With this being the week of The Masters golf tournament, now seems a good time ahead of the start of the event on Thursday, to take a look at some helpful hints and tips on how to enjoy golf betting to the fore.
And I promise no more golf puns like that one!
So, probably the first question you are going to ask is something along the lines of ‘why do I need some tips for golf betting?’ and that is a good question.
To answer that, let’s take a closer look at how a typical golf tournament works.
Why Is Golf Betting So Tricky?
It is tempting to think that golf betting is just the same as any other form of sports betting, but there are some unique aspects to betting on golf that makes it a little more difficult than other sports.
For example, there is another big sporting event coming up soon in the form of the Grand National at Aintree in Liverpool. This usually has a field of 40 horses competing and as such, is regarded as one of the most difficult races to predict a winner for.
A typical golf tournament though will have upwards of 150 players competing in it, and the sheer numbers alone make it so difficult to predict the winner.
Not only that, but each tournament also has a cut after two rounds, which means that if you back a player that doesn’t play well enough over the first two days, he will be cut from the tournament and your bet will be a loser there and then.
Additionally, what makes golf so unpredictable is that almost any golfer can win any tournament at any time. It is generally rare for a player to win back-to-back tournaments and over the course of a season when there are 50+ tournaments to play for, you will find that a significant number of those tournaments are won by a player for whom it is their only win of the season.
Then add into that factors such as weather conditions changing the nature and difficulty of a course (for the worse, or the better) and you can perhaps understand now why picking a winner at a golf tournament is something of a lottery.
So how can we help you enjoy golf betting a little more? Here’s our tips for better golf betting!
Better Golf Betting Tips
- Bet With A Bookmaker With An Outstanding Golf Betting Service
Almost every bookmaker will offer golf betting of some kind, but you want to pick one that offers more than simply odds on the more popular markets.
Bet365 Sport is my choice due to its Live Golf Tracker, as well as the fact it offers generally good value odds, plus a wide range of different markets available for both pre-tournament and In Play betting.
- Check Out Any Offers Or Promotions Available
Another key aspect when betting on golf is the chance to increase your returns, or your chances of a return through accessing any offers or promotions available. Bet365 have Bet Boost options available across a wide range of sports and golf is no different.
You can often find popular selections the subject of a Bet Boost or Super Boost from bet365 Sport as shown in the screenshot here for the 2023 Masters tournament at Augusta.
Other promotions offered can include increasing the number of places paid in a golf tournament on each way bets.
Using offers is a great way to enhance your chances of a win, or improving the size of your return if you do land a win.
- Stay Away From The Win Only Betting Option
The most popular bet for many betting fans is a win only bet; picking a winner for a race or event. However, as we have already mentioned previously, picking a winner at any golf tournament is incredibly tough due to the sheer number of competitors and factors involved.
A much better option is to use the Each Way betting option which will offer you a chance at a payout, usually around 1/5 of the stated odds, but for players that finish in the stated number of positions.
Given that many options to win tournaments are greater than 20/1 or more, this means that even a 1/5 odds payout for an each way win can prove to be profitable bet.
For example, Louis Oosthuizen is 100/1 to win The Masters but if we backed him at £10 each way (£20 total bet) and he finishes in the paying places, I would win at least £200 at 1/5 of the stated odds. That return would, of course, be significantly more if he won the tournament. (£1,200).
My view is that each way betting on the To Win Outright market is the only realistic way to go on this bet with golf simply due to the sheer number of players in the field and the prices on offer for the vast majority of them.
- Check Out Less Well Known Golf Betting Markets
One of the reasons for picking a betting site that offers extensive golf betting is that these sites will offer an extensive range of golf bets that you may not usually bet upon.
Bet365 for example offers a wide range of bets for specific players for some tournaments (usually Majors) and these bets can offer punters a much better chance at a return than your pick the winner bet.
You can also find bets on groups of players, called Group Betting, where you will find a number of golfers (usually around five) paired in a group of similar ability and you can bet on which golfer out of the five performs the best over the tournament (72 holes) or even just a single round.
A quick look around the markets available for golf tournaments, especially Major tournaments, can often lead to you finding some absolutely fantastic value bets that offer you a good chance of a return.
- Momentum In Golf Is Key So Use In Play Betting
There are occasions in a round when a golfer may get hot and score very well, or may go cold and score poorly. Momentum is a huge factor in any round of golf and you can use this to your advantage when In Play betting on a round.
By keeping abreast of the action on course, you can identify which golfers are playing well at any given point and this can help you narrow down which type of bets to place on them, hopefully giving you a better chance at a winner!
So use these five tips well to help you enjoy some fun and hopefully more profitable golf betting!