How to Bet on Golf
How to Bet on Golf – Online Golf Betting Guide, Odds & Lines
Golf is a super popular sport with exciting events throughout the year, including the PGA and LIV Tours. The likes of John Rahm and Scottie Scheffler tend to be there or thereabouts at the business end of every major tournament, and there are so many ways to bet on the US Open, British Open, PGA Championship, and the Masters.
So, learn how to bet on golf at Stake Sportsbook and discover the various golf betting markets, odds, and opportunities you have as you pick your winners.
Golf Rules & Gameplay
Golf might seem like a complicated game from the outside looking in, but it’s easy to grasp when you understand the basics. Every round of golf is played over 18 holes, and each has a par rating, indicating how many shots a player should take to get the ball into the hole.
So, if a hole is a par 4, the player should try to take four shots or fewer. It is known as a par if they score four on that hole. If they score three, it’s a birdie; if they score a five, it’s a bogey. In stroke play golf (the common format of most professional competitions), a player’s score on every hole is added up to give them a final round score. So, for example, if the par of the course is 70 and a player shoots 68, they finish the round two under par.
In professional golf tournaments, each player typically plays four rounds of 18 holes, totalling 72. So, if a golfer shoots 68-68-68-68, they would finish the tournament eight under par. At the end of the tournament’s final round, the player with the lowest total score wins.
However, bear in mind that there is a cut line in most tournaments, which comes into play at the end of the second round. If a player’s score is too high and above the cut line, they will be eliminated from the tournament and miss out on the final two days of play. This, in a nutshell, is how professional golf tournaments work.
History of Golf
Golf is one of the oldest sports still played today and was first played in Scotland in the 1500s. The game was played on the rugged east coast and wasn’t initially played on purpose-built courses, with players heading to the wild dunes and unkept terrain to play against the elements.
However, by 1754, the St Andrews Society of Golfers was formed, and formal rules were established. By 1764, the world’s first golf course was constructed at St Andrews, known ever since simply as “the home of golf”. In 1834, King William IV honoured the club with the title “Royal and Ancient”, and St Andrews now attracts players from around the world who wish to play at the game’s birthplace.
The first golf club formed outside of Scotland was at Blackheath in London, and with colonial interests, the game spread to different parts of the world. The first non-UK golf club was established in Bangalore, India, and the game then spread to Australia, New York, and Hong Kong.
Today, most of the world’s golf courses are located in the USA (more than 16,000), while Japan and Canada also have a high concentration of courses. Golf is now a truly global game millions of people enjoy every week.
Major Golf Tournaments, Tours & Events
There are four major championships and tournaments in golf – the Masters, the PGA Championship, the US Open, and the British Open (or simply, the Open Championship). These are the most highly coveted prizes in golf, and many players believe that they need to win a major to cement their place in history.
Regarding tours, the best players in the world compete on the PGA Tour or the LIV Golf Tour. The PGA Tour is played in the United States, while the LIV Tour is Saudi-backed and played on different courses around the world. The two tours announced a controversial merger recently, and a change of format is expected in the coming season.
Other tours include LPGA Tour (women's version of PGA), European Tour (DP World Tour) & Challenge Tour, as well as the Korn Ferry Tour, the Japan Golf Tour, and the Sunshine Tour (South Africa). Due to the various tours, professional golf tours run throughout the season and are available to bet on at Stake.
The FedEx Cup is the end-of-season bonus event of the PGA Tour and offers mouth-watering prizes of $75 million to the best golfers ($18 million to first).
Best Professional Golfers
At the time of writing, American golfer Scottie Scheffler is the best golfer in the world, and he has enjoyed an incredible rise in his relatively short career, with his 2022 Masters win at Augusta National the main highlight of his play so far.
Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy is the second-best player at the time of writing, followed by Spaniard John Rahm, American Patrick Cantlay, and Victor Hovland of Norway, making up the top five. Brian Harman entered the top ten with his British Open win at Royal Liverpool.
