When it comes to sports betting, placing wagers on sports like football, basketball, hockey and baseball are pretty standard, so if you know how to bet on one of them, you won’t have any problems with betting on the others. Golf, on the other hand, is a totally different thing. There are plenty of ways of golf betting, and learning the right strategies can make a big difference. Our tips for golf betting guide explains how experienced bettors analyze tournaments and players before placing wagers.
What are the Ways of Golf Betting?
Considered the easiest way to bet on golf, as the name suggests, all you have to do is select the player you think will win the tournament.
Players participating in a certain tournament are given odds to win.
These odds are based on how the golfers are performing at the moment, and how they have performed at the tournament in previous years.
Unlike other sports where there is always a clear favorite, golf is more unpredictable, so you are more likely to make more money if you select the winner of the tournament.
Type of Odds you get with golf tournaments
- Scottie Scheffler +370
- Rory McIlroy +790
- Bryson DeChambeau +930
- Jon Rahm +1250
Despite the fact that Mickelson is the favorite, if you place a $100 bet on him to win, and he does, you will win $250. Woods has the worst odds of them all, so if you place a $100 bet on him to win, you are looking at a $600 payout.
2/3 Ball Betting
This offers you a better chance to win some money than picking the outright winner. When it comes to golf tournaments, players are paired in groups of twos and threes, so when you place a two and three ball bet, you have to pick a player to finish with the lowest score in their group. If you want a deeper explanation of these betting markets, see our guide on golfer group matchup and future wagering.
If your player has the lowest score at the end of the round, you win the bet. If two players tie, sportsbooks may apply what is known as a dead heat rule, which splits payouts between tied selections.
In some cases, some sportsbooks require that the players play at least three holes for the bet to stand. This type of bet is very popular with sports bettors that are trying to minimize their risks.
Top Three Finish
This is a better alternative to picking the outright winner because the player you select only has to finish in the top three in order for you to win the bet. This increases your chances of winning.
Typically, the odds on these bets are lower than picking a winner, so your payout won’t be as much as if you had picked a player to win the tournament outright.
Parlays
If you have bet on other sports before, you should know what a parlay bet is, but if you haven’t, it’s simply when you combine multiple wagers in order to get a bigger payout, but all wagers must win in order to get paid.
It is the same concept in golf betting, you can put together multiple wagers, like the outright winner, pick a player to finish in the top three, or any of the multiple prop bets that are available during the tournament.
The more wagers you have in your parlay, the bigger your potential payout, but as previously mentioned, all wagers must win in order to win the parlay.
Future Bets
This is when you place bets on the future outcome in golf, the bet could be on which player will win a tournament like the Masters, it could be which player will win the PGA Tour Player of the Year award, or who will finish on top of the money list for the season.
Since these events are in the future, and are hard to pick, the odds are higher, which means that the payouts are also bigger.
Proposition Bets
Proposition bets don’t really fall into any category, but they are available in all sports.
They aren’t as popular in golf, but are still an alternative to betting on the sport. With prop bets, you can bet on whether a player will have a hole in one or break a record during a tournament.
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About the Author
Henry Watkins
Henry Watkins is a Sports Writer at MyBookie. Originally from Scotland and currently residing in Metro Atlanta with his wife Penny, Henry covers a range of topics, including competitive and professional sports as well as sports business. In addition to his sports writing, he is also an author of horror fiction, with works such as Karaoke Night, Crueller, and Off The Grid.
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