How to successfully bet on Golf.
Are you new to betting on Golf? Look no further, here is the Beginner’s Guide to Betting on Golf (UPDATED 2020):
Betting on Golf Overview
In a sport in which we see a weekly tournament with (usually) over a hundred individuals striving for the same goal, you would think it is impossible to predict. I am here to tell you that….this is true. However, with so many different players, so many different locations and a wide array of skill sets, one could argue there is plenty of value to be had in betting on golf. Today’s goal is to introduce you to the world of golf betting and the typical wagers that can be done week in and week out.
Betting on PGA Tour Tournaments
Before we dive into what type of wagers you can do on a weekly basis, let’s take a look at what the board will typically look like before the tournament starts.
This photo represented the odds as of March 2nd, 2020 of who will win the 2020 Masters. Some things have changed due to the postponement of the tournament. From a betting perspective this is how you should interpret this photo. Rory McIlroy is the odds on favorite at +650 or otherwise known as 6.5 to 1 to win the golf tournament. So let’s say you were to wager $10 on Rory to win the Masters this year at the odds +650, you would net $65 profit.
The odds on favorite is usually in the range of +650 to +1200 depending on the players playing in the tournament that week. What makes golf enticing is the longshots in the same tournaments. Yes, 99.9% of the time they will not win but take a look at the screenshot below for the longshots at the 2020 Masters.
Most typical wager styles for betting on Golf Events
Let’s go through the 4 most typical styles of wagers you can do for any golf tournament:
1. Outrights / Winners
It reads as it appears. You are wagering your hard earned money on one golfer to win the tournament. The screenshots above were just some examples of the returns you are able to get when betting outrights.
Little money is needed to realize a huge profit especially, if you are betting longshots. Huge rewards means huge risks and that is exactly what an outright is. Think about it for a second, you are betting on ONE guy to beat over 100 guys….not exactly easy but undoubtedly the most fun.
2. Top 5, Top 10, Top 20 (Place Bets)
This is a type of wager which offers less payout but more likelihood. The golfer you select just has to place in the top 5 of a tournament (or top 10 or top 20) in order for you to win your bet.
Whatever your golfer’s outrights are just divide them by the place in which they have to finish in. For example, if your golfer is +1000 or 10 to 1 to win the golf tournament, if you divide it by 5 you will have his odds for top 5 (+200), divide it by 10 you will have his odds for top 10 (+100), etc.
Top 20 most of the time is also divided by 20 but more consistent players have higher top 20 chances. This is because it is relative to their win probability. For the most part, just divide your desired golfer’s outright chances by 20 to get an idea of their odds to finish within the top 20 of a golf tournament.
3. Head-to-Head / Matchup Betting
You also have the opportunity to bet on one golfer to beat/place ahead of another golfer. Typically, these will be golfers that have the same or close to outright odds. The betting odds will usually range from +110 to -130 but predominantly are -110 for both sides.
Depending on how familiar you are with the golfers’ recent play, these are often exploitable. There will often be two golfers priced at the same odds but one golfer is coming in hot while the other is ice cold. These are low risk-low reward bets that can go a long way with a little extra research.
4. Specials / Props Betting
Lastly, these specials and props will vary from week to week depending on the tournament. With the wide diversity in golf, the sportsbooks offer a variety of ‘top player’ from a specific region type bet. For example, top Canadian, top Australian, top American, and top Asian. If you like a golfer from a specific area and there is little competition from that player’s country/region, that could be the wager for you.
Another example we see weekly is something called a six-shooter, where you can bet on one golfer to beat 5 others in a specified group chosen by the sportsbook. Your player that you select doesn’t have to do well, he just has to beat the other 5 players in his group.
We will be continuing to build your knowledge on the wonderful world of golf and its betting ways. As mentioned, it’s nearly impossible to pick a winner but this golf betting guide is hoping to make the impossible…Possible!
Learn what Sportsbook is best for you.