Complete Guide to the Top Golf Betting Sites

Last updated: by Leon Marshal

Interest in golf betting sites has never been higher. Whether you are a seasoned golfing pro or a newbie, our complete guide to the best golf betting sites has something for everyone. We look at bookmakers differently, through the eyes both of a golfing fan and of a customer. No hype, no misleading links, just 100% commitment to helping you find the best for you.

Our goal for this page is to share our best practices when visiting online golf gambling sites. We’ll explain how we ranked the top golf betting sites, describing what areas we consider vital. We will show you how odds are calculated and how you can check the value being offered. We also take a look at the most important golfing tournaments and what bets you can place, in order to give you a full comprehension of the betting chances in this discipline.


The Best Golf Betting Sites and How to Choose Them

With so many golf betting sites, it can be a time-intensive process to find a site that has everything you need. This is where we can help. We have been reviewing betting sites for many years and we know what is important to the UK bettor. In all our reviews we judge sites by the customer experience and report how well a company performs against key performance indicators.

The Top 5 Golf Betting Sites
BookmakerWelcome BonusHighlightsRatingVisit BookmakerT&C
£30Markets: 25 Bet Types: 18 Odds Levels: 92.14%5.0 out of 5Full T&Cs Apply! New online customers only, min £10/€10 stake, win only, min odds 1/2, free bets paid as 3 X £10/€10, 30 day expiry, free bet/payment method/player/country restrictions apply.
£20 Free BetMarkets: 24 Bet Types: 17 Odds Levels: 91.63%5.0 out of 5Full T&Cs Apply! *18+ Eligible UK+IRE players. Paypal & some deposit & bet types excl. Min first £5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 = 4x £5 free bets. Free bets valid for 7 days, stake not returned. No cashout, restrictions apply.
£20Markets: 20 Bet Types: 16 Odds Levels: 91.74%4.8 out of 5Full T&Cs Apply! 18+ New UK+IRE customers only. PayPal and certain deposit types excluded. Min £5 bet within 14 days of account registration at min odds 1/2 = 4 x £5 free bets. Free bets valid for 4 days on sports, stake not returned, restrictions apply.
£10Markets: 19 Bet Types: 15 Odds Levels: 91.65%4.7 out of 5Full T&Cs Apply! Risk Free 20: New customers only, limited to one per person. If you’ve previously had a Paddy Power account, you will not qualify for the offer. Place your FIRST bet on any Sportsbook market and if it loses we will refund your stake in CASH. Max refund for this offer is £20. Only deposits made using Debit Cards or Paypal will qualify for this promotion. T&Cs apply. Paddy’s Rewards Club: Get a £10 free bet when you place 5x bets of £10+.
£30 Free BetsMarkets: 19 Bet Types: 14 Odds Levels: 92.25%4.6 out of 5Full T&Cs Apply! 18+ New customers only. Opt in, bet £10 at odds 2.00+ within 7 days, no cashout. Get 6x £5 Free Bets, set events at odds 2.00+. 7 day bonus expiry. Debit Card / Apple Pay payments only. Click for T&Cs. Please Gamble Responsibly.
The top golf betting sites

Top 5 Golf Betting Sites

  • 🥇 William Hill ✪ Top Overall Golf Sportsbook
  • 🥈 BetVictor ✪ Highest Payout Golf Bookie
  • 🥉 Ladbrokes ✪ Lots of Golf Betting Markets
  • Coral ✪ Best Golf Live Betting Site
  • Paddy Power ✪ High-Quality Golf Livestreams

Our betting on golf site reviews start the moment we sign up. Was it an easy process? Did it take long? Once logged in, could we see the welcome bonus or free bet? Is this site good for live golf betting? Does it have an efficient mobile app like the ones we talk about on our best mobile betting sites page? These are just a few of the hundreds of questions we ask on a regular basis. In the next section, we take a closer look at some of the criteria we used for judging golf betting sites.


Golf Betting Odds Levels

Odds are a good way of seeing at a glance what value the online betting site offers. It would be easy to imagine that the odds offered are pretty similar at all operators, so you’d be wasting your time if you’ve already found a site that you are familiar with. The truth of the matter though is there often is a variance between two or more sites and the difference between them can be quite significant. This will, of course, affect the number of winnings you could receive.

