Betting on golf is going to take a “more than meets the eye” type of mentality. Just like any sport, there are a lot of variations and conditions to consider before placing your bet.
It would also help if you understood how golf is played in general. Most people understand that you hit a ball with a club into a hole, and that is a simple concept, but they only know about Tiger Woods, so their golf knowledge is limited. However, there are a lot of strategies and techniques that go into a golfer’s performance. This also affects how you bet on a golfer for a specific event.
Whether you are a novice or an experienced bettor, you can always find surprises in the game of golf. As you will learn, the favorite a lot of times is not the winner of an event.
How the Golf Season is Constructed
Looking at the PGA Tour, there are typically close to 50 tournaments in a given season. Most regular season events take place annually. Locations may vary. Then, there are playoffs ending with the crowning of a tour champion.
Where to Bet on Golf
At any given time for a lot of sports bettors, you have the luxury to place bets on the go or in the comfort of your home. Depending on where you live, you could be subject to your local state betting laws.
By doing a quick search online, you can find a variety of different sportsbooks to choose from. Typically, you can find names such as Caesars, DraftKings, BetMGM, and FanDuel.
Before you sign up for one of these types of sportsbooks, you need to do your research first. So, for example, you could look all of those up and compare and contrast each one to see who is the best. One thing you want to look for is to make sure that the sportsbook is legal. Those names mentioned above are great, but if you have never heard of them, you would need to look more in detail at them.
Other important factors to look at are payment methods and bonus offers. You want to check out how to get your money and what to find your account with. When it comes to bonus offers, you want to check the details for each offer to see how much money you can get. These can include free offers or match bonuses up to a certain dollar amount.
Finally, you want to make sure there is top-notch customer service. Check the reviews for the sportsbook, too, so you can get a good idea of what other users have to say. With great customer service, you can rest assured that any problem you encounter will be handled properly. You do not want to run into an issue and have poor customer service.
Different Types of Golf Bets
Golf provides a handful of betting opportunities. Outright winner bets are a simple way to wager for a player to win the tournament.
Next is the place or finish position bets. This allows bettors to decide whether certain players will finish in either the top 5, 10 or even 20. This option could offer somewhat of a lower payout than outrights but can keep the bankroll interesting while waiting for other bets. Still, this could be a valuable play. Winning a golf tournament requires a few different variations.
Another betting option is to pick a head-to-head matchup between two golfers. Typically you will see players that are virtually close to the same outright odds.
Prop bets can provide a useful way to make some money. These can be fun types of bets, such as who would be the best amateur player or a certain left-handed player with the best score.
To read the odds associated with these bets, you will usually see something like +400, +500, and so on. The favorite will usually have a lower payout instead of a -110. So for a +400, a $100 bet would win you $400. On a head-to-head matchup, you could see something like -110 when two or more players are for bets. This means the favorite would read: a $110 wager would net you $100.
How to Live Bet on Golf
Live golf betting is a great tool to add to your betting strategy. Depending on the sportsbook that you choose, they could have a great live betting option.
In most cases, this is unique because you can gauge how well a player or two is performing in real-time. You can make adjustments to your bets or make a new bet in accordance with their real-time performance.
For example, if there is a playoff between two players on the final hole and you feel like one has the edge, then you can bet on this. Depending on how they have played during the tournament, you can make an educated guess based on their current performance.
Live betting has its pros, but it can also be costly. Since there is an opportunity to place more bets in the moment, you can easily spend and lose more money than you expected. This is where setting up a budget is going to help you out. Live betting is a useful tool, but only when used properly.
Tips for Betting Golf
Before you overload yourself with every stat in the book to study, other factors go into betting on golf. Having a general understanding of the sport helps the situation.
Keeping up with current sports news is very helpful, especially with golf. Following the PGA Tour website or sites similar to ESPN can keep you up to date with injuries, stats, and other useful information that can affect the level of play for a golfer.
Setting up a budget for yourself is also a critical moment for a bettor. You do not know how much to wager without figuring out how much money you have to play with.
Try not to bet on the predicted favorite every time. In most cases, the favorite rarely wins, but they do place well within the tournament, so this could be a great place or finish bet. This includes betting on big names or top players every time. Books know that fans like to bet on their favorite, so they might inflate the odds a little to reflect this, especially if they are the top-ranked golfer.
The longest drivers also do not perform the best either. More well-rounded golfers tend to do better on smaller courses, but it is still interesting to see how certain golfers play against the odds on the course.
One tip related to sportsbooks is that you want to pay attention to the terms and conditions and payment methods. Some have limits or certain requirements that you have to meet for bonuses, while others require you to be a new user with other conditions.
Overall, you still want to prepare yourself with the best research possible. If you can narrow down every angle, then this will only help you out.
Golf Betting FAQ
How can you practice your strategy?
If you want to make a bet but do not want to waste any money, you can make a wager but just write the prediction down. This way, you can make a handful of predictions without losing your capital. Then compare your notes after the tournament or bet.
Best amount to wager?
Before you place a bet, you might be wondering how much to wager. The amount only matters if you are comfortable with that amount. By checking your budget, this makes a huge difference.
Should I bet on one or two golfers?
Depending on the event, you might want to consider more than one golfer. With golf, there is more than one qualified player that could win at any moment. It could be beneficial to spread your money around on certain players with a good payout.
A golfer is returning from an injury, and they are a favorite. Should I bet on them?
This is an interesting point of view to make even for a favorite. You would have to look at the overall field of play, what type of injury it was, and how well the golfer played recently.
Other types of bets to make?
There are some bets still on the table, such as futures or over/under. Futures revolve around a winner of an event at a later date. The over/under is usually for a score for a round of play for a certain golfer.