Tiger Woods is the greatest golfer of this generation, though the legendary American is coming to the end of his career. His 15 majors put him second in the all-time rankings to Jack Nicklaus, who won eighteen majors during his illustrious career.
How Do You Bet on Golf Online?
Betting on golf online is easy at Stake's online sportsbook. First, you need to create an account and deposit cryptocurrency or your local currency to fund your bets. You should then research ahead of the tournament you wish to bet on before making your selections after considering the available odds.
Types of Golf Bets & Golf Betting Markets
There are a variety of bet types when it comes to betting on golf. The easiest and most common type of bet is to pick the outright winner of a tournament, which is true of men’s and women’s tournaments. Browse the field and consider the odds offered to decide which players to back, and then place your bets using a head-to-head/matchup bet. Learn more about this popular market in our outright betting guide .
Prop bets are another popular golf bet which let's you bet on things like how many birdies or bogeys a player will card and whether you think a player will finish over/under par. You can also place head-to-head bets in golf, which is a great way to bet on one player to finish higher than another.
Other popular online sports betting options include spread bets , parlay bets , and multi-bets , which are great options for improving the value of your odds.
Live Golf Betting - How to Live Stream Golf & Place In-Play Bets
At Stake.com, you can live stream various sports via our platform, including some of the biggest golf tournaments and events throughout the season. Simply log in to your account and check for the upcoming golf events that are available to stream.
As you sit back and watch the action unfold, you can place a host of live golf bets , which enables you to predict various outcomes in real-time. You can bet on things like how a player will score on the next hole, as well as whether you think there will be a hole in one.
If you’re new to this format, read up on the differences between pre-match and live betting before making your selections.
Golf Betting Strategies & Tips to Win
Whether you're placing wagers on an individual player in a game of an upcoming golf season, or you're betting on an entire tournament winner, here are some handy golf betting tips to help you make selections throughout the season:
Always do your research and consider how a player is performing before a tournament. Form plays a huge role in the outcome of golf tournaments, so don’t just pick a big name without doing the research first.
Consider the conditions during a golf tournament, as these will influence the outcome. Wind, rain, and whether the course is a links course will have a big say in who wins.
Refer to our sports betting guide for more tips and information before making your golf bets this season.
Please remember to gamble responsibly when betting on golf. You can refer to our Stake Smart guidelines for some responsible gambling tips.
Golf Betting Odds & Payouts Explained
Golf odds are just like other sporting odds. Ahead of any tournament, the favourite will have the shortest odds, while the rest of the field will have longer odds. The longer the odds, the less likely the player is to win. You can adjust your Stake.com settings to show odds as fractions, decimals or the American format.
As a leading online sportsbook, we process all withdrawals instantly, providing you with quick access to any payouts. Alternatively, you can keep your golf winnings in your account to fund future golf bets – it’s entirely up to you.
Deposit & Withdrawal Methods for Golf Betting
Effortlessly deposit funds into your account to bet on golf and other sports by following these simple steps:
Step 1 – Retrieve your deposit address, located in Wallet > Deposit.
Step 2 – Choose the method that suits your needs. Stake.com supports multiple currencies , including Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Dogecoin (Doge), Litecoin (LTC), and others.
Step 3 – Use your deposit address as the ‘send to’ location for your crypto wallet or exchange.
Step 4 (Optional) – If you wish to make a deposit via fiat currency , you can deposit via the available payment methods , or buy crypto for Stake via Moonpay.
Stake.com offers live support to players via our customer support staff for help with issues regarding golf betting and depositing and withdrawing units .
Moonpay supports multiple payment options, including Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and others, to buy cryptocurrency to bet on golf. For a full list of supported payment options, please refer to the Moonpay documentation .
You can also read up on the Stake.com Vault to learn how to safely secure your crypto or fiat currency online.
Why Should You Bet on Golf at Stake
Stake.com is the home of sports betting, and we offer great value golf odds and a range of betting markets, making us your go-to golf betting site. You can also benefit from our current promotions and bet bonuses to boost your bankroll before placing sports bets.
What’s more, we offer excellent exclusive rewards to Stake VIPs , offering further incentives to bet on golf.
