Golf is the only sport on this site where you bet against a field of a hundred and fifty other players. Winners at 40.00 and 80.00 are normal, favourites lose almost every week, and a good year can come down to two or three results.
That shape has two consequences. The outright market carries the biggest margin you will meet anywhere in sports betting, and the smaller markets around it, the three balls, the finishing positions and the matchups, are priced far more tightly. Knowing which is which is most of the job.
This guide covers the golf markets worth betting, how each way and dead heat rules really work, what course fit and the draw are worth, and where the soft prices are. Amounts are in euros.
Reviewed byFred Anderson
Hot Casino
Rated 95 of 100%
welcome bonus
243% up to €5,555 + 243 FS
Crypto Casino
Rated 94 of 100%
welcome bonus
150% up to €4,000 + 400 FS
Rated 94 of 100%
welcome bonus
300% up to €3,000 + 300 FS
Rated 93 of 100%
welcome bonus
100% up to €100 + 100 FS
Rated 93 of 100%
welcome bonus
300% up to €3,000 + 300 FS
Rated 93 of 100%
welcome bonus
350% up to €15,000 + 350 FS
Rated 91 of 100%
welcome bonus
305% up to €1,200
Crypto Casino
Rated 91 of 100%
welcome bonus
100% up to €500 + 50 FS
Exclusive Bonus
Rated 91 of 100%
welcome bonus
150% up to 50,000 USDT + 300 FS
Crypto Casino
Rated 90 of 100%
welcome bonus
200% up to €100 + 150 FS
Rated 90 of 100%
welcome bonus
NO KYC REQUIRED
Crypto Casino
Rated 89 of 100%
welcome bonus
100% up to €100,000
Every sportsbook prices the majors. The difference between a good golf betting site and the rest is in the terms.
A field of a hundred and fifty, four rounds over four days, and no way to defend a lead except by playing well.
Add up the implied chances of every player in the field and you will often land between 125 and 140 percent. A football match sits around 105. That gap is the price of betting into a field, and it is why blind outright punting is the most expensive habit in golf.
Even the best player in the world wins a handful of times a season. Backing one player to win any given week means accepting a low strike rate and long droughts, so stakes need to be small enough to survive a bad month.
After 36 holes the field is cut, usually to the top 65 and ties, and everyone else goes home without a cheque. That creates its own markets, and it means a Thursday bet on a player who misses the cut is dead by Friday evening.
The outright gets the attention. The value usually sits in the markets underneath it.
| Market | What you are betting on | Typical margin |
|---|---|---|
| Outright winner | One player to win the tournament | 25 to 40% across the field |
| Each way | Win and place in one bet, at the site place terms | Same market, softer outcome |
| Top 5, 10 or 20 finish | A player finishes inside that bracket | 12 to 20% |
| To make or miss the cut | Whether a player plays the weekend | 6 to 10% |
| Three balls | Lowest score of three players in one round | 4 to 7% |
| Two balls | Lowest score of two players in one round | 4 to 6% |
| First round leader | The outright leader after 18 holes | 30% and up |
| Tournament matchups | One named player against another over the week | 4 to 8% |
Two or three players, one round, low margin. If you have a genuine opinion about who is playing well, this is the cheapest way to express it, and the results arrive the same day rather than four days later.
A top 10 or top 20 bet turns a good week into a winning bet instead of needing a perfect one. The margin is far lower than backing the win alone, which is why many regular golf bettors live in these markets.
Most golf betting is each way. Your stake is split into two equal bets, one on the win and one on the player finishing in the places.
| Terms | What it means | When you see it |
|---|---|---|
| 1/5 odds, 5 places | Place part paid at a fifth of the win odds for a top 5 finish | The normal terms on most tournaments |
| 1/4 odds, 5 places | A better fraction for the same five places | Offered by some sites as a standing feature |
| Extra places, 6 to 10 | Place part paid further down the leaderboard | Promotions on majors and big events |
| 1/5 odds, 4 places | Fewer places | Small fields and limited field events |
Say you back a player each way at 34.00 with terms of a fifth of the odds and five places, 10 EUR each way, so 20 EUR in total. The place part is paid at 7.60, which is a fifth of 33 plus your stake back. A win returns 340 EUR plus 76 EUR. A fifth place finish returns 76 EUR from a 20 EUR outlay.
Golf produces ties constantly. If two players tie for fifth place and only five places are paid, there is one place for two players, so your place stake is halved and paid at the full place odds. In the example above that turns 76 EUR into 38 EUR. Nothing has gone wrong, that is the rule, and it is why extra place promotions are worth more than they look.
Two things move golf prices that barely exist in other sports. Where the tournament is played, and when a player tees off.
Half the field plays in the morning and half in the afternoon, then they swap. When a front comes through, one half can play in calm sunshine and the other in wind and rain. That advantage is often worth several shots, and it is the single most underrated factor in week to week golf betting. Check the forecast against the tee times before you bet, not after.
The four majors are the Masters in April, the PGA Championship in May, the US Open in June and the Open Championship in July. They are the weeks with the strongest fields, the most public money, and the best place term promotions.
The top of the outright market is efficient. Everything else is a question of how much attention the event gets.
Outright prices on the biggest names in a major, and first round leader markets, which carry a margin of thirty percent or more across the field.
In play markets update between holes and after each round. They can be useful when you are watching and the leaderboard has not caught up with the weather, but the margins are wide and the feeds are slow. Treat it as a small part of the week, not the main event.
Outright prices look generous until you add the whole field up. Our betting calculators convert them to implied probability so you can see how much the book is holding across the market.
Golf punishes a few habits harder than other sports, mostly because of the margins.
The one with the best place terms for the events you bet, clear dead heat rules and proper three ball and finishing position markets. Every site in our list above is licensed, checked on those points and accepts EUR.
Your stake is split in two, half on the win and half on the place. Standard terms are a fifth of the odds for the top five finishers, and many sites add extra places on big tournaments.
It is when players tie for a paid position. If two players tie for the last paid place, your place stake is halved and paid at the full place odds. It is a normal outcome in golf, not an error.
Usually, yes. A three ball carries a margin of a few percent, while an outright market can be thirty percent or more across the field. You also get the result the same day.
For outrights, most sites keep the bet if the player has teed off and void it if he never started. Round by round markets such as three balls usually void if any player in the group does not play. Rules vary, so check before betting.
Yes. Every site in our list accepts deposits and withdrawals in EUR, and all examples in this guide are in euros.
Tightest priced sport on the board, 1X2 and Asian handicaps
Reprices every point, the most volatile live market there is
Point spreads and totals across the NBA and EuroLeague
Puck line and moneyline markets in the NHL and SHL
Each way terms, starting price and best odds guaranteed
Spreads, totals and player props through the NFL season
Run line and totals across the long MLB schedule
Set handicaps and total points in a fast scoring sport
Handicaps and try scorer markets in union and league
Fight winner, method and round markets on big fight nights
Method of victory and round betting across the UFC calendar
You are here
180s, checkouts and match handicaps in the PDC season
Frame handicaps and century breaks at ranking events
Elections and political markets, priced on polling and news rather than form.
The Author
The Author
Site Admin
