Golf Betting Strategy

The game of golf is one that can either be a pleasure to play or a frustrating mess depending on the individual doing the swinging. Golf betting is quite the same in that people either know what they’re doing and make money or have no clue what they’re doing and subsequently take huge losses with their wagers. But being good at golf betting is not a natural born trait and can be learned by those who aren’t sure of what they’re doing. The best place to begin is with a discussion of the bets.

If you’re used to betting on games like football and basketball then you’ll be quite surprised at the number of wagers that golf typically offers: two. The wager of the two that is most common is the “win bet” which sees people putting money on the person who is most likely to win a tournament. You’ve only got a limited number of players to pick from, however, and this list usually amounts to 30 or 40 names. Along with the names you can bet on, there is also a “field” option which just means that you’re betting on someone whose name is not listed to win the tourney. Here’s an illustration of this bet:

 

Tiger Woods 2 - 1

(a $10 bet on Tiger will make you a $20 profit)

 

The match-up wager is the other type of golf bet and this will feature two players going head-to-head against each other. Rather than using odds, the match-up bet utilizes the money line and the person with the lowest score will win the wager for whoever put money on them. Here is a look at a match-up bet:

 

Tiger Woods -115

Vijay Singh +150

(a $115 bet on Woods wins you $100 while a $100 wager on Singh nets you a $150 profit)

 

The remaining wagers that are offered in golf aren’t quite as popular as the previously mentioned match-up or win bets but they do get some action. They’re most often referred to as prop bets and a good example of one of these involves picking the place in which a certain golfer will finish in a tournament. If you put your money on Padraig Harrington to finish anywhere from 5^th to 10^th and he does so, then you win your bet.

Just like any other sport, golf betting involves a fair amount of strategy. And one of the first things that you should know about strategy for golf wagering is that it’s not a good idea to place win bets on the best golfer. The reason for this little piece of advice is that bookmakers often place odds of 2 -1 on the top golfer coming into a tournament. And while that particular golfer may in fact be the best player in the tourney, it’s still very difficult to defeat a field of over 100 professional golfers. Even if the top golfer does win as expected, the payout isn’t normally worth the risk of making this bet. 

 

Another thing to be aware of with win bets is that you can get a lot more value out of your wager with those who are found in the middle of the odds sheets. As mentioned before, it’s not a great idea to bet on heavy favorites but it is also good to avoid betting on long shots with big names since they have virtually no chance at winning. That being said, you can oftentimes find players capable of winning a tournament that hold odds of 15 - 1 or greater. Try to look for people in this list who have been playing increasingly well and may be on the verge of achieving a big victory.

 

Besides looking for people who are about to make a big breakthrough, you’ll also want to factor in the courses and who plays well on certain ones. There are quite a few professionals golfers who’ve been nothing but average throughout their entire careers yet elevate their game at certain venues. Quite a few of these types of players have even won multiple victories on a certain course despite never winning anywhere else! Check out the history of some players and look to place win bets on them when they are at their favorite course.