Golf Betting

As with all other sports that can be gambled on in the UK, you have the choice of having your odds displayed in either a decimal or a fraction format when you are placing bets on golf.

Traditional bookies will usually show their odds in fraction form, while exchange betting sites will instead offer them in decimal format, but you can usually change between the two in the settings of your account, whichever is your personal preference.

For those who are brand new to gambling and need a quick explanation of how odds work with bookmakers, let’s use the example of picking out a golfer to win a tournament at a price of 10/1.

This means that for every £1 you decide to put on the individual, you would win £10 back if he lifted the trophy at the end of the day’s play on Sunday.

The number on the left represents your stake and the right number is the winnings, so it’s always easy to work out the potential profit in placing bets on golf. It is completely up to you whether you choose to have prices displayed in decimal or fraction format and it will not affect how much you can win on golf betting.

Many people who like to place bets on golf will also use the each-way option, as picking out the winner of a tournament can be extremely challenging. Each-way bets include one bet to win, and one bet to finish in the place positions.

How many places get paid depends very much on the tournament, but a typical bookies might offer 1/4 of the odds for a finish in the top five of the rankings.

Using the same example of a golfer at odds at 10/1, a £1 each way bet would, therefore, result in winnings of £14.50, of which £12.50 is profit. £10 of the profit comes from the portion of the bet to win, with the remaining £2.50 made from the each-way part.

If you struggle to head around fractions, it may be a better idea to switch to decimal odds when placing bets on golf with betting websites.

Decimals are easy to understand as the number represents your winnings from a £1 stake – so a 10/1 golfer would be listed at a price of 11.0 in a decimal, as an example.

With most of the biggest golf tournaments in the world having dozens of entrants, it goes without saying that selecting the winner is going to be a challenge. But there are ways to make sure the amount in your betting site accounts is going up rather down and this is where we can help you out here at BettingTop10.

Research is always going to be beneficial when betting on any type of sport and golf is no different, so it is always worth taking a bit of time to carry out research before betting.

All golfers have their preferred courses and tournaments when they play better, so take time to learn about when individuals might be likely to thrive when studying golf betting odds.

Some top golfers will also play better than others in certain types of conditions. For example, if it is particularly cold or windy or if there is some rain in the air, with the bad weather making it harder to judge their shots.

The course is a big factor in which golfers are going to score well too, as some of them are deliberately designed to suit those who can hit long, powerful drives off the tee, while others will play more into the hands of those individuals who have a very strong short game.

British and Irish golfers tend to be more used to the conditions on a links course compared to their rivals from around the globe, so keep this in mind for tournaments on courses such as Royal Troon, St Anne’s, Carnoustie, Royal Birkdale, St Andrews, Muirfield and Tralee, for example.

While the range of bets available for golf is not quite as varied as it is for other sports, there is still plenty to get your teeth into whichever online bookmakers you decide to open an account with.

Outright markets are the most obvious place to start with golf bets and these are simple enough to understand as you are simply trying to name the winner of a particular golf tournament. You can also bet on an individual finishing in the top five, the top 10, or leading the event at the end of the first round.

Match bets are where it can get a bit more interesting. For most golf events, players will take to the course in twos or threes and you can bet on which of the group will post the lowest score.

Special golf bets are also on offer with the best betting sites, especially for a major international golf tournament such as the Ryder Cup, which is one of the top events on the sporting calendar.

You can often place bets on the winning score for a tournament or even the nationality of the player lifting the trophy at the end of the competition, while once the event is under way you can also take advantage of live golf betting.

Although there are golf competitions taking place somewhere on the planet almost every week of the year, the four biggest tournaments – commonly known as the Major Championships – get most of the sport’s attention.

The first one of the year is arguably the most famous of the lot, with Augusta National in the United States hosting the Masters. The popularity of Masters golf betting is absolutely massive.

Taking place every year on the weekend ending on the second Sunday in April, the winner of the Masters receives the green jacket, as well as the trophy and a massive cheque. Next up is June’s US Open, which is played at various locations in the United States, followed by the Open Championship, which tours one of a list of 10 links courses around the UK.

The last of the four majors of the year is the PGA Championship, which is in August and also is held at a different course every year, in order to continue setting a new challenge to the golfers.

In addition to the majors and the many lower-level competitions taking place throughout the year, the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup team competitions take place every two years and these are prime opportunities for making money with the latest golf betting.

The Ryder Cup is particularly exciting, with a team made up of US golfers taking on the whole of Europe, and this is a great way to see how all the different players compare in the heat of battle. Most tournaments use stroke play to decide the winner, but team events are in match play format.

There is no safe way to guarantee winning money with a golf betting system, but the same is true for all other sports and that does not mean a strategy cannot or will not be profitable in the long run.

Golf can be a hugely unpredictable sport so it is as important than ever to ensure you never bet more than you can afford to lose, while you should always be looking for the best value bets too. Free golf betting tips can help to provide some good advice too.

An odds comparison is the most obvious place to start here, with the prices on offer with the bookies often varying by a surprising amount, so this can make a big difference to your profits.

With so many different golf events taking place throughout the year it is tough to be an expert in all of them, so it is often better to concentrate your research on a few selected tournaments.

Loads of statistics are available on golfers, with driving accuracy, putting average and greens in regulation three of the most important to be keeping an eye on when making your selections. Analysing the previous results of a tournament in terms of stats can help you to predict a winner.

Golf is one of the best sports to bet on in-play, with lots of opportunities to win more money once the event is live and under way, so all golf tipsters should remember your chances for profit do not end with the first tee shot.

You should now have a decent grounding in what it takes to be a winner in golf gambling. Here at BettingTop10, we wish you the best of luck – and thanks for reading our guide.