Average Payouts for the Top Golf Leagues by Bookie:
Bookmaker
Ryder Cup89.51%88.29%87.30%91.20%91.37%
PGA Championships91.38%91.09%91.96%90.05%90.49%
The Masters92.96%88.42%90.89%87.35%92.39%
US Open88.06%87.16%87.41%91.97%87.90%

When a player or event is at short odds, there isn’t as much of a range as when the odds are longer, but it does exist. To show this we looked at ten sites and compared the odds for the favourite at the US Open. The lowest value odds found was 19/2, the highest was 11/1. This may not sound like much difference with 19/2 effectively becoming 9.5/1. That, however, means that for every £1 stake you receive an extra £1.50 in winnings between the two sites.

At higher odds, the difference can be even more startling. Using the same market of the outright winner at the US Open we randomly picked an outsider. Most of the sites have the golfer @100/1, two have the odds @110/1 but one has the golfer way back @150/1. This, of course, means an extra £50 per £1 stake, a huge difference. It’s worth remembering that odds of 150/1 equate to the bookmaker believing there is only a probability of 0.66% of that event occurring. But strange things happen in golf.

Markets on Offer

Golf is one of the UK’s most loved sports, both in terms of viewing and betting figures. With a popular tournament on almost every week, you’ll normally find a well-known event happening. Of course, every huge event, such as the Masters, will be covered by every operator, with many offering exclusive bonuses, odds and betting markets. But what about smaller events, or women’s and amateur golf.

GOLF MARKETS AVAILABLE AT EACH OPERATOR
BookmakerRyder CupPGA ChampionshipsThe MastersUS Open
24251522
20301631
19172221
15271915
23241526

The best golf betting sites will offer these events and markets along with a decent range of betting options. Of course, they won’t be covered with the same depth as the big events, but if you’re a golf betting expert, then having the option to bet on these tournaments will be very important to your bankroll.

Golf Betting Bonuses and Promotions

You are unlikely to find many golf betting sites promotions that would appeal to just golfing fans throughout the year. Although when the top tournaments are on, you will find several sites offering enhanced odds with star players or players from the UK. Remember most sites offer you free bets or matched deposits if you try them out. As long as you ensure you meet the minimum wagering requirements on a new customer offer there is no reason not to have many accounts for betting.

The exception to this rule is bet365, who are one of the very few golf betting sites that have a targeted promotion aimed just at golf fans. During the PGA Championship they invite their Twitter followers to predict the major mover in the tournament. It’s not just for fun either with the winner’s account being credited with £100. Check our bonus page to discover all the details about welcome offers and on-going promotions.

Golf Betting on the Go: Mobile Apps

Imagine seeing the swing of a club, hearing the roar of the crowd, and the anticipation of a put on the 18th hole whilst sitting on the bus to the shops. Well, it is now a possibility thanks to the evolution of the golf betting app. You can place a wager anywhere, using a dedicated tool that has been developed for your smartphone.

Technology these days is amazing, and many apps have built-in a live streaming service too. There are many you can choose from, and we have put together a list of the top mobile betting sites for you to have a look at. They are all very sound, but each person has their own preference so it is best to check a few of them out for yourself.

Live Golf Betting Arena

The best way to experience betting on golf is when it’s live. Events on the course affect the prices offered in real-time, one bad shot and the odds can plummet.

Golfing fanatics know how important recovery play can be in golf with some golfers excelling in it. Jack Nicklaus was a past master at the recovery shot. Proof of this was seen in the 1975 PGA Championship at Firestone.

On the par-5 16th hole a wayward shot had left the American deep in the rough 138 yards from the pin and hidden behind two trees. The commentator Bob Rosburg dismissed Nicklaus’s chances expecting a chip out. Nicklaus decided otherwise and hit a 9-iron that flew straight over the trees. He hit the 20 ft put and hit par. He went on to win that tournament, imagine how big the odds would have been of him hitting par if live golf betting was available in 1975!

