The Ultimate Golf Betting Guide

Golf is one of the most popular sports worldwide, for playing, spectating and betting.

As one of the oldest sports in the world it has a rich history full of tradition and iconic tournaments. Its popularity means the sport attracts large television audiences, huge sponsorship deals and substantial prize money.

Tournaments take place all year round on a global scale and include both individual events and team events too. Many of them take place over several days, there is, therefore, a vast range of betting opportunities and varied betting markets too.

Before we take a closer look at golf betting markets, tournaments, and what you need to consider when golf betting, we’ll give a brief summary of golf rules and scoring.

Golf Rules

Golf is a club and ball sport played on a large grassed area called a golf course.

Every golf course is different, there's no standard size or layout, and this is deliberate to provide a series of varying challenges for players. However, professional events are usually played on an 18-hole golf course.

Each hole has a start point (teeing ground or the tee) and a finish point which is the cup hole and this sits on a short-grassed area known as the green or putting green.

In between the teeing ground and the hole is the ‘fairway’ which is a large stretch of grass that players aim to land their ball on while travelling to the hole. However, there is also hazardous terrain that the players have to navigate including sand bunkers, lakes, rocks, trees and long grass known as the ‘rough’.

The aim of the game is to get the ball from the tee-off area into the hole in as fewest strokes as possible. Every hole is played independently, but a full round of golf is all 18 holes, and so overall the aim is to make the smallest number of strokes over the full round.

Golf matches can be played with two, three or four players in opposition to each other or in teams depending on the event and the format and betting markets vary for each.

Golf Scoring

There are two different formats for golf scoring – stroke play and match play. Stroke play is the most common form of scoring in elite events.

Stroke play is basically how many strokes a player takes to get around a full 18-hole golf course and this is where par comes in.

‘Par’ is the expected amount of strokes that it takes to complete a golf hole or a golf course.

If a hole is expected to be completed in four strokes, then it is said to be a par 4. Likewise, less challenging holes will be a par 3 and more challenging holes will be par 5.

The par of a hole is determined by the length between the teeing ground and the hole, as well as things such as altitude, terrain and obstacles.

Golf scoring is completely centred around the par of a golf course. All players start on zero and they pick up and lose points based on whether they are playing on par, below par, or above par.

For example, if the first hole on a golf course is par 3 and a golfer completes the hole in three strokes, then their score will remain as zero. If the player completes it in two strokes, the score would be -1. If the player completed it in four strokes, then their score is +1.

A typical 18-hole golf course will have a total par around 72, although this can differ. This means that proficient golfers are expected to get around the full course in 72 strokes of the golf club.

If a golfer takes 75 strokes to get around the course, then their overall score will be +3 or three over par. If they complete it in 70 strokes, their final score will be -2 or two under par.

Golf scoring is one of the biggest golf betting markets you will find, so it’s vital that you understand the scoring system in order to make suitable bets.

In men's major championships the lowest recorded round of golf is 62 which has been achieved by a handful of players. In the first round of the 2024 PGA Championship, Xander Schauffele became the first golfer to record a round of 62 twice in a major championship.

Golf Scores

Golf has some unique terminology when it comes to particular scores and these feature heavily in betting markets. Here are some of the most common terms:

Par

A hole score equal to the par of the hole e.g. 3 strokes on a 3 par hole. This has no effect on the overall score.

Birdie

A hole score which is one under the par of a hole e.g. 2 strokes on a 3 par hole or 3 strokes on a four par hole. This will result in a -1 on the players score.

The term was apparently coined back in the 1890’s on a New Jersey golf course when a golfer accidentally hit a bird with one shot and completed the hole in one less stroke. His opponents said he’d scored ‘a bird’ and the term stuck.

The perfect round of golf is considered to be a 54 on a 72 par course, which would be a birdie on each hole but no player has ever recorded one in a pro tournament.

Eagle

A hole score which is two under the par of a hole e.g. 2 strokes on a 4 par hole or 3 strokes on a five par hole. This will result in a -2 on the players score. The term ‘Eagle’ is a continuation of the ‘birdie’ terminology but using a bigger bird for a better score.

Albatross

A hole score which is three under the par of a hole e.g. 2 strokes on a 5 par hole or a hole-in-one on a 4 par hole. This will result in a -3 on the players score. The Albatross obviously continues the bird theme in name, but it is also known as a double eagle in the US. This shot is extremely rare but does happen.

Condor

A hole score which is four under the par of a hole e.g. 1 stroke on a 5 par hole. This is the rarest shot in golf and can also be known as a double Albatross or triple eagle. It is so rare, that usually bookies won’t offer betting markets on it.

