How to Bet on Golf: The Complete Guide to Markets, Odds & Strategy 2025

Best Bookmakers for Betting on Golf

Looking for the best golf odds? You need to use the best betting sites that provide them! Flashscore continues to provide readers with sites that fit this criteria.

When wagering with the recommended top golf betting sites, you can access several key features. Live golf betting is possible, with many of the top golf betting markets available. Using our recommended sites will allow you to place each-way bets, enjoy in-play betting across many diverse props, and so much more!

The Most Popular Golf Bets Explained

Golf betting for beginners can be daunting. Several golf betting markets exist, which can be overwhelming. You might feel you need golf each-way betting explained when you first see it, or you might not understand what a head-to-head golf bet is.

Below, some of the core markets are explained, with these ideal for new bettors to the sport:

• Outright Winner: Involves picking which golfer wins the tournament.
• Each-Way (E/W) Betting: An each-way bet is when two bets are placed: one is on the player to win the event; the other is for them to finish within the “places” that have been set. A bookmaker will offer odds at a fraction of the win for finishing in a place that they have set (top 3, 4, 5, etc.). Bets will be successful if they win or place, thus enhancing potential returns.
• Top 5 / Top 10 / Top 20 Finish: A much easier bet to understand, it involves wagering on a player to finish within the top-X of a tournament for it to win.
• Head-to-Head Matchup: Bettors can place a bet against two players. Punters will be required to bet on which of the two will have a better score over a tournament or a single round.
• First Round Leader: Typically played on a Thursday, this bet requires predicting who will finish top of the leaderboard by the end of the round.

How to Analyse a Golf Tournament: A Strategy Guide

Bettors should focus on specific golf betting strategies to try and maximise the success of their bets. You can do this by:

Current Player Form

Before a tournament starts, bettors should conduct research that considers how a specific golfer is playing. While each course will present its own challenges and is unique from others that are played, a player’s form can be a good indicator of what to potentially expect from a player.

Scottie Scheffler is consistently considered a favourite to win one of the majors. One of the reasons why is because of his recent form. He is typically very consistent and rarely finishes outside the top 10. In fact, in 2025 through to October, he played in 21 PGA Tour events (excluding the Ryder Cup) and was outside the top 10 in just three of them.

Elsewhere, there can be players who are inconsistent. Some are made favourites because they won their last event but have had poor results in the previous few events. They have not made the cut too often, but have been riding a wave of form recently. Consider each of these aspects when looking at an upcoming golf tournament.

Course History

Specific players may find that they favour one course more than others. Some events can regularly be played at the same course, including The Masters (Augusta National). However, have they been consistent in terms of results when playing at the course?

As golf can be a very momentum-driven, some performances do not always reflect how a golfer plays a course. One year, they may find their rhythm and enjoy success; other years, they struggle. In contrast, they may struggle one year when they typically enjoy it.

Research should cover as much data as possible regarding a player’s performance at a course to determine how well they do. A small sample size may not be enough to make an accurate or informed bet.

Key Player Statistics

Golf analytics have expanded significantly in recent years, with many metrics and statistics being made available that can help bettors to better understand how efficient a golfer is and what their current form suggests.

Strokes Gained is an advanced statistic comparing a golfer’s performance on each shot to a baseline (e.g., average pro). It measures how many strokes a player gains or loses relative to the average for various aspects of the game, like driving, approach shots, and putting. It gives detailed insight into strengths and weaknesses by analysing shot quality based on distance, lie, and context rather than just counting outcomes.​

Driving Accuracy is another key statistic that is being used. It measures the percentage of tee shots in the fairway (excluding par 3 holes). It is a binary stat: either the fairway is hit or missed. It does not account for driving distance or how severe the miss is. It provides a simple measure of how often a golfer successfully positions for the next shot from the tee.

Greens in Regulation (GIR) measures how often a golfer reaches the putting green in a certain number of strokes: “par minus two strokes.” For example, on a par 3, a ball must be on the green after the first shot; on a par 4, by the second; and on a par 5, by the third. It indicates a player’s approach shot accuracy and ability to reach scoring positions efficiently.

Understanding these key statistics can help a bettor make informed decisions about a golfer’s chances in a tournament. It is possible to make predictions based on recent form as these data sets can provide an overall snapshot of how a player is performing entering the event.

