a reason to spend hours watching the PGA Tour.
Many new fans of the sport are interested in learning how to bet on golf online. But to new bettors, golf betting terms can seem pretty confusing. Not to worry though; we’ve created a beginner’s golf betting guide to help you get on your feet.
Below you can expect to find an explanation of:
- Golf betting lines,
- Odds,
- Strategies to use.
We also list all the most popular golf tournaments to bet and all the best online gambling sites for sports so that you can get started on betting as soon as you feel ready! So, what are you waiting for?
Best Golf Betting Sites 2024
Golf Betting Lines Explained
There are a number of golf bets available at the best sports betting sites, including:
To Win/Moneyline
A to win or moneyline bet is a wager placed on a player your think is going to win an event. It is important to make the distinction between a to win and future bet. A future bet is placed a long time before the tournament takes place.
However, you can place a to win bet on a player to win the day. So, for example, you could say that Tiger Woods will be on top of the leaderboard at the end of the first day of the US Open.
Versus the Field
This is a variation of a spread bet. Essentially, in a versus the field bet, you put a group of golfers against the favorite to win a tournament. If one of the golfers in your group wins the tournament instead of the favorite, you win the bet.
Head-to-Head
The sportsbook lines up two golfers against each other and you can bet on which you think is going to place better in a tournament. This makes for some pretty interesting lines, especially if two players are either on form or on a downward streak.
Finishing Position
These are bets made on the finishing position of the player in a tournament. For example, you can bet on a player to finish in the top five or top 10, and so on. The number of options available to you is dependent on the sportsbook.
Prop Bets
These are event-based bets made on a specific player to achieve something in the tournament. The player doesn’t have to win for you to get your wager right. For example, you could bet on Jason Day to score a birdie in a tournament. He could go on to lose and you will still get paid.
Nationality Bet
These are bets on players of a particular nationality to win the tournament. Odds are calculated on the basis of which country has the most top-ranked players. As a general, USA always tends to have the worst odds in this respect.
Group Bets
With these bets, sportsbooks group a bunch of players together and you predict which of the players will get the lowest score in the group.
How to Read Golf Odds
Reading golf odds is pretty simple once you know a few basic guidelines. Firstly, we’ll say that there are three different odds formats: American, decimal and fractional. We’ll be explaining American here but for an explanation of the others, please head over to our odds guide.
So, with American odds lines are illustrated with numbers at the end with either a plus or minus symbol. Plus is usually used to denote an underdog and minus a favorite but there are situations in which all competitors could have pluses or minuses next to their names.
Here is an example of what a line would look like at an online sportsbook:
Kristoffer Ventura +121
Charles Howell III -145
To calculate how much you could potentially win on a bet, you can use one of the two appropriate formulas:
- Positive – Odds x (Stake/100)
- Negative – (100/Odds) x Stake
In the above line, a bet on Ventura would earn you $121 in profit on a $100 bet and the same bet on Howell would earn you $82. This means you have to bet more on Howell to earn the same return.
Golf Betting Tips – Golf Betting System
Everyone claims to bet the best golf betting tipster online. We won’t claim as much but we do know a few areas you should focus on to make better bets on a regular basis. There are:
Research Participants and Tournaments
Some players do better than others at certain tournaments and on certain courses. For example, if you were place a bet on the Ryder Cup, it would be important to know that the USA team doesn’t always perform that well in Europe.
Player form is also particularly important. For example, although Jordan Spieth looked like a very promising bet in 2015 – when he was ranked world number 1 – his form has dipped since. He is now struggling to get on the leaderboard. You would not want to place a bet on him unless his form changes.
Pay Attention to Weather
It is important to remember that wind can play a massive role in the outcome of a tournament. Some players play better in windy conditions than others. Also, you don’t really want to waste your time placing a bet on a game that is going to be rained out.
Shop Around for Odds
Before you place a hasty bet make sure to have a look at the odds on offer at multiple sportsbooks. Sportsbooks will have different odds on different players. To make the most money possible, you should place your bet at the site with the best odds on the outcome you want to bet on.
Best Golf Tournaments to Bet On
Loads of golf tournaments take place around the world each year. We have highlighted some of the most popular events below:
PGA Championship
As one of the biggest events on the golfing calendar, the PGA Championship draws in millions of viewers each year. Many fans love placing a good wager on the unscripted action, which sees frequent new victors.
The Open Championship
The biggest European golfing tournament and the oldest running major. Many fans of the sport love to wager on the “British Open”, which has seen its fair share of American winners (even if there has only been three in the last decade).
US Open
Not to be confused with the tennis tournament, the United States Open Championship has seen some of the biggest upsets in the sport’s history. It really does make for some of the best betting options.
US Masters
If there is one thing the city of Augusta, Georgia is famous for, it is for hosting the Masters. The best of the best go up against one another in this aptly named tournament to determine who is truly the sport’s greatest player.
Ryder Cup
This wonderful team-based event sees a team of US players go up against a team of European players. The tournament takes place every two years. It is definitely one of the highlights of the golf calendar.
Golf Betting Explained – FAQs
Yes, you can bet on golf online.
All you have to do to bet on golf is bet on an outcome within the tournament. For example, you can bet on a player to win the tournament.
You can bet on golf at the following sports betting sites:
1. Intertops
2. Bovada
3. XBeT
4. SportsBetting
5. BetOnline
6. MyBookie
7. GT Bets
8. WagerWeb
9. BetNow
10. YouWager
The 2020 Open Championship has been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
An each way bet is made on a player to either win or place in a tournament.
To win bets naturally offer better odds because they are easier to lose but there are some each way bets that may offer you a pretty healthy return. Remember that the player needs to finish in the top five for an each way bet to payout.
