How We Rate the Best Golf Betting Sites
Golf isn’t a quick fix game… so any golf betting fans will know that these are slow-burner bets. However, that can often add extra excitement as there is so much time for things to turn around and change. This is one of the big draws. That’s where a good golf betting site can come into its own. They capitalize on the thrills of golf betting. As such, we have looked through our list of best betting sites to see which are the best out there for golf betting.
Here at MaxFreeBets, we are always adding different betting sites to our list. Before we do this, we review them all very carefully, so we are best placed to see all of their strengths and weaknesses. Whilst doing so, we also look to see which sports they have a good product for, and as such, which are best for golf betting. So, if you are looking to place a bet on The Masters, we can help you choose. Also, every site we point you to will be safe, secure and licensed by the UKGC.
Football, horse racing and tennis are often considered some of the most popular sports to bet on, but golf has a solid and loyal following. So, if a betting site excels at golf betting, it will have a strong and loyal customer base. Unfortunately, many won’t offer as many golf betting offers as other sports, but when tournaments such as The Masters, US Open and PGA Tour come around, you will see the best sites coming to bloom. This is one area where we can see whether a site is good for golf betting- its offers, UK free bets and promotions on the tournaments. However, there’s more to it than just that. Here’s what else we look for in a top golf betting site.
Safety, Security and Reputation
A great promotion is no good if it’s coming from a site that you cannot trust – and can’t be trusted to pay up on its offer. So, our main criteria for any site is that it is safe and secure. Mainly, this means that it needs to be regulated and licensed by the UKGC – the best and toughest in the world. Other licenses are also a welcome addition!There are other aspects as well, which we look at in our reviews. Sites that are certified by IBAS, for example, mean that any disagreement you have with them will be adjudicated by an independent third party. On top of this, many sites will be certified by eCOGRA, which means that all aspects of the site are tested for fairness. Another plus is a site that links to responsible gambling sites like GAMSTOP or BeGambleAware. The more, the merrier.
Promotions, Bonuses and Quality of Welcome Offers
Free bets and welcome offers are what get punters through the door more often than not – and often, people can be blinded by a big number. But we want these offers to be quality over quantity. It also goes without saying, that they will also go above and beyond when it comes to golf betting offers.
Top Features
Golf is a relatively slow-moving game – but the good thing about that is it can allow punters to make the most of their bets. Simply betting on the winner of a tournament would see a lot of waiting involved from start to finish. As such, a wide range of betting markets help the overall experience. Obviously, you could bet on other areas and markets of the tournament, such as the number of shots, over/under par etc. We also like an online sportsbook that has a variety of markets and features, so you can make those bets even more exciting, such as in-play betting options, so you can bet as it happens, cash-out – so if your player of choice looks like he’s losing form, you can cut and run, and features such as bet builder and edit bet, so you can increase or decrease the risk of your bet as the tournament goes on.
We also like to look at what else they excel in aside from just golf, as this can also affect your overall experience – and you can find out more in the following articles:
What to Expect from the Best Golf Betting Sites
Any site that claims to be good for golf betting will be able to provide you with several services. We’re not expecting perfection, and all sites excel at some things and need improvement in other areas, so after we provide you with a list of the best, choosing the one you prefer is a personal choice. Obviously, all online sportsbooks will offer odds on the PGA Tour or The US Open etc. However, better golf betting sites will offer odds on lesser-known tournaments and a wide range of golfing events. As well as this, it has to be easy to look around; it has to look nice and make you want to be there. On top of this, customer service is always a priority at the best golf betting sites. The site needs to give you plenty of golfing offers, golf betting markets and odds, and be easy to use, safe, secure and helpful.
A Variety of Golf Betting Markets:
Any betting site worth its salt will be able to offer you odds on the winner of the British Open or the Ryder Cup. Pretty much all of the major golf tournaments will be covered by most sites out there. However, golf offers more than that throughout the year, and serious golf bettors will want to bet on more than the obvious. So, we want to see sites offering more than the average sports bets. As well as this, we want to see different opportunities to bet on, rather than just winner – such as 1st/2nd any order, Bogey Free Rounds, Top Englishman, 2+ holes in one, no playoff etc. The more specials and a larger range of markets on offer, the better it is! We also like to see the inclusion of outright betting markets, so customers have the opportunity to bet on outcomes of entire tournament tours and golfers. This includes the biggest tournaments such as the European Tour, PGA Championship and the Korn Ferry Tour.
Live / In-Play Betting
Golf is, in every way, a slow-moving sport. It doesn’t have the speed and pace of tennis or football, but that makes in-play betting more effective as you can put more thought into it. This can make betting on golf more exciting than ever. So, when the tournament is in play, you can make decisions based on how well the players are doing – such as who will get a hole in one, will the player get an under-par/over par score etc. You can also access everything that has happened to work out a pattern to help you decide.
