The more information a punter can obtain before placing a bet on golf with a bookmaker, the better chance they have of winning. Unlike horse racing, where the health of a horse, riders instructions, and the handicapping system can often mean an unpredictable finish, the advantage of betting on golf is that every player in the field is trying their hardest to win. The key to placing a winning sports bet and making money betting on golf is to find out which players traditionally plays well on the course, their current form and the predicted weather for the week.
Study Sport Form to Make Money Betting on Golf with Bookmaker
Each season golf courses used on the PGA Tour and the European Tour are pretty much the same. The title name of the event may vary, as sponsors change, but most of the courses are the same every year. To find out how a player has performed on a course in the past, a punter should visit the European Tour or the PGA Tour web sites where past form and player stats are available.
The reason past form is important when placing a bet, is because each course will suit a certain type of golf game - some courses suit a draw ball, others have left to right doglegs that demand a fade off the tee, some are designed with particularly narrow fairways or fast greens. Only if a player has played a course well in the past should they should join a short list of players to bet on when gambling on the sport.
Before Placing a Sports Bet on Golf at Bookmakers
- Visit several online sports bookmakers and find out the odds of players in a tournament.
- Choose a selection of eight players, two in the top ten, three from the top twenty and three from top fifty.
- Visit the European Tour web site or PGA Tour web site to see past form on the course and current form in recent events.
- Before placing a bet take into account the current order of merit position of each player. If a pro has just made enough money to make the top 120 it might be worth having a spread bet on their next finish as they may well be able to relax and attack more confidently, having secured exemption for the following season.
- Check out the players form in last years British Open to see if they play well in the wind, as this is useful when assessing the weather forecast.
- Do not place a bet or gamble on golf until the day before the event starts.
- On the Wednesday check out the published teeing off times and then weather for the week. Find a weather site that gives hour by hour weather for twenty four hours to see if any side of the draw might be affected by wind.
- Before making a final decision on which player to place a bet, visit their web site or blog to see if there is any up to date news regarding new equipment or sporting injuries - this might affect their chances.
Trial Run Before Gambling Money and Placing a Bet on Sport or Golf
Before gambling with money at a bookmakers on any sport, have a few fun bets with yourself where no money is involved. There is no substitute for actually turning up to the venue of a tournament where a punter can study the form of a player up close, but enough information is available on every player on the Internet for a punter to make an informed decision before placing a bet with an online bookmaker.
However, the essence of gambling means a risk is involved, even if all the information seems to suggest a certain performance from a player, to win money gambling on anything with a bookmaker requires luck, patience and above all discipline. With that firmly in mind, betting a couple of quid or dollars on the finish position of a pro can make watching golf on television more fun and exciting.
John Hoskison - John is a class 'A' member of the British PGA and author of the acclaimed book 'Inside - One Man's Experience of Prison'.
