Golf is one of the most popular sports in the world for betting because it offers up so much choice and more opportunities to get a long-shot winner than any other type of event that people wager on.
Not only can you back a player to win a tournament, but for a better chance of a payout, you can pick them to finish in the top 5, 10 or 20. Bettors can also bet on matchups, and props such as a hole in one or the top Canadian.
With such diverse betting options, it is important as a punter that you are wagering with bookmakers that provide you with the most variety and value. Particularly around major tournaments, you will find that many sportsbooks in Canada offer extra places, enhanced odds or free bets.
Backing a winner
The most straightforward way to bet on golf is to pick a player to win a certain event. An appealing aspect of outright winner betting is that the vast majority of golfers will be a big price to win.Â
Looking ahead to the 2020 US Masters, the favourite and world number one, Rory McIlroy, is a +900 shot to win his fifth major. Tiger Woods, who received the green jacket in stunning fashion in 2019 and has triumphed five times in Augusta, is as big as +1100 with some sportsbooks.
Going deeper into the field, there are some big names in the golfing world that are a massive price. Bubba Watson is a tempter at +3500, while 2017 winner Sergio Garcia is sure to catch the eye of some at +8000.
Backing a player, or a selection of players, to win a tournament can be a low-risk and potentially high-reward way of betting on golf. Before locking in your bet, you should bring up the outright market on a number of sites, and compare the odds as there could be a big disparity.
Place bets & Extra Place offers
When bettors pick a player to win an event, some will choose to back them each-way, meaning they receive a payout if they finish in the top 5, 6, or whatever the bookmaker decides as a cutoff.
This is where it is very important to shop around and find the best betting site for the each-way bet you want to place. The more places that are paid out, the more chance you have of collecting winnings. If you can find a bookmaker that is paying 8 or even 10 places on an event, that is generally a good thing.
You should also consider the odds that are paid out for the place finish. Usually, it is 1/4 or 1/5 of the winning odds, so you should weigh up all of these elements before confirming your wager. It is normal to spread your bets on a tournament across multiple betting sites, as you look for the best value on each player.
Extra place promotions are one of a host of different ways that bookmakers can get punters’ attention, while a sign up offer or welcome bonus could also appeal.
The best sportsbooks in Canada will also present the option of simply backing a player to finish in the top 5, 10 or 20, without the need to pick them to win. You can get short odds on these types of bet for top players, but those enticing big odds are still available on the outsiders.
Head-to-head matchups and props
Another fun way to bet on golf events is to pit two players against each other and back one of them to have a better tournament than the other. With a lot of research into form and which players fit the course better, you can put your golf knowledge into use here.
Matchups set by sportsbooks usually see two golfers with similar outright odds put together so that each has an almost equal chance of winning the head-to-head.
A number of other prop bets will be listed by the bookies, and here they have pretty much free rein to offer whatever they want. A common category is the best player from a certain country. Others include a player to have a bogey-free round, an albatross, or a wire to wire winner.
Specials such as Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy to both finish top five, or one of them to win the event, or both to not make the cut, may also be put together. Some sportsbooks even take bets on props that have been requested on social media, giving the punter full control over their wagers.
If you take the time and compare odds across all the sportsbooks, you may find some value in these bets. With so many props listed, there is always a chance that something is priced a bit too generously.
