Legal golf betting sites are endlessly creative in crafting new ways to bet on the PGA and other popular golf events. Golf tournaments are straightforward events, but online sportsbooks provide an impressive variety of wagers.

Whether it’s betting on golf tournaments or predicting how many birdies a particular golfer will make, the best PGA betting sites offer extensive wager catalogs, in-play markets, and competitive odds.

On this page, BettingUSA explains how golf betting online works from start to finish. Continue below for a clear overview of how to bet on golf online, where to find licensed sportsbooks, and much more. Consider this your complete US golf betting guide.

Best Golf Betting Sites

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Where Is Online Golf Betting Legal?

See the following map for a quick overview of where PGA golf betting is legal right now.

States with Legal Sports Betting Placeholder
States with Legal Sports Betting

Map Key

  • Blue: States where online sports betting is legal.
  • Red: States with retail sportsbooks only.

A note for fans in states without legal golf betting: Daily fantasy sports offers a legal alternative to online sports betting. Fantasy golf contests operate on a similar premise and require many of the same skills to win money. For example, PrizePicks offers fantasy golf props where users predict “more” or “less” on stats like strokes, greens in regulation, and holes won.

The easiest way to find quality PGA Tour betting sites is to keep it legal.

Licensed online sportsbooks and golf betting apps are subject to a litany of regulations designed for consumer protection. For example, legal PGA betting sites in every state must safeguard customers’ funds, provide prompt payouts, record all transactions, and promote responsible gambling habits.

Most state regulatory websites publish a list of licensed online sportsbooks, but readers can also see which golf betting sites are legal at ycgts.shop. Since its founding, BettingUSA has exclusively recommended legal sportsbooks that are in good standing.

Readers can view BettingUSA’s state-by-state guides here for more information about the legal golf betting options where they live.

Best PGA Betting Apps

The following legal PGA betting apps rank well in at least several key areas and have minimal weaknesses. Read on to learn why they’re contenders for the Green Jacket.

FanDuel Golf Betting

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  • Standout features: Unique props, head-to-head match betting, availability in many state markets

FanDuel Sportsbook offers an extremely deep and well-rounded PGA betting platform. Bettors will immediately notice the digital graphics integrated into the interface, which display information like tournament leaderboards, course and hole details, and stroke-by-stroke updates. This wealth of information should prove extremely useful for in-play bettors.

Overall, FanDuel golf pricing is above average. The vigorish on head-to-head tournament moneylines clocks in at around 5% and 3-ball bets are taxed at around 8%. All of Fanduel’s 2-ball round wagers go three ways, meaning bettors choose Player X, Player Y, or a tie. The house edge on these wagers is approximately 7-8%, which isn’t high for 3-way moneylines, but considerably more than traditional 2-ball wagers.

FanDuel Sportsbook also offers a vast array of “Hole Specials”. In this menu, bettors will find all sorts of creative and specific wagers, including odds on players to hit a hole in one, or which of two players will shoot nearest to the pin on the 17th hole. The lines on some of the more outlandish bets can approach +10,000.

Bettors can also wager on the tournament winner or whether a golfer will finish in the top 5, 10, or 20. There are also two different “Winner Without” props. For this prop, the favorite or favorites are taken out of the equation, and bettors wager on which pack-runner will finish with the best score. Alternatively, there’s a “Big Guns vs. The Field” wager that tasks bettors with choosing between heavy favorites or everyone else.

It’s too bad FanDuel’s ingenuity doesn’t extend to its promotional menu, which simply doesn’t offer much value. The lack of a clear rewards structure is also a miss, but the positives still greatly outweigh these small bogies.

BetMGM Golf Betting

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  • Standout features: Strong interface, 2-ball round betting, special props, MGM Rewards integration

BetMGM Sportsbook has done an excellent job of condensing its PGA betting interface into digestible parts. Most notably, the app’s clever filtering system empowers bettors to find wagers within seconds.

For example, the “Events” interface lists all head-to-head matchups, and bettors can use a drop-down menu to choose what bet type they’d like displayed. It works extremely well.

BetMGM posts dozens of two- and three-way 2-ball rounds, probably more than any other US online sportsbook. The house edge on these wagers is razor thin (<5%).

The props menu isn’t quite as electric. Bettors can wager on the top player from each country, the overall tournament winner, and whether a player will finish in the top or 10.

Perhaps the most interesting set of props is the player specials, which offer odds on whether a shooter will make X amount of birdies or eagles, shoot lower than zero, or eagle any hole. Occasionally there’s also a wager on if a player will have a bogey free round. To no surprise, the odds on this prop can soar pretty high.

Unfortunately, these props are “Yes” only, so it’s difficult to gauge the house edge. Assume it’s high.

Every so often, BetMGM will roll out an interesting golf promotion. For example, its recent 3-Ball Challenge was a free-to-play promo where combatants that picked the best-performing golfers snagged bonus dollars and a chance to win a trip to TPC Sawgrass.

Additionally, BetMGM is integrated with MGM’s land-based loyalty program, MGM Rewards. Bettors earn points and tier status on all of their PGA wagers.

