Golf Betting Terms: Glossary for All Things Golf Betting
Matthew Rooney
4 years ago
With each passing year, golf becomes more and more popular in the betting world. It makes a whole lot of sense. There are so many different types of wagers you can place on weekly golf tournaments, a whole lot more than just who is going to win each week. Here’s a list of terms and types of bets you’re likely to run into as you make your jump into the golf betting world this season.
2-Ball Matchups
2-Ball matchups are very simple. It’s as simple as betting on one golfer vs another in a head-to-head matchup either for just one round, or the entirety of the tournament.
3-Ball Matchups
Very similar to 2-Ball matchups, but just add one more golfer. In 3-Ball matchups, you’re betting on one golfer in a head-to-head-to-head scenario either for one round or the whole tournament. Obviously these bets become a little bit more difficult to win with the addition of a 3rd golfer to the matchup, but with higher difficulty also comes better odds.
Outrights
Another very simple form of golf betting. Outright betting is simply betting on one player to win the tournament. These will provide you some of the best odds, but also are the most difficult types of bets to win. If I bet $100 on Justin Thomas at +1100 to win the U.S. Open and Thomas wins the tournament, I win $1,100. Simple as that.
Place Bets
While a little less risky than betting outrights, place bets give out good value as well. When you bet a place bet, you’re wagering on a golfer to finish inside a certain position in the field. So Top-5, Top-10, Top-20 and so on. If you bet $100 on Dustin Johnson to place in the Top-5 at the Open Championship at +250 and he finishes anywhere from 1st to 5th, you win $250.
Props
Similar to other sports, props have the most variety in golf betting. You can bet anything from the top player of a certain nationality, top left player, top player from a certain college, top amateur in the field and so on. Usually, the bigger the tournament (i.e. The Masters), the more props that will be available.
Field
The field isn’t a type of bet, but an option in certain props you might find yourself taking. If Rory McIlroy and Tony Finau are in the final pairing on Sunday of The Players Championship, often you’ll have the option to bet McIlroy, Finau, or the Field as your outright winner. If you bet the field, that means if anyone other than McIlroy or Finau win the tournament, you win your bet.