Bogey

A hole score which is one over the par of a hole e.g. 4 strokes on a 3 par hole or 5 strokes on a 4 par hole. This will result in a +1 on the players score.

The term came from a golf club in Great Yarmouth in England back in the 1890’s based on the phrase ‘the bogey man’. Instead of par, the golfers played against an imaginary player ‘Colonel Bogey’ who had a predetermined number of strokes on each hole. It then led to one over par being known as a ‘bogey’.

Double Bogey

A hole score which is two over the par of a hole e.g. 5 strokes on a 3 par hole or 6 strokes on a 4 par hole. This will result in a +2 on the players score.

Triple Bogey

A hole score which is three over the par of a hole e.g. 6 strokes on a 3 par hole or 7 strokes on a 4 par hole. This will result in a +3 on the players score. This would only usually occur if the golfer had hit particularly bad terrain and dropped shots trying to get out of the rough or sand bunker.

Hole in One

This is a popular betting market, despite it happening rarely. It refers to a player completing a hole in one single shot from the tee to the hole.

Sometimes called an ‘ace’, hole-in-ones usually happen on par 3 holes as most par 4 and par 5 holes are just too long. However, there are seven documented cases of hole-in-ones on 4 par holes in the professional game, so it is possible.

Match Play Golf Scoring

Although only used in a couple of tournaments, most prominently in the Ryder Cup, it is worth mentioning match play golf scoring as you will find betting markets on it.

Match play is a scoring system where a player, or team, earns a point for each hole in which they beat their opponents. If Team A scores par and Team B scores a birdie, then rather than the individual strokes being counted, the hole will go down as a 1-0 win for Team B.

The overall 18 hole golf course, therefore, turns into a Best of 18 format, with the first player or team to win 10 holes being the winner of that round. In big tournaments, there will be several rounds played in this format.

Golf Betting Markets

Golf is basically a series of tournaments that take place all year round, all over the world, organised by different golfing bodies.

Regardless of event, many of the betting markets are similar and we’ll take a look at some of the most common ones below.

Outright Winner

This is a bet placed on who you think the overall winner of a golf tournament will be. Outright winner betting markets are usually available well in advance of the event. Generally, the earlier you place a bet, the better the odds will be.

For individual events, you bet on the player you think will win. For team events, you bet on which team.

It is also possible to place each way bets, and in the bigger tournaments some bookies offer each way bets up to 10 places.

Top 5/Top 10/Top 20 Finish

If you think a player will be in the mix at the top of the leaderboard, but aren’t sure they’ll win it, then a Top 5, Top 10 or Top 20 Finish bet is a good option. This can give better returns than an Outright each way bet.

Round Betting

Most golf tournaments take place over multiple days and several rounds. You can therefore place bets on each round as well as the overall event. For example, you can bet on who you think the Round 1 winner will be and this can throw up some excellent odds for the outside golfers. It is not unheard of for a lesser ranked golfer, or even an amateur golfer, to have a great round one and top the leaderboard.

Score Betting

Bookies will offer betting markets on scores, usually with an under/over format. For example, on a 72 par course, they might offer a betting market on the winning score being over or under 67.5, and they will offer similar markets for individual player scores.

Another score market is betting on the number of strokes a tournament winner will triumph by. In team events such as the Ryder Cup, you can bet on what the margin will be between the two team scores.

Hole-in-One

You can bet on whether you think a hole-in-one will occur in a tournament, whether it will be in a specific round or whether a certain player will score one. There are also betting markets for other scores such as birdies, eagles or bogies in terms of how many will feature in a round or tournament.

Match-ups

Although the majority of golf tournaments are played individually, you will find betting markets that pit two players against each other. The odds are based on a head-to-head match-up such as whether one of the players will score better than the other in a specific round, or which player will finish higher overall than the other.

Nationality

With golfers being from all across the globe, you can find betting markets on what nationality you think the winning player will be. You can also bet on who you think the top player of one nationality will be e.g. the highest finishing US player in a tournament.

Cut Betting

The biggest golf tournaments such as the four majors have a cut-off point that golfers have to meet in order to continue participating. In four day events, this usually happens after the second day. Betting markets are therefore offered for whether you think a golfer will make the cut or not.

In-Play Betting

Golf is a great sport for in-play betting as the momentum can swing hugely from hole to hole. There are an abundance of in-play markets such as which player will do the longest drive, who will be closest to the pin, or who will score the next birdie for example. Plus, because players have to move from one hole to the next it does give time for in-play bets to be placed.

