Betting Sites and Offers for Golf

As one of the oldest sports in the world, golf remains hugely popular all over the world in terms of both participation and viewership.

The fun that comes with playing and watching golf has been replicated with golf betting, as more and more types of golf bets have become available and any four-day event can be filled with fun wagers and props ranging from simple tournament winner bets, to 3 ball coupons, to top players of each nationality.

Like many other sports, golf betting is ever-evolving. Betting sites are now offering deals such as extra places and free bets, and on this page, we list all of the best offers and the overall best golf betting sites in the UK.

Because golf tournaments take place over a number of days, in-play wagering is a big part of the overall betting and is facilitated through the live betting sections of online bookmakers.

You might get enhanced odds throughout the event, and with different each-way terms and variance in the odds across all of the sportsbooks, it is worth having multiple betting accounts.

It isn't always easy to decide which golf betting sites to bet with, but we think the below three are a great place to start.

There are many different ways in which punters can bet on golf, and ultimately it comes down to the same elements as other sports - variety and value.

Value can come through a high payout percentage, but also from golf betting site offers, promotions, and bookies paying extra places on each way tournament winner bets.

Extra places give you a bigger chance of collecting a payout.

Live betting availability is a key factor, and while most betting sites offer it, some do it better than others, with more bet types on display during an event.

If an online bookmaker can also provide analysis, stats, and the very least a live leaderboard, then that is even better.

Of course, straightforward navigation and overall reliable service are among the most important qualities that the best golf betting sites have, and should not be taken for granted.

Top 10 golf betting sites

List of the top golf betting sites in the UK:

1. Paddy Power: Often pay the most places
2. Betway: Great betting offers selection
3. Bet365: Large range of markets
4. Betfair: Trade on the exchange
5. Ladbrokes: Daily odds boosts
6. BetVictor: Good odds on alternative markets
7. 888sport: Excellent welcome offer
8. Coral: Various ante-post specials
9. VBet: New bookie with good odds
10. STS: Decent props available

Golf betting may not lend itself to as many betting site offers as, say, football betting or horse racing betting, but there are still various promotions that punters can take advantage of, some of which are exclusive to golf while others are common across sportsbooks in general.

• Extra places - When betting 'each way' on golf, half of your stake is placed on the player to win the event, and the other half goes on him or her to finish in the top 5, top 6, or however many places are being paid. The standard number of places paid used to be 5, meaning the player would need to finish in the top five in order for that part of your wager to win. Now, many bookies offer extra places, sometimes as many as 10, which can massively increase your chances of a payout.
• First-round leader specials - Many golf betting site offers centre around the first-round leader. These promotions are not frequent with all online bookmakers but if you back a player to win outright and they lead after the first round, as part of an offer you might get a free bet, or even an early payout if it is a particularly good deal.
• Enhanced odds - This is not exclusive to golf, as pretty much all betting sites offer price boosts or enhanced odds on a variety of markets every day. With golf enhanced odds you might get a boost on the odds of a certain player winning or finishing in the place positions. Many golf enhanced odds offers group players together, for example, Rory McIlroy or Bryson DeChambeau to win.
• Free bets - Whether it is part of a sign up offer, or an existing customer promotion, a number of online betting sites offer free bets not necessarily just for golf, but for sports betting in general, and often they can be redeemed or qualified for by wagering on golf events.

Straightforward win bets still appeal to the average golf punter, as odds are often appealing and it has been the standard way to wager on golf for many years.

But as online betting sites have evolved, more golf bet types have become available, including request-a-bets which combine multiple selections or props into a single wager.

There are dozens of different bet types, but below are the most common.

How to bet on golf

• Win

A win bet in a golf tournament involves simply backing an individual to lift the trophy. There are no prizes for coming second in this instance - it is a first-place finish or nothing. If the golfer's odds are short and they are among the favourites, you might just back him or her to win because the place money is not worth it.

• Each way

This type of bet will be familar to horse racing punters, and with each way wagers you can receive a payout even if your selection doesn't win the tournament. Half of your stake goes on them to win, and the other half is for them to finish in the top places. The amount of places paid varies, and you should always try to bet with the golf betting sites that pay the most places, which is often Paddy Power.

• Top # finish

If you fancy a golfer to finish towards the top of the leaderboard but not necessarily win the event, you can just back them to finish in the top 5, 10, 20, 30, or 40. You could also do this if you, for example, get great odds on a win bet on the Betfair Exchange, but also want to put on a 'place' type bet elsewhere.

• Top player from a country/continent

There are golf betting markets that focus only on certain territories, so you can pick the best player from the UK, or Europe, or many other regions. By looking into these markets, you may find more value and more variation within the odds.

• Group/match betting

With group betting or tournament match bets, bookmakers put together a pair or selection of players of a similar standard, and allow bettors to pick one of them to have the best tournament. This can be a fun way to take more interest in the tournament, and you can put your picks into an accumulator. Similarly, you can bet on single-round match bets between golfers that are put together to play in 3-balls on day one and day two.

• Make or miss the cut

At the end of the second day of a four-day tournament, there is a cut in which a number of players towards the bottom of the leaderboard are eliminated.

As 'win' bets on golf tournaments carry such high prices, it is important to shop around for the best odds to ensure you are getting the most value for your wagers.

One of the most difficult quandaries can be whether to go for the bigger odds, or the more places paid out for each way punts. There is no correct or incorrect answer for this - it should really be assessed on a case by case basis.

There is no single betting site with the best price on every golfer in each market, but some bookmakers might be more generous on the whole.

You may find that odds are the same on betting sites owned by the same parent company or using the same sportsbook provider.

Betfair and Paddy Power come under the same company so their odds are often the same, while the same can be said for Ladbrokes and Coral.

888sport and Redbet both use Kambi's sportsbook software, while STS and VBet are with BetConstruct.