While golf is often considered a very leisurely way to spend an afternoon, it can also be one of the most profitable sports to place a few bets on.

With its wide variety of players and a large number of events, golf can prove to be very lucrative if you know can wrap your head around what you are betting on. 

To help you get started, we here at bonus bets have compiled this useful guide to the ins and outs of betting on golf. 

To those who are new to the sport, the golfing schedule can take some getting used to. The two main tours you want to become acquainted with are the PGA and European tours. 

The PGA tour predominantly takes places in the USA, while the European tour, as its name might suggest, takes place mostly in Europe. In recent years though, more and more of the tournament has taken place outside of its home continent. 

The European tour traditionally takes place between January and November, while the PGA tour now operates between January and August.

Each tour is then wrapped up with a final series between the top players, the PGA holds the Fed Ex Cup, while the European tour hosts the Race to Dubai.

Outside of the majors, the sport’s best players will also compete in the four majors, which are often an excellent chance to make some money gambling on the sport. The four majors are The Open, The USPGA Championship, The US Open and The Masters, and these traditionally take place between the months of April and July. 

Tournament outrights: The most common type of bet placed on golfing is a tournament or cup outright. This is when you pick who you believe will win an entire tournament. 

These bets may often offer the best odds if you can pick an outsider but are unlikely to offer great odds on a favourite. 

Like with horse racing, each way betting on golf is incredibly common. 

An each way bet is effectively two separate bets placed on the same golfer. One of those bets is for him to win, the other is for him to place. 

What constitutes placement will depending on individual bookmakers terms and conditions, with some offering down to fourth place, while the more generous may offer down to sixth depending on how many players are in the tournament. That being said, the lower they are willing to offer with their placements can often mean less of a return as well. 

It is always worth noting that when placing an each-way bet, your stake will be doubled when you get to the checkout because you are actually placing two bets. 

While this can often be seen as a more conservative betting approach to golf, selecting whether or not you believe a certain player will finish in the top 10 or 20 in the final standings can often be a very shrewd move. 

Those with a more experienced eye for golf could benefit from this, and they may manage to be one step ahead of the bookies if they know what they are looking for. 

This type of bet focuses on the nationality of the players instead of the individual players themselves. For example, you could bet on the UK getting a certain amount of players in the top 10/20, instead of betting on a specific player to do so. 

This type of bet can often bring in some decent returns if there is a good range of players from one specific country playing. 

Special bets

 

Due to the popularity of golfing with customers, a lot of bookmakers will offer a range of proposition bets for the bigger events. There are also markets such as holes in one that could stand to make you some good cash if you have an eye for it. 

Most bookmakers will also offer enhanced odds and price boosts for the four majors, and a lot of companies will also have good sign-up bonuses specific for the sport. 

Cash-out options are now also incredibly common for most bookmakers and these can often be useful for golf when a player has had an unexpectedly strong start. 

Any bookmaker worth their salt is going to offer plenty of markets for golf, so it is just a case of finding the one who has the most in-depth markets and the best odds. 

It is also worth keeping an eye on which bookies get a little negligent and offer very long odds on their outsiders as finding the best odds on someone you fancy could make a considerable difference to your wallet.

If you are uncertain as to which bookmakers is the right one for you, be sure to check out our bookmakers reviews at the top of the page. You will also find useful tips on how to claim bonus bets from individual bookmakers.

When it comes to betting on golf, there are many factors that should be taken into account before you part ways with your hard earned cash. 

The form of the player, as it is with every sport, is obviously something you should be keeping a very close eye on. More specifically in golf as well, a player’s form on certain courses can also prove to be quite a telling statistic, with certain golfers excelling on certain courses and spluttering on others.

Another thing to keep in mind when it comes to golf is that it is not entirely uncommon for an outsider to win, and as such, putting a small amount of some outsiders alongside your more fancied bets may not prove to be too bad of an idea.