Live Streaming
Golf tournaments go on for some time. As such, many television channels don’t show them, and the only way you can access them is by expensive sports channel subscriptions. Unfortunately, this isn’t always practical and cost-effective. However, an alternative option is live streaming the golf tournament. As such, the best live streaming sites will allow you to place a bet on the tournament and then live stream it, so you have access to it at all times – and you can see exactly how your bet is getting on.
A Range of Betting Features
All of the top sites allow punters the freedom to control their bet as they see fit – and this is made possible through a huge range of betting features. Aside from live betting and live streaming, there are other features to look out for. For example, if your bet was on a winning road but looks to be faltering, then cash out is a great feature as you can take lesser winnings and walk away. Another feature that makes life easier is edit bet – so you can increase or decrease your risk as the tournament progresses by adding and taking away parts of the bet. Bet Builder also works well, as you can stack together with several betting options to increase your risk and your winnings – tailor-making your bet just as you want it.
Good Odds
Any good golf betting site will offer the most competitive odds – as herein lies the overall value of the bet. And, any punter knows that the secret to being a successful bettor is finding a value bet, which comes through good odds. If you want to take the risk of making a bet, you want to be sure that you are getting as good a return as possible. Betting sites can’t be the best at odds for all sports; however, this is where we come in – we help to locate the sites that specialise in value golf odds and offer odds boosts, etc.
Golf Betting Promotions
Our favourite – offers and golf promotions. This is vital when trying to compete with other bookies. They need to offer competitive and exciting offers and promotions. Obviously, it starts with the free bets and welcome offers, which you can use on golf, amongst other things. However, we also look for other betting promos based around golf. Generally, throughout the year, the times you will have more access to these will be when the major tournaments are on. So, we like to see offers such as boosted odds, free bets, enhanced odds, money back risk-free bets offers and more. A wide selection of good value golf betting promotions is always better than a limited selection.
Payment Options
To put it simply, the easier a site makes it to place a bet, the better it is. So, if you place a bet, you want the depositing process (and withdrawal process if you should win) to be as simple as possible – with as many options as possible. That would mean multiple methods. All betting sites offer debit card options, but we want to see more. Neteller and Skrill are common, but we also want to see PayPal and Paysafecard and Boku. More modern options also go down well, such as Apple Pay and Google Pay. We also like fast withdrawal times and no fees attached to withdrawals.
Use Experience on Desktop and Mobile
If you don’t like being on a site and it stresses you out, if you find yourself looking for too long to get what you want and getting frustrated, then you won’t go back, and it’s not doing its job properly. So, we want to make sure that the best golf betting sites that we recommend don’t just make it easy for you but also fun. This is on both desktop and mobile. As more people use mobile apps than ever before, the best golf bookies will have put as much effort into both. It needs to be easy to use, attractive and fun.
Steps To Signing Up To A Golf Betting Site
1. Click The Claim Button
Click the claim button above, so you are redirected to the right offer page to claim your bonus.
2. Sign Up With The Betting Site
Click the Join or Sign Up button on the betting site to start the registration process.
3. Register Your Details
Enter your details with the betting site and verify you are 18+
4. Make A Deposit
In order to bet real money then you will need to make a deposit
5. Get Bonus
Your bonus will be added when you make the qualifying deposit.
6. Bet & Win
Once you have been verified you can play for real money and win some cash
Best Golf Betting Sites for Odds
Good golf betting sites offer good golf betting odds all the time, not just when a major tournament is on, and they want new punters. They want to reward loyal golf bettors with decent odds at all times. Any site will roll out great odds for new customers, but only the best reward customers with great value odds all year round.
Sites that tend to offer decent value odds include William Hill, Betiton, Bet365 and Mr Play, as they keep good value all year round, whether there is a big name tournament or not. As well as this, the odds won’t be just good, but there will be a wide variety available. They will give you ante-post and in-play betting odds as well as decent odds for prop and special bets such as over/under, hole in one and more.
The Best for Live and In-Play Betting Features
Golf betting used to be all about pre-match/ ante-post betting. Before it all kicked off, you put your money on who you thought would win. However, more than ever, people are enjoying the concept of in-play betting. So, punters can pick their bets as the tournament happens. This is why we like the best golf betting sites to offer lots of markets on their live betting product. The tournament will change as it goes on; players will gain or lose momentum, making it perfect for players to see how it’s going and place their bets. This helps them to make a much more informed decision.