It’s easy to understand why live betting is so popular, and if you need more information about this type of play, we invite you to visit our live bets page. Betting becomes more immersive and you feel you have more control over your ability to predict the correct result. It is one thing predicting golfer A will win an event in six months’ time, it’s a totally different thing to watch the first round of action and assess the pros and cons of the golfers for round two.

In events like the British Masters, live golf betting comes into its own as many of the players we get to watch have little form or pedigree coming into the competition. Many seasoned golfing bettors can judge a player’s form very quickly by the way they hit the ball, composure and style of play. They then back or avoid the golfer over the eighteen holes.

The range of bets is enough to keep anyone busy, player scores (under/par/over), holes 1-3 winner as well as flash bets such as ‘will player A hit 3 birdies in the match’?

Utilising Cash Out at Golf Betting Sites

Golf betting sites with cash out facility are becoming more popular and there is a good reason for that. The ability to change your mind is a powerful weapon as you try and get any advantage over a bookmaker. How many times in your life have you had second thoughts over something, changed your thinking and then look back later and are pleased you did things differently? Or maybe you just have a suspicion that a player you have heavily backed and has a commanding lead is going to suddenly develop a case of the yips on the 16th. If this is the case, you can cash-out your bet at the shown total.

Knowing how a player is likely to perform can give a slight edge with cashing-out. For example, if golfer A normally starts a course well but fades towards the end of the 18 holes, it can be a useful tactic to back the golfer to be leading after round 1, with the intention of cashing-out for a small profit.

To explain this further, you place £10 on golfer A to be round winner and you receive odds of 25/1. As soon as you place the bet the cash-out value is £7 (this reflects the low probability of this happening). The golfer starts well and after 5 holes he is 2 off the lead. As this is above expectations of this golfer the cash-out amount is increased to £13. You cash-out and take the £3 profit, not a life-changing amount but validation of the research.


Bet Types Available in Golf

Golf has a huge range of bets that you can place both before and when the action is on. From a simple competition winner to predicting the winners of the next five PGA events, the only limit is your imagination. You are unlikely to find, among the best golf betting sites, promotions that would appeal to just golfing fans throughout the year. Although when the top tournaments are on, you will find several sites offering enhanced odds with star players or players from the UK mainly. Remember most sites offer you free bets or matched deposits if you try them out. As long as you ensure you meet the minimum wagering requirements on a new customer offer there is no reason not to have many accounts for betting.

During the PGA Championship, they invite their Twitter followers to predict the major mover in the tournament. It’s not just for fun either with the winner’s account being credited with £100.

In this section, we take a look at some of the most popular golf betting types and where possible, share a bit of knowledge that we have picked up while betting online.

To Win Outright

A golf club getting ready to strike the ball from the tee This is the easiest bet to place; will golfer A win the competition? When calculating these odds, the bookmakers will look at the golfer’s ranking, the current form, injury record, previous performance on the course, age and probably a thousand other variables. Also, how much risk they are exposed to by punters placing bets. The more people bet, the shorter the odds become. This is why we would always recommend checking the price on at least two sites before you bet. Many betting pundits often combine their outright win bets with ’to win the round’ bets. The belief is that their golfer will take the lead and hold it for the entire competition. Although it is risky, it does have the advantage of giving you a few round bets that could be successful even if the golfer doesn’t win the tournament.

Top Rookie

A golf player studying the next shotFor regular watchers of golf, the PGA Tour Rookie bet is a popular one. It rewards golf fans who have been watching PGA ranking events featuring up and coming stars in the sport. The PGA Tour Rookie award is relatively new, first introduced after the 1999 season. Robert Gamez won the first one and the title has been held by some of the biggest names in the sport including Ernie Els, Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth and the legendary Tiger Woods. Previous PGA Tour Rookies of the Year Award Winners, 2007 – Brandt Snedeker, 2008 – Andres Romero, 2009 – Marc Leishman, 2010 – Rickie Fowler, 2011 – Keegan Bradley, 2012 – John Huh, 2013 – Jordan Spieth, 2014 – Chesson Hadley, 2015 – Daniel Berger, 2016 – Emiliano Grillo and in 2017 Xander Schauffele took the award.

