How To Bet On Golf: A Comprehensive Guide

Golf is perhaps one of the most polarizing sports in a long time. The old generations seem to cling onto it as their last form of entertainment in their old age, and the new generations seem to scoff at the idea of being a “real sport.” If you’ve never played the sport for yourself or bet on it, it can be understandable to regard golf as a boring sport.

Admittedly, it can be tough just to hit up a golf course and instantly get into the game – there’s a steep learning curve. So a lot of the times, people just tune into the biggest golf tournaments like the U.S. Open or the PGA Tour and watch Dustin Johnson or Justin Thomas play like crazy. Rewind about 20 years ago, and you could include Tiger Woods in that list, too.

So today, we’ll teach you all you need to know about golf betting and how to fill your wallet with a nice bet.

Best Websites For Golf Betting

In order to get the most out of your bets, you’ll need to know which sites give the best categories and odds. Not all betting sites are created equal. Read on our top website picks so that you can make a nice golf bet the next time a tournament comes around.

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As is the case with most U.S. betting sites, Bovada is at the top. This is for a good reason. Bovada is one of the longest-serving online bookies, and they have retained a loyal customer base for such a long time.

In terms of golf betting, you’ll find they have great competitive odds for all the major tournaments and provide the user with all the popular categories to bet on.

Of course, Bovada provides a nice welcome bonus of up to $250, which will take you a long way in your quest to riches.

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MyBookie has a more modern touch to it and definitely feels like it’s targeted to a more tech-savvy and younger demographic. Their website and mobile app are really sleek and easy to use, and it makes for a smooth and enjoyable betting experience.

MyBookie provides unique props and specials for those looking for more creative golf bets, and they also have an eye-watering welcome bonus of 100% up to $1000.

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XBet is a bit of a lesser-known website when it comes to sports betting, but it’s not one to ignore, especially when you’re betting on golf. They have very bold and flashy branding, so if you’re into that, then XBet could be for you.

Their odds are generally competitive with most bookies, and their banking system is fast, efficient, and updated, creating a seamless betting experience.

Everything You Need To Know About Betting On Golf

So you’ve come to the point in your life where you want to start betting on golf.

That’s fine, you should feel no shame. Golf is an amazing sport that requires a deep appreciation for the intricacies it puts on display. If you’ve watched the greats play in these tournaments, you’ll know how much raw athleticism and dedication golf takes.

The Very Basics

Before we get into odds and lines and outrights, we need to talk about the basic format of golf. Unlike other sports like basketball or soccer, golf has big tournaments spread throughout the year.

The biggest tournaments are:

• The U.S. Open
• PGA Tour
• Ryder Cup
• The Masters Tournament
• The U.S. Women’s Open

So it’s not like there’s a shortage of events. You can practically catch an event at any time of the year as they are strategically spread apart to provide viewers with year-round golfing pleasure.

Now we can move onto the different types of bets you will experience.

Outright

Outright is the simplest of them all. You’re betting on who will win the tournament. Maybe you have an instinctual itch that Tiger Woods will win the next Ryder Cup. Unfortunately, that seems extremely unlikely these days, but if you were to bet on him in these current circumstances, you’re looking to make quite a lot of money.

Naturally, betting on outright tournament winners will give you a pretty big payday. For example, the previous 2020 U.S. Open had Dustin Johnson as the heavy favorite at +800. Until Bryson DeChambeau won the whole thing!

Due to this market’s unpredictability, it is generally not encouraged unless you have some sixth sense of who’s going to win. However, it can be a little bit of fun to just put a little $10 bet on your favorite golfer.

Top X Finish

Predicting which player will end up in the top 10 is much easier than predicting who will win the whole thing. You can research a bit and determine that a player like Rory McIlroy or Matthew Wolff will most likely finish in the top 10 and secure a win on your bet slip.

This gets a bit harder when you start to narrow down to the top 5, though. Golf is naturally a relatively volatile sport. It’s not all the time that you get someone so dominant like Tiger Woods, and with him fading into oblivion the past couple of years, each tournament is up for grabs.

2/3 Ball

2/3 ball odds can be pretty confusing. Golf odds are probably not for new bettors, but with this guide, all will be explained to you.

2/3 ball odds pit 2-3 players against each other, and you’re essentially making a bet on who will achieve the best score between all of them. Again, the game’s aim here is to narrow down a pool of players instead of choosing an outright winner among a huge list of players.

Margin of Victory

The last significant market is the margin of victory. Here, you will be predicting how much the winner will win by. So if the talent pool is looking extremely strong for a particular golf tournament and you’re unsure who will win, or even come into top 10, then the margin of victory could be the way to go.

An example of the odds you will see would be something like this:

U.S. Open 2020 margin of victory –

• 5/2 1 shot
• 7/2 2 shots
• 9/2 3 shots
• 10/3 4 shots or more

So if you bet on 1 shot and Dustin Johnson beats Rory McIlroy -5 to -3, you would win!

Golf Betting Strategies

Unfortunately, unlike team sports, there are limited markets and opportunities for bettors. Everything pretty much revolves around predicting a player will win a tournament. On the one hand, it can create a lot of excitement when watching the action live. On the other hand, a lot of creativity is lost when the bettor is so restricted to only a few odds and markets.

The best strategy when it comes to golf is to watch a lot of it. Ingest as much information as you can. Listen to the analysts, look at the stats, watch the players’ form, etc. That will give you the best possible chance to predict, whether it be top X finish, outright, or anything else.

Mental Strategy

However, as with all betting, it is important to exercise restraint and only bet as much as you can afford to lose. It can be so easy to get carried away and lose control over your bankroll and budget, so we advise you always to stop when the fun stops.

Bankroll Strategy

When betting on team sports like soccer or basketball, the possibility to make parlays and creative bets allows bettors to bet a small amount, say $5, and get returns in the hundreds or thousands (probably not recommended). However, it’s not entirely possible to create a parlay on golf markets, so you’re stuck with single bets.

If you’re the type of bettor to bet small to win big, then golf can be a very new field to you. It’s recommended to bet a bigger amount as it’s an individual sport. For example, you could bet something like $50 on a top X finish for Matthew Wolff and expect to receive a pretty good amount in return if you win.

Concluding Remarks

We wholly recommend dabbling in a bit of golf betting. It can be a great way to kick back on the weekend with a nice beverage and watch the heavyweights battle it out on the greens. Each tournament brings up twists and turns and new storylines, and you can be there to watch as your bet rakes in cash.

Try watching the Ryder Cup or Masters Tournament and see how fun it is for yourself!