Tiger Woods plays his shot from the fourth tee during the second round of The Masters golf tournament.
Tiger Woods plays his shot from the fourth tee during the second round of The Masters golf tournament.

How to Bet on Golf: Strategy, Tips and PGA Betting Guide

Golf has seen tremendous growth over the last few years and betting on golf has seen the same popularity.

For most of the year, there is a golf tournament to watch and wager on each week. A person can bet on who they think will win a given tournament, and then root for said golfer over the course of four days. You don’t get that kind of long-term rooting interest when betting on other sports, as games typically only last a few hours.

But golf betting is much more complex than just picking an outright winner. That’s why we are here to help readers get a full understanding with this how-to guide, including tips and tricks before placing a golf-related bet at WynnBET.com’s online sportsbook.

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Golf Bet Types

As is the case with most sports, there isn’t just one way to bet on golf. While picking an outright winner is the main market and often offers the biggest payout, there are plenty of other ways to have action on a golf event.

You can bet on a finishing position for a golfer, including top-five, top-10 or top-20. There are head-to-head matchups to wager on as well as round betting, props, and futures. WynnBET.com is always adding to its available markets to help maximize your betting experience.

Let’s dive into these bets a bit more.

Outright Winner

The most common golf wager is on the outright winner. Simply place a bet on who you think will win a given golf tournament and collect your winnings if that player ultimately prevails at the conclusion of the tourney.

Winning a golf tournament is difficult, so these wagers tend to offer the biggest payout. For example, if you place a $100 bet on a golfer with 10/1 odds, then you would earn a $1,000 payout if that golfer ended up finishing in first place.

Place Top 5, Top 10, or Top 20

If you believe a golfer will do well, but don’t want to bank on an outright win, the finishing position market is a nice plan of attack. You can bet on a golfer to finish top-five, top-10, or top-20 over the course of a four-day golf tournament.

The odds for a top-five finish will offer the biggest return, with top-10 and top-20 finishes being more likely. It is crucial to read WynnBET’s dead-heat rules to learn how to handle any ties in the finishing position.

Tournament Head-to-Head

A concept that should be familiar to those who bet on other sports, but head-to-head matchups is simply betting on one golfer to beat another over the course of a four-day tourney. These markets are typically offered between two golfers with similar expectations entering an event.

The odds for these matchup will vary, with WynnBET’s trading team pricing them based on the golfer's chances to finish higher than the other golfer. But this can be a great way to bet on one golfer or fade another golfer without needing a high finish.

Round Betting

A lot can happen over four rounds, which is why round betting has become so popular. This is where you are betting on a golfer to post the lowest score after a particular round or be the leader after a given round.

The first-round leader market is a great way of playing this angle, as every golfer starts with a clean slate and you are simply betting on a player to record the best Round 1 score.

Props

Prop markets in golf vary by tournament, but one of the more popular props is whether or not there will be a hole in one for that event. Prop markets are specific wagers not related to the main markets of a sport.

Futures

Similar to other sports, you can bet on golf year-round by placing a futures bet. This is typically an outright winner market for one of golf’s four majors, which are the biggest tournaments each season. Shop around your mobile app to find futures odds in golf betting.

Live Golf Betting

Save some money for live golf betting to maximize your entertainment each weekend. Rather than place a bunch of pre-tourney wagers, wait until the action begins to take a discount on a golfer in the outright market. Simply shop the live outright odds for each golf tourney to place an in-game wager.

How to Bet on the Majors

The PGA has four major golf tournaments every season that typically draw the most attention from fans and bettors. These majors include The Masters, The US Open, The Open Championship, and The PGA Championship.

It is important to do your research when betting on majors. We encourage everyone to consider all the key PGA stats, examine recent form, take a look at course history, and monitor the weather in the week leading up to an event.

These tips will not only help prepare you for betting on all four majors, but they can be helpful when betting on any golf tournament.

Golf Betting Tips

Master the PGA Stats

There are actually a surprising amount of stats in golf. The key metrics are important and can be a good indicator of who is playing well and who isn’t entering a given golf tourney.

Strokes gained are broken into specific areas of the game, which simply weights how a player compares to the average player on the PGA Tour. The categories are as follows:

  • Strokes gained: Off the Tee

  • Strokes gained: Putting

  • Strokes Gained: Approach

  • Strokes gained: Around the Green

  • Total strokes gained (SG: TOT)

Let’s focus on a couple of them here.

  • Strokes gained: Putting - A measure of how many strokes a player gains or loses on the greens compared to the PGA Tour average. This can be useful because putting success is crucial to winning a golf event.

  • Strokes gained: Approach - A calculation of a player’s shots following their drives, which are often the iron shots. Having strong approach play is why Tiger Woods was able to have so much success in his prime, and remains a key component to winning golf events.

The best place to locate this information is via fantasynational.com.

Examine Recent Form

With the help of Fantasy National Golf Club, you can use the above stats to get a better idea of recent form. What player is playing well in approach and off the tee, but hasn’t gotten putts to drop? That is a player worth targeting, as someone can get hot with the putter.

You can also look at where a player has finished in recent golf tournaments, as players tend to have some decent form before winning a golf tournament. A player that is making more cuts and finishing near the top of the leaderboard in recent weeks is probably playing well enough to contend.

Recent form vs. course history remains a hot debate in the golf community, but both are nice to have when picking an outright winner.

Take Previous Course Performances into Account

Because the golf calendar remains similar every year, a lot of golf tournaments will take place at the same courses. It can be helpful to look back at how a player has performed at said course before placing a bet on them ahead of an event.

Course history doesn’t always equate to success, but having familiarity with a track is beneficial for the best golfers in the world. There is a reason why certain players always seem to do well at The Masters.

Check the Weather Forecast

Like most outdoor sports, weather is a huge component to golf. Because so many golfers are slated to compete in an event, there is often a morning wave of golfers and an afternoon wave of golfers. The weather can be much different between the two waves, including wind or even wet conditions.

This means you should monitor the radar throughout the week leading up to a golf event, and consider that when making your final decision as to who to bet. Taking advantage of a golfer in more favorable conditions could help cash a ticket.

How to Bet on Golf at WynnBET

WynnBET.com’s mobile sports app makes betting on golf simple. All you have to do is head to the golf section on your app to find all golf-related wagers. Expect more markets to become available the closer we get to a golf tourney.

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