Generated in Midjourney - "Two gentlemen discussing about different ways to bet on golf in luxurious tavern in Scotland" and some secret prompts.

Different ways to bet on golf (The Basics Series)

Golf betting is becoming increasingly popular among fans of the sport. With a wide variety of betting options, golf betting is an exciting and potentially profitable activity for those who understand the game and the odds.

Introduction

It is important to research the golfers and the course conditions, as well as the amount of money that has been bet on the tournament in sportbooks and exchanges. If a bettor has a good understanding of the game and the odds, they can make informed decisions and potentially make a profit from golf betting. More about our ways of doing this will be published in The Advanced Series and previews. These will all included in premium subscription.

Winner each way, head to head, top20, FRL - different betting types

In golf betting, the most common bet is a straight up bet on a golfer to win a tournament. This is a simple bet, where you pick a golfer to win and if they do, you win your bet. The odds of a golfer winning a tournament are determined by the sportsbook and can range from long shots (european odds from 50 to 1000) to favorites (european odds under 20). Mid range then would be 20-50 european odds which translates to selected golfer's estimated probability to winning from five to two percent.

You can also add each way bet to your winner bets. Each way terms vary a lot and some sportbooks offer promotions to the terms every now and then. Most of the time the each way bet has 1/4 or 1/5 of odds of the selected winner's odds and is paid when the selected player ends up in top 8 to top 5. To add an each way bet you need to double the money needed for outright winner. Note that dead heat rules apply to these bets (more on that below).

Another popular bet in golf betting is a head to head bet. This bet pits two golfers against each other, and the bettor can pick which golfer will have the better finish in a tournament. Sometimes head to head bets include ties, but we recommend to bet without it.

Top 5/10/20/30/40 bets in golf are types of wager where the bettor selects a golfer to finish within the top X places in a golf tournament. These types of wager are typically available at most sportsbooks and exchanges and provide an opportunity to win a payout even if the golfer does not win the tournament. In these types of bet you should be aware of dead heat rules. Dead heat rule is a rule used in betting which states that if two or more participants tie in an event, the bet will be divided equally among the participants.

FRL stands for "First Round Leader" in golf betting. It is a bet on which golfer will have the lowest score after the first round of a tournament. This is one way to profit from the "morning wave" advantage that is described in more detail in The Advanced Series. Pinnacle had a good article about this lately and the main finding was:

This scenario leads to over 70% of the places in the First Round Leader markets being occupied by the morning starters on average throughout the golf betting season on both the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour. It’s normal or common for the wind to get up in the afternoon on both sides of the Atlantic, and once the wind gets up, the greens and conditions get faster and firmer which is the basis for tougher golf. It's hard to get close to pins and trouble will come more in to play.

Golf betting can also involve prop bets. Prop bets are bets that involve predicting a certain outcome of a tournament, such as the number of birdies or eagles a golfer will make, or the number of putts a golfer will take. Prop bets can be difficult to predict, but they can be very profitable if the bettor has a good understanding of the game. Most of the times these bets are not liquid enough for serious betting, but can be fun to follow when watching the tournament more closely.

Final thoughts on betting on exchange versus sportsbook

As described in our collective principles Betting on an exchange is often more profitable than betting in a sportsbook because it allows for more competitive odds, better liquidity, and more control over the bet. Exchange betting also allows for more flexibility such as the ability to bet against outcomes rather than just for them. Additionally, exchange betting often offers lower fees and commissions than traditional sportsbooks.