How to Bet on Golf

Betting on Golf and the PGA Tour has never been simpler! Whether you want to wager on Tiger Woods, Dustin Johnson or a dog to win it all, Dimers.com is here to show you how win by betting on golf.

So, let’s break down the best options when it comes to betting on golf.

1. Golf Futures Bets

Futures bets are exactly what they sound like. You are wagering on an often far away event. 

In golf however, this is the most popular bet. Usually before a major event like the US Open, bettors will lay down capital on their favorite to win it all. 

You can be on events months down the line, but with golf, future bets are often in the immediate future too. 

The most popular golf futures bets are:

  • Golfer to win a particular tournament
  • How many majors a player will win in calendar year

Example:

Tiger Woods to win the US Open is +800.

This is simply telling us you will make $800 if betting $100. If you were to bet $10, you would have a payout of $80.

The only downside to futures bets in golf predictions, is that they can take weeks or even months to occur. However, as we mentioned, in golf it can take just days!

MORE: How do golf odds work?

2. Golf Matchup Bets

This is golf’s version of the moneyline bet. Essentially you are picking one golfer to have a better score in a round, or across the whole tournament. 

Quite often you won’t be able to choose the two golfers to pick from and they’ll usually involve competitors of similar levels. It isn’t uncommon to see the lines sitting around the 110 mark. 

Although given golfers also tee off in threesomes, it isn’t uncommon to see the best sportsbooks allowing you to pick the two lowest scorers of the trio.

Example:

  • Round One Match-Up
  • Brooks Koepka +120
  • Rory McIlroy -130

In terms of recognizing golf odds, with McIlroy at -130, you would need to wager $130 in order to win $100, ending up with $230 total in your account. 

With Koepka at +120, you would make $220 total — $120 profit — if the American won. 

Whoever finishes with the lowest scoreboard in the specified period — in case it's the first round — is the winner of the matchup.

MORE: Best betting strategies for golf

3. Golf Each-Way Bets

An each-way bet is simply lacing two bets in one — for the golfer to win the tournament, but also to place in the Top-5 (it could be Top-10 but your book will specify). If your player fails to win outright but finishes in the Top-5, you’ll receive a payout. Naturally your return will not be as large as if they had won outright, but betting this way offers a security that a single bet cannot. 

Given there are two bets in one, your stake has to double. A $10 each-way bet, means you are investing $20 total. 

If Phil Mickelson was +5000 to win the PGA Championship and you placed $10 each way, this would be $20 total; $10 on Phil to win outright and $10 to achieve a Top-5 finish. 

It must be noted, the Top-5 payout is a fraction of what the outright victory would be. Sometimes this fraction can change but it is common to see quarter odds used. We will use 1/4 in our example below.

Example:

Let’s say Mickelson did win outright. You would receive:

  • $500 (given you had a $10 stake on this)
  • A quarter of $500 for finishing in the top 5 ($125)
  • The original $20 stake you put on
  • Total: $645 (500 + 125 + 20)

If Mickelson finished 5th, you would receive:

  • A quarter of $500 ($125)
  • $10 original stake on the top 5 finish (you lose $10 stake on Mickelson as winner)
  • Total: $135 ($125 + $10)

MORE: How to make live bets on golf

4. Golf Prop Bets

Prop bets are popular throughout golf and enable you to bet on almost anything which may unfold in a round. 

Common prop bets include:

  • Hole-in-one
  • Top-10 finish 
  • Over/Under certain handicap 
  • Lefty/Righty to win.
  • Nationality to win tournament (An American/Australian etc)

Depending on the sportsbook, there may be options to include props in a mixed parlay. Although most books force you to have a parlay strictly involving props. 

With Dimers.com you have the perfect opportunity to locate some of the best prop bets across the United States. Our predictive analytics model simulates each round of every Golf tournament 10,000 times to give you the best probabilities. 

MORE: Dimers PGA Bet Hub

5. Multiple-Sport Bets

Golf Parlay

A parlay simply involves more than one wager combined together for greater odds. You can place a same-game golf parlay — multiple events from one tournament — or alternatively, events across multiple games.

Example:

You could take Tiger Woods (+200) to beat Jason Day, before adding other bets, say Jon Rahm to win The Masters. 

More legs = higher odds and a greater chance at a larger return. Beware, some even cap the number of events you can have in a parlay, although there are those which have no limits.

In any parlay you will need to get each event correct for there to be a payout. Often there is no refund for getting 7 out of 8 accurate. 

MORE: Latest Golf News

6. Golf Live Betting

Live or in-play betting is where you wager on a round or tournament that is currently in progress. As odds shift throughout, you can still find the bet to suit you whilst the action continues on. 

Example:

  • Tournament winner
  • Prop bets

Utilize the Dimers live in-play probabilities section to increase your knowledge and chances of winning on your live bets. 

The live probabilities of any major golf tournament can be accessed through the scoreboards at the top of the Dimers website or via the Live Now section.

Move fast in the live betting space, otherwise you’ll miss out. Just remember that live betting can be pretty risky because the odds will be ever-changing. Yet another reason to read our responsible gambling page to figure out a safe way to bet on golf.

Here're some fastest withdrawal options for online sportsbooks that you might be interested in.

Join a sportsbook in your state and start betting today

Subject to meeting qualifying criteria. Minimum wager $5. Minimum odds -500 or greater. $10 minimum deposit. Paid in Bonus Bets. Bonus Bets wager excluded from returns. New customers only. Available in app only. Max. prize, game restrictions, time limits and T&Cs apply. Deposit required. Bonus Bets wager excluded from returns. T&Cs, time limits and exclusions apply.Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler 21+
To be eligible, the Player must be at least 21 years old, physically located in Virginia, and not on any exclusionary lists in Virginia. To be eligible all personal and contact data associated to your account must be verifiable. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.
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