Caesars Sportsbook Golf Betting

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  • Standout points: Welcome bonus, intelligent layout

Caesars Sportsbook has a confusing interface in most cases, but the golf UI is clean. There aren’t any special graphics or even a whiff of tournament info, but the wagers are neatly categorized, and the live lines are updated quickly.

In addition, Caesars Sportsbook is an ideal landing spot for new PGA bettors, thanks to its generous welcome bonuses.

Otherwise, there’s nothing particularly special about Caesars’ golf markets. The house edge on 2-ball rounds is about 5.5%, which is middle-of-the-road. There are a few props, but nothing bettors won’t find elsewhere.

The only other real highlight is the promotions. However, they’re often just general promos that can be applied to any market, not only the PGA.

Caesars Sportsbook is integrated with Caesars Rewards, and bettors can earn Tier Status and Rewards Credits for use online and at land-based Caesars Casinos, which are located in just about every major US casino market.

DraftKings Golf Betting

  • Standout features: Excellent 2-ball moneylines, hole-winner props, PGA promotions, Dynasty Rewards.

DraftKings Sportsbook is a safe choice for PGA bettors, highlighted by its outstanding 2-ball lines. For these two-way head-to-head wagers, the house edge is less than 4% and often dips below 3.5%.

DraftKings also sports a varied prop menu. Bettors can wager on obscure head-to-head bets like who will shoot the lowest aggregate score on Par 3, 4, or 5 holes. There is also an abundance of more traditional props, such as over/under bets on a golfers’ tournament finishes, round stroke totals, and whether a player will finish in the top 5, 10, or 20.

Bettors who crave constant action will appreciate DraftKings’ live hole props, where they can wager on a golfer to bogie or worse, birdie or better, or shoot par on each individual hole. In addition, DraftKings provides head-to-head hole winner bets.

Futures aren’t a particularly strong point, but DraftKings does have them for all major PGA events, as well as the Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup.

Combine all this with regular profit boosts, a robust cashier, and the multi-dimensional Dynasty Rewards program, and it becomes clear that DraftKings should be on every golf bettor’s rotation.

However, the app does have a couple of flaws. It’s prone to geolocation disconnects, especially on desktop computers. Furthermore, it doesn’t offer much group betting. The best that bettors will usually find is a few scattered groups of six, and the vigorish on these wagers is incredibly steep at about 20%.

  • Standout features: Prop menu, odds boosts

At first glance, the PGA lineup at ESPN Bet doesn’t look like much. Dig deeper and you’ll find an array of exciting and creative props.

Some of the golf prop bets at ESPN Bet are interesting. For instance, bettors can wager on whether a golfer will make 6 consecutive pars in Round 3, or 7+ birdies in Round 4. Bets like “Will there be a 4+ man playoff?” are arguably on the tamer end.

Most ESPN Bet golf props are one-way (Yes) only, so players cannot bet against them from happening. Usually, this is a sign of a high house edge.

ESPN Bet offers some “normal” golf bets as well, like 2-ball rounds. The house edge on these wagers is about 6%. That isn’t great, but there’s a lot worse out there.

On the plus side, ESPN Bet integrated the Penn Entertainment loyalty program into its app.

Choosing The Best PGA Betting Sites

Online PGA betting is unique because it features extended in-play periods, tons of group and futures bets, and high variance. The lines can vary wildly between sportsbooks, as can the prop menus.

With this in mind, BettingUSA has created a set list of criteria that it uses to judge legal PGA wagering sites. You can also use these ranking factors to determine what fits your personalized needs:

The vigorish on golf bets already skews higher than markets like MLB and NFL, so it’s critical that bettors seek out PGA betting sites that set fair lines. Luckily, legal US sportsbooks aren’t in the habit of price-gouging customers, but some offer more competitive betting odds than others. Just hold off judgment until you review all of a book’s lines, because some books offer mediocre odds in some markets but stellar ones in others.

If a sportsbook posts early PGA lines, bettors will theoretically have more opportunities to find good value. Early lines are also more fun, as bettors can watch the line throughout the week to see if it moves for or against them. It’s almost like a game within a game.

A trend that began after the Supreme Court overturned the federal sports betting ban in 2018 was for major sports leagues to strike data and promotional partnerships with large gaming companies.

In February 2019, the PGA Tour updated its rules to permit players and tournaments to partner with casinos and daily fantasy operators, even if they also offer sports betting. PGA Tour officials believe such partnerships enhance the integrity of the game through the transparent sharing of information.

The PGA Tour has named multiple online sportsbooks as an “official betting operator” since then. Some of the more prominent sportsbooks to partner with the PGA to date include:

  • BetMGM Sportsbook
  • FanDuel Sportsbook
  • DraftKings Sportsbook

Golf betting sites with official PGA sponsorship deals gain the advantage of access to exclusive data straight from the PGA Tour, which in turn benefits customers with more in-play betting options and unique types of golf wagers. In other words, betting on PGA Tour events is usually better at its partner sportsbooks.

