Golf is a sport that people enjoy playing and will spend a lot of time with. Golf takes hours to play and sometimes, that can get downright tedious for some people. Not everyone is up to play a game of golf. Some people will play golf for hours and will be ready to play it for days, almost endlessly, but others prefer to spectate the game.
There are those people who enjoy watching golf but then there are the ones who enjoy betting on golf. Some people are more about earning money and getting involved with more than just their emotions.
Golf is a pretty decent sport to bet on, given that it is relatively established and that the PGA tours has more than enough tournaments and matches for you to bet on. The Majors are also important and will draw a lot of attention, perhaps more interesting odds and better prize pools.
Here is how you can bet on golf and what to do prior to betting on golf.
Understanding the Odds
Prior to doing any betting at all, a punter, or upcoming punters, should spend time learning about how betting works. The key part of betting that a punter should understand are the odds. The odds vary from match to match, head to head, due to various factors.
Odds come in three types, fractional, represented by a fraction, decimal, which have decimal numbers and moneyline, which tell you how much money you need to bet in order to win 100 dollars.
All the odds are really simple to understand and the more you can win, the less likely that outcome is going to happen. The lower your payout, the more likely a match is going to go in your favor.
Favorites and underdogs are the two parts of betting odds, each belonging to one of the two people or teams in a single bet.
Study the odds, look at various bookmakers and learn how they vary, to see which bookmaker has the best odds.
Golf Bets
Golf bets are not that different to other bets. You can bet on the tournament winner, which is pretty simple. You can also bet to see which golfers will end up in the first three or four positions. If you bet on the exact order of the golfers, you could end up with more money, though these bets are less likely to happen, given how golf tournaments swing back and forth.
You can also bet on two different golfers, to see which one of them will end up being better at the current tournament. There is also the very difficult bet of a single golfer winning multiple tournaments in a row, which has a huge payout but is very unlikely to happen.
General Tips
When betting on any sport, including golf, it is best to do your own research and follow the golfers through their recent journeys. Remember that the results don’t tell the entire story. Sometimes, tournaments swing out of the blue, with one golfer waking up their inner Tiger Woods and hitting holes in one without any expectations from the fans and bookmakers. There are always wildcards, however, you should note that favorites are favorites for a reason. Bookmakers will often give a list of their own favorites, as well as prediction sites, but seasons quickly turn in another golfer’s favor, when they actually start hitting shots consistently.
Betting on golf is similar to betting on any other sport, with a slight difference, you need to understand golf as a game and sports betting as an industry. Bet responsibly if you plan on betting at all!