A how-to guide to navigating golfing odds
Golf is already one of the most popular sports in the world, and it is only going to get bigger with exciting new investments, more television coverage, and of course, the opportunity to gamble on the sport.
Some golfing odds are similar to other sports and if you are keeping it simple and just betting on somebody to win a tournament, there is every chance that you won’t need to do any research to understand the odds. However, if you want to dive into some of the more interesting markets and ways to bet on the sport, there are some different types of bets and odds that you should try to understand.
The odds are sometimes presented differently in golf when compared to other sports, using the plus sign to explain to punters how much they stand to win.
So, if something is listed as +900, it is effectively denoting the percentage that you will get as a return. In other sports, these odds would be listed as 9/1 (for every $1 you stake, you get $9 back, plus your $1 stake). This is effectively the same principle. In fractional odds, this would just be listed as 9.00.
If you are looking to get the best golf odds, you will be able to judge based on which sportsbook is offering the highest “+” rate for your player. If you back someone at +900, these odds are better than +500.
This isn’t too hard to get your head around if you have gambled before. If you back a player who is an underdog and you get odds of +2400, it means that a win will see you get your stake back plus 2400%, or $25 back from a $1 bet.
There are a lot of different types of bets for you to focus on in the world of golf, and different sportsbooks offer various lines for you to choose between.
The most popular type of bet is just to go for the tournament winner. Who do you think will come out on top overall in the tournament? Golf usually has several different competitors, so if you do manage to call who is going to win the tournament, then there is a chance that you will make some decent returns.
Place betting
If you think a golfer will finish above a certain place in the standings, then this could be the bet for you. Different sportsbooks have their own definitions of place bets. A place means you will receive at least a percentage of the winnings if your chosen golfer finishes in a high position, which could be in the top four, six or even top eight of the leaderboard.
To make the cut
Many golf events have a “cut” where certain players get dropped for not meeting the required standard and don’t compete in the rest of the tournament. In this case, you can bet on whether your chosen golfer is going to finish above the score needed to make the cut.
This can be a way to back an underdog who you think is going to do well but not necessarily finish high up on the leaderboard. Making the cut can represent a decent showing at a professional golf event without being spectacular.
Although very few tournaments offer match play (this does open up a world of other opportunities for betting) you can bet on matchups. This is effectively where the sportsbook picks out two players and you can choose between them who you think is going to have the better round.
A lot of the time there is a favorite and an underdog in this scenario, and backing the favorite might not get you the best financial returns, but if you fancy an underdog to have a good tournament then the matchup markets are another way for you to gamble.
You can also bet on things like who will win each individual round or who will be in the lead at different stages of the tournament.
Summary
Golfing odds aren’t overly complex once you start to get your head around what they mean. Winning money isn’t always easy, especially if you are betting on favorites, but there are a lot of other methods you can use to try to turn a profit and add a little more fun and excitement while you follow the events of a big golf tournament.
Discover more from GolfBlogger Golf Blog
Subscribe to get the latest posts to your email.
