Football is the main sport in the UK without a doubt, with Horse Racing a close second, but hot on their heels and gaining popularity all the time is golf. This page outlines all of the best golf betting sites in the UK today as well as everything you need to help you with your golf betting.
Whether you’re looking for the best golf odds, the best markets, golf free bets or information on the majors such as the Masters or the US Open, not forgetting the Ryder Cup, we’ve got you covered.
Want to know how to bet each-way on an outright market or unsure what is meant by 3 balls? Read on.
Let’s begin by listing the top nine online betting sites for golf.
The Best 7 UK Golf Betting Sites
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
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Golf is a hugely popular sport offered by the majority of UK licenced bookies to bet on, but the bigger bookies go the extra mile when a major arrives by offering some fantastic promotions for new and existing customers and just more markets in general for a punter to get stuck into.
We do all the hard work with our betting reviews so that you can simply have a read and decide which is the best online betting site for your betting needs.
As far a golf betting is concerned, it’s all too easy to just focus on the number of events and markets available, so we look at the bigger picture – the best site navigation, ease of use, available payment methods and, equally as important, the responsible gambling side of things.
We believe the best online bookmakers for golf betting are listed above, so take a look as one of them will be a perfect fit for you.
bet365 Golf Betting
We all have our favourites when it comes to placing a golf bet with a certain bookmaker, but the UK’s top online bookmaker must be considered. Although not yet dipping their sponsorship toes into the golf waters, bet365 is widely respected in the industry as a top bookie for betting on golf.
Excellent choice of markets and events? Tick. Decent each-way betting terms? Tick. Live in-play golf betting? Tick.
They offer regular industry-leading promotions when a golf major is on the horizon, such as the best each-way terms so you can get more bang for your buck with bet365 betting, and they’re top of the pile when markets are concerned too, offering popular golf markets such as:
- Top 5 finish
- Top 10 finish
- Top 20 finish
- Winning Nationality
- Hole in One
- Margin of Victory
- Group Betting
- Hole in One
- To Make/Miss the Cut
How to Bet on Golf
Ok, so you may know which golf market and selection you fancy having a punt on, but how do you place your bet? Follow this process and you won’t go wrong:
- Head over to your preferred betting site or read our reviews here and choose a new one
- Register as a new customer or login if you already have an account
- Ensure you have funds to bet with – hit ‘deposit’ and follow the steps
- Head to the sportsbook part of their site
- Find the golf event using the search bar if they have one or use the navigation bars if not
- Select the market that you want to bet on
- Click on the bet you want to place to add it to your bet slip
- Hit ‘Place Bet’
How to win and make money betting on golf isn’t easy, but if you do some research and have enough knowledge of a player’s form and past displays at a certain course, you can certainly find some value in a golf outright market as the odds are more often than not always in double figures, even for a favourite before a tournament begins.
What are the Best Golf Betting Markets?
You might be wondering what some of the markets listed above in the bet365 Golf Betting section are all about. Let us explain them and the other popular golf betting markets in more detail for you.
Outright Betting
This is an easy one. You’re betting on who will win the tournament and receive the trophy. There can be a tie at the end of the four rounds, but that doesn’t mean dead heat rules apply here. If more than one player ends the tournament on the same score, they will face off in a playoff – one more hole or a few more extra holes to determine an outright winner.
How Does Each-Way Betting in Golf Work?
A question that always seems to appear when new punters are looking to bet on an outright is, how does each way betting work in golf? You may have mastered it when betting on horse racing but golf can work a little differently.
You can place an each-way bet on a player and still make some money if they come sixth for example. Be sure to keep an eye out for bookmaker promotions for new and existing customers as they’ll fight with each other to offer the most places – some offer up to 10 places! It’s worth reading their terms and conditions, which should be clear in the offer, as to whether the each-way terms will be 1/5, 1/4 or 1/3 of the original odds. More often than not in golf it’s 1/5, though.
Please note that you’re essentially making two bets here – the first is for the player to win the tournament and the second is on him to place, whether it be fifth, six, seventh, it will all depend on the bookmaker’s offer at the time.
What if my player and two others finish seventh and a bookie was paying seven places?
Dead heat rules apply. It’s complicated, but here goes…
Here’s a final leaderboard as an example:
- 1 – Rory McIlroy
- 2 – Jordan Spieth
- T3 – Dustin Johnson
- T3 – Justin Rose
- 5 – Danny Willett
- 6 – Tiger Woods
- T7 – Phil Mickelson (Dead Heat)
- T7 – Rickie Fowler (Dead Heat)
- T7 – Sergio Garcia (Dead Heat)
Dead heat rules apply here as there are more than seven players listed. Imagine having 20 players tied for seventh and the bookie still paying out as top seven. They’d lose money, fast, hence this rule.
