Every Shot Counts when Betting on Golf

Strolling down the fairway following your favourite player or sitting by the green hoping to see a long putt made. That’s the excitement of going to a golf tournament or you could just sit and enjoy watching at home. Watching golf can be thrilling but just imagine if you decided to have a bet on the latest tournament, your enjoyment of golf rises to another level.

Days of Entertainment

There’s a term in betting called ‘getting a run for your money.’ This means the selection that you have made puts in a good performance and either wins or comes close to winning. If you make a bet on a golf tournament and your selection is in contention to win the title, that’s good news. 

Major golf tournaments last four days so you’ll have all that time following a bet that might just get you a win. That’s far better than betting on an athlete who finishes down the field in a 100m race.

Betting on golf is such an entertaining experience because of the nature of the game. Anyone who has played the game of golf knows just how every single shot played is vitally important. 

Just imagine if your selection is in the lead or just a shot or two away. Your heart will be in your mouth when they make their tee shot, hoping the ball doesn’t end up in the rough. Will that approach find a bunker or finish just feet from the hole? Is that birdie or eagle attempt going to be successful? You’ll love betting on golf because anything can happen at anytime.

Top Tournaments 

There are plenty of golf tournaments that you can place bets on with events being held almost every week, somewhere around the world. The main focus is on the four Majors – The Masters, US Open, British Open and US PGA. Those four tournaments are held each year between mid-April and the end of July.

They are the ones that bookmakers will offer the most odds on. The four Majors see the very best players in the world taking part with massive media attention. For the rest of the year, you can bet on events on the US, European and Asian tours. 

Every other year, there’s the Ryder Cup that is a match between the USA and Europe. The female equivalent is the Solheim Cup and again, there are plenty of odds and media interest focussed on these popular tournaments.

Bets Galore Available

When it comes to betting on golf, it’s not just about deciding who is going to win the tournament. There are markets galore available at bookmaker sites and most don’t require you to correctly name the tournament victor.

Only in golf can you place a bet on whether there will be a hole in one scored during a tournament. You can even bet on if one won’t be made and this is a great wager to make. It’s back to that ‘run for your money’ term. It could go up to the final par three on the fourth day before you know whether your bet is successful.

Exciting In-Play Betting

The vast majority of tournaments you can place bets on are singles events. Top players such as Brooks Koepka, Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson and Tiger Woods battling it out to get the lowest score, but in-play betting has produced big changes.

You can place a bet on what score a golfer will get on the next hole. It’s possible to place bets on the groups of players that play together too, turning a singles tournament into a match. With the in-play aspect of betting on golf, the odds will be changing all the time.

Other bets include naming the nationality of the winner of who will be the top European or American finisher. These bets are very common when the Majors are held. You can bet on who will score the lowest score each day, turning a four-day tournament into four tournaments. Some players are renowned for making good starts but then fading in the final rounds, so this kind of bet can be good for backing that type of player.

Excellent Odds Available

There are a lot of players taking part in the majority of golf tournaments. It’s rare that there is an overwhelming favourite apart from in team competitions such as the Ryder Cup. This means there are some great odds available, even for the favourites and that’s not common in other sports. In this situation, placing an each way bet is a great idea. This means that rather than the player having to win the tournament, they can be placed, and you will receive a return on your stake.

Often, it’s 7.0 the field and good players can be available at odds such as 26.0. Betting each way will often see a profit made even if your selection only comes third or fourth. For the top tournaments, bookmakers will offer more places for a return on your money as they bid to get as much custom as possible. A sixth-place finish might even see you get a return on your stake.

• Demystifying Bookmaker Odds

Check the Form

When you are looking to decide which player to back, there are several factors that must be considered. Just as with many sports, look through the form guide to see which players are in form and how their world ranking is progressing. 

Also, see which players do best on certain courses, for example Tiger Woods at Augusta. Some courses may suit those players with long drives. At the British Open, backing a player who does well on links courses (ones that are close to the sea) and excels in windy or wet conditions.

The Hazards are There

Golf isn’t an easy sport to place bets on because just one or two bad holes can cost a player dearly. Imagine if you’d placed a bet on Jean van de Velde in the 1999 British Open. He was three shots clear going into the final hole. Then he ended up in a bunker and water and lost the tournament. That’s the thrilling but often frustrating side of golf but it’s a great sport to place bets on.