Data from the PGA Tour’s  technology is especially valuable for operators. Using an array of high-resolution cameras and lasers, ShotLink Intelligence collects tens of thousands of data points for every PGA Tour event related to driving distance, shot speed, spin, hang time, and much more.

Operators with access to that kind of data can produce sharper lines, give players more wagering options, and provide a more in-depth betting experience relative to sportsbooks without access to that data.

The best PGA betting sites ensure that bettors always have a means of depositing funds. They’ll cater to bettors who prefer using credit/debit cards, checking accounts, prepaid cards, cash, or digital wallets like PayPal and Venmo. As for withdrawals, 3-5 day turnarounds are no longer acceptable, as some sites have instituted ways for trusted customers to receive instantaneous payouts. If a sportsbook is willing to process your deposits in seconds, it should do the same for withdrawals.

First impressions count. BettingUSA prefers sportsbooks that don’t mind sparing a little generosity, by way of large welcome bonuses with easy-to-understand terms. If the bonus’s wagering requirements are obscene, or if certain betting markets are excluded from consideration, bettors may be rightfully turned off.

The best PGA betting sites reward customers with loyalty programs that provide recurring promotions, tiered benefits, passive advantages such as prioritized withdrawals, and chances to win golf travel packages.

Most sportsbooks do a good job when it comes to PGA event coverage. At a minimum, they post lines for the four majors. However, some are more willing than others to post futures on less prestigious events. A few really kick it up a notch by offering an entire menu of props for every PGA Tour event.

Golf Betting Bonuses and Promotions

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Golf betting bonuses represent an excellent source of value for bettors who want to make the most of their wagers. The first type of PGA betting promotions fans will encounter are new customer bonuses worth upwards of $1,000 each.

Next are recurring PGA betting promotions, which provide less value than welcome bonuses but are open to existing customers. All mainstream golf betting sites offer regular promotions that take many forms, ranging from profit boosts on the PGA tournament of the week to contests that award all-expenses-paid trips to major golf destinations.

In all cases, the goal is to identify PGA betting bonuses and promos compatible with your wagering habits and leverage them for maximum value. Doing so begins with understanding the main types of offers you’re likely to receive when betting on golf online.

Golf Welcome Bonuses

In states with competitive online golf betting markets, fans can claim thousands of dollars worth of welcome bonuses from licensed operators for signing up and placing real-money wagers.

The PGA betting bonuses fans should consider first have three characteristics:

That said, some smaller welcome bonuses can also provide significant value if they don’t require much upfront risk. For example, a PGA betting promotion that gives $200 in bonus bets to new customers who place a first wager of at least $20 is an excellent deal, provided it doesn’t have burdensome wagering requirements.

Although some PGA betting bonuses are definitively better than others, bettors can’t go too far wrong by using licensed online sportsbooks exclusively. All licensed golf betting sites have undergone extensive background investigations and received the approval of state regulators.

Additionally, regulations in most states require licensed sportsbooks to provide fair promotions and clearly explain the terms and conditions of every offer. These are just some of the reasons BettingUSA only recommends licensed golf betting apps.

In the current golf betting market, most welcome bonuses come in one of three varieties:

  • Second Chance Golf Bets: Second chance golf bets allow bettors to place a wager on any PGA market and receive a refund if it loses. Typically, online sportsbooks pay refunds as non-withdrawable bonus bets.
  • First Golf Bet Match Bonuses: First bet match bonuses come in two flavors. At some golf betting sites, new customers receive bonus funds based on a percentage of their first wager. For example, an online sportsbook may offer a 100% first bet match, which would give someone who places a $100 first wager an extra $100 in bonus funds. The other type offers a fixed bonus amount, such as $200 in bonus funds for new customers who place a $20+ bet on any golf event.
  • Golf Betting Deposit Bonuses: First deposit golf betting bonuses have fallen out of favor recently, but a few online sportsbooks still offer them to new users. For example, a golf bettor who claims a 50% first deposit bonus would receive $100 in bonus funds if they deposit $200.

Other PGA Betting Promotions

In addition to welcome bonuses, online sportsbooks offer regular PGA betting promotions for existing customers.

Golf betting promos aren’t as frequent as offers for the NFL and other major professional sports. Still, bettors can usually find a few worth taking advantage of at any given time, especially during the lead-up to major tournaments.

The most reliable method to find golf betting promotions is to have accounts with a few online sportsbooks and place the occasional golf wager at each. Online sportsbooks have upped their customer retention efforts in recent years, and many tailor their special offers to customers individually based on their wagering habits.

In other words, fans who bet on golf often are more likely to receive PGA betting bonuses and promotions. Additionally, having accounts with a few PGA betting apps facilitates line shopping to help bettors get the best odds for every wager.

PGA Profit Boosts

Most sportsbooks offer golf profit boosts that increase the payouts on winning wagers by a predetermined percentage. For example, a golf bet that would typically pay $100 in net winnings would instead pay $125 with a 25% profit boost.

Some PGA profit boosts are short-term promotions reserved for specific tournaments, and customers have a limited amount of time to claim them. Others aren’t specific to golf but instead issue tokens that customers can apply to wagers on any sport, golf included.

