Golf Betting Odds

Participating levels in golf have been a point of discussion for some time but the number of people watching professional golf and betting on the sport has never been better.

If those who first started playing golf in Scotland could see the money involved in professional golf today, they would be shocked.  The rise in television coverage of the PGA and European Tour plus the four major golf tournaments, has made betting on golf much easier than it has ever been before.

However, with so many tournaments, bookmakers and betting options available, it’s easy to become overwhelmed with golf betting.

There are many factors which you must consider before placing a bet on golf.  Yes, you will need to have done your homework on the player and bet you wish to make but you also need to know what to expect from the bookmaker you are using, starting with the enhanced odds offers.

To make things easy, we have a list of the top 5 online bookmakers for golf:

The origin of modern day golf can be traced back to 15^th century Scotland and given the number of excellent golf courses in the country, it becomes clear the Scots have a long association with the sport.

Many people believe the sport is linked to the game of Kolven, which was played in the Netherlands in the late 1200’s but the roots of golf can also be found in other games from the past including Paganica, Chuiwan, Cambuca and Chaugan.  However, no one can deny the sport of golf as we know it today, is the product of Scotland.

The Old Course at St Andrews in Scotland is not only considered one of the best golf courses in the world, it dates to before 1574 and is know by many as the mecca of golf.

The oldest golf tournament in the world is the Open Championship and this is one of the four major golf tournaments played throughout the year.  The tournament was first played on the 17^th October 1860 at Prestwick Golf Club, in Ayrshire, Scotland.  Scottish players once dominated the event but now it is won by golfers from around the world.

It’s difficult to trace the first betting on golf but betting activity on the sport certainly increased with the emergence of Tiger Woods.  The American burst onto the scene and his rise coincided with the surge in online bookmakers and golf betting markets.

Betting on golf has become a major industry and the sport remains one of the most popular for betting today.

There is little point in placing a bet on golf if you are not going to win the biggest amount of money possible.  That’s the reason why you are betting on golf after all.

So, to have any chance of winning good money betting on golf, you must bet at a bookmaker which has the best odds available for golf betting.  You may believe there will be little between the odds at top golf bookmakers but you are wrong and you could be missing out on a lot money.

Take the first major tournament of the year, the Masters at Augusta.  The Masters odds will be available well before the tournament starts and you have the chance to find some great odds.

The defending champion is Sergio Garcia and the Spaniard is 25/1 with Bet365 to win the event again.  However, Garcia is on offer at 33/1 to win the tournament with William Hill.

If you place a £10 bet at Bet365 and Garcia wins, you will get back £260 but if you placed the same bet with William Hill, you will get £340 back.  From just one golf bet, you have a difference of £80 and that is a lot of money for the casual golf gambler.

In addition to William Hill, you will find BetVictor also provide very competitive golf odds throughout the year.

The golf season is packed with professional tournaments and rarely will a week go by without a tournament being played on the PGA or European Tour.  Any good golf bookmaker will cover each of these tournaments.

The top golf bookmakers will have the four major golf tournaments of the year, the Masters, Open Championship, US Open and the PGA Championship, priced up well in advance.  The odds for next year’s event are sometimes available shortly after the current years has finished but you are advised to wait until closer to the time to place your bet.

Every online sports bookmaker will have odds available for golf.  If you land on which does not cover golf or only has a very small coverage of tournaments, you are advised to look elsewhere as they are clearly not taking their golf betting seriously.

However, which online bookmaker has the widest choice of golf markets and bets?  The overall choice of golf betting markets is not as wide as many other sports due to the nature of the game but the main golf betting markets every online golf bookmaker should cover include Tournament Winner, First Round Leader, Top Five Finish, Top Ten Finish, Hole in One, Playoff, Lowest Score and Highest-Ranking Nationality.

Golf bookmakers should offer each of these betting markets for every PGA Tour, European Tour and major golf event.

You will also find special bets available and these can appear at random times, depending on what is happening in the world of golf.  Tiger Woods is a good example and when he makes a comeback from injury in a tournament, there are many betting markets available surrounding him including if he will make the cut or hit a hole in one.

Most online golf bookmakers will offer these tournaments and bets but two of the best are Ladbrokes and Paddy Power, who tend to offer the widest choice of betting options.

A golf tournament can last anything up to five days and this makes it a good choice for in-play betting.  Not only can you bet on what is happening on the current day of the tournament, such as which player will finish top of the leaderboard at the end of the round, you can also bet on who will win the tournament as it is progressing.