So, your win part of the bet is over, but your each way part of, let’s say, your Sergio Garcia bet is a winner. This is calculated at a fraction of the original odds (usually 1/5 as mentioned).
So, if you stuck a £10 each way bet on Sergio Garcia at 33/1, here’s how your bet would settle:
- £10 divided by three as there are three tied for seventh
- That comes to £3.33
- 33/1 odds divided by 5 for 1/5
- That comes to 6.6/1
- Total Winnings would be £3.33 multiplied by 7.6 (the decimal odds 6.6/1)
- That comes to £25.31
Easy? It takes a bit of getting used to.
First Round Leader
This is simply betting on which player will be top of the leaderboard at the end of the first round. Bookies also have second round, third round, and final round leader betting. Each-way terms will be available and dead heat rules apply here as well as in all other outright markets. You understand dead heat rules now, right? OK good.
2 Balls & 3 Balls
This is also known as 18-hole betting. You’re betting on which player from a specified list will end the 18 holes with the lowest score. So, for example, McIlroy, Garcia, and Rose are all listed as a 3 ball (three person) group, so you will choose who will achieve the lowest score over 18 holes.
There is a slight difference between 2 ball betting and 3 ball betting that you need to be aware of. There will be a price offered on the tie in a 2 ball, with dead heat rules in effect for 3 balls.
Top 10 Finish
This is a bet on a player to finish in the top ten at the end of the tournament. Bookies also offer plenty of similar markets such as top 5, top 15, top 20, top 25 and more, you get the idea.
Winning Nationality
Simple really – the nationality of the winning golfer.
Hole in One
Usually a simple yes/no market, but bookies sometimes extend the selections in majors to include certain days and specific holes. Bear in mind, however, that the odds aren’t always that great when you compare how often a hole in one occurs.
Margin of Victory
You’re betting on how many shots the winner will end of winning by. This is usually a five-selection market consisting of one, two and three shot selections, a playoff and four shots or more selection. It’s a great golf market to bet on if you know a tournament is going to be tight but you can’t decide on a player to win it.
Group Betting
You’re betting quite simply on which player from a specified group of names will end the tournament in the highest position on the leaderboard. Once again, those pesky dead heat rules apply.
To Make/Miss the Cut
You’re betting on a player to either make or miss the cut.
How do you make the cut in golf?
Finish in the top 70 after two rounds essentially. For most events, the standard cut line is the score of the player with the 70th lowest score.
Golf Betting Offers – Free Bets and Promotions
The surge in golf betting popularity over the last few years has seen focus move away from free bets and promotions on just major tournaments and the Ryder Cup to year-round offers on golf tournaments across the globe.
Some betting operators will offer their own unique promotions for certain tournaments, but more often than not bookies tend to battle it out to be the best when it comes to offering loads of places on an outright. Oh, William Hill are going 8 places, we’ll offer 9, those sort of promotional tactics, and it works a lot of the time!
Punters are always looking for the best value, so if you love an each-way punt, why would you use a bookmaker offering seven places where there is one offering ten?
If it’s not extra places on offer, it’ll be enhanced prices. For example, some UK bookies may offer 28/1 on Rory McIlroy to win the Open Championship where others have him at 18s.
Take advantage of these offers, there are plenty of golf promotions out there for new and existing customers to enjoy. Always remember to be mindful of the key terms involved with any offer and be sure to read the terms and conditions of all golf free bets and promotions before diving in.
What are the four golf majors?
Some say there are actually five as the Players Championship is known as golf’s unofficial fifth major. Anyway, the four are the Masters Tournament, the US Open, The Open Championship and the PGA Championship. Here’s a slightly more in-depth look at golf’s four most prestigious championships and some past winners.
Masters Tournament
Established in 1934 and played in April at Augusta National Golf Club, the Masters Tournament is a stroke play event with a prize fund of around $11m.
Masters betting is on the rise year on year and punters have enjoyed great value in recent times with some unexpected winners, notably England’s Danny Willett three-stroke triumph back in 2016.
The Americans dominate the leaderboard when it comes to multiple Masters champions, with Jack Nicklaus sitting pretty at the top with six titles in total.
|
Golfer |
Total |
Years |
|
Jack Nicklaus |
6 |
1963, 1965, 1966, 1972, 1975, 1986 |
|
Arnold Palmer |
4 |
1958, 1960, 1962, 1964 |
|
Tiger Woods |
4 |
1997, 2001, 2002, 2005 |
|
Jimmy Demaret |
3 |
1940, 1947, 1950 |
|
Sam Snead |
3 |
1949, 1952, 1954 |
|
Gary Player |
3 |
1961, 1974, 1978 |
|
Nick Faldo |
3 |
1989, 1990, 1996 |
|
Phil Mickelson |
3 |
2004, 2006, 2010 |
US Open
Played in June each year at a variety of courses to keep the scoring difficult, the US Open has been enjoyed by many since its birth in 1895.
