Golf Betting - Introduction

If you’re interested in trying your arm at golf betting to try and win some cash - but are cautious about how it works - you’ll be surprised to find that actually it’s quite straightforward. Assuming you already understand a little about betting principles in general and have had some exposure to sportsbetting in general, then taking a step to focusing on betting on golf events is easy.

The great thing about betting on golf, as with all sports, is that it adds to the enjoyment and fun of watching a tournament on TV, plus you get a chance for a wager to run over the course of a tournament too. With plenty of information about players and their course preferences plus generous options for placing different types of bets available through various websites and publications, golf betting can be a lucrative way of enjoying some winning bets.

On this page we'll explore a number of different aspects of golf betting that should put you in the best possible position to make some informed winning bets that have been cleverly placed to maximise long term profit.

What Types Of Bet Can You Place On Golf Events?

First off, betting online in golf events isn't the only way to enjoy bets. Actually playing in matches where a little money is at stake on the outcome can be lots of fun too. Remember the James Bond where 007 plays the villain and stands over the ball so he can't find it? If you are a regular golf player and fancy spicing up the rounds with your opponents, this article on golf betting explains the different types of bets you could think about.

But here we really want to focus on how best to bet on golf online, and there are a number of different options for placing a bet on any golf event. If you shop around the various sportsbooks offering wagers on golf in their portfolios you'll find a great choice of odds on offer and types of bet.

Choosing one or more players for a straight win or a place is the most straightforward of them. You just choose your player or players and make your bet before the event starts. Betting on golf tournaments is popular, although difficult to find the winner at the start of any tournament with dozens of players to choose from. At least this makes for some potential high odds selections, and experienced golf fans can use their knowledge here to eliminate out of form players and highlight those that might be suited by the course and conditions.

Just as straightforward are match bets, where in any particular round there are ways of betting on the outcome of a match. Examples of this could include betting player A to beat Player B, or betting that player A will finish the event in a higher position than player B. Again, knowledge of player form and their preferred playing conditions can lead to some great value bets.

Aside from these there are a whole range of other options which you can find out more about on betting exchange type websites such as Betfair, or fixed odds sites such as Bet365.

How & Where To Place A Bet On Golf

Looking at where to place golf bets is easy. Just as with any form of sportsbetting there are dozens of popular, long running, and trusted operators. I'll recommend you take a look at either Bet365 for fixed odds betting, or Betfair for exchange bets where you can often get greater odds, especially on any long odds fancies.

On the betting exchanges it's fairly straightforward and you're either backing someone to win or laying them to lose at a specified odds value, either as overall event/tournament winners or losers or in individual head to head rounds or matches.

One of the great benefits to betting exchanges is that you can back a player at the start of an event at a high price, and as he gets through rounds (assuming he does) you have the chance to offset your bet by laying him at lower odds to lose. It's called greening out and is a way of guaranteeing a profitable bet win or lose. If you have strong golfing knowledge this might be the way for you to take advantage and make some nice winning bets.

Fixed odds are even easier, with players listed at the standard ranges of odds you'll see in most sporting events. They'll either be expressed as fractions or as decimals. Means the same thing and as long as you have very basic maths understanding then it's very easy to follow.

Occasionally you might come across American odds in individual matches where each player gets listed with a positive or negative number. These show how much you're going to need to be betting in order to win $100.

Choosing events to place a bet on is easy too. Clearly the major tournament events get the most interest, with considerable sums of money wagered overall. Of course, competition in these is higher making it more difficult to name a winner.

Some of the major golfing events you want to be watching out for include:

• The Masters
• The US Open
• The PGA Championship
• The British Open
• The European Tour
• The Ryder Cup

Golf fans will know of dozens more, and quite often betting on lesser known events in any type of sport can lead to lucrative opportunities.

Tips On Picking Winning Golf Bets

Picking a winner in any form of sportsbetting is difficult. There is just so much information available, and any bets struck are going to be subject to things you don't know. Those could be the state of health of your chosen player in the run up to a tournament, or a change in form of an opponent due to unknown changes in training, for example. This concept is one of the key elements to understand in any form of betting. There is no such thing as a dead cert!

In golf, finding a winner is equally as difficult as in any other sport. There are risks over which you have no control, including such things as the potential of injuries or players going on tilt through poor shots. With tournaments stretching out over a number of days there is strong potential for one or more of these occurring, making it difficult to forecast top three finishes let alone getting the winners. The plus side is that deep knowledge of player form can get you some great opportunities too.

Those great opportunities may well present themselves in match bets, so these are definitely worth keeping an eye on.

Never forget though that bookies have strong information sources and don't often get it wildly wrong. If your fancy in a match bet is trading significantly higher than the odds you expected you have two ways of looking at it - either the odds compilers know something, or you know something they don't. The trick is in finding the bets where the odds are higher than they should be, perhaps you've spotted a sequence or pattern in the way a player has played in the past. Perhaps he has those ideal conditions this time around. Those are the times when it may be worth a maximum bet.

The bottom line is that picking winning bets on golf is down to a handful of requirements:

• A very strong knowledge of events and players
• The different types of bets and where to get the best odds
• Up to date information - plenty of sources to get this either online or in written publications
• A fair amount of luck

More Info & Valuable Resources

Independent golf website GolfBettingSystem.co.uk is a site dedicated to providing a wide ranging selection of news and views on golf tournaments and events. I'm not too keen on the number of adverts plastered all over the home page, but if you can look past that thre is a lot of valuable info.

The sportsbook site BetUS.com carries a valuable guide to different types of golf betting, carefully explaining the different terms you might come up against.

Golfpicks.net is a similar site offering tips and picks for PGA tournaments. You'll get a pop up windown giving you the chance to sign up for a free golf betting newsletter.

And finally, if you haven't heard of TheSportsGeek.com it's well worth taking a look. Run by a clearly clued up bunch of sportsbetting enthusiasts, their golf betting section shouldn't be missed if you want extra useful info.

Summary

As with any type of sportsbetting, knowledge and a little bit of luck are key to making a profit over time. If you do believe that placing a bet on golf events will make you some money, please remember the golden rules of betting to reduce the chances of getting caught out. Only bet with money you can afford to lose, and make sure you use all of the resources available to increase your winning chances.

For avid fans - especially those that enjoy watching televised events - betting on any sport can add an extra something to the viewing experience. Combining a bet with an event you are going to watch is a good way to approach golf betting for sure.