In both cases, bettors should check the promotion’s terms to be sure they use the profit boost wisely. In particular, bettors need to know the maximum bet and whether there’s a cap on additional winnings to be sure they size their profit-boosted wager accordingly to avoid wasting expected value.

Major Golf Tournament Promotions

The weeks leading up to major tournaments like the Masters, the Open Championship, US Open, PGA Championship, the Players Championship, and so on are the best times to get high-value golf betting promotions for existing customers.

For example, DraftKings Sportsbook recently gave all customers a +300 odds boost to use on any player to win The Masters Tournament. More aptly called a super boost, the promotion was additive, allowing fans to add an extra +300 to any player’s existing odds. If a top golfer was priced at +650, customers could use the promotion to bet on that player at +950.

PGA betting promotions during major tournaments can take many forms. Some examples of past promotions golf betting sites offered during prominent PGA Tour events include:

  • Get a refund paid as bonus bets or site credit if the golfer you select to win finishes anywhere in the top 20
  • Get a 2x refund paid as bonus bets if the golfer you choose to win finishes anywhere in the top-5
  • 20% profit boost for anyone who bets on a specific golfer named by the sportsbook
  • Get a $10 free bet if you place at least $20 worth of wagers on an upcoming PGA tournament

Golf Betting Rewards Programs

Frequent bettors should consider sportsbook rewards programs when deciding where to bet on golf online. Loyalty and VIP programs provide small but frequent rewards that don’t look like much at first, but they have an enormous impact over the long term for fans who regularly bet online.

There are a few things to consider when evaluating which rewards program will provide the most benefit to your style of PGA betting.

The first is to consider whether in-person rewards are important. If you regularly visit land-based casinos, an all-encompassing rewards program from a major casino operator might be the best fit.

Programs like MGM Rewards and Caesars Rewards provide a combination of online incentives like bonus bets and odds boosts in addition to in-person benefits like discounted hotel stays, priority check-in, VIP access to special events, comped meals, and more.

Fans who do their PGA betting online exclusively can also benefit from the aforementioned rewards programs. However, there are also some valuable online-only loyalty programs that may be better fits.

The most prominent example is DraftKings Rewards, which focuses 100% of its attention on its online customers and offers bonuses, invitations to exclusive contests, an expansive rewards store, tickets to live events nationwide, and much more.

In addition, customers can compare the equivalent cashback rates of different golf betting rewards programs to determine which offers the most bonus funds per dollar wagered. Readers can see in-depth reviews of some of the most popular sports betting loyalty programs below:

Live Event PGA Promotions

Some of the most infrequent but attractive golf betting bonuses involve trips to attend prestigious PGA tournaments or an opportunity to play a round on a prominent course.

In most cases, live event PGA promos ask customers to complete a certain challenge or make predictions for entry into a drawing that will randomly award the grand prize to one person. Occasionally, the only thing customers need to do is log in to their accounts to participate.

For example, one recent promotion invited bettors to log in during each week’s PGA tournament to spin the wheel up to three times to receive a randomized roster of three golfers scheduled to compete in the tournament.

Each customer’s roster earned fantasy points based on the golfers’ performance (e.g., five points for an eagle, two for a birdie, etc.). At the end of the promotion, the customers whose rosters had accumulated the most fantasy points won prizes ranging from $50 bonus bets to a trip to play at TPC Sawgrass with three friends of their choosing.

How To Bet On Golf Online

Golf lends itself to a surprisingly diverse range of betting options considering the tournament format of golf competitions. The types of wagers one can place on golf extend well beyond merely betting on which player will win any given tournament.

Over the years, golf oddsmakers have come up with a wide array of wagering options, as described below.

Types Of Golf Bets

Tournament winner wagers, or futures, are simple bets on who will win the tournament. With this wager, the sportsbook provides a list of players slated to compete in an upcoming golf tournament, and the bettor chooses one to win it all. The outright winner bet only pays if the selected golfer finishes in first place.

Outrights tend to pay well due to the difficulty of picking a single player to win a specific tournament. It is not uncommon for sportsbooks to price the tournament favorite as high as +1,000 (a $100 bet returns $1,000 in net profit). Similarly, bettors will often find longshot players priced as +150000 or more (a $100 wager returns $150,000 in net profit).

The general rule of futures is that the more options, the higher the vigorish. For PGA Majors, there can be up to 70 eligible golfers. Bettors can lower the effective house edge by shopping lines at different books.

Winner Without is similar to the tournament winner wager, with one major difference. The favorite or three favorites are removed from the pool. Bettors place wagers on who will finish first among the remaining players.

This bet is enticing if there’s a dark horse that probably can’t overcome the favorites, but could easily sneak into second, third, or fourth. Winner Without wagers don’t pay as much as tournament winner wagers, but they do cash for more than Top 5 or Top 10 bets.

Top finish bets work like tournament winner wagers but pay if the selected golfer finishes in the top five, ten, or twenty places in the tournament, depending on the wager. For example, a Top 5 bet on a golfer would win if he finishes anywhere in the top five places.