How To Find The Best Golf Betting Odds

A key factor when betting on any sport is to secure the best odds available to you.

The better the odds you take, the more value you're going to get back.

You can use a betting odds comparison site such as Oddschecker to find the best available golf odds at any bookmaker.

Oddschecker shows the odds you can use at various online bookmakers so you can quickly see which site is offering the best golf odds on any given bet.

The best odds are shown in bold allowing you to easily identify the best value bets.

You can search and compare a whole range of golf betting markets too.

Golf Tournaments

There are several professional golf tours that make up the schedule of tournaments each year. The PGA Tour, European Tour, LIV Golf and LPGA Tour are the biggest, but there’s also several more.

When it comes to golf betting markets, there are some key tournaments each year that offer the biggest range of betting lines and the best odds too. These are the four annual golf majors and the Ryder Cup and we’ll take a look at these below.

The Masters

Taking place in April, The Masters is the first major of the year and it takes place on the same course each year – the world famous Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, USA.

The Masters has the smallest field of all the majors with under 100 golfers, and winners of this prestigious event receive the famous green jacket.

The tournament takes place over four rounds of golf over four days from Thursday to Sunday. The first two rounds are played in groups of three, before the cut to the top 50 players, and the last two rounds are played in twos. The betting markets are vast for each round and for the tournament overall.

PGA Championship

The PGA Championship takes place in May at different venues in the US and has 156 competitors. Taking place over four rounds of golf over four days, there is a cut to 60 players at the 36 hole mark.

Winners of the PGA Championship win the Wanamaker Trophy, and you will usually find a large range of betting markets for this event and good odds too, especially for the non-favourites and the early rounds.

US Open

Taking place in June at various golf courses across the US, the US Open is considered to be one of the most challenging events on the calendar. It is often played on a course with a 70 or 71 par, rather than a 72 par course, which means winners rarely have a score much under par.

The format is four rounds of golf, over four days which traditionally finishes on Father’s Day (as recognised in the UK and the US). 156 competitors start and they are cut to the top 60 golfers who compete on the final two rounds.

Open Championship

This is the final major of the year, taking place in July, and is sometimes called the British Open. It is the oldest official professional golf tournament in the world and takes place at various coastal venues in Britain.

Golfers compete for the Claret Jug over four rounds of golf over four days, Thursday to Sunday. 156 golfers start which are cut down to the top 70 after the first two days.

Ryder Cup

The Ryder Cup is a team competition between USA and Europe that takes place every two years. The venue alternates between different courses in the US and Europe, and each team has 12 competitors each.

Played with a match play scoring system, rather than a stroke play one, the event consists of 28 matches over three days Friday to Sunday. Various rounds have different formats such as fourballs, foursomes and singles, with the team captains deciding which golfers play which sessions. Betting markets are huge for the Ryder Cup and bookmakers compete with each other to offer the best odds.

Golf Betting Considerations

If you’re looking to bet on golf, there are some key things to consider that can help shape your betting strategy.

Current Player Form

The Official World Golf Ranking is updated every week based on golfers’ individual performances. They cover a rolling two year period and are calculated on the average amount of points a golfer has scored and how many events they have competed in.

Golf Rankings are a good way to determine generally what level a golfer is performing at, so they can be used as a reference when betting.

However, the best way to look at current form is to look at each golfer's most recent events and see what they scored.

Golf Courses

Much the same as tennis surfaces severely impact the performance of tennis players, golf courses can have an impact on golfers too.

How familiar or how comfortable a player is when playing on a specific golf course, can hugely influence their success in a tournament. It’s, therefore, a good idea to check a player's previous performances on the specific course when you’re betting.

Player Strengths

Golfers, like all sportspeople, have individual strengths and weaknesses in their game. Some players excel with driving while others shine on the putting green. Some players can play well in high-pressure situations or in poor weather conditions, while others falter considerably.

Understanding a player's strengths and then referencing that to the individual golf course or the playing conditions in a tournament can help to guide you with your bets.

Golf Format

Because most of the big tournaments are played by individual golfers using the stroke play scoring format, it can be hard when players have to adapt to something different.

Team events, and match play scoring can influence a golfer's performance, so just be aware that players may not play to the same standards in different scenarios.

Is Golf Eligible For Matched Betting?

Yes, golf can be used to make money with Matched Betting as long as the bookies provide bonus offers and promotions. Generally, golf isn’t one of the sports where you’ll find regular offers. However, you will often find bonuses for the four majors and other big calendar events.

Golf is also suitable for extra place betting with many bookies offering extra places for the major events. Just be cautious that your liability from your lay bets can be tied up for four days during the tournaments.