Golf is one of the most exciting sports in the world, where established superstars can build their legacy with every competition, and unknowns can come out of nowhere and make their mark. If you’ve picked up a golf club, you know how fun and frustrating the game can be. However, you can increase your enjoyment by placing bets on your favourite events.
Read our complete guide to betting on golf, including our recommended golf betting sites and some golf betting tips to improve your chances of winning.
Choosing a Golf Betting Site
If you want to bet on all your favourite golf events, you need a betting site which will cater to your needs. However, with hundreds of bookmakers licensed to operate in the UK, selecting an appropriate betting site can be challenging. That’s why our experts have taken the time to choose the bookmakers perfect for golf bettors. Check out what factors we’ve considered to make our picks below.
Welcome Bonuses
Every UK bookmaker will provide you with a welcome bonus when you sign up. A welcome bonus will allow you to boost your bankroll while risking less or no money. Usually, you need to make a minimum deposit to unlock your welcome bonus rewards.
Top golf betting sites will give you welcome bonuses like free bets you can use to wager on golf competitions like the PGA Tour. We consider which promotions work best for golf bettors when selecting our best golf bookmakers.
Live Golf Betting
While many players are just interested in betting on players to win a tournament, you can also find lots of markets once an event has started. The best golf betting sites will let you place a range of wagers on live golfing events, including select tournament winners.
However, you’ll also find betting options for moment-to-moment play. For example, you can bet on a player to hit a birdie on the next hole if you think they’ll keep up a good run of form. Live odds are constantly changing, so you’ll have to be quick with your bets, but you’ll find great value if you jump on odds in time.
Best Golf Odds
The more generous betting odds you can find, the more profit you can make from risking the same amount of money. We assess the betting odds betting sites offer and select the operators who consistently provide the best betting lines. Our experts also consider which bookmakers offer regular odds boosts for golf competitions, which can give you more chances to increase your profits without spending more money.
Range of Golf Betting Markets
When it comes to betting, having more options will give more bettors a chance to find a bet that suits them. We only recommended the betting sites which allow you to place a wide range of bet types. So when you sign up with our recommended bookmakers, you can bet on outright winners, scores for upcoming holes, winner nationality, and much more.
Security
Of course, the most important thing when betting online is that you use a safe and legal bookmaker. Before anything else, we check that the betting sites we are reviewing have appropriate licensing from the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC). The UKGC runs strict tests of player safety measures before approving any site, so this license should give you the confidence to play.
However, we also take it further by examining the security measures employed by each individual operator. This includes trialling the SSL encryption, firewalls, and privacy policy of every online betting site.
Deposit Methods
When adding money to an online bookmaker, you want to use a payment provider you can trust. Our experts seek operators who welcome well-respected payment methods such as Visa and Mastercard.
Golf Betting Tips
Golf betting can be very challenging as each competition has such a large field. In addition, weather conditions, the crowd, and more can affect each golfer’s game, making it so hard to predict a winner. However, there are steps you can take to improve your odds of a successful wager. Read our golf betting tips below to improve your chances of winning your golf bets.
- Research Golfer Form: Golf is very much a mental game, and the golfers that perform best are the ones in the best headspace. That’s why, while every course is different, if a player has competed well recently, they are more likely to play well in the near future.
- See Past Performances at Competitions: While recent performances do play a key factor in who will win a golf competition, a player’s familiarity and comfort with a tournament also make a huge difference. For example, over 50% of the Masters have been won by players who have won the event multiple times. So if a golfer has played well at a previous competition, they are more likely to do so again in the future.
- Look at Green Speeds: Putting is considered the most challenging part of golf by many players, as golfers have to consider various factors, including the lie of the green and how a riskier shot may affect their overall score. However, one significant factor in putting is green speed. The faster a green is, the more likely a player is to misjudge a shot and end up dropping shots. So research green speeds before betting on how players will perform on individual holes.
