Thanks to the multitude of competitions played all year, there’s a vast array of online golf betting opportunities that have drastically risen over the years. With the nature of golf arising ample opportunities to find a high-value bet by backing the right player at just the right time, many golf fans enjoy getting involved in the golf betting industry. But just how did it become so popular? In this article, undercover the biggest golf tournaments and learn just how you can get involved in the rise of online betting in golf.
How golf has developed over the years
Throughout 2021 especially, more people were playing golf compared to the previous year. Data shows that annual rounds were up 12% against the previous year. Many people are getting more involved in the sport, or just starting to get into it, in recent times even though the sport has been around for many years.
It’s generally said that golf as a sport began in Scotland during the Middle Ages though people had probably been playing a similar game long before that. Golf then evolved during the centuries that followed and by the 1800s the rules of the sport had begun to be formalised.
Golf largely remained an amateur sport right up until around half a century ago. That’s not to say there wasn’t money in the game though. The wealthier popularity would encourage the best golfers around to their courses and tournaments then exchange sizable sums on who they thought would win- to which the players were rewarded with appearance money.
As a result, golf betting largely continued with course wagering and then bookmakers appearing on the high street. What’s more, is that thanks to the latest advancements in technology, many bettors are now even betting on their favourite golfers online too, meaning the popularity of golf betting is only on the rise from here.
A guide to online betting in golf
Golf bets can be as simple or as complex as you wish. Betting on an individual player to win a stroke play tournament is straightforward, and so is picking an each-way bet where you back a player to win or finish in the top number of places as defined by the sportsbook for the wager they’re offering. Matchplay events, most famously the Ryder Cup, pit two teams against each other to win the championship outright while you can also bet on pairs of players who face a twosome from the opposing squad.
Every golf bet you place will have an advertised set of odds. Odds are simply an expression of the probability that the booker believes that the bet will have to win. You can work out what the implied probability of betting odds is for yourself to see whether you think a bet has value.
If you believe your chosen pick has a better chance than that, then you would consider that the bet has value. Like betting on any sport, following the best golf bets takes a little practice, a little legwork, and a little luck. But it can be a whole lot of fun so long as you gamble responsibly.
The biggest golf tournaments to bet on
The majority of golf bets centre on the four annual Majors plus the bi-annual Ryder Cup. Each attracts huge global audiences and a whole lot of money in the betting markets. Those seeking a further golfing fix are rewarded with 48 US PGA Tour events a year while the European Tour has 42 fixtures. Add to that the end of season playoffs for yet more excitement. Nowadays, some of the Tour tournaments, including the Players Championship and the Scottish Open, have become almost as high profile as the Majors.
The biggest names in the golfing industry
Because golf tournaments have such big fields, it’s almost unique in sports betting. The field for the Masters features up to 88 players while the British Open starts with 156. That means even the heavy favourites for golf Majors and Tour tournaments can be backed at decent odds. This also makes picking the winner harder but the biggest names in golf are consistently at the top of the odds.
The best golfers stay at the peak of their game for a long time too. By doing so, they become huge names to follow. Tiger Woods still features as one of the most popular golf bets going into the big competitions yet the 15-time Major winner claimed his first pro title way back in 1996. Rory McIlroy is still only in his early 30s but the Northern Irishman hit the big time after winning the US Open in 2011. The top spot in the world golf rankings changes regularly but is dominated by the same handful with the likes of John Rahm, Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka regularly vying to be world number one.
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