Golf Betting
Golf betting has expanded massively over the past few years with the advent of an ever expanding range of Online Betting sites and the increased amount of television coverage of many of the major events. As well as this, golf is an immensely popular participation sport in a large number of countries and this has also played no small part in advancing the popularity of betting on golf. Playing the game helps a lot when judging which players are currently on top of their game and which have hit the doldrums.
- Tiger back to winning waysMonday 5th December 2011
- Australians take golf World Cup leadThursday 24th November 2011
- Donald tops US money listMonday 24th October 2011
- Donald aims to make historyThursday 20th October 2011
- Open returns to St Andrews for 2015Tuesday 11th October 2011
Tiger Woods’ very public dressing down and subsequent drop in form have threw golf betting markets wide open once again after a prolonged period of domination for the American. Now punters have an opportunity to bet on an exciting new crop of British golfers emerging from the established ranks, who've provided even more incentive for online betting fans to follow their favourite sport with a little guidance from the internet bookies.
Rory McIlroy now appears to have picked up Tiger's mantle and his US Open 2011 victory has had many suggesting that the Northern Irishman could go on to dominate golf betting in the coming years. Much in the same way that Woods did for such a long period.
But McIlroy will find it much harder to dominate than the 14-time major winner ever did. The standard of golf has risen considerably over the past few years - largely thanks to Woods raising the bar - and a period of dominance is far less likely with the likes of Luke Donald, Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer, Graeme McDowell, Paul Casey and Ian Poulter all challenging for major honours.
Not since the glory days of Nick Faldo, Ian Woosnam, Sandy Lyle and Colin Montgomery championing the British golfing cause around the globe (and especially in America's own back yard) back in the early 1990s have golf fans been this immersed and ultimately enthralled in the game both home and away. Which is of course manna from sports betting heaven for the myriad of online golf betting bookmakers who research, compile and offer all the very latest golf odds, prices and markets for their customers on a weekly basis; especially so ahead of golf's four major tournaments each year, The US Masters, The US Open, The British Open and the USPGA Championship.
Golf Betting Markets
Betting on the golf is, in many ways, similar to Horse Racing Betting. The main betting market consists of numerous runners – as oppose to, say, football where there are only three runners – while each-way betting is also popular with in both sports.
Where there is a strong betting favourite – a phenomenon that was more common in Tiger Woods’ era of dominance – bookmaker swill also offer ‘betting-without’ markets, where punters can bet on the winner of a tournament without the strong favourite.
Other popular golf betting markets are the three-ball and two-ball markets, where punters can bet on which player within their two- or three-ball pairings will come out on top. Match bet markets, if you like.
There are also many golf betting specials markets. These offer betting on things like whether there will be a hole-in-one, how many birdies (or bogeys) a particular player will make in their round, what the winning score will be for any particular tournament, whether there will be a play-off, and many other eventualities.
Spread betting is another option. A bookie will predict the outcome for a particular player and you can then bet that the player will do better or worse than that. The difference between the bookies prediction and the outcome is multiplied by your stake and you win or lose that amount. Study this type of betting closely though because it’s not for the faint-hearted.
The major tournaments for Golf Betting Fans
The four golf majors, The Masters, The US Open Golf Betting, The The Open Championship (British Open) and the USPGA Championship are very popular Sports Betting events. They always draw the top golfers and many bettors watch and punt on these events, not just golf betting fans.
The Ryder Cup is one of the most exciting events in the world and attracts huge betting interest. This is a tournament which comes every two years and sees the best of European golfers compete with the cream of the Americans. It’s hugely competitive and usually goes down to the wire on the third day almost always leading to a nerve racking and exciting climax. This year’s event is at Celtic Manor in Wales and promises to be a tournament to remember with the Americans attempting to retain the trophy that they recpatured in Kentucky in 2008.
Golf Betting - Tournaments and Events Summary
Online bookmakers offer betting markets for all major golf tournaments, including the following:
Golf Betting Free Bets
If you are planning to place an online golf bet, note that many sportsbook sites offer Free Bets to be used on a sport of your choice when you sign up for an online account with them. Here at freebettingonline.co.uk we've collated all the best free bet offers and presented them to you on our home pages. Almost all of the bookmaker promotions are available for golf betting and you can read comprehensive and independent reviews of every bookmaker that we promotoe on our dedicated pages.