As the golf betting industry continues to grow, so does the number of bets you can place. Bookmakers will likely vary depending on their coverage, but for the most part, the bets that we have listed below will be available on the majority of major betting sites.
One thing that you do need to bear in mind is that the rules for each bet might vary slightly depending on where you bet. Within our rules article we highlight most of the important ones, so be sure to check these out after this one, as they tie in nicely.
Whilst markets such as the outright winner will always be the most tempting given the odds, massive value can be found in some of the smaller markets, especially those that limit the number of people within the bet, such as Top Irish Golfer or Top English Golfer.
To Win Outright
The most popular bet for golf is that of the outright winner of a tournament. This is where you are going to see the majority of action within a bookmaker and also likely where you are going to see the largest payouts.
The market will essentially allow you to pick a player that will win that tournament outright. This will include via the method of a playoff, should it come down to that.
This market is popular given that the odds on offer for a potential winner could be huge. It’s not uncommon to see golfers at prices of 50/1 and upward win, creating huge paydays. Even the favourites for tournaments are never usually less than 8/1 in price, giving you some perspective on what can be taken. It’s probably the most rewarding sport in terms of odds that you can bet on within the sports betting industry.
Match Betting
Often bookmakers will offer up match betting markets, where instead of picking the winner of an event, you pick the winner of a match up between two players. Now, the players don’t have to be playing together in the literal sense, what happens is that they take the best score over the course of the tournament and then the winner is the player with the lowest score.
This market can be broken up into several variations, which can include 18 hole, 36 holes, 54 hole and 72 hole match betting. What’s great about this market is that the bookmaker often allows you to contact them to get a price on your chosen match up, which is pretty rare for online betting. It’s also worth noting that you can back the draw for this bet, which means both players will finish on exactly the same score after the allotted time. These bets often pay out at sizeable odds of 15/1+
Country Specific Bets
A popular bet is betting on a group of players all from the same country. It works in the same ways that match betting does – except the group of players is often larger than simply head to heads.
For example, if you were to be betting on the Top Irish Golfer for the Masters it may include Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry and Graeme McDowell. You then need to choose who you think will have the best score over the allotted time frame. Just like match betting, the time frame can range between 18, 36, 54 and 72 holes, respectively.
Top 5/10/20 Finish
This market will allow you to pick one player that finishes within a certain number of positions within your chosen bet. For this bet to come in, it doesn’t matter if they win the tournament or finish just inside where you need them to, the payouts will be exactly the same.
Six Shooter
The six-shooter bet is another that is really growing in popularity of late. This market works by the bookmaker selecting 6 golfers from the field and then competing them against each other. You will need to choose one of the golfers from the six on offer and they must win that group for your bet to be successful.
The result of the tournament for these bets is irrelevant and essentially they are playing in their own virtual competition between themselves. In the event that two or more players tie on the same score then dead heat rules will apply. To learn more about dead heat rules then simply jump across to the Golf Betting Rules article to find out more.
Hole in One
For each tournament, you will be able to bet on if you think there will be a hole in one or not. It’s a simple and straightforward bet where you will be able to select the whole field to score a hole in one at any time or, alternatively, for one not to be scored. As the game has progressed over the last decade or so, more and more events are seeing an ‘Ace’ which makes this market that little bit more popular.
Place Bets
The place bet will allow you to bet on a golfer to finish within a certain number of places for that week. Usually, you will find that most bookmakers will include up to 5 places and to win the player must finish tied for 5th or better. Some bookies do apply dead heat rules to players in tied 5th, whilst others just pay out straight bets for these finishes, so make sure you check the terms before placing your bet.
Three Chances to Win
A fairly new betting market to golf is that of the Three Chances to Win market. For this bet, the bookmaker will include three players within one group and, if any of them win, then your bet will win. The groups will vary between different players and abilities, which is reflected in the price. But, these are a great way to hedge your bets with some of the top players in the world.
For example, the upcoming PGA Tour event has a market running on this that includes Jordan Spieth, Dustin Johnson and Hideki Matsuyama, three of the most informed golfers in the world at the time of writing. At odds of 3/1 for any of these players to win the event is a great price and covers you for a wide range of eventualities.