Course Type

Professional golfers on the PGA Tour commonly encounter several main types of golf courses, each posing unique challenges:

• Links Courses: Coastal courses with sandy soil, natural dunes, firm fairways, minimal trees, and windy conditions. Classic examples include The Old Course at St Andrews. These require skill in controlling shots in variable weather.
• Parkland Courses: Inland, lush green courses lined with trees and manicured fairways. They offer a more controlled environment demanding precision. Many PGA events are played on parkland-style courses like the Champion Course at PGA National.
• Heathland Courses: Found mainly in Britain, characterised by sandy soil, open terrain, and heath vegetation like heather and gorse. They blend features of links and parkland courses with firm playing surfaces.
• Sandbelt Courses: Typically in dry climates such as Australia, these are courses that are built on sandy soil with fast greens and strategic bunkering, emphasising accuracy.

Specific golf course types can provide players with challenges that they are not always up to. This is something bettors must be aware of when placing golf bets.

For instance, Jon Rahm tends to excel on links courses. He has an exceptionally strong record on links-style courses, averaging significantly more strokes gained per round than the field. His combination of long driving distance, excellent iron play with a high greens in regulation rate, and ability to score well on par-5s makes him one of the best links golfers.

Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas, meanwhile, often excel on parkland courses. The Northern Irishman is known for performing well on big, treelined courses like Quail Hollow and Firestone, which reward long, straight driving and high, towering approaches to raised greens. Thomas’s precision and strategic play around water hazards and bunkers make parkland courses the best for him.

The Flashscore Advantage: Your Essential Golf Research Tool

Flashscore is the number 1 free tool to use for all stats, including when betting on golf. The resource can be used to make a series of data-driven bets, as bettors can analyse the following:

Live Information

A big advantage Flashscore offers bettors is that it provides live information. Using the tool, it is possible to get hole-by-hole updates, highlighting where each shot played lands.

With this data available, bettors can place various bets across prop markets, including whether the next shot will land on the green or the ball will be putted.

Detailed Player Scorecards

Flashscore’s comprehensive coverage means users can access detailed scorecards all in one place. Bettors can obtain a complete overview of how a player has been performing hole-by-hole, helping them to identify where they have excelled or struggled.

This feature can be extremely useful for four-day golf competitions when comparing rounds for potential betting value. If a player has been shown to struggle at one specific hole over the first two days, bettors may find value in the same hole on the third/fourth day.

Detailed Form Guide

Users can access a detailed form of competing golfers when using Flashscore’s tool. This allows them to quickly analyse and identify potential patterns that may exist ahead of a tournament or during an event to determine whether a particular bet could be valuable to them.

Key statistics like Strokes Gained, Driving Accuracy, and Greens in Regulation (GIR) can be spotted, which can all be beneficial when placing prop bets. In addition, past performances and previous rounds played at a specific golf course can be obtained and used to help make informed betting decisions.

Tournament Statistics

On top of individual player statistics, Flashscore provides comprehensive statistical data coverage surrounding an event being played.

Bettors can use this to their advantage as they can access data sets that pertain to that specific event in one place, allowing them to make decisions based on what has been happening round by round.

A Guide to Live Betting on Golf

UK bettors should ensure they understand how live betting on golf works and what they should do to enhance their chances of betting success. You can maximise potential positive outcomes by:

Following the Leaderboard

Punters should always keep track of the leaderboard when betting on golf events. Momentum is a massive element of play; one bad swing can impact a golfer’s hole, which can have a knock-on effect on the rest of their tournament. In contrast, one good hole can be the foundation of a solid run.

With the sport’s tournaments held over four days, multiple changes to the leaderboard can happen across 72 holes. Who leads after the first 18 won’t necessarily be the leader at the end of the fourth day; they may not even be the leader after the first couple of holes on the second day.

Keeping tabs on the live leaderboard can give bettors insight into who is playing well, who isn’t, and what bets could be worth potential value.

Identifying Players in Rhythm

A top live golf betting strategy is to keep a note of any trends that are being experienced by golfers participating in the event. As highlighted, momentum is an extremely significant aspect of the game.

Are there any players who are struggling to find rhythm and form as they continue to make mistakes? Are there players who appear to strike gold with each shot they make? Recognising these patterns can allow bettors to find value in bets.

Say a player is striking hot with their putter; value might be found in backing them to score a birdie before the next hole is played or to record a specific number in the following round. At the same time, if a player is struggling and hitting bogeys, they could be in danger of missing the cut. Value on a big name or favourite where bogeys continue to occur can present value if identified early enough.