How We Rate & Review Golf Betting Sites
First things first, all the best sports betting sites should offer golf betting.
And whereas having a great golf product is no more than you’d expect at top golf betting sites, there are other general features to look out for.
- Licence: They should hold a respectable gambling licence like the UK or Malta one.
- Welcome offer: It’s normally a free bet(s), but whatever it is, it should be an incentive for you to choose that sportsbook over a competitor.
- Competitive odds: Especially when it comes to golf, but the odds need to be decent across the board on all sports.
- Ongoing bonuses: All betting sites worth their salt offer ongoing bonuses such as free bets, odds boosts, risk-free bets and deposit bonuses. The more, the better and the more generous, the better.
- Lots of golf markets: Not all betting on golf is done on the winner market so a good variety of golf markets is needed to satisfy all tastes.
- Efficient Customer Service: Sooner or later you’ll have an issue of sorts, so you’ll need a friendly, helpful and efficient Customer Service to help you out.
- Enough payment options: The more, the better. Withdrawals and deposits need to be quick with fees kept to the bare minimum.
Understanding Golf Betting
There are four main Tours to bet on: the PGA, DP and LIV tours for men and the USPGA for women. The four Majors discussed below are all part of those Tours but are separate events in their own right.
The vast majority of sports betting sites offer betting markets on all of them. Of the four Tours mentioned above, three of them always start on a Thursday and end on a Sunday, being played over four rounds. LIV is different, given it only has three rounds, and is played from Friday to Sunday.
The player with the lowest score at the end of the tournament wins. If two or more players are tied on the same score, they’ll contest a Playoff to find a winner.
When golf betting online, there are loads of markets to pick from, but the process of placing a bet is always the same:
- Read the AskGamblers sportsbook reviews and choose one or more sportsbooks.
- Open an account and make a deposit.
- Take advantage of the welcome offer.
- Navigate to the golf section of the sportsbook and then choose the tournament you want to bet on.
- Pick your selection and your stake. Process the bet.
Golf Betting Odds & Payouts
Most golf tournaments have at least 80 players in them, some more. Any popular online sportsbook for golf betting will give competitive odds for these players, perhaps even including the favourites.
Speaking of that, it’s rare for the favourites to be priced at less than 6/1. For example: Scottie Scheffler, the World Number 1 who between March and late April 2024 won four out of five tournaments he played in and came second in the other one, is always at least 5/1 to win.
At online golf betting sites, many players are around the 40/1 mark, with real outsiders at 150/1 or more. It’s not unusual for them to win.
But you don’t have to go for broke by always betting on the winner at big odds. Other markets offer plenty of other options at shorter odds to ensure smaller but more regular payouts.
Popular Golf Betting Markets
- Winner - Bet on the player who will win the tournament, the trophy and the biggest paycheque of all.
- Each-way betting - Half of your bet is on the player to win, the other half on them to place.
- Top 5/Top 10 - Whether your player wins or not, you just need them to finish Top 5 or Top 10.
- Two-balls/Three-balls - On Thursday and Friday golfers play in groups of three (three-balls) and on Saturday and Sunday in groups of two (two-balls). You’re betting on who will shoot the lowest (best) score in the group.
- Round Leader - Who will be on top of the leaderboard at the end of the round.
- Top English/USA/Scandinavia/USA - Which player will finish higher from the named Geographical country or continent.
- Hole in one - Whether someone shoots a hole-in-one during the tournament.
- To make the cut - Whether the chosen player make the cut.
Bonus Offers for Betting on Golf
Betting bonuses are available at golf betting sites just like they are on other sports.
- Free Bets - Free bets, whether as part of a welcome offer or awarded at a later date can usually be placed on golf markets, at the bookies’ expense.
- Odds Boosts - The Sportsbook will boost odds on a particular golfer or other outcome in order to attract more business.
- Extra places - Rather than paying out on a Top 6 finish, the betting site may instead make it Top 8 to give customers a greater chance, particularly ahead of the Majors.
Biggest Golf Tournaments to Bet On
These are the tournaments where the most money is wagered on them at the best betting sites for golf.
The Ryder Cup
Played every two years at alternating host venues between the USA and Europe, each team is made up of their 12 best players who compete across four-balls, foursomes and singles between Friday and Sunday with Ryder Cup betting on the Sunday singles particularly popular.
The Open Championship
Always played in England, Scotland or Northern Ireland, it’s the only Major not played on US soil and also the oldest, first contested in 1860. It’s always played on a links course, which means it’s located by the sea. British Open betting is one of the highlights of the sporting calendar for the UK punter.
US Open
Famous for being played on the toughest courses of the four Majors and always in the US, it’s a real test of skill, strategy and nerves where winning scores are generally the highest (worst) of the four Majors so bear that in mind with US Open golf betting.
PGA Championship
The flagship event of the USPGA Tour is played at a different venue every year in the US and is seen as generally the easiest to score on of the four Majors. It used to be held in August but is now contested in May. US players have a particularly good record in this one so remember that when considering PGA Championship betting.
The Masters
The only one of the four always played at the same course: Augusta National in Georgia, USA, a venue famous for its beautiful flora and fauna and lightning-fast putting greens.
Best Strategies for Betting on Golf
Back the clubhouse leader on tricky courses. The clubhouse leader is the player who has finished their fourth round and is on the lowest (best) score so far. Other players may still be playing but that banked score may be good enough as pressure takes its toll.
Back a hole-in-one on the right course. A hole-in-one may be the nirvana of playing golf, but some courses have one or more particularly accessible Par 3 holes, where hole-in-ones happen quite frequently with 80-odd players across four rounds. If history suggests there’s normally one per tournament, it may be a good bet.
Shop around for extra places. If Rory McIlroy was 20/1 to win and was each-way Top 6 places at Bookie A and B but also 20/1 Top 8 places at Bookie C, it could make all the difference if you backed him at C. If he finished 7th or 8th, it’s the difference between a losing bet and a winning one so it’s worth shopping around for those extra places.