How to Bet on Golf — Beginner’s Guide to Betting on Golf

Millions of people worldwide regularly watch golf, and a good portion of golf enthusiasts enjoy taking it a step further by betting on the sport. If you are looking to cash in on your knowledge of golf but have never bet on it before, it might take a while until you get the hang of it, even if you are a fan of the sport.

To help you get started, we have prepared a detailed guide to show you how to bet on golf and even make a profit. Our guide will teach you the basics and inform you about the betting odds and different bet types. Moreover, it includes a few tips you can use when betting on golf.

Eight Quick Facts About Learning How to Bet on Golf

• Shop around different bookmakers to find the best odds.
• Examine multiple golf statistics before placing a bet.
• Learning how betting odds work is essential for understanding whether a bet is worth the risk.
• An outright bet is the most common type of bet in golf.
• Having a golf betting system or strategy can increase your chances of making a profit.
• You can bet on a different golf tournament almost every week.
• The US Open, Open Championship, and the Masters Tournament are some of the most prestigious golf tournaments.
• Some players perform better on short courses, while those with a reasonable drive distance prefer long courses.

How Does Golf Betting Work?

Betting on golf is like betting on any other sport, and the first thing you should learn is how betting odds work. Betting odds represent the likelihood of an outcome happening, such as a player winning the golf tournament. Let’s say you are looking at the betting odds on the Masters golf tournament. To display the odds for the tournament, bookmakers would use three different odds formats: decimal (1.4), fractional (7/3), and moneyline (+7000/-800).

Even though these formats are written differently, they represent the same thing. Once you learn how the odds work, you can easily convert them from one format to another. Moreover, most bookmakers will allow you to quickly change the website’s default settings and display the odds in the format you prefer.

Granted, understanding the odds won’t directly help you learn how to win at golf betting, but it will tell you exactly how much you are expected to win by placing a wager on a particular selection. Knowing how to do that will significantly help you understand whether the bet you are placing is valuable.

Let’s say you are betting £10 on the odds of 7.0 for Bryson DeChambeau to win a tournament. In case your bet is successful, you would win a total payout of £10 x 7 = £70.

If you wish to learn more about different formats, we already have a detailed guide on how betting odds work that will teach you how to understand and calculate the odds, so make sure to check it out before proceeding to the next step.

How to Bet on Golf: Betting Markets

After figuring out how betting odds work, you should learn about different types of bets you can place in golf.

The easiest and the most straightforward bet is the outright bet, where you simply bet on who will win a tournament. Apart from the outright bet, there are tons of other interesting bets you can place. The following section will explain some of the most popular bets in golf and how they work.

What Is an Each Way Bet in Golf?

An each way bet in golf is technically composed of two separate bets combined into one. The first bet is a win bet, and the second bet is a place bet. The first bet will be a winning one if a player wins or finishes first in the event. On the other hand, you will win the second bet if a player places within the top 5, 10, 20, or any other placement outlined by the bookmaker.

When it comes to each way betting rules for golf, the place bet specifics vary from one bet to another and will mostly depend on the bookmaker or the tournament you are betting on.

Let’s say that you are betting on Justin Thomas to win the US Open. Because he’s a favourite, a bookmaker has placed 15-2 odds of him winning the tournament. When it comes to the placement bet, it is generally one-third or one-fourth of the win bet.

In this case, the bookmaker has given Justin Thomas 1/3 odds of placing within the top five. One of the rules for each way betting in golf is that, since you are technically placing two bets, a £5 bet would cost £10.

Naturally, the first bet will be a winning one if Thomas wins the tournament, and in this case, you will win £10 x 7.5 + stake, which is £85. If Thomas places in the top five, you will win £10 x 2.5 + stake, for a total payout of £35. Of course, if Thomas places sixth or lower, you will lose your bet.

What Is 2-Ball Betting in Golf?

2-Ball betting is a head-to-head type of bet. Rather than betting on a player to win the tournament, you bet on a player to perform better than another player selected by a bookmaker. Bookmakers often pair two golfers, and to win a 2-Ball Bet, all you have to do is correctly predict which golfer will shoot a lower score across 18 holes.

Once you learn what 2-Ball betting in golf is, you won’t have any problems figuring out the 3-Ball type of bet. The 3-Ball bet works nearly the same as the 2-Ball bet, except in this case, you would have to pick from three golfers rather than just two.

Placing an outright bet and predicting the winner of the entire tournament is not easy. Moreover, most professional golf tournaments have 120 to 156 players participating in the tournament, which is why a lot of punters increase their odds of winning by placing a 2-Ball bet.

What Is a Dual Forecast Bet in Golf?

A dual forecast bet is similar to an outright bet. However, instead of betting on a tournament winner, you bet on which two players will place in the top two. If you place a dual forecast bet on Dustin Johnson and Justin Thomas, you will win the bet if either of those two players places first and the other player places second.

In other words, if Johnson comes first and Thomas places second, you will win your wager. At the same time, if Thomas places first and Johnson finishes the tournament second, you will also win your bet.

When you learn what a dual forecast bet in golf is and how it works, you should also explore different odds bookmakers provide on this type of bet. Naturally, if you are betting on two favourites, the odds will be much lower than when you bet on a favourite and an underdog. Still, the odds for the dual forecast bet are generally much higher than for the outright bet since it requires you to predict a winner and a runner up correctly.

