Golf

Golf Betting

Golf is often regarded as the sport of the rich, of the elites, but it is also very popular and the most famous golf tournaments regularly attract large numbers of visitors and viewers. The goal of the game is simple, you need to hit the ball into a number of holes into a specific order with as many strokes as possible. There are many different terrains and course outlines, but the principle is always the same. Top golfers usually earn a lot of money, both from winning tournaments and from sponsorship deals. 

History of Golf

The origin of golf as we know it today can be traced to 15^th century Scotland, but golf also has an ‘older brother, a game that was played in Medieval Netherlands. Towards the end of the 13^th century the game was played in the low counties of the Netherlands and it was referred to as colf or kolf, very similar to the term that we use nowadays.

The 18-hole golf that we know today was played in Scotland and in 1457 King James II banned golf and football. However, James IV abolished the ban and he was also the first king to play golf. The first recorded set of rules is from a document of 1744 that belonged and the oldest tournament that is still played today is the Open Championship. The tournament was held for the first time in 1860, in Ayrshire, Scotland.

In the 17^th century golf was introduced to England and the game was spread throughout the British colonies, but it was mainly played by Scottish expats and soldiers. By the 19^th century multiple golf courses throughout the world have been established. It wasn’t until the second half of the 19^th century before golf became internationally popular. The railway links between London and Edinburgh and the development of the popular gutty golf ball certainly contributed to golf’s popularity. By the end of the century multiple golf clubs have been established in England, Ireland, Australia, Canada and elsewhere through the British Empire.

By the 1930 there were already over a 1,000 golf clubs in the USA and nowadays the number of golf clubs exceeds 10,000. Golf is also popular in Japan and several other Asian countries.

Golf Betting Options

Golf tournaments usually last for few days and there at least several and often dozens of participants. In most cases punters like to bet on the player that they think is going to win the tournament. This is also called outright betting. Typically, the odds for the player who is considered to be favourite to win the tournament will be lowest.

Predicting who is going to win a particular tournament isn’t always easy, especially if there are many participants, but there’s no need to worry, bookies offer other options as well. For example, you can bet whether a player will finish in the top 3, top 5 or top 10. If a player is highly ranked and you wish to bet that he will finish in the top 10, the odds probably won’t be too high.

You can also bet on how one player will score against another. This is also known as matchup or head to head betting. For the purpose of this bet, only the scores of the two selected players are taken into consideration. The results of the other players aren’t important here.

Sometimes, for particular tournaments or particular player, certain bookies might offer specific betting options, also known as prop(osition) bets which aren’t usually available. Even things like the colour of the shirt that a player will wear on a given day might be the subject of a proposition bet. These bets don’t always have to do with baseball knowledge and statistics, but they can be equally fun and lucrative.

Unlike outright bets which are placed immediately before the beginning of a tournament, future betting is betting on events that will happen in the more distant future. The FedEx Cup is a title that is awarded to the most successful player in the PGA Tour and it is awarded at the end of the season. You can bet before the beginning of the season on the winner of the FedEx Cup, or similar cups that are awarded at the end of other tours.

Most Popular Golf Tournaments

There is a multitude of popular and relevant golf events throughout the year and golf punters usually have a lot of available betting options. The four major championships are the most important golf tournaments. The four tournaments include the Masters, the US Open, the Open Championship (British Open) and the PGA.

The Masters is played during the first full week of April and it is always played at the Augusta National Golf Club, in Georgia, US. The US Open is played in the middle of June, usually around Father’s Day and it was established in 1895. The (British) Open is the oldest of the major tournaments, it was established back in 1860. The location where this tournament is held may vary, but it has to be in the UK. The last is the PGA Championship, which is held in the US, in August. The winner of the PGA is automatically invited to play in the other three major tournaments in the following year.

Golf tournaments which are held as individual and unconnected events are actually organised in various tours. There are seven highly rated tours. First is the PGA Tour which is by far the most prestigious golf tour and it is consisted of tournaments that take place in North America. There’s also a European Tour, then the LPGA Tour, the PGA Tour Champions and then Asian Tour, the Japan Tour and the LPGA Japan Tour.

In 2016 golf returned as an Olympic sport and there were a lot of punters who placed wagers during the Olympics. The Ryder Cup is the most popular team golf tournament where European golfers play against American golfers. The Ryder Cup was established in 1927, whereas continental European golfers have been allowed to participate since 1979, until then it was only British and Irish golfers against the Americans.