In other words, a top finish bet is an easier-to-win version of the outright offset by less attractive odds. To use a real example, an outright win bet on a single golfer in a recent tournament paid +750 while a top-5 bet on that same golfer paid +188.

Head-to-head matchups, otherwise known as 2-ball golf betting, serve as an attractive alternative to outrights because they narrow down the options to just two players and function like a bet on team sports.

Rather than betting on which golfer will win the entire tournament, bettors only need to pick who will have the better finish out of two named players.

Sportsbooks try to pair evenly matched golfers, so a typical 2-ball wager might look something like this:

  • Scottie Sheffler: -135
  • Justin Thomas: +115

If this example reminds anyone of betting on the winning team in other sports, that’s because it’s modeled after precisely that type of wager. Keep in mind that what happens in the rest of the tournament does not matter for this wager. The only question in this bet is which golfer will finish higher.

In the above example, the sportsbook priced Scottie Sheffler’s odds at -135 as the betting favorite. Thus, for every $135 bettors wager on Scottie Sheffler, they stand to net $100 in winnings. Another way to think of it is that for every $1.35 bettors wager they stand to win $1.00 in net profit.

Meanwhile, the sportsbook priced Justin Thomas’s odds at +115 as a slight underdog. For every $100 bettors wagered they stand to win $115 in net profit.

There’s a variation of 2-ball bets that includes the tie option. Bettors wager on whether one of two players will win, or if they’ll finish with the same score.

3-ball golf bets are like head-to-head matchups, except they involve picking who will finish with the best score out of a group of three golfers. Three-ball bets tend to only run for the first or second round of the tournament.

3-ball bets offer a better return than head-to-head wagers due to the addition of one more player but are still significantly easier to win than outright wagers.

Group betting is a further extension of the 3-ball concept. Except now, bettors now try and pick the winner among a group of 4,5, or 6 golfers.

Typically, the bet is decided over a round. Group betting usually runs from Round 1 all the way to the final round. In terms of risk, they straddle the line between 2-ball bets and outright tournament winner wagers.

The payouts on group bets are obviously higher than on 3-balls, but the vigorish is also higher. The house edge on groups of four is around 8-9%, sailing up to around 12-15% for groups of six.

The first-round leader bet is a variation of the tournament winner wager, but it is based only on the first round of play.

First-round leader bets may be attractive in certain circumstances. For example, golf bettors may want to use first-round leader bets to save back a little cash in case the selected golfer has a poor first round.

Or, a first-round leader bet may come in handy for a golfer who tends to get off to a strong start but doesn’t necessarily have finishing power.

First-round bets settle at the end of the round. What happens in the rest of the tournament has no bearing on the wager.

A round score is a totals bet, similar to over/under wagers in other professional sports. Bettors will wager on whether a golfer is going to shoot over a certain score in a round, or under.

The key difference is that in golf, higher scores are worse. So, a bet on the Over suggests that the golfer will have a poor performance. For example, if Jordan Smith is listed at O/U 71.5, bettors should take the under if they think he’ll come out strong.

It’s worth noting that in golf, the possibility looms for dozens of totals wagers. Sportsbooks may post totals for each golfer that made the cut. Admittedly, the bet format hasn’t caught that much fire yet, but give it time.

Each-way golf bets are essentially two wagers in one. Half the money in an each-way bet backs the golfer to win, and half goes on the same golfer to finish near the top.

What qualifies as a “near the top” finish varies, but it usually covers the chosen golfer finishing anywhere in the top four, five, or six places in the tournament.

Sportsbooks typically list each-way bets something like this:

  • Golfer A: +1200 EW ¼ @ 1-2-3-4-5

This bet tells us that Golfer A is priced at +1200 to win the tournament outright and one-quarter odds for a top-5 finish.

A $10 each way bet on Golfer A in this example would cost a total of $20. Of that amount, $10 would go on Golfer A to win the tournament at +1200. The remaining $10 would go on that golfer to finish in the top five at +300 (1/4th of +1200).

In summary, someone taking this bet has an outright wager on Golfer A to win, plus a backup option should Golfer A play well but fail to take first.

With each-way golf bets, there are three possible outcomes:

  • Golfer A wins the tournament: The bettor wins both halves of the wager. The win portion would pay $120 in net profit ($10 at +1200). The place portion would also pay at +300 for an additional $30 in winnings ($10 at +300). The total return in this outcome would be $170 for a net profit of $150.
  • Golfer A finishes in 2nd-5th place: The bettor loses the outright portion of the wager because Golfer A failed to win. However, the other $10 portion of the bet would still pay at +300 because Golfer A achieved a top-5 finish. The return on this wager would be $40 for a net profit of $20.
  • Golfer A finishes anywhere below 5th place: Both halves of the wager lose, resulting in the bettor losing $20.

Golf betting sites occasionally offer “player vs. the field” bets when one golfer has emerged as the dominant favorite to win the tournament.

Bettors will often see this wager open later in a tournament when one golfer has pulled far ahead of the pack, and their odds have shortened dramatically. Meanwhile, the remaining golfers are such longshots to win that there is little interest in backing the favorite or anyone else.

