A Beginner’s Guide to Golf Betting Online

Background to Golf and Online Betting

Since its introduction in 15th century Scotland, Golf has become an extremely popular sport worldwide. This is shown in recent times by the huge number of spectators attending competitions (daily average at the U.S. Masters is around 40,000 people). Along with this rise in popularity, there has been a massive boost in online golf betting and the number of markets offered by sportsbooks. 

Golf Competitions

There are two main professional golf tours that take place each year:

1. The PGA Tour is played across the United States of America, consisting of 46 events, running from October to August (the following year). The tour culminates in the FedEx Cup Playoffs. 
2. The European Tour is structured similarly to the PGA Tour, however, these competitions are played across the globe. There are 45 events played from November to November, where players compete for the ‘Race to Dubai.’ 

The other major competitions in Golf are the LPGAandLadies European Tour. These are tournaments for female professional golfers across America and Europe. These tours also conclude with playoffs based on an overall points standing throughout the regular season.

Due to the sheer number of Golfing competitions, ample opportunity for online betting is prevalent all year round for both beginners and experienced Golf bettors.

Specialist Competitions

The Majors

These are the four major golfing competitions on the calendar, consisting of the Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and The Open Championship. Each one is highly regarded amongst the players competing. 

Ryder Cup

When America faces off against the continent of Europe! Played every 2 years, alternating between a course in America and a course situated in Europe (usually in the United Kingdom), it is one of the most popular competitions in the golfing community, not to mention the ‘bragging rights’ for the winners.

Solheim Cup 

This is the Ryder Cup version for the leading female professional golfers.

Types of Golfing Bets

Golf sportsbooks offer a wide variety of betting markets, and as a beginner, you should evaluate all markets available to you. A selection of the most popular and attractive markets are highlighted below:

1. To win outright – betting on the overall outcome of a competition. Who will finish the 4 days with the lowest number of strokes?
2. Top 5 / 10 / 20 – this is another good angle to look in to further, and although the odds will be a lot lower than betting on the outright outcome, there is a higher probability of your bet being successful.
3. Match bets – Golf sportsbooks offer markets on who will get the best score in a 2 / 3 ball group. This betting market can be of some value, as you may find in your research that an in-form player is paired with one or two out of form players.

Golfing Betting Strategies

With most golf competitions spanning four days, online golf betting can create a very entertaining experience, and keep you hooked for all four days.

Along with all other sports, there is some research to carry out to help you increase your chances of winning and beating the bookmaker, these include:

• Form – make sure you look into the current form of each golfer and assess how they have performed over the past 5 competitions. Have they won? How many top 5 / top 10s have they recorded? Have they missed the cut? This will show you how well each golfer is currently playing and can help you determine how they will perform in the upcoming competition. 
• Course Form – many courses are used year after year on all tours, so make sure to research the course form of each player, to determine whether they like or dislike the course in question. This can have a positive / negative effect on the players tournament and should also factor in your decision on who to back.
• Course – look into how the course has been structured. How deep is the rough? How wide is the fairway? How long is the fairway / hole? These questions can be paramount to success in online Golf betting. For example, if the fairway is wide and long, it will suit golfers who can drive the ball 300+ yards (think Dustin Johnson!). 

Think Outside the Box!

One recommendation to help narrow the field and increase our chances of winning, is to look outside the conventional betting markets. Golf sportsbooks offer a wide variety these days, and there is one particular market of interest – top American / European golfer. Following your research, if you really like the chances of Rickie Fowler compared to everyone else competing but are unsure because Justin Rose has won 3 of the last 5 competitions, then look at placing a bet on Rickie Fowler to be the number 1 overall American. Golf sportsbooks also offer markets on players from other countries too – Spain, South Africa, China, etc.  

Next Steps in Golf Betting Online

Once you have conducted your research into the different markets and players competing at this weekend’s competition, it is now time to place your bet/s at the sportsbook you have chosen.

When beginning your journey into betting on golf online, make sure you practice betting on a number of different markets with low wagers until you figure out which is best for you and your research.