So, if watching the US Masters and you could see that your original chosen bet, Brandon Stone, is starting to fade, you could either edit your bet in-play or place a bet on the player you think will take the top spot. But, of course, the tide will change, and in-play betting means you can go with the flow. The best sites for in-play golf betting is Bet365, William Hill, Coral and 888sport, so they are worth checking out.
Live Streaming
You will find that only the big-name betting sites offer live streaming as it is quite an expensive product to offer. So, it will be common on the more established betting sites. It is less common on new and upcoming sites. The best live streaming sites are famous for offering sports such as football and tennis. Still, many now offer golf live streaming, which is perfect as you will find that many golfing tournaments aren’t shown on mainstream television channels – and certainly not in their entirety, due to their length. So, when looking for a golf live streaming site, you’ll often be able to access sites such as bet365, William Hill, 888sport etc., as long as you place a bet on the tournament and have enough money deposited your account.
As stated, not many newer sites offer this service; however, don’t let this put you off. New sites often offer other great services and have state of the art in-play products with top-end stats and graphics, making it the second-best thing to live streaming.
Golf Sites that Offer the Best Features
Cash Out
Because this feature is common to most betting sites, it needs to offer a good cash-out feature. To find out exactly what cashout is all about, read our in-depth cash out guide.
Cash-out gives you much more freedom on your bet and is perfect if everything started well but has started looking a little shaky. However, it needs to have started well to have any use. So, for example, Brandon Stone was your bet, and he started by far and away ahead of the pack. However, his form has just started dropping, and you can see that Robert MacIntyre has just started catching up. Before MacIntyre catches up, you may have the option to cash out, so you can cash in your bet as a winning bet before it becomes a losing bet. However, what you get for this depends on how likely your bet still is to win – and how generous the site is. Your £10 bet at 13/1 could win £130 if you see it through, but if you decide to cash out, they might offer you the chance to walk away with odds of 5/1 – £50. So, you get a win, but not as big as it would be if you held out. The more likely your bet is to lose in the long run, the lower the cash out value becomes.
Another option available by some would be partial cash out, so you can cash out half your bet and keep half on. This means that you cash out £5 of your bet and get £25. You hold out with the other £5. If the bet loses, you get £25. However, if the best wins, then you get £65 (£5 at odds of 13/1) plus the £25 – so £90. Obviously, this isn’t as much as £130, but it still is a decent win and decreases your risk. Bet365 is one of the best betting sites out there for cash out and partial cash out.
- Open your current bet(s)
- Click on the cash out tab
- Decide whether you want full or partial cash out
Partial Cash Out
As previously mentioned, partial cashout allows you to cash out one part of your bet but not the entire thing. So, if you are undecided about whether to cut and run or hold out, you can choose the middle ground option available.
This means that you will still walk out as a winner, no matter what happens, but you could walk away with less than if you decided to cash out if your bet loses fully. However, if your bet wins, you could walk out with considerably more.
Bet Builder / Build-a-Bet
Bet Builder isn’t as common as cash out, but it is becoming more and more popular all the time, as it allows punters to tailor-make their own bet. Sometimes, if you bet on a favourite to win, the odds really aren’t favourable. So, the way to get around this and make it more worthwhile is by building up the bet. So, for example, instead of betting on Brandon Stone to win, you could create the following bet:
- Brandon Stone to win
- To score a hole in one
- For Connor Syme to be Top Scot
This will greatly increase the risk as all these areas need to happen for the bet to win, but you would get considerably more instead of winning £130 for a £10 bet.
The best golf betting sites for offering a Bet Builder features are Bet365, William Hill and Unibet.
Edit Bet
One of the newer features available on sports betting sites is Edit Bet. However, because this is currently such a new feature, many betting sites offer it as an option. Currently, the best betting site for the edit bet feature is Bet365.
So, how does it actually work? Well, you make your bet early on, and before it is concluded, you can make changes to said bet. You can add selections to it or take away sections of it – as long as none of those sections is concluded. You can’t remove a bet on the first round after the first round. As long as none of the bet is decided, you can change it… making it riskier, or less so, depending on how you think it’s going. You can edit bet on bet builders and accas – as long as you have won or could win the other parts of your bet.
This feature works well with the cash-out feature, and you’ll generally get winnings equal in value to cash out. However, there are a few exceptions you need to be aware of:
- If you use the feature to add a selection or increase your wager before the tournament begins and odds are still the same.
- If you use it to change your bet type and it is not possible to split cash out value equally across each individual part of your new bet.
Edit bet is catching on quickly, and it won’t be long before all good bookmakers get in on the act.
