Golf Betting: Major Tournaments, Key Stats, and Winning Strategies

One of the oldest sports that we know of is golf. The game called "gui wan" was played in ancient China and was like golf in that it involved hitting a ball toward a target, although it wasn’t exactly the same. Golf is one of the oldest known sports. Competitions similar to golf were held as far back as the 3rd century BCE—ancient Chinese called the game "gui wan." In Ancient Rome, a golf-like game was known as paganica, and since then, the sport has gone through many transformations. Its rules and formats changed depending on the era and the country where it evolved. Even historians can't pinpoint the exact origin of golf due to its rich and complex history.

Almost everyone knows about golf these days. Most folks grasp the basic premises, even if they can't recount the various storylines that populate the different tournaments. Seemingly, the only time golf ever converses with mainstream America is when the weekend warrior makes the pilgrimage to his local course, or when he sits in front of the television, watching an event that's punctuated with the phrases "Petered out" and "Rained out." Even then, one figures that only the personalities who've bet on golf know the outcome before the last putt drops. Passion for the sport is either there or it isn't — but for those who are drawn to the game, online golf betting offers a unique and strategic way to get involved beyond the fairway.

Geography of Golf and Major Tournaments

Almost every part of the globe holds professional golf tournaments: there are tours in Canada, Asia, Japan, and Australasia. Each event has its own particular attributes, which is why neophytes to the game are often told to commence with the showcase circuits—specifically, the PGA Tour in the U.S. and the European Tour.

The golf circuit known as the European Tour is one of the largest and runs pretty much year-round. Despite the tour's name, you don't have to be in Europe to play in, or watch, its events; they take place in countries like China, India, South Africa, and Australia, to name a few. With such a diversity of locales, the tour really is something to follow. Following the tour might even return something to you, the follower, because golf is an unpredictable sport, and for that reason, its events are unpredictable in terms of who will win.

Usually taking place from January to November, the American PGA Tour has a number of prominent happenings that bookmakers often underline in their markets. Notable among these are the four major championships, which are, in order:

• The Masters (April) 
• U.S. Open (June) 
• The Open Championship (also known as the British Open and played in July) 

PGA Championship (August) Undoubtedly, the Tour and its championships constitute a very strong product for the bookmakers to offer odds on.

Tournaments that are really serious commonly last four days. The principal aim of those taking part is to play 72 holes of golf. (Each game is divided into four rounds.) The winner is the one who somehow manages to complete the course in the least possible number of strokes. Occasionally, other formats like knockout rounds may be used.

Types of Golf Bets

Wagering on who will win the tournament is the most frequent golf bet. While this market is not the easiest to beat, it is perhaps the most straightforward, especially for new bettors. The most straightforward way to bet on golf is to pick a player to win the tournament. Betting on a player to win is not always easy, especially if you want to pick someone other than the clear favorite. In contrast, betting on someone to lose may present better opportunities.

A useful type of bet is predicting a player will win at a certain stage in the tournament. Some mid-tier golfers might perform well in the early rounds but not have the game to last through the weekend. Such players obviously won't be among the favorites to win, yet they might offer good odds for a bet in that direction.

Nations where players excel on the European or PGA Tours make for intriguing betting markets. Bookmakers offer wagers on the top performer from a certain country, and bettors can obviously find that option very appealing. Who doesn't want a wager on the top American or Swede when those two nations have such talented golfers? Of course, there's also the option of betting on top country performer at major championships. But for this instance, we'll keep the focus on PGA Tour events, European Tour events, and players who are predominantly based in those leagues.

A few bookmakers also provide the option to bet on a player finishing in the top three, five, or ten. This kind of wager is perfect for bettors who feel confident in a player's potential to perform remarkably well but want something safer than a bet on the player to win outright. Betting on a player to finish in the top three, five, or ten is pretty much as safe as it gets.

Another favored choice is direct face-offs between two golfers. You merely select which of two golfers will finish in a better spot. Other bet types include picking whether a golfer will shoot an odd or even number of total strokes, naming the leader after the first round, and making various bets on customized markets set up by a bookmaker.

Golf Betting Strategies: What to Watch For

A successful golf betting strategy must weigh several key factors, which necessitates analysis and, at times, long-term observation. Four key components make up the foundation of any serious golf betting strategy. Whether you're a novice or a pro, here are four essential elements to keep in mind.

1. Player Form and Fitness
   Consistently examine your preferred golfer's fitness. Evaluate what you've seen from them in recent tournament play. Have they looked anything short of perfect in the actual competition? Have they had to cut practice time and make up for it in actual tournament play? Even slight injuries can make a golfer hesitant, and a golfer who is hesitant is not a good bet. Even slight injuries can make a golfer hesitant, and a golfer who is hesitant is not a good bet.

2. Course Conditions and Suitability
   Notice the venues where the event takes place. Often, it's the same place year in and year out for the big tournaments. Some golfers are better on traditional courses that ask for accuracy and thoughtful shot selection—like those with thick grass or lots of trees. Protecting par on these sorts of layouts is a fair test of a golfer's mettle. And if it requires more or less precision than a power hitter can normally give, then it's also a test of the golfer's ability to adapt. Whether a power player like Bubba Watson or a precision artist like Jim Furyk wins at Riviera proves the old adage: A good golfer can play on any kind of course.

3. Weather Factors
   Tournament outcomes can be swayed considerably by variations in the weather. Stormy conditions can turn anticipated winners into surprise losers. The players we expect to perform at the top of their game often find that winds and rain can wreak havoc and change not just the nature of the game they're playing but also their chances of winning. Yet this variable isn't always a problem for players from certain parts of the world. For those hailing from wet, windy places like Scandinavia, the UK, or the Florida and Texas of the US, playing in adverse conditions isn't such an unusual experience. But forecasts affecting betting on the tournament can be affected by something we've all experienced: our weather can change a lot, even within a couple of hours.

4. Experience Matters
   Avoid the temptation to wager on young up-and-comers who've only recently succeeded in minor league events. Once they step up to the PGA or European Tour level, they're playing against solid pros who stay unflappable when the heat's on. These veterans—and we use the term loosely, as some are just a few seasons into their tour careers—don't need to win at this level. They need only to place with some regularity and to stay healthy, and half the battle is won.