Rules of golf betting on the dual forecast bet vary from one bookmaker to another, and you should check what happens in case of a dead heat, which is a tie between two or more players. In most cases, the exact specifics of a bet vary from one bookmaker to another. For that reason, make sure to check whether a dead heat means you will lose the bet or you will have your stake refunded.

What Is a Push in Golf Betting?

A push in betting refers to a tie between a bookmaker and a punter. Even though a push is most common in sports like football or basketball, it can occur in any sport, golf included.

Push generally occurs with over/under type of bets. For example, a bookmaker proposes Rory McIlroy will drive an average of 310 yards. With the over/under type of bet, you bet whether Rory McIlroy will have a higher or lower average.

However, if he drives precisely 310 yards during the tournament, neither the bookmaker nor you will win, which is what a push in golf betting is. In case a tie happens, a bookmaker returns the stake to you.

As always, the exact specifics may vary from one bookmaker to another. Generally speaking, most bookmakers refund your stake in case of a push, but some bookmakers might consider the bet a loss. Like we mentioned before, rules about golf betting differ among bookmakers, and you should check what happens in case of a push before placing your wager.

Prop Bets and In-Play Betting

Apart from the bets we’ve already mentioned, bookmakers might also include various other types of bets. While learning how to bet on golf and exploring different markets, you may encounter many interesting bets, such as the versus the field bet.

With this type of bet, you would bet against a favourite who is winning the tournament. In such a scenario, you would bet that everyone else but a lead player will end up snatching the victory and win the tournament.

If you are looking at the betting odds on a Masters golf tournament, or any other tournament for that matter, you may encounter numerous prop bets. Some of the most popular ones include betting on whether a player will hit a hole in one or on the tournament winner’s nationality.

Finally, bookmakers will often offer in-play betting that allows you to bet on the tournament as it is being played. In this scenario, the odds for each bet may continuously change as new information becomes available. This is an excellent option for golf fans who love making a game of golf a bit more exciting and wish to have an extra reason to cheer for their favourite.

Golf Betting Systems and Strategies

Betting on golf is more than just placing an outright wager on a favourite and calling it a day. In most cases, you will need an effective strategy if you are planning on making a profit. If you have never bet on golf before, you should pay attention to several different things.

In the following section, we have prepared golf betting advice you can use to increase your chances of placing a winning bet.

Study Statistics

As is the case with betting on any other sport, the first thing you should do is research as much as you can before placing a bet. When it comes to learning how to bet on golf, you should study players’ statistics. Websites like PGA Tour are brimming with information, and you can find everything from players’ off-the-tee statistics to players’ putting or off-the-tee streaks.

Apart from the statistics, you should also look at players’ previous forms. A player who’s not a clear favourite might be a contender to win the tournament if their form has been steadily improving for the past few months. At the same time, you might discover that you shouldn’t back a favourite if you notice that their form has been on the decline, despite them being ranked high.

One of the best golf betting advice we can give you is to always check players’ performance for a specific course because some players simply perform better or worse on courses that suit them. For example, players who have an excellent driving distance may do better on long courses, but those with the best driving accuracy may perform better on shorter courses where hitting straight from the tee is a lot more impactful.

Play to Your Strengths

One of the simplest golf betting advice we can give you is to stick to the outright bet and back a single player. If you are inexperienced with betting or you simply don’t want to invest a lot of time into research, then the outright bet is an ideal choice for you.

Rather than complicating things and looking for exotic bets, you should stick to what you already know and simply bet on who you think will win the entire tournament.

Back a Stable of Players

Golf betting rules are stating that you can’t place a single bet. In fact, many players decide to increase their chances of winning a bet and back multiple players. This type of betting is known as dutching.

The most effective way to place a dutching bet is with the help of a betting calculator. Let’s say you plan to bet £100, and the players you intend to back are given the odds of +800, +1500, +2500, +2500, and +7000. While it may seem logical to bet the most on the +7000 selection for the most profit, this particular golf betting system works differently.

The point of dutching is to ensure even profits, regardless of which selection wins. Rather than betting the most on a +7000 selection or placing £20 on each bet, a dutching calculator will help you distribute your money based on the probability.

Pick the Right Bookmaker

After discovering how to bet on golf, mastering betting odds, and learning about the different types of bets in golf, the only thing left to do is pick a bookmaker. Although you can find hundreds of bookmakers online, you won’t have to sort through them yourself. We have already compiled a list of the best betting sites where you can bet on golf.

We have reviewed their welcome bonuses, betting markets, customer support, payment methods, and more. Moreover, we made sure that each bookmaker on our list is licenced and reputable. All you have to do is check if bookmakers’ golf betting rules are to your liking and pick the one that sounds the most appealing to you before registering.

The registration process is straightforward, and you should simply enter the required information to create an account. In some cases, you might be offered to opt in for the welcome bonus during the registration process, so make sure to tick the box if you plan to claim the bonus.

The last golf betting advice we have for you is to make sure that all the information you enter during your registration process is truthful. Namely, every bookmaker will ask you to verify your identity before processing any payments. In other words, if the bookie is unable to verify your identity, you won’t be able to withdraw your winnings.

Summary

As you can see, there is nothing too difficult about learning how to bet on golf. While it may seem that there is a ton of information to consider, it won’t take long before you pick up the basics and are ready to place your first wager. After all, once you master the betting odds and different types of bets, the rest is just a matter of experience.

The most important part is to pick a reputable bookmaker carefully and never bet more than you can afford. While we generally recommend sticking to the bets you are most familiar with, you shouldn’t be afraid to explore new options and bet on different markets.