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    LowPlays Golf Betting Guide

    If you thought golf was frustrating to play, wait until you start betting on it! This sport was invented back in the 1400s in Scotland and is incredibly popular in the US with over 10 million tuning in to watch the Masters.

    Golf has long been considered an elite sport and golfers are some of the richest athletes on the planet. Tiger Woods has earned over $150 million from tournaments alone and is one of the few athletes to reach billionaire status.

    Thanks to golf betting, you can now break off a piece of those massive tournament prize pools and celebrate alongside your favorite golfers. Join me as we explore the world of golf betting and get your knowledge under par!

    Betting on Golf

    The most common way to bet on golf is to predict a player to win a tournament. For example, betting on Scottie Scheffler to win the PGA Championship. However, this is no easy feat, as tournaments regularly feature 100+ golfers.

    Also, golf is a very mysterious game where great players can suddenly get the yips and never win a tournament again. Due to the sheer amount of players teeing off, golf offers odds that you can only dream of finding in football or basketball. It’s not uncommon for favorites to pay out +800 or more, and if you’ve got the courage to back an underdog, the sky’s the limit.

    In golf betting, your winnings are calculated based on your stake and the odds offered by the sportsbook. For example, a $100 on Tiger Woods to win the Masters in 2019 would’ve pocketed you $1,400.

    Keep reading to find out which golf betting sites I use, all of the different bet types and even some strategy tips to help you pick a winner!

    Recommended Golf Betting Sites

    My go-to golf betting sites are:

    • DraftKings
    • FanDuel
    • BetMGM

    All these sportsbooks offer live betting for all Majors, PGA, and LIV tournaments. You’ll find great odds for outright winner, head-to-head, parlays, round totals, and props.

    DraftKings – Best Golf Odds

    DraftKings has the best selection of golf prop bets and tends to offer the highest overall odds. After line shopping and bouncing between different sportsbooks, I typically end up betting at DraftKings.

    This golf betting site also has one of the top-rated apps loaded with features like live streams, early cashouts and live chat customer support.

    DraftKings is also generous when it comes to bonus bets and has a great 20% welcome offer up to $1,000 when you deposit just $5.

    Get Bonus

    FanDuel – Best Live Golf Betting Markets

    FanDuel is the market leader when it comes to live golf betting. They offer great live markets like longest drive, number of birdies, hole results, and closest-to-the-pin. It’s great fun betting with your buddies on which player will hit the biggest driver, and suddenly, even the most boring tournament becomes a must-watch TV.

    If you’re a golf bettor on a budget, FanDuel is a great option. You can deposit as little as $5, and they’ll accept bets as low as $0.09. FanDuel is also great when it comes to payouts. If you cash out via PayPal, your winnings will show up in under 24 hours.

    This sportsbook is constantly running promotions, and you can get boosted odds for golf bets. Also, don’t forget to sign up and claim your $1,000 No Sweat First Bet promo, where FanDuel will fully refund your first golf bet if it loses!

    Get Bonus

    BetMGM – Best Rewards Program For Golf Bettors

    BetMGM will take care of you thanks to their very generous rewards program. Every time you bet on golf, you’ll earn points, which you can use to get free hotel rooms and meals at MGM properties. You can even use the points to go shopping and see the latest shows.

    At BetMGM, you can live stream golf tournaments from across the globe and take advantage of the best parlay odds of any sportsbook. They also have an innovative Edit Bet feature, which allows you to alter your parlays while the golf tournament is being played.

    Another area where BetMGM shines is daily odds boosts, which add extra profit to your golf bets for free. When you create an account at BetMGM now, you’ll get up to $1,500 in bonus bets if your first golf bet loses!

    Get Bonus

    Types of Golf Bets

    Golf may not have as many markets as some sports, but there are still lots of ways to bet on it. Here are the most popular golf bet types:

    Outright Winner

    With an outright winner bet, you are predicting which golfer will win the tournament. For example, you bet $50 on Brian Harman to win the British Open.

    Nationality

    These are different bets related to a golfer’s nationality. For example, you could bet on an American to win the Masters or Scottie Scheffler to be the highest-placing American at the PGA Championship.

    First Round Leader

    The standard professional golf tournament is played over four days and features four rounds. With this bet, you don’t care who ends up winning the tournament; as long as your golfer leads the field after the first round, you win.

    Round Totals

    With round totals, the sportsbook will predict how much they think a golfer will score in a particular round, say Bryson DeChambeau to shoot 68.5 in the first round. You then need to take the over or under. If you bet on the under and DeChambeau scores 68 or less, you win.

    Head-to-Head

    Trying to pick a single player to win a golf tournament is tricky stuff. Sportsbooks have simplified the process by offering head-to-head betting. How it works is the sportsbook chooses two golfers and then you need to predict which one will finish higher. For example, Brooks Koepka vs Rory McIlroy. There are different matchups to choose from, including rivals, compatriots, and golfers who are playing the tournament in pairs.

    Prop Bets

    Sportsbooks are constantly coming up with new and exciting ways to bet on golf. With props, you can wager on different aspects of a tournament, like whether or not there will be a hole-in-one, if a player will make the cut, or what a player will score on a particular hole.

    Golf Parlays

    A parlay isn’t a specific type of golf bet type but refers to when you combine multiple golf wagers into the same betting slip. You only win if all of your selections are correct. You might bet $100 on Scottie Scheffler to win the Masters and Thomas Detry to be the first-round leader.