- Watch the Events: While many bookmakers allow you to follow golf events from hole to hole, it’s hard to track the emotions and significance of a shot from statistics. For example, if a player sinks a par shot after hitting the rough and the bunker, this can really build their confidence and help them with future holes. However, on the scorecard, this will show the same as a par where the golfer missed an easy birdie putt. So watch golf tournaments where you can to get the best sense of how players are performing.
- Consider the Course Type: There are six different types of golf courses, including links courses, parkland courses, and championship courses. While professional golfers will be adept at playing on all courses, golfers will have preferences. For example, players who spent a lot of their youth playing on links courses will prefer these types of environments.
- Claim Golfing Bonuses: For the most significant golfing events, many of the best UK bookmakers will provide bonuses you can claim to let you win money for less. For example, you’ll find plenty of odds boosts where you can increase your payout without risking more cash. Some sites may even provide free bets if you make a certain deposit or wager.
Types Of Golf Betting
There are dozens of golf events you can bet on throughout the year, and you’ll find loads of bet types available for each competition. If you’re a fan of placing bets from moment to moment, there are plenty of in-play markets for golf. Likewise, if you like to think in the long term, you can wager on some bet types well ahead of time.
Outright Winner Bet
The most straightforward type of bet, an outright winner bet is a wager on which player you think will win a particular competition. The earlier you place your outright winner bet, the better your odds will be. For majors, you’ll get outright betting markets available months and months in advance.
Nationality Bet
Rather than betting on a particular player to win, you can bet on the nationality of a tournament winner. This gives you more leeway if you pick a nation which produces a lot of golfing talent like the US or the UK.
Each-way Bet
Predicting which player will win a golf competition is tricky, which is why many sites will let you place each-way bets on outright winner bets. You can double your stake and get 1/5 of your profits if your chosen player doesn’t win but finishes near the top. How many places a bookmaker will pay out depends on the site, but many of the best golf betting sites will pay out down to ten places.
Three-way Bet
Many golf betting sites will let you bet on the head-to-head scores of leading players, which is handy for bettors who want to block out overall results and focus on specific golfers. With a two-way bet, you wager on which of the players you think will finish with a better score at the end of a round or competition. If your matchup players finish with equal scores, you get your bet back as a push.
However, you can also place a three-way bet. This is similar to 1x1 football betting, where you can wager on either player or back a draw. However, unlike in football, a draw is a very unlikely result with golf matchups and will have long odds.
First Round Leader
Most professional golf competitions have four rounds of play spread across four days, with the winner of the tournament the player with the best score at the end. However, some bookmakers will let you bet on players to fly out of the blocks and take the lead just after the first round of play.
Finishing Positions
With a finishing positions bet, you can wager on a golfer to finish in the top 5, top 10, or even top 20 of a competition. Your bookmaker will pay out if your player secures a place in the positions you predicted. However, you won’t win extra money if they come out as the winner of the competition.
How To Bet On Golf FAQs
Is betting on golf legal?
Yes, betting on golf is entirely legal in the UK. As long as you use a betting site licensed by the UK Gambling Commission, you can wager on a wide range of professional golf tournaments. This includes all the majors, the PGA Tour, and the LIV Golf Tour.
What is the best golf betting site?
You’ll find the best golf betting sites in the UK right here on this page. Our experts have selected the bookmakers which provide you with the most golf betting markets and the best golf odds and listed those operators on this page.
Am I able to bet on golf live?
Yes, the best golf betting sites will let you wager on golf events that have already started. This includes betting on players to win the overall tournament or moment-to-moment betting, like what score a player will record on an upcoming hole.
Can I bet on the PGA Tour?
Yes, you can bet on the PGA Tour if you are using a licensed UK bookmaker. There are 47 PGA Tour events every year, and you’ll find betting markets for every single competition. Throughout the season, the PGA Tour pays out more than $400 million.
Can I bet on the LIV Golf Tour?
Yes, you can bet on the LIV Golf Tour using the best UK golf betting sites. The LIV Golf Tour was founded in 2021 and sees players compete across 14 events from February to November.