1st Round Leader

A girl playing golf on the fairwayOne of the most popular golf bets in any tournament. You are simply betting on which golfer will be leading the field after the end of round one. After the first round is completed the book re-opens with betting on the 2nd round leader. It’s worth mentioning that the each-way bet is available for the round leader bets. The number of positions that payout depends on the number of golfers but usually stands at 5 places. The each-way bet would pay out at 1/4 of the odds.

1st Round 3 Balls

A golf player immediately after having hit the ball3-Ball is a bet type that is usually offered in the 1st and 2nd rounds of a 4 round tournament. With 3-Ball you can place bets on which player in a 3 player group will score the lowest round. All three golfers must complete the 18 hole round. This type of bet gets you close to the action and it’s possible to bet on each and every hole in the round. By the end of the 18 holes, you feel you have a connection with the golfers. Not only can you bet on who will score the lowest score per hole, but you can also predict how the three golfers perform against par.


Emerging Features in Golf Betting

Rather than emerging features, an emerging market that is worth paying attention to is the LPGA. Although the Ladies Professional Golf Association has been in existence since the 50’s, prize money of over $2m at LPGA events and broadcast deals have led to the women’s game seeing an explosion in popularity.

Names to watch out for on the LPGA circuit are LPGA Player of the Year for 2017, American Park Sung-Hyun, Thailand’s Ayako Uehara who won the LPGA Player of the Year in 2016, South Korean Ryu So-yeon who was the LPGA Rookie of the Year in 2012 and all-time LPGA money winner, Annika Sorenstam. The reason that the LPGA is a good market to try is that it doesn’t have the betting volume compared to the men’s game. This means prices are less volatile and many of the golfers outside the top 5 rankings have a realistic chance of a win, making them an attractive each-way bet.

Flash Markets

If you are lacking betting inspiration, then the top betting sites will often provide hints on popular bets. These flash markets are perfect on lazy weekends with a beer in one hand while watching the action on the big screen. The beauty of these bets is the simplicity of them; ‘will X happen?’

Just like when you are walking past a high street bookmaker and the poster in the window asks, “Will Tommy Fleetwood become PGA Champion?” Flash bets have the ability to ask a question you weren’t expecting. Like an interactive version of Question of Sport, it’s fun to pit your wits against the bookie.

New Golf Betting Sites

Golf is such a mainstream sport, much like the best sites for horse racing betting, that almost all online bookmakers offer at least a limited selection of golfing events you can bet on. That is why more and more of our visitors are taking advantage of the many new best golf betting sites that are fresh to the market.

As these companies are new to the market, they need custom which is great news for the customer as more competition means better odds, more innovative features and a focus on customer care.

Golf ball and a golf club with the Grosvenor logo
Best New Golf Betting Site
  • x2 Odds on your first bet
  • High golf payout level of 91.33%
  • Over 22 golf tournaments available
  • Bet in-play on many markets
iOSAndroidBlackberryWindows Mobile Visit Site!
Full T&Cs Apply! Offer applies to Sport bets only. Maximum total stake is £10. Each way bets are a maximum of £5 each way (£10 total stake). Exclusive to new members. 18+

Many of these companies offer free bets, matched deposits and special offers. Although it’s totally understandable to be wary of using a site that isn’t a household name, any betting site we feature is 100% licensed and regulated by the UK Gambling Commission. We also give every site a forensic review and clearly identify an operator’s weakness and its strengths.


Golf by Tournament

Now we’ve explored the different types of bets you can place at best golf betting sites, in this section, we will explore the main tournaments that attract golf bettors. From the boisterous atmosphere at the Ryder Cup to the beautiful tranquillity at TPC Sawgrass as part of the PGA tour. We also discuss popular bets at these tournaments.

Ryder Cup

Ryder cup logoJust the thought of the 2018 Ryder Cup brings shivers down your spine. The most fancied American team in living memory was supposed to teach the Europeans how to play the game in the beautiful capital of France. Luckily the Europeans hadn’t read the script and regained the Ryder Cup in style, beating the American team 17½-10½. While the Americans turned on each other, the European’s team strength was there for all to see. This combined with individual brilliance produced a Ryder Cup victory that will last long in the memory. As soon as victory was confirmed, attention immediately turned to the 2020 Ryder Cup. The Americans have been notoriously bad travellers, failing to win on the road in over 25 years, but this time the action takes place at Whistling Straits Golf Course in Wisconsin. The win outright market is always popular for The Ryder Cup and early bird prices are already available at many of our recommended betting on golf sites.

