As golf continues to grow around the world, its exposure has run synonymously with the increase in the number of bettors. With many online bookmakers working on a strictly supply and demand basis, they have opened up their markets to include a host of golf betting platforms to suit bettors of all kinds. This complete golf betting guide will give you all the information you need to become a successful golf bettor. See our homepage for a full list of some of the best sports betting bonuses.
Male professional golf runs primarily via two main tours in the PGA (Professional Golf Association) and the ET (European Tour). Whilst the PGA tour is run solely throughout the majority of the US states, the ET actually hosts events all around the world including Europe, Africa and Asia. Many players look to try and take part in a mix of the best events of each tour offering up the greatest opportunities of making the most money.
The ladies professional golf scene is overseen by that of the LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association). In recent years women’s golf has been thriving and is an ever increasingly popular betting platform. Competitions are thought to be a little more ‘open’ compared to that of the men’s game which is dominated by the world’s top players.
The highlight of the golfing season in terms of betting is without doubt the four majors that are held each year around the globe. The first major of the year comes in the form of the Masters held at Augusta. Next up is the US Open, before heading into the British Open and finishing with the USPGA.
The history and prestige that surrounds each major (and of course the multimillion dollar prize pool) draws in both players and crowds to each event. As a bettor you can be sure that the professional players, be it male or female, will be aiming to head into each event in peak condition. Due to the fact that they are all giving 110% it can make selecting winners a profitable venture, especially for those who have slightly longer odds. As an example, Darren Clarke recently lifted the 2011 British Open with some bookmakers offering odds of 250/1 before the event.
There are few sports where betting can be as wide open as golf. The field size alone makes it tough to pick winners. With our golf betting guide we will be looking to bring you some of the best markets to bet on along with essential strategies and tips to make your betting experience a profitable one.
Golf Betting Sites
These days most of the major online bookies offer a relatively comprehensive array of golf betting markets and formats. Leading the way in the UK and Europe are that of PaddyPower.com and Bet365.com.
These two golf bookmakers offer some of the most comprehensive markets we have come across, without losing value to the bettor. Another reason which sets these two bookmakers apart from their rivals is golf specific betting offers. A feature of both PaddyPower and Bet365 is that of offering the top 7 places in their each way market, something few bookmakers offer.
Whilst these two are our preferred options, we would still recommend searching for the best prices on the net before you come to place a wager on any market. There are rakes of comparison betting platforms that allow you to quickly view odds before making your selection. Be warned that these comparison odds sites do not always reflect any changes in the market, especially when it comes to live in-play betting.
Which markets to look out for?
One of the downsides of golf betting is the amount of markets that are available to bet on. If you compare a standard golfing competition to that of say a soccer game, the soccer match could have as many as ten times as many markets. However, this does not mean we can’t still find value in the markets, we just have to dig a little deeper.
With golf becoming such a competitive sport, the odds on players winning a competition may range from that of 15/1 for the favourite to 500/1 for a rank outsider. This makes the outright winner market a tough one to call. But we can use these longer odds to our advantage by exploiting that of betting exchanges.
If we place wagers on the outright betting market for a certain player to the win the competition, providing that player does well, we can look to lay the bet on the exchanges, locking a profit. With the range and length of odds being so vast in golf betting, even a small jump up the leader board can result in 10 or more points being knocked off the original price.
The beauty of this method is that after each round we can choose to re-asses and take a look at how players have been playing and how they lie in the tournament to make decisions for the day ahead. The outright winner market will likely fluctuate greatly and can prove to be extremely profitable even if your bet doesn’t go on to win the event.
We’ve spoken briefly in this article about some bookmakers offering the top 7 places paid for an each way bet in a golf tournament. Well, this is something we should try to take advantage of as often as possible. Again we’ve spoken about the length of golf odds making each way bets much, much more profitable.
Say for example we place a $10 wager on a 50/1 (to win odds) shot to be placed (i.e. finish in the top 7) and the bookmaker with whom we have placed the bet gives 1/4 odds for that market. This would mean that essentially our $10 would be invested at 1/4 of the 50/1 odds, equalling 12.5/1. A placed finish for this player would yield us $135 (inc. stake back).
Now a player at 50/1 may seem like a player who has little or no chance in the competition compared with most sports. Just looking at the most recent golf odds for the 2011 Bridgestone Invitational shows that a 50/1 bet is ranked 21st out of a field of over 75, so is well inside the top third of players in that field.
Golf betting tips and strategies
Betting on any sport can yield to be a very profitable or very expensive expedition. Let’s take a look at some strategies and tips that can assist you when it comes to betting on golf.
Have a passion for the game – No matter what sport you are betting on, it’s always better to have a passion or affiliation with that sport. If it’s something that you are interested then sometimes that can be half the battle. This is somewhat of a general sports betting tip, but we feel it’s relevant nonetheless.
Research, research, research – Again, somewhat general, but golf requires you to spend the time researching each competition and respected field on its own merit. For example, even though someone like Tiger Woods is playing in the field, it does not automatically yield that he will win the tournament. He may have a terrible record there, whereas a lesser known player who has had 5 top five finishes in the last 7 years will be a much better pick, even for the placed market.
Pick a stable –Many successful golf bettors have a stable of players of around half a dozen strong. It’s from these players that they mainly look to bet on for each competition. If you can get a diverse bunch then it’s likely that at some point there will be a course that suits one of your players. Another advantage is that you will get to know each player’s strengths and weaknesses inside out (or at least you should!). Obviously there will be exceptions to this tip for each competition, but the more you can understand about your players, the easier it will be to identify your profitable bets. In time, keep adding and taking away from your stable to get the perfect balance.
As you progress your golf betting portfolio, start to tick off YOUR strengths and weaknesses when it comes to betting. The easier you can identify where you make the most money, whether that be PGA tour, ET tour, WPGA or whatever, the easier it will be for future golf bets.