Having the Best Promotions and Bonuses
When it comes to joining up with a site, the best thing for us is getting a good value free bet or welcome bonus. If a site gives good value promos, you just can’t beat it. As such, the best golf betting sites, in our opinion, will also offer great value promotions. This is as important for existing customers as it is for new players. Of course, top betting sites will offer promos for the majors, but it’s a big thumbs up if they can think outside the box and give something extra at other times. We especially like odds boosts and enhanced odds to add value, especially if it’s a clear favourite and not much value to the bet. Betting sites such as Coral and Ladbrokes often offer enhanced odds deals.
We also like to make sure they all come with fair terms and conditions, so if we rate the promotion highly, you can be sure that it is quality and quantity. However, be sure you read the terms yourself, so you know what to expect when it comes to factors such as; qualifying bet, promo codes, payment method restrictions, bet stakes, minimum deposit, bet stakes and many more.
Golf Betting Sites with the Best Customer Service
At any time of any betting process, you might hit a snag. It’s not unusual, and we won’t mark anyone down on it as long as they can sort it out quickly and fairly. That’s why customer service comes up high on our list of important factors.
When opening up the betting site, we want to see several options available to contact, so there’s something to suit all. Of course, live chat is always great. Still, we also like to see a (free) phone number and an email address if it is contactable by Messenger, Facebook and Twitter, even better (but be careful of sharing information).
We also want to see plentiful hours of operation. 9-5 pm 5 days a week just won’t cut the mustard. The more hours, the merrier – and 24/7 is the ideal scenario. We also look at the quality of help we get. A quick answer is no good if it doesn’t help. They need to make sure that they deal with queries quickly, professionally and completely resolve any issues.
Golf Betting Terminology
If you’re not a golf pro but have heard people talking about it, then you’ll know that there are a lot of strange words and terms. For example, you can’t bet on No Bogey if you don’t even know what it means. So here’s a list of important terminology to help you out…
Par – Each hole has a ‘par’, which is the average number of shots it takes to get the ball from tee off into the hole. Their entire score is measured on how many shots below (or above) par they take to finish a round or a tournament.
Birdie – A birdie is a name for when a player completes the hole in one below par.
Bogey – A bogey is when a player completes the hole in one over par.
Playoff – If two players are tied at the top after the four rounds, they keep playing holes until one of them wins.
Matchplay – This only happens in certain tournaments. Instead of ranking the player on the leaderboard based on their total score (Strokeplay), they play in a knockout format. This isn’t as common as Strokeplay, but some players prefer it.
Only Choosing Sites Regulated by the UKGC
The only sites we will ever recommend to you, here at MaxFreeBets, will be sites that have been fully licensed and regulated by the UK Gambling Commission, which is known by many in the industry as having the toughest measures out there, making it the safest and best regulatory body in sports betting. So, any site with the UKGC seal of approval will always have your safety as its priority. If a site isn’t UKGC licensed, no matter how good it looks, then steer clear.
How Does Each Way Betting Work in Golf?
Many top golf betting sites offer each-way betting for golf tournaments. This is very similar to betting each way on the horses. You split your bet into two – half will go on to your player being the tournament winner, and half will be on your playing placing (usually top 5), which will be a specific fraction of the winning odds. This means that if your player plays well but misses the win, then you still get a return. It is great for larger events with longer odds.
How Do I Win at Golf Betting?
Like all types of betting, winning at gold betting is all about research, value, strategy and luck. You cannot expect to keep being a successful golf bettor without putting in the hours to understand what you are betting on. You need to find out all about the tournament, players, form, related news, and then find the best bookie to make your bet on.
How Does Golf Betting Work?
Golf betting is simple. You find the tournament you want to bet on and get the best bookmaker for you. You can then see what odds and markets are on offer, then choose and place your bet. Beginners can stick with a winner bet, but as you get more experienced, you can try Bet Builders, prop bets, specials and play with features such as cash out and edit bet.
Which is the Best Bookmaker for Golf Betting?
Well, that is what this page is all about. In our opinion, overall, the best golf betting site is Bet365, as it offers everything. However, there is a top 5 list we have provided you with, and you can pick from the site that best suits you and your need – which can be a very personal decision.
What are the Major Golf Tournaments to Bet on?
If you are interested in betting on the majors, you’ll be looking out for the US PGA Tour, The Masters, US Open, British Open. There are others to look out for: The Ryder Cup, Solheim Cup, Alfred Dunhill Championship, and more.
Final Thoughts
Golf enthusiasts are distinct from those who follow other sports. When they are not playing golf, they either read about it, watch it, or daydream about it. So it should come as no surprise that a sport that captivates our imaginations has a sizable betting industry. Not only do fans like betting on the game’s best players, but so do savvy sports bettors trying to earn a profit.
We’ve covered all the various options available when it comes to golf betting, but if you feel like we have missed something, please get in touch.