    Live Betting

    Due to advances in technology, sportsbooks keep taking bets even while the tournament is running. The odds are constantly updating after every birdie and bogie. Virtually all markets are open, allowing you to watch the players in action before backing a winner.

    Golf Betting Tips

    Golf is a fickle mistress. Just after you’ve hit that perfect 250+ yard drive straight down the fairway, you find yourself hooking every shot. Betting can be the same with the elation of picking a winner, only then to deal with a seemingly never-ending losing streak. To bring some consistency to your golf betting game, follow these tips:

    • Watch the first round, then bet – Thanks to live betting, you can tune into the tournament and see who is swinging the club well before you place your bet. Watch the entire first round, then wager on the player who is hitting fairways and sinking puts consistently.
    • Hedging is your friend – Betting on just a single golfer to win a tournament is a rookie mistake. Increase your odds of winning by picking three or four players. I like selecting one or two favorites, two underdogs, and a Hail Mary no-hoper!
    • Check who’s in form – Golf is all about confidence. Players who are in form often continue that streak. Look for players who are slowly getting better and better but haven’t won a major tournament yet and are hungry for a big win.
    • Bet against Rory McIlroy at the Masters – McIlroy is one of the best players ever, but he has a history of struggling at the Masters. I always take his opponent in head-to-head matchups.
    • Use statistics – The most important stats to track when it comes to predicting golf tournament winners are SG/approach the green, SG/off-the-tee, SG/around the green, SG/total, SG/tee-to-green, and SG/off-the-tee

    Complete History of Golf

    The game of golf was invented by the Scots in the 1400s, and the modern rules were created in 1744. However, the game is actually much older and is based on a Dutch game called Kolf, where you hit a ball using a stick and try to get as close to a stick as possible. The person who gets the closest in the fewest number of shots wins.

    Scottish traders brought the game back to Scotland after playing it in the Netherlands. They then adapted the Dutch game and made it exclusively an outdoor sport played in open fields and coastal sandy grasslands. The Dutch, on the other hand, played Kolf anywhere, which led to many broken windows and fines from the local authorities.

    Mary, Queen of Scots, was a keen player in the 1500s. She shocked Scottish society by playing at Seton Palace when she should’ve been mourning her late husband, Lord Darnley, who had been murdered.

    Golf exploded in popularity in the late 1800s as it spread around the British empire and took off in America. In England, there were only 50 courses in 1887, but that shot up to 1,000 by 1914. The first British Open was held in 1860 and is now considered one of the four Majors and boasts a $16,500,000 prize pool.

    Professional golf only emerged in the 1930s, where players could earn significant sums from tournament prize pools. Previously, pros would have to earn a living as greenskeepers, coaches, or caddies. Golf has continued to grow, and thanks to major advertising and television deals, players can now become instant millionaires by winning a single tournament. Scottie Scheffler scooped $3.5 million for winning the 2024 Masters.

    Some people think golf is an acronym standing for all sorts of things, including gentlemen-only ladies forbidden. However, the name actually comes from the Dutch word Kolf, which means club.

    Major Golf Tournaments

    Golf is similar to tennis, where there is a tour with lots of regular tournaments dotted around the world, and then there are Majors. In golf, there are four Majors: the Masters, the U.S. Open, the Open Championship, and the PGA Championship, which are held yearly.

    The Open Championship, also known as the British Open, is held in St Andrews, the home of golf and similar to Wimbledon in terms of history and prestige. However, if a golfer could only win one tournament in their career, they would pick the Masters, held at a stunning course in Augusta, Georgia. This is the most coveted tournament in the world, and the winners receive a green jacket and an honorary member of ANGC.

    Despite not being quite as prestigious as the British Open or the Masters, the richest tournament in golf is the PGA Championship. In 2024, the PGA Championship had a $25 million prize pool, and the winner, Xander Schauffele, walked away with a $4.5 million payday!

    Current Best Golfers

    A lot has changed in the golfing world since Tiger Woods was dominating in the early 2000s. Woods is still out there swinging a club but is ranked a lowly 800. The best player in the world is Scottie Scheffler who is in his prime at 27 and has already won the Masters two times (2022 and 2024).

    The second best golfer on the planet is Xander Schauffele. The American won the 2024 PGA Championship and has his eyes set on the Masters after coming second in 2019.

    Rounding out the top three is the living legend Rory McIlroy. Despite still being only 35, it feels like the Northern Irishman has been around forever. He has won an incredible 40 professional tournaments and all Majors except the elusive Masters. He came heartbreakingly close in 2022, finishing second.

    Golf Betting News

    Golf Betting FAQs

    How does betting work in golf?

    In golf betting, you either need to predict a player to win a tournament, for example, Jon Rahm to win the Masters, or correctly guess something to happen in the event, like Rory McIlroy being the leader after the first round.

    How do you make a golf bet?

    To make a golf bet, you first need to register at an online sportsbook and make a deposit. Then select a golf tournament, bet type, golfer, enter your stake, and confirm your bet. For example, you bet $100 on Viktor Hovland to win the PGA Championship.

    What kind of bets can you make on golf?

    The most common kinds of bets you can make on golf are:

    • Outright Winner
    • Nationality
    • First Round Leader
    • Round Totals
    • Head-to-Head
    • Prop Wagers
    • Parlays

    Is golf hard to bet on?

    Golf is hard to bet on due to tournaments featuring 100+ players. However, head-to-head betting and over/under round total wagers are much easier to win.

    Are golfers allowed to bet?

    PGA golfers are strictly prohibited from betting even if they bet on themselves to win. Players risk getting banned from the tour if they are caught.