Golf Betting Guide

Where can you place a bet on golf?

Most online bookmakers offer golf as a betting option on their websites and the markets tend to increase when the Majors roll around.

Coral, for example, prides itself as being an excellent bookmaker for golf betting. Covering every European and PGA Tour event, the depth of the markets is extraordinary and there are some great specials to tap into.

Also, William Hill has very comprehensive coverage with its golf offering. Aside from providing excellent tips and features, William Hill has one of the best ante-post markets around. That may suit bettors who prefer to place bets well in advance of certain events.

With golf receiving more TV coverage than ever, the sport is hard to ignore, and most online bookmakers will have plenty of markets for bettors to utilise.

How to bet on Golf?

To understand betting on golf, it is essential to note that many PGA Tour events will be full of talented players. As many as 150 players could be teeing off each week. With that in mind, picking a winner can sometimes be very difficult. For novices, the easiest bet to place is the outright result or tournament winner. Usually, some players may chalk up a few victories throughout the season, while others find it much harder to get into the winners’ circle.

The each-way bet is an excellent choice for bettors wanting to know how to win betting on golf. With each-way bets, online bookmakers will pay out if you pick the winner and correctly place your other bet to finish in the top four. Each-way bets are a great way to keep your gambling bankroll ticking over, and you will see progress over time.

There are also other outright markets, such as the leader of the first or second round. With golf, the tide can change quite quickly over a few holes. That might suit some bettors who believe particular players are quick out of the blocks, but that may not last the pace over the four rounds of a tournament.

Alternatively, prop bets are a great way to make some good money. Some of these bets take skill while others fall into the outright section, such as whether there will be a playoff or will there be over eight birdies on hole nine?

How to find a good golf betting site?

Golf betting has become increasingly popular, and there are many top sites available. If you are betting online, you will need to find a website that offers an excellent user experience. Some sites have better interfaces than others, but bettors are after a hassle-free experience where they can place bets quickly.

On that note, there are reviews frequently popping up on the internet about the reputation of bookmakers. If there are bad reviews, they will act as a red flag. The top-performing bookmakers will be judged partly on the quality of bonuses and promotions they offer. That will be discussed in the next section.

Thirdly, the depth of markets provided by a bookmaker will give more confidence to bettors wishing to win money betting on golf. For example, if the Players’ Championship was showing, and bettors could only locate a limited number of markets with one bookmaker, they would be more inclined to look elsewhere.

What types of bonuses will I find when betting on golf?

Golf betting is awash with all types of bonuses. The likes of Coral and Paddy Power compete to provide enhanced odds to draw you in for a big tournament. The offers are run at a cost, which can help you maximise your returns. While most bookies will pay out on five places for each-way bets, Paddy Power regularly pays out on seven or eight places. When it comes to the Majors, Paddy Power has been known to pay out on 10 places, plus it frequently offers free bets.

Ladbrokes generally entices new bettors with up to R440 in free bets. For specific tournaments, such as The Open, Ladbrokes will advertise in-play money-back offers.

What is the best betting strategy for golf betting?

While golf results are notoriously hard to predict because of the number of players, some simple strategies lend themselves nicely to win money betting on golf. A good reference point is a player’s form. How did they perform at the previous tournament? Did they contend or did they miss the cut and bomb out after the first two rounds?

It is important to look at a player’s game in general. For example, if you wanted to bet on Jordan Spieth at a tournament, you should assess his driving game as well as his putting style. Is he missing straightforward putts or is he wayward from the tee? Golf can be a sport where on one day a player may have all facets of his game working superbly, but on another day his short game lets him down. Checking out course stats should inform you on which player to back and which to avoid.

Also, don’t put all your eggs into one basket. Placing a bet on the winner is laden with difficulty, especially if the leader board is bunched up. Sometimes, it is best to have an each-way bet which can act as a saver as you don’t necessarily lose all your stake.

How golf betting odds work

Golf betting odds are usually presented as a decimal or fractional offer by bookmakers. In the run-up to events, bookmakers will list the odds for all their outright and specials markets. The favourites will be afforded greater weighting and will be short-priced while those that are unfancied will be given longer odds.

Throughout the tournament, the odds are constantly changing, and the live betting markets will reflect this. Many factors can influence why odds change, such as whether a flurry of bets come in for a player. If a player looks set to miss the cut, then their odds will drift. The Saturday of any given tournament is known as ‘moving day’ and odds can dramatically change if a player makes a charge up the leader board and puts himself into contention.

Where can I find the best odds for golf?

All bookmakers are engaged in an ongoing battle to provide the best odds and attract new customers to their site. Sites such as Oddschecker act as an odds comparison tool, so you can find out the odds provided for the Majors. Some odds for other in-depth markets may not be available and can be less competitive, whereas some bookmakers round up their prices.

It is best to shop around for the best odds. Some bookmakers have a long-standing tradition of pricing up golf events, so keep an eye on the odds they are posting in the weeks leading up to tournaments.

Popular betting markets for golf

Betting on golf is very exciting and below are a couple of popular methods to get the most out of your bets.

• Single bets —These types of outright bets revolve around predicting who will win a tournament. With big fields turning out each week for PGA Tour events it is not easy, however, for those who have an eye for spotting a winner, this is a great market to explore.

• Each-way bets —These are sometimes overlooked. However, each-way bets consist of two bets. Essentially, it acts as a safer bet if you are unsure the golfer you have backed will win the tournament. It means you are covered if your chosen player doesn’t win but finishes in the top four or five. One bet would be placed on a golfer to win a tournament while the other will be on them to finish in the top four. Bookmakers will pay 1/4 of the odds for the ‘place’ part of the bet.

• Specials — The specials can add an element of intrigue to a tournament. They range from how many birdies may be scored in a round or if there will be a hole-in-one. Hole-in-ones are quite rare, but they create a real buzz when they do happen. For the players, there is a financial incentive as they can walk away with a cheque and drive off in a prize car if they do get a hole-in-one.

• Other specials that can also take place include betting on who will score the lowest round or be the clubhouse leader after a round. Whoever finishes as the clubhouse leader after the third round will have an advantage going into the final day, although nerves will play a role as to whether they can close out a tournament.

• Season bets —Also quite popular, season bets enable bettors to bet on golfers throughout the season. They can include markets, such as a specific player to have a top-five finish in a Major, or Rory McIlroy to win two or more tournaments in a season. The odds can be favourable.

Cash out

What it is

Cash out for golf betting enables bettors to end the tournament from their betting perspective as and when they choose. Bettors can take the bookmaker’s offer for how much their bet is worth at a given time.

How to cash out

The mechanics behind cashing out a bet is straightforward. If you go to the Open Bets tab of the website or the app of your chosen bookmaker and click Cash Out, then you will be able to cash out the entirety of or a partial amount of your bet.

Live streaming and where to watch golf

As far as live streaming is concerned, it is unusual to find a live stream through South African online betting sites. Some sites will have a live golf news section. For TV coverage, Sky Sports holds all the golf rights for PGA Tour and European Tour events.