Every good online golf bookmaker will have in-play betting markets for every PGA Tour, European Tour and major golf tournament.

For some of the smaller tournaments, most online bookmakers will have Round Leader and Outright Winner as their only in-play betting markets.  However, for major tournaments, there should be a whole host of in-play betting options available.

These include betting on a group at each individual hole and on players matched up against each other.  The choice of golf in-play betting markets is not the same as golf or tennis but they are a great way to learn how in-play betting works.

Each of the major online sports bookmakers offer roughly the same choice of in-play golf betting markets and there is little to choose between them.  Unfortunately, no online bookmaker offers live streaming of golf events due to television deals in place with the PGA and European Tour.

You will not find a big choice of golf bonuses and promotions at online bookmakers and these tend to be kept mainly for football, horse racing and major sporting events.

However, thankfully there are at least four major golf tournaments each year plus the Ryder Cup.  The top golf betting sites will offer special bonuses and promotions leading up to these events, so always check them about a week before the tournament is about to start.

You can find enhanced odds for certain players, money back betting offers if an outright bet loses, a free in-play bet when placing a qualifying outright bet on the tournament and free bet offers when placing a qualifying bet.

Look out prior to the Masters, Open Championship, US Open, PGA Championship and Ryder Cup for these offers to appear at online bookmakers.

Don’t forget, most betting sites have generic bonuses and promotions when you sign up and make a deposit and you can always use these to bet on a golf tournament.

You have managed to narrow down the best betting sites for golf using the information above but despite having the best odds, betting markets, in-play betting and promotions, there are still other factors you must consider.

When placing a bet on golf at an online bookmaker, you want to enjoy the best experience possible and that means an efficient, well presented website, easy payment options, great customer service and 100% trust in the company.

Below you will find out more about each aspect of an online bookmaker when betting on golf.

Just like any other website you visit, the quality of the website design and usability is important when placing a bet on golf.

If you are placing an order for a golf product, such as new balls, you pay attention to the quality of the website you are using.  If the website looks as though it has been created quickly, with little product information and a bad layout, you will think twice about buying the product.

The same applies when betting on golf and you should only use the betting websites which are well presented and easy to use.

The online bookmakers who take their golf betting seriously will have golf listed clearly above the fold of their website.  There should be no need to go looking for the golf link down the homepage.  For example, Ladbrokes and William Hill have golf clearly visible in the header of their website and within one click you are taken to the available betting markets.

Bet365 have golf near the top of their menu on the left and Paddy Power have links to individual golf tournaments in their quick links section, also on the left of the homepage.  These are four examples of good quality golf betting websites.

Any live in-play betting for golf should also be displayed on the homepage and within one click you should be able to place a golf bet.

Making a deposit and withdrawal when betting on golf should be simple and efficient.  You want to use an online bookmaker which has a wide choice of payment methods including debit/credit card, Neteller, Skrill, PayPal and Paysafecard.

Most people can use at least one of these payment methods and if one should get withdrawn, you will have other options still available.

If you are planning on betting in-play, it is vital the deposit methods offered are instant and they should also be free.  Good online golf bookmakers should not be charging to use any of the payment options listed above.

Customer service is one of the defining aspects of any experience and betting on golf is no exception.

The online bookmaker you are using for golf betting should have a customer support team available 24/7. They should also have an email address and postal address but these are useless if you need an immediate response to a question.

Therefore, you should only consider golf betting websites which have a live chat and/or a live telephone service available all day, every day.

If you live in the United Kingdom and want to place an in-play bet on the Masters, you will be betting late at night.  If have a query about your bet, you need a response immediately, not 24 hours later and that’s why a 24/7 live chat feature is very important.

If you cannot place trust in the betting company to keep your money and financial details safe, you should avoid using them not only for golf betting but any form of betting.

The first thing to do before placing a golf bet at any online bookmaker is to check they have the correct gambling license.  You can usually find this at the bottom of the website, in the footer and the license details along with the number should be visible.

In terms of financial transactions, the betting company should hold an SSL Certificate which guarantees your details are kept safe when depositing and withdrawing funds.

Finally, you should keep up to date with the financial state of the betting company you are using when betting on golf.  While you will rarely see a betting company sponsoring a big golf tournament, you will see online bookmakers advertising during live golf transmissions on television and these bookmakers are usually a good choice for secure golf betting.