The player vs. the field wager allows bettors to pick one of two outcomes:

  • The named player to win the tournament
  • Anyone else to win the tournament

The idea with this bet is to keep the betting markets attractive even when one player has pulled way ahead. The wager allows golf bettors to back the current favorite at decent odds. Or, bettors can take a shot at an upset by backing the entire field as a group for a realistic shot at winning the bet.

If a few golfers pull out ahead of the pack, the bet may be amended to “Big Guns vs. The Field” where players can either back the top 2-3 golfers or everyone else.

Golf props (short for “proposition bets”) cover a wide range of topics not directly related to who will win the event. For example, a popular golf prop is to bet on whether a hole-in-one will occur during the tournament.

Other types of golf prop bets may cover subjects such as whether or not there will be a playoff, who will achieve the lowest round, the winner’s nationality, most greens in regulation, and much more. Here are just a few more examples from the most recent British Open Championship:

  • Margin of victory
  • Nearest pin on the 17th hole
  • Player to record 6+ birdies in one round
  • Top debutant
  • Lowest aggregate score among two golfers on Par 3 holes

It’s very important to note that props vary widely from sportsbook to sportsbook. So, bettors that download just one app will be missing out on a lot of wagers.

More importantly, this variance creates a lot of value opportunities. Think of it this way: If only one book is posting a wager, there isn’t a perfect comparison point, meaning a lot of market uncertainty can creep in.

In-Play Golf Betting

In-play golf betting differs from traditional wagering in one fundamental respect: betting markets remain open throughout the event – even wagers on who will win. As sportsbooks receive live data from the PGA Tour, they provide customers with a constant stream of short-term and tournament-spanning bets with golf odds that update in real-time.

Golf is truly the only sport where in-play markets can open on Thursday and not close for the same event until Sunday.

Legalizing sports betting opened the door for experienced and well-funded gaming companies to enter the business and deliver advanced in-play betting capabilities. With companies such as Metric Gaming and IMG Arena able to leverage the PGA’s ShotLink technology, the in-play golf betting experience is continually advancing.

Golf pairs well with instant play betting because the sport offers no shortage of individual tour events to bet on, but it doesn’t move so fast that it becomes difficult to keep up with the many markets offered throughout a tournament.

The types of live golf betting markets available for any tournament will vary by sportsbook. The best golf betting websites provide a wide range of options, ranging from outright bets on who will win the round to whether or not a specific competitor will record a green in regulation on the next hole.

Popular Types Of In-Play Golf Bets

  • Live outrights: Bet on the tournament winner (golf odds updated throughout the tournament)
  • Hole-by-hole betting: Bet on an individual golfer’s performance on a single hole, such as betting YES or NO to green in regulation, YES or NO to fairway in regulation, and hole score
  • Round 1 matchup: Predict which of two players will have the best round
  • Hole matchups: Predict which of two players will win a specific hole, or if they’ll be a tie
  • Round totals: Bet the over/under on a golfer’s total score for the round
  • In-play props: Bet on a variety of props such as will a specific golfer have a bogey-free round, will any golfer score a bogey or worse on a particular hole, predict the leading score after round one, and much more

PGA Betting Tips

Golf may be a rather tame sport, but it can be extremely nerve-racking for bettors. Potentially enormous payouts can be lost on one errant chip shot. Weather conditions, injuries, and even psychology all play a major role in the final outcome.

Yes, golf betting is volatile, and it doesn’t help that the house edge on most bets is fairly high. Luckily, bettors can swing the pendulum in their direction by following just a few simple pieces of sound advice. These tips won’t make you a pro, but you’ll be that much closer to shooting par.

Understand the Dead Heat Rules

One of the most popular PGA bets is on a player to finish in the Top 5, 10, or 20. However, ties happen so frequently in golf that a number of players may hold the same position. Unless the tie is for first, there is no playoff to distinguish a winner. They simply remain tied.

When multiple players are tied for a Top X spot, a sportsbook’s Dead Heat rules come into play. Most books handle this scenario by first dividing your stake by the number of golfers that tied, and basing payouts off the new stake.

Say you bet $100 on Jon Rahm to finish in the Top 5 at +200 odds, and Rahm finished tied for 5th with another golfer. Your $100 stake would be divided by two. $50 would be lost and the other $50 would pay out at +200 odds, for a total return of $150 and a $50 profit.

The scenarios can get more complicated. Instead of finishing in a 2-way tie for 5th, imagine if Rahm finished in a 5-way tie for 4th. Now the sportsbooks have to factor in the number of golfers that tied and the remaining finishing positions. There are two positions available (4th and 5th) for five golfers, which is 40%. Therefore, the $100 stake is reduced to $40 and paid out at the original +200 odds. The total return is $120.

There are some sportsbooks that have different Dead Heat rules. The most common variation is when a book simply changes the odds in accordance with how many players are tied. This is preferable because the original stake is always refunded. Therefore, winners are guaranteed a profit, which can’t be said about the more common rule set.

