Golf Betting Guide
Betting on golf can make the tournaments and match ups even more exciting all year long. On a given week,nearly any golfer playing has a decent chance to win, but golf betting goes far beyond picking the tournament winner. Learn how you can tee up for golf betting, from bet types like nationality props to common betting mistakes, so you can successfully bet on golf with different online sportsbooks.
GOLF BETTING TYPES
Tournament Winner
In golf, betting on the tournament line is simply betting on who will win the tournament. Unlike team sports, you must pick the winner from over a hundred players as most golf tournaments are every man or woman for themselves. The reward for correctly picking the winner are typically high.
Matchup Winner
For player vs. player matchups (or groupings), you can place a bet on who will win. For example, if the moneyline has Tiger Woods at +160 and Phil Mickelson at -120, Mickelson is the favored player and you would need to bet $120 to win $100. If you place a $100 bet on Tiger Woods and he pulls off a win, you would win $160.
Round Leaders
In addition to the tournament winner, you can also bet on who will be the leader at the end of a round. For example, you can bet on Justin Thomas to win round one of the Masters. Odds for other rounds will often be available after the day of play is over. Betting on a round leader is often unpredictable, but if you know a player always does well in the first round of a tournament, it could be a good bet.
Golfer Nationality
A nationality bet is a bet that a player from a specific country or region will win, or that a certain player will be the top player from a country or region. For example, you could bet on Jason Day being the top Australian player in the Masters. If he beats all other Australian players, you would win the bet.
Parlays
A parlay bet is placing a bet on multiple outcomes to occur and requires all outcomes to be selected correctly to win. For example, if you parlay $100 on Tiger Woods beating Phil Mickleson and Brooks Koepka beating Justin Thomas in the US Open, you’ll need both to be true to win the parlay bet. Given that you need to be correct on each outcome in the entire bet, parlays are a riskier golf betting type, but offer greater rewards.
Futures
Think the US is going to reclaim the Ryder Cup in 2020? You can place a futures bet on it! If the odds are +200 right now and you bet $100, the US team nabbing the Ryder Cup would win you $200. Futures are offered well in advance of any event.
Prop Bets
Prop bets are additional bets that can be related to specific outcomes in a tournament (tournament props) or player performance (player props). Will Dustin Johnson have the best score in round 2 of the US Open? You can bet on that. Will the Masters be won by a margin of just 3 strokes? You can put money on that as well. Widely considered to be fun bets, prop bets are typically available for just about anything related to the game.
Live/In-Game Betting
The ability to bet on a tournament as it is happening. The odds are dynamic and will update over the course of the tournament, based on the real action taking place. After the fifth hole, Tiger is looking good and in the lead. Put your money on him to win the tournament and reap the rewards.
GOLF BETTING MISTAKES
Only Betting on Favorites
Betting on Tiger used to be a sure thing. Now, most tournaments are wide open and upsets are common. Research the players and their past performance before placing a bet. Favorites can change quickly week to week. Find up-and-coming players who have a good chance to win, but aren’t widely known yet.
Ignoring the Course
The course plays a central role in determining who will do well and who will struggle. Match a player’s strengths with the course and you’ll have a much better chance of winning a bet. Is it a wide-open course with long drives? Pick a player who can get it to the green. Difficult greens? Choose a player who excels at putting.
Mismanaging your Bankroll
Before placing your first bet, set aside a sum of money to be used as your bankroll. The fastest way to losing that bankroll is mismanaging it. Don’t chase losses (bet more than you normally would) to make up for one loss. Don’t get greedy if you go on a winning streak.
Choosing the Wrong Sportsbook
Winning is all about getting paid and choosing to bet with an unreliable sportsbook could make that difficult. Make sure you choose a reputable sportsbook with a safe and secure betting platform.