Golf Betting Guide

There are few sports in the world as ideal for betting as golf – the game that pits player against player and provides extensive golf odds over a four-day period. If you’re new to golf betting then you’re at the start of an epic journey through a season packed with major tournaments, breakaway leagues and plenty of personal drama.

Golf betting is all about timing. Over the course of a four-day tournament, punters have the flexibility and freedom to time their wagers to perfection. Leo Vegas aids this with live golf odds from tournaments throughout the year – from Open betting through to the Ryder Cup.

Whether you’re new to golf betting or need to spruce up on your knowledge, this guide will give you everything you need to know about betting on golf. You’ll learn how to read the odds, what golf bets are ideal for you, which tournaments to track and master a golf betting system.

Golf Bets

There are scores of different golf bets out there for punters – and it’s fair to say there’s a market for everyone. Golf betting boils down to two types of bet: in-play betting and outrights.

In-play betting is when you wager on specific events during the tournament. These markets fluctuate because the live golf odds rise and fall in response to events on the course. For example, you could bet on Rory McIlroy to win the BMW International at the start of the tournament, and by Sunday his odds will almost certainly have changed.

Types of live golf bets include:

Tournament winner – Place golf winners bets on every tournament as it unfolds, and take advantage of the rises and falls in the golf odds to maximise your potential returns.

Leader after each round – Bet each day on which player will lead the tournament at the end of said day

Hole-in-one – You can bet on hole-in-one during major golf tournaments

And then there are outright golf bets. These focus on future tournaments and provide bettors with a chance to place early wagers on the big upcoming events. For example, you could bet on Europe to win the Ryder Cup 12 months before the competition even begins!

Types of outright golf bets include:

Finishing position – You can bet on which position certain players will finish before the tournament has even started.

Leader after Round One – Bet early on who you think will lead the tournament after the first day of play Straight forecast – Bet on the first- and second-placed player in a tournament. This is an ideal bet for greatly boosting your odds, but both outcomes must win to ensure you win your bet!

Group winner – Leo Vegas pools the world’s top golfers into groups, so you can bet on who will be the best player in a tournament amongst a select number of stars

No matter what your choice, the process of placing an online golf bet is always the same. First, be sure to log into your Leo Vegas profile or sign up for an account today. Make sure your account is charged with funds and you’ve triggered any welcome bonuses. Then head over to the golf betting page in our sportsbook and explore the odds. Once you find a bet you want to back, click on the odds and enter your stake in the pop-up bet slip. From here, check your risk and potential reward, and when you’re happy click ‘Place Bet’ to complete the process.

Golf betting tips

Explain the best times to make certain bets

You’ll find plenty of golf betting tips on our Leo Vegas Twitter feed, and right here it’s time to take you through some strategy advice. One of the biggest mistakes punters make when betting on golf is they’re too quick to make decisions. If an underdog hits two birdies from their first two holes, that doesn’t mean they’re going to win the tournament! Sadly all too often a punter gets over-excited and places an early wager, only to regret it days later.

Here are a few other golf betting tips to consider:

Take your time – There is genuinely no rush when it comes to golf bets. You have four days to make a wager in some markets, and even the live odds don’t always require immediate attention. If you have the time to do more research before placing a bet, then do it!

Watch if you can– Being able to bet and watch golf online at the same time is the ideal way of maximising your chances of winning. Why? Because you make much smarter bet choices when you can see the play unfold. So, if you can watch online golf and bet at the same time, give it a go.

Monitor the outsiders – Many punters like to place a golf bet on the early favourites and sit back and enjoy the entire tournament. But they’re missing out on potential big gains by overlooking the outsiders. Usually a tournament will produce two or three against-the-odds outsiders who end up challenging for the title. If you have seen an underdog shooting well over the opening two rounds, perhaps it’s worth a little wager on big odds here.

Utilise Enhanced Offers – Leo Vegas provides Enhanced Offers on golf tournaments throughout the season. This can be bet boosts in the winner market, or even cover player specials. Keep an eye on which Enhanced Offers are available – both live and outright.

Consider each way bets – When you bet on golf, you can use each way option to split your bet in two. Half your stake is wagered on your pick winning the tournament, while the other half backs them to ‘place’ in the top five. Like in horse racing, the each-way bet acts as insurance if your pick narrowly misses out on victory.

Golf betting system

Experienced golf bettors usually deploy their own systems in order to follow tournaments and extract the best profit potential from their wagers. Of course, no system is foolproof but each punter can have their own unique template for how to bet on golf. Some will only stick with the winner market, while others rely solely on live golf betting to see them through tournaments.

Here are some systems used when placing golf bets:

Bet live, bet small– This is an ideal system for new players in the golf betting community. Betting live gives you the freedom to time your bets at a moment that suits you, and betting small means you won’t risk your budget in one go. In fact, small wagers are ideal for learning the intricacies of each bet type, and understanding which ones fit your personality.

Bet on the cut – Some punters totally ignore the golf winner odds and instead focus on the cut. This is ideal because you can bet on whether a player makes the two-day cut, or not. Some punters deploy a system of grouping big outsiders into one big accumulator bet, and wagering on all of them missing the cut. If it wins, the punter earns a much bigger payout due to the enhanced risk.

