How to bet on Golf

In terms of being a betting sport, golf has a lot in its favour. With year round tournaments pretty much every week, multiple betting markets to choose from and the chance to back huge priced winners, it is easy to see why so many people enjoy a bet on the golf. If you are new to the sport and looking to get into betting on it, then here are a few things to look out for that will get you started in the golf betting world.

The Tournaments

Unlike many other sports out there, golf doesn’t really have an off-season, so you will find betting opportunities on pretty much every week of the year. Unless we are looking at a special tournament, or a weather delay you will find that golf tournaments all take place on the same days, which are Thursday through until Sunday. This means that you never really need to check up on the fixtures, without looking you will know that next Thursday a golf tournament will be starting that you can bet on.

If you are looking for a sport that offers you the chance to bet on a regular basis and one that will be fixed on certain days so you know when to place your bets and when to watch, golf is the sport for you.

Outright Betting Markets

This is the easiest way to get into the sport, and also the one where you could land the biggest profit as there are some huge prices on offer for outsiders. This betting market is where you simply choose who will win. You can either back win only, which means your player has to win the tournament or bet each way, which usually covers the first five places but with betting offers from bookmakers you can usually get a better deal than that if you shop around.

With so many players taking part, and a few mistakes over the course of four days being the difference between winning and losing, golf is perfect for each way betting. There are many players out there with big odds attached to them and if a tournament is wide open you will see the favourite at double figure odds, which you can bet each way and receive a profit if they finish in the placings.

If you are looking for an easy way in, and an interest across the whole four days then betting on an outright winner is certainly the best place for newcomers to start.

Alternative Golf Betting Markets

Being quite a complex and big sport, if you want to dive a little deeper then you will find a whole range of alternative golf betting markets to explore as you become accustomed to betting on the sport.

Perhaps the second most popular way to bet is to bet on the two or three balls that take place. These are individual games between the groups of players that are playing together. In most tournaments they go out in groups of three on Thursday and Friday, before pairing up over the weekend when the field is narrowed down. When betting here it doesn’t matter what the overall score is for each player, all you are betting on is who will score the best out of that group of players on that particular day. This is really popular with those who want to have an interest each day, and many people who bet on golf will specifically place accumulators on the two/three ball markets instead of targeting the outright markets so they can have a new bet every day.

If you are looking to bet on an outright winner but you want to narrow the field down then golf betting allows you to do this. Here, instead of betting on which player will come out on top from everyone, you can narrow the players down to continents where they are from. For example, you can back a player to be the top American player, the top European, top Asian or top UK & Ireland. These are all outright markets that work in exactly the same way as the main outright market, but the field is much smaller and manageable, which some newcomers may prefer.

On top of those look out for other markets such as who will be leading at the end of day one, which players will make or miss the cut, will a hole in one be scored and will a player finish in the top 10/20.

The Big Golf Events

Just like any other sport, the biggest events of the year will attract the most interest. For golf, this is the four majors which are the Masters, US Open, The Open Championship and the PGA Championship. The very best players will head to these events looking to win and will ensure their calendar is worked out around them so they are in peak fitness which results in some great golf being played.

As well as being a big focus for the players, punters also focus on these events and this is where you are likely to find the biggest and best betting offers. On events like these it is well worth shopping around to find things like money back offers, enhanced each way terms and much more. With these offers you are going to stand a better chance of winning, and there is no better place to win at than at a big event.

Every two years we see the Ryder Cup take place between Europe and the USA. This brings together the best players in the world in a completely different environment than what they are used to and that is team matchplay golf. Usual rules are out of the window here, players are playing in pairs and trying to win points for their team by beating their opponents. The Ryder Cup really is a magical event and if you have never watched one live then be sure to tune in next time it comes around.

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