US Open betting is tough, there’s no denying that as the courses are different each year and conditions are often difficult; it’s hard to pick a winner. Brooks Koepka won the 2017 title with a score of 16 under but retained his crown a year later in 2023 with an over par score of +1.
If you love your golf and the knowledge is there on your side, there’s value to be had in the US Open outright market that’s for sure, but sometimes it pays to wait until the first round is over before placing any shrewd bets.
Open Championship
Often referred to as The Open or the British Open, this major is enjoyed in the summer month of July and has been played at numerous UK courses since 1860.
A lot of punters in the UK love to back their own when it comes to Open Championship betting. Rory McIlroy is always a popular choice amongst bettors to come out on top, with money always on the likes of Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Rose too.
Nick Faldo flew the English flag at this major back in the early 90s, with the likes of Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter coming close in more recent times, but will there be an English champion to back in the betting who can dominate in years to come?
PGA Championship
Played in August prior to Labor Day weekend and established in 1916, the PGA Championship is the final major of the year.
A tournament loved by many all over the world, PGA Championship betting needs to be done with the head rather than the heart if you’re not American in all honesty. Minus the likes of Jason Day and Rory McIlroy, the USA dominates the list of past winners, so it’s worth doing a bit of research prior to the event to see if there are any in-form players from outside of the US worth backing.
Ryder Cup Golf Betting
We can’t move on without mentioning the biennial battle between Europe and the USA!
All four majors are stroke play events, which is a scoring system where you count the number of strokes taken on each hole. The Ryder Cup is slightly different in that it’s a Match Play event.
What is Match Play in golf?
Simply put, it’s where you earn a point for every hole you score lower than your opponent. If both players end the hole having taken the same amount of shots, the hole is halved.
Ryder Cup betting is huge, and the event attracts many new bettors via enticing promotions and free bet offers from all UK bookmakers in the run-up to the three-day event, so make sure you keep an eye out for the best promotions to take advantage of.
It’s not just new customers that are targeted either, bookmakers will enhance prices and offer free bets for existing customers; it’s an exciting time in golf betting.
Golf Odds Comparison
Betting on golf isn’t as simple as it looks, but there’s plenty of value available if you look hard enough. Bookmakers price up their markets based on trader knowledge or simply by using trading software to allow algorithms to position them alongside others in the market, usually at very similar prices with small margins involved.
Please do take the time to check out all golf odds comparison options so that you get the best price possible for the player you want to back in a particular tournament as there’s nothing worse than backing a player at 14/1 when your mate has done exactly the same but enjoyed odds of 20/1.
It’s worth having more than one betting account so that you can compare the odds when an event is coming up. Of course, we want everyone to bet responsibly, but by having a few accounts you can make sure you are getting the best value possible.
Golf Betting on Mobile
If you spend more time on your phone than a laptop or a desktop PC, you’ll be pleased to know that most bookmakers will offer their golf markets via a mobile site or an app that can be downloaded on Android or iOS at the Google Play and Apple stores respectively.
If you are the proud owner of a Windows phone, you’ll need to check whether your preferred bookmaker offers an app as most UK bookies only seem to cater for iPhones and Android devices.
Mobile betting is proving to be extremely popular nowadays, so although some bookies won’t have an app for you to download, they will have a solid mobile site for you to use, which will include everything you need to bet on golf from pre-play and live in-play markets and live streaming on occasions, although with golf being so slow paced, many punters rely on a bookmaker’s live leaderboard to keep in touch with real-time action.
While we’re on the subject of in-play betting, if you know a golfer starts badly and is a few shots of the lead after the few holes, you can enjoy some value there by letting his or her price drift until you’re ready to pounce. Knowledge is power after all.
Golf Betting Site FAQs
What Are the Best Golf Online Betting Sites? 
The best golf betting sites will offer the best odds, the best each-way place terms as well as offering fantastic promotions during big tournaments. Each punter is going to bring their own set of expectations and needs to the table, so there isn’t a one-size-fits-all bookmaker out there. However, we’ve narrowed it down to the top 7 golf betting sites to make the choice a little easier for you.
Are There Any Golf Betting Offers for New and Existing Customers?
During huge events, there are plenty. However, outside of a major or the Ryder Cup they tend to be few and far between, although not completely scarce. If you’re desperate for a golf promotion, check out individual bookmakers’ promotion pages to see if they offer any enhanced prices or other golf offers for the lesser events.
Can You Watch Golf Tournaments Live In-Play?
Sadly, many bookmakers don’t offer the option of watching the event live-in-play, which is in part due to strict licensing laws across the world, although you may get the odd few pop up so it’s worth keeping an eye on their live streaming schedules. There are some bookmakers that offer some cracking visuals, so you can keep tabs on a live leaderboard if nothing else. Failing that, you’ll need to have a TV nearby if you want to see the action as it’s happening.