Bet against players – Likewise with betting on the cut, you can also bet against players succeeding in tournaments. For example, the Leo Vegas golf odds during majors offer you the chance to bet in a one-on-one stand-off between two players teeing off at the same time. If you think one player is destined for a miserable round, it’s worth backing their partner to win their head-to-head.

Back the Americans – If the odds on your chosen tournament allows you to bet on the nationality of the champion, it’s usually worth backing the Americans. There are around 29,000 men and women from the US on the PGA Tour. Of course, most will never play the biggest tournaments – but you can be sure the majority in each competition will be from the States.

Open golf betting

The Open is the oldest golf tournament in the world and it’s no wonder it attracts plenty of betting interest. Open golf betting usually focuses on the winner market, and the big favourites are usually in the mix come Sunday.

You can bet on numerous outcomes over the four days of the Open and even wager on individual player specials. What’s important to know about Open Championship betting, however, is that it’s a tournament where you need to do your research. For example, if the tournament is being played on a coasting links course, then many of the big-hitting American players could struggle. Likewise, a mammoth course usually favours the US sluggers.

Future Open Championships venues are:

2022 – Old Course at St Andrews, Scotland 2023 – Royal Liverpool, England 2024 – Royal Troon, Scotland 2025 – Royal Portrush, Northern Ireland

Best golfers to bet on

Naturally, when it comes to this sport most of us bet on the best golfers. That’s understandable, and while their odds are usually slim heading into tournaments, the very best are often in the running for top-10 finishes come Sunday.

The most popular golfers to bet on are Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas and Scottie Scheffler. What’s more, European stars like Ian Poulter, Leed Westwood and Sergio Garcia usually attract interest heading into major tournaments.

However, it’s not always advised to bet on the popular golfers. After all, golf odds react to the weight of bets on each option. For example, if 10,000 fans place a Tiger Woods bet to win the Masters, his odds will naturally fall. Likewise, if everyone ignores Rory McIlroy's bets for the US Open, his odds will rise.

It’s worth taking this into account when considering your bets. Is a popular player priced too short in comparison to their chances of winning? And has an in-form outsider been overlooked?

LIV Golf betting

The golfing world was ripped apart in 2022 with scores of players quitting the PGA Tour to join the Saudi-backed LIV Golf tour. This effectively means some of the world’s best golfers now won’t play in the world’s best tournaments, although they can still compete in the majors.

Here at Leo Vegas, you can bet on LIV Golf tournaments, although the varying rules from the PGA Tour means betting markets might be slightly different. There is also an issue of quality within the LIV Golf fraternity. Players like Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka may be at the top of the game, but the standard very swiftly drops. We could end up with a situation where the big dogs win every tournament.

Ryder Cup betting

The LIV Golf players will also be ineligible for the Ryder Cup – and that could severely harm Team USA’s chances of winning the trophy.

The Ryder Cup pits Team Europe vs Team USA against each other over three days of scintillating action. It’s effectively the World Cup and Super Bowl of golf wrapped up into one. Betting on Ryder Cup odds is much more expansive than in other tournaments because there are numerous match-ups and outcomes to wager on.

Additional bets include: fourballs, foursomes, singles matches, head-to-heads, correct score betting, winning margin and, of course, winning team.

Golf Betting FAQs

How does golf each way betting work

You can bet on each way golf odds here at Leo Vegas. Each way golf bets work similarly to horse racing. Simply click on the E/W box in the bet slip and your wager will be split into two: half on your pick to win, and half on them to finish in the top five. Some each way bets might even stretch to the top 10.

How to bet on golf online

You can bet on golf online at Leo Vegas by signing up to our community today. Access thousands of golf odds each year and back the players you follow the most. To bet, simply open and charge your account, click on the odds you want to back and enter your stake in the bet slip. Check your risk and potential profits, and then hit ‘Place Bet’.

Can I bet on the Open golf?

Yes! You can bet on Open golf markets throughout the tournament with Leo Vegas. We offer extensive Open betting odds on a wide range of outcomes, including tournament winner, top 10 place, head-to-heads, leaderboard betting, holes in one and whether players will make the cut.

Can I bet on hole-in-one?

Yes – you can bet on hole-in-one during multiple golf tournaments across the season. Usually, the betting odds for golf are set quite high, unless there are numerous par 3 holes on the course.

What is the best bet in golf?

The best bet in golf is one that suits your personality type. For many, this will be backing their favourite player to win one of the four majors. For others, the best bet is to go for a long-shot outsider. What’s important is that you have fun when betting on golf, and stick to a budget.

What is the cut in golf?

The cut in golf refers to the halfway point of a tournament, where half of the players will be ‘cut’ from the competition. Any players who have a score above a certain line will be deemed to have ‘missed the cut’. You can bet on the cut with Leo Vegas across numerous tournaments.

What are the Ryder Cup odds?

The current Ryder Cup odds favour Team USA despite the next Ryder Cup being held in Europe in 2023. Check back at Leo Vegas for the latest Ryder Cup betting odds at any time.

What are the odds of getting a hole-in-one in golf?

The odds of getting a hole-in-one in golf differ depending on the player and the tournament. For us mere mortals, the odds are astronomical. But for the pros, they can expect perhaps one or two holes in one in an entire career. An individual player can be priced at around 50/1 to land a hole in one during a major, while the odds of anyone getting a hole in one float around 2/1.