Lessen the House Edge on PGA Futures

The house edge on PGA Futures, especially for Tournament Winners, can be in excess of 20%. Even the sharpest sports bettor would find it nearly impossible to overcome those odds.

However, bettors can reduce the effective house edge through a simple trick. It starts by understanding the current sports betting landscape. In markets with legal online sports betting, there are usually at least several live betting apps. In some states, there are over a dozen.

Having so many options is important because each book will at least take a minor position on golf futures, meaning the lines will vary. This is especially true if an event is a ways off.

Simply combine the best line from each book into one new future. This can have a remarkable impact on the house’s edge. Use this new patchwork future as the basis of your analyses.

Another way to approach futures is to simply compare the odds at local books against sharp books. If there’s a big discrepancy, and there usually will be with so many golfers, then it’s worth looking at in further detail.

Make Golf Bets With Fewer Options

New PGA bettors should probably start with simple two-way moneyline wagers. There are two reasons for this. The first is that it’s way easier to handicap a single head-to-head match than an entire field.

The second is that the house edge on 2-balls is significantly lower than group and futures betting. On the very best PGA betting sites, the vigorish is a mere 3.5 – 4%. That can be easily overcome through promotions and loyalty kickbacks.

Even if a promotion isn’t running, there’s enough uncertainty in golf that bettors could eventually learn how to find value plays. It’ll take some effort, but won’t be as fruitless as trying to profit by picking winners.

Beware Overrated Statistics And Players

Putting performance is one of the least telling metrics in golf. Every golfer has hot and cold streaks, and there’s really no telling when they’re going to occur. Yes, putting requires some skill, but a lot of it is up to random chance.

Instead look at more pertinent statistics, like average velocity of their tee shots, and their ability to hit the green. A player that is talented with drivers and irons, but who has recently failed to make the cut due to a few bad putting breaks might offer solid value.

Another statistic that has questionable utility is course history. Over the course of a year, a player’s game can change dramatically, rendering their previous performances mostly irrelevant. Even if their game is roughly the same, the sample set is too small to prioritize prior performance.

Also, course conditions change from year-to-year. A player’s ability to adapt to different temperatures and wind speeds can have a small or gigantic impact on their game.

Finally, consider fading well-known golf celebrities. Big names like Tiger Woods often go off at absurdly poor odds, simply because they’re household names.

It’s not necessarily that public sentiment is shifting the line, although that is possible. It’s more that the sportsbook knows Woods will garner heavy volume, and will therefore post a short line because bettors will bet it anyway. Don’t be one of them.

On the contrary, unknown debutants with excellent promise but no brand recognition often present valuable betting opportunities.

Practice Bankroll Management

Modern sportsbooks offer more PGA wagers than ever before, and the betting markets are becoming increasingly granular. It used to be that bettors could only bet on the result of a tournament or a round. Thanks to advances in technology, they can bet on the next hole. Before long, stroke betting will rise in popularity.

Having access to more bets means there are more opportunities to find edges. It also means that more players will chase their losses. Before betting on PGA events, determine a set amount that you’re willing to lose and stick with it. If temptation proves too great, set deposit and spending limits prior to the tournament. All legal online sportsbooks have responsible gambling tools like these.

Bankroll management is especially important for outright bettors. Betting into fields with dozens of golfers when the favorite might be listed at +500 or +1000 could lead to extremely long dry spells. Ensure that your unit size is small enough to withstand year-long swings.

Also, feel free to hedge bets, but try to reserve this option only when the money is meaningful. Otherwise, you’re just paying the house edge twice.

Use Sportsbook Welcome Bonuses And Promotions the Right Way

Most players know to take advantage of welcome bonuses, but they don’t always approach them correctly.

There are several different types of new player bonuses, and each one demands a different strategy for players looking to maximize returns.

For instance, if a sportsbook offers bettors a full refund of up to $1,000 if their first wager loses, then an optimal strategy would entail betting exactly $1,000 (but no more) on a longshot. The expected value of betting on longshots and favorites is roughly the same, but by betting an underdog, players stand a greater chance of receiving bonus value.

The same goes for recurrent promotions. Understand how to maximize the promo first before claiming it. If DraftKings is offering an 18% profit boost up to $50 on the U.S. Open, find a bet with a low house edge and bet an amount where an extra 18% in winnings would work out to around $50.

Understand The Psychology of Golf

Golf is a mental game, and bettors can probably extract more value by trying to get inside a golfer’s head than by looking at their past performances. Follow their social media, see what they’ve been saying in interviews, and look to see if anything significant has changed in their life.

The point is that every variable is in play when it comes to predictive golf analyses.

Betting On PGA Majors

Golf betting is  with fans never far from the next PGA tournament, all of which are covered by the nation’s prominent online sportsbooks.

However, the four golf Majors stand above all the rest each year:

  • Masters Tournament: Takes place in early-middle April; always held at Augusta National Golf Club
  • US Open: Runs during mid-June; locations vary
  • The Open Championship: Takes place in mid-July; various locations
  • PGA Championship: Runs in mid-May; locations vary

Online sportsbooks and golf betting apps tend to cover the four PGA Majors in the most detail. As each Major approaches, the best golf betting sites load up on promotions and launch dozens of betting markets.