PGA Championships

PGA championships logoLuke Donald was the last English player to win the PGA Player of the Year in 2011. Apart from Donald, Rory McIlroy (2) is the only other non-American to pick the award. His victories in 2012 and 2014 are sandwiched in-between wins for Tiger Woods in 2013. For the next four years, all the winners were American, Jordan Spieth in 2015, Dustin Johnson in 2016, Justin Thomas in 2017 and Books Koepka in 2018. The PGA Championship outright winner is a popular choice for betting on. If you are following the Rookie circuit, then you can place an each-way bet on the PGA Championship winner. You receive a quarter of the odds and the bet pays on the first five places. With so many great new players coming through, it’s not totally unfeasible to see a new champion. Rookies to look out for Sungjae Im, Kramer Hickok, Cameron Champ, Cameron Davis, Anders Albertson, Wyndham Clark, Adam Svensson, Jose de Jesus Rodriguez, Adam Long and Chase Wright.

The Masters

The masters logoThe Masters Tournament is many people’s favourite event. One of the four major championships in professional golf, it takes place in the first full week of April. As well as signifying the start of spring, it also announces the start of the Championships. Unlike the other Championships, this one is held at the same location each year, Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, USA. Winning margin bets are extremely popular at The Masters with the punter predicting the gap between first place and the runner-up. Although the odds can fluctuate from event to event you can typically get 5/2 for a one-shot victory, 3/1 for the event to be decided by play-off, 4 shots or more is 10/3, 2 shots is priced @7/2 and 3 shots back @9/2. One word of caution on the winning margin bet. Many bookmakers see these as novelty bets and the house advantage is higher than what you would normally expect. In the FAQ section at the end of the article, we show you how to work out the payout rate. In this example for winning margins, the payout rate is just 83%.

US Open

US open logoThe US Open is the second of the four major championships and has been held since 1895. Recent highlights include the event being won wire-to-wire (a golfer wins the event by leading a tournament after every round) in 2000 and 2002. This same feat was also achieved by McIlroy in 2011 and German Martin Kaymer in 2014. In the history of the US Open, America has unsurprisingly won the event the most times with 58 victories with 58 players. Perhaps more surprisingly, the country that invented the game, Scotland are in second place with 13 wins from 9 different players. England is third on the list of champions by nationality, winning the event 7 times but amazingly they were all by different players. A popular bet for the US Open is to bet on the nationality of the winner. You can get straight bets such as American, German, English to more general bets such as ‘from Europe’, ‘from Asia’.


Q&A / FAQ

While we tried to make our golf betting guide as comprehensive as possible, our readers will occasionally have more specific questions. You can see our answers to them below. For a complete broad overview of the UK betting industry and the best aspects that punters enjoy, head on over to the best betting sites homepage.

🏆 What are the best golf betting sites?

The best golf betting sites are ones licensed by the Gambling Commission. Regardless of other factors like odds and markets, a UKGC licence is the number one indicator an operator can be trusted. All the sportsbooks listed on our site are UKGC licensed, so have a look at our best golf betting sites for some suggestions on where to play.

💰 What are the payout levels for golf betting sites?

The payout levels at golf betting sites can vary greatly. It's worth checking our golf betting odds table to see which ones payout more on average. Keep in mind the bookie's commissions are built into the odds, so finding higher payout sportsbooks generally means they're charging you less. This can be a great boost to your bankroll.

🏌️ What are the top golf tournaments to bet on?

There are multiple golf associations, most with a season lasting around 35-40 weeks. The PGA major events attract the most betting action, with hundreds of millions of pounds bet on events like the Open, the Masters and the US Open. You can see our detailed guide to betting on golf tournaments for a more thorough breakdown of popular golf competitions.

▶️ Where can you live bet on golf?

Almost every bookmaker in this day and age has a live betting platform, so the question, therefore, becomes about quality. We went into thorough detail about what to look for at live golf betting sites so you have some criteria to compare with. Overall, you should look for mobile-friendly, fast and intuitive platforms.