Important Tips to Know for Outright Golf Betting

Use these tips for outright golf betting.

Key Points 

• There is money to be made in outright golf betting.
• Golf bettors that do their homework can make some great profits.

Important Tips to Know for Outright Golf Betting

Golf has become an increasingly popular sport in the United States and abroad in the last few years. Whether due to the pandemic or the new LIV Golf tour, the sport is starting to draw more casual viewers. 

When those casual viewers realize the number of betting opportunities available, golf suddenly becomes a popular niche sport for bettors looking to make the most of summer betting.

Many bettors are attracted to the variety of betting options offered in the sport. They also like the nearly year-round schedule. There is a golf tournament just about every weekend of the year. 

That means there’s an opportunity to find good value bets and win money nearly every weekend. While golf isn’t really a head-to-head sport, there are a wide variety of intriguing bets available on golf. 

Of course, the best way to win big with smaller stakes is by betting on the winner of the tournament. Even the betting favorites might have odds of around +500 or higher. It’s not uncommon for a player with +3000 or higher odds to win a tournament. That’s a $3,000 payout on a $100 bet. 

Below are six tips to help you with your outright golf betting options.

Past Champions

Unless it’s the PGA Championship, U.S. Open, or The Open Championship, annual golf tournaments are typically held at the same course every year. The Arnold Palmer Invitational is always at Bay Hill in Florida, and the Waste Management Phoenix Open is always played at TPC Scottsdale, for instance. The Masters is the only major played at the same course – Augusta National.

The first thing you should do when making an outright golf bet is to look at last year’s champion. You can even go a few years back to determine if there are any past champions in the field for the tournament on which you’re betting. It’s not the only thing you should consider, but knowing if a player has had success at a course can certainly help your outright golf betting.

Scottie Scheffler, for example, won the 2022 Arnold Palmer Invitational. While he was unsuccessful in defending his title in 2023, he finished T4 and was in the mix right up until the last two holes of the tournament. Scheffler is one of the top players in the world, so it was not a surprise he was in contention. Keep in mind, some players do perform better at certain courses.

Player Histories at the Course

You don’t just have to look up past champions. If you’re zoning in on a player you think has a chance in a given tournament, it’s worth your while to look up his past performances at the course. 

You might be thinking about betting on a top player like Jordan Spieth, but you find out he plays poorly on that course. Spieth calls Riviera one of his favorite courses, but looking at his performances there, it is one of his worst. That is valuable outright golf betting information.

Datagolf.com is a great tool to look up a player’s history at any given course. It shows each player’s record at a course in the last five years and provides other important stats like average adjusted strokes gained and more. Using Spieth as an example again, he has one of the best performance metrics and strokes gained among all players at Augusta.

Recent Performances Influence Outright Golf Betting

While all golf courses are different, it’s still helpful to know if a player is on a hot streak or playing poorly heading into a tournament. Golf is like any other sport in that players get into a  rhythm and perform at higher levels when they’re really feeling it.

Jon Rahm, for example, won three of four tournaments in which he played earlier in the 2022-23 season. When top players get hot, they are tough to beat. However, even top players like Rahm go through cold streaks. This is also valuable information as it will help you find strong value when making your golf bets. 

Course Conditions

Again, all courses are different. Some courses play better for guys who can crush the ball off the tee. Rory McIlroy, for example, hits great tee shots. Some courses have tight and narrow fairways that are better suited to players with good precision and accuracy with their irons. Then, there are the greens. The best putters can excel on most any type of green.

Look up all you can about the course at which the tournament is being played before engaging in outright golf betting. If you’re reading that the greens are particularly challenging, you might want to stay away from the golfer who ranks poorly in strokes gained.

Outright Golf Betting – Each Way Bets

Outright golf betting is the best way to win big with small stakes. You can improve your chances at earning a profit by doubling your bet with an each-way wager. 

This involves placing the same amount of money on separate bets for the golfer to win the tournament and finish in a certain position, usually the top-5 or top-10. If the player wins the tournament, you’ll receive the payout for both bets. 

If the player finishes in the top-5 or top-10 but does not win the tournament, you still get a payout and, depending upon the odds, could still turn a profit.

Line Shopping

Another important consideration when making outright golf bets is line shopping. You should have accounts with multiple sportsbooks so you can shop around for the best odds on your choice of bets. 

Sportsbooks do not spend as much time and effort on golf odds as they do on odds for the NFL and NBA, for example. Savvy bettors can find some great value in outright golf betting.

There can be some wide discrepancies in odds from book to book. One betting site might have Rahm listed at +600 to win, but another has him at +1000.