The very best PGA betting sites will cover at least a few more events, especially team competitions like the Ryder Cup and the Solheim Cup.

How Legal Sports Betting Impacts The PGA

Legal sports betting impacts the PGA in multiple ways.

One of the most significant impacts is viewership. Many surveys have found that people who bet on sports tend to consume more sports media. That includes tuning in to broadcasts, visiting PGA websites for results, and interacting with PGA social media accounts.

Increased engagement results in an indirect benefit to the PGA Tour by giving it more leverage in advertising contract negotiations. If people are tuning in, the PGA Tour can demand bigger broadcasting and advertising fees.

Although illegal sports betting was widespread for decades, past viewership numbers already reflected that fact. Legal golf betting further increases fan engagement as the sports betting industry shakes its shadowy reputation to become more accessible and acceptable to casual fans.

A second benefit for the PGA is direct investments from the industry, such as sports betting operators paying money to the PGA Tour for sponsorships, advertising, and access to official data.

The PGA also gains the ability to directly enter the sports betting business. In late 2019, the PGA Tour announced plans to begin taking wagers at golf tournaments held in states where sports betting is legal.

Later, the PGA Tour partnered with DraftKings to launch a retail sportsbook at TPC Scottsdale for sports betting in Arizona. The partnership was the first of its kind for a PGA course, paving the way for the PGA Tour to benefit from sports betting directly.

PGA Position On Sports Wagering

Unlike the other major US sports leagues, the PGA Tour did not strongly oppose sports betting before the Supreme Court ruled PASPA unconstitutional. Even as the NFL and other leagues filed lawsuits to stop New Jersey from implementing sports betting, the PGA Tour had little to say on the matter.

In January 2017, long before the Supreme Court decision, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan indicated he would keep an “” regarding the issue. The PGA Tour opted not to issue a formal statement at the time, but Monahan did note that legal sports betting could potentially unlock “a lot of opportunity” for professional golf.

The league further clarified its stance after it became evident the Supreme Court would likely strike down PASPA and effectively legalilze sports betting. Roughly a month before the ruling, Commissioner Monahan spoke with USA Today in a wide-ranging interview and revealed that the PGA Tour had already been studying the issue of golf betting for “several years” at that point.

After the ruling that May, the PGA Tour finally issued a formal statement on sports betting:

Following the Supreme Court’s ruling today, the PGA Tour reiterates its support of the regulation of sports betting in a safe and responsible manner. We believe that regulation is the most effective way of ensuring integrity in competition, protecting consumers, engaging fans and generating revenue for government, operators and league.

The PGA Tour Supports Responsible Gambling

The (AGA) is with the PGA TOUR to educate and highlight the importance of betting responsibly to golf fans.

The PGA TOUR became a “Have A Game Plan” partner in January 2021, with the AGA creating a golf-related concept titled “Know When to Lay Up.”

The partnership is part of a larger AGA effort to proactively address responsible gambling, but it is not the PGA Tour’s only effort in that regard.

Since the Supreme Court overturned PASPA in 2018, the PGA Tour has created an integrity program and become a .

With these ongoing combined efforts, The PGA Tour can align its efforts with the AGA and provide a consistent message to fans.

“The AGA is thrilled to welcome the PGA TOUR to our growing responsible sports betting campaign,” said AGA Senior Vice President Casey Clark.

Clark echoed the significance of the alliance in a growing market, stating that they must take an active approach towards educating bettors to keep pace with the increase in the number of players.

Scott Warfield, VP of Gaming at the PGA TOUR, also confirmed the gravity of equipping fans with proper resources to bet on sports responsibly. “By aligning with the American Gaming Association in support of its Have A Game Plan campaign we’re able to align our efforts and provide a consistent message focused on responsible gaming.”

Golf Betting FAQ

Customers must be 21 or older in most states to bet on golf online. However, fans betting on golf online in Kentucky, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Washington DC, and Wyoming only need to be 18 or older.

Not yet. All mainstream USA golf betting sites offer in-play wagering, but none has secured broadcasting rights to PGA Tour events.

The best golf betting sites stand above the rest in nearly every critical aspect: reputation, variety of wagers, in-play wagering coverage, odds, cashiering, and features. In BettingUSA’s experience, there is a vast difference between the top golf betting sites and all the rest.

Bettors should wager on golf in a way that suits them. If they’re looking for big payouts, then bet on Tournament Winners. Those looking for slightly safer bets can wager on golfers to finish in the Top 5 or 10. These bets tend to be more engaging because more golfers are in contention for a top 10 spot than first after two or three rounds.

That said, the best way to bet golf if you’re looking to make a long-term profit, or at least minimize your losses, is to wager on head-to-head matches, otherwise known as 2-ball.

The Nassau is an informal bet made between golfers that encompasses three wagers in one: a bet on the front nine, a bet on the back nine, and a bet on the final score for all 18 holes.

For example, a $5 Nassau golf bet is worth up to $15 in total: $5 for the front nine, $5 for the back nine, and $5 for the 18-hole total.