The best golf betting sites for 2023

• Outright winner

  Betting on the player that will win a golf tournament overall. They must finish first in the standings.

• Each-way

  Backing a golfer to win or finish within a certain number of places in the tournament. This is two bets in one.

• Top X finish

  Betting that a golfer will finish in the top five, 10 or 20 depending on the number of places specified.

• To make the cut

  Backing a player to record a low enough score to reach the next round of a golf tournament.

• Leader after round

  Betting on a golfer to be top of the leaderboard at the end of the current round of play.

• Always bet with your head, not your heart
• Be prepared to do research if you want to find winners
• Search for value bets – remember, golf is a competitive sport
• Take a flexible approach and bet in-play
• Think beyond the favourites
• Consider shorter price wagers covering more places
• Only ever place each-way bets in outright markets
• Be open-minded and try a new golf betting system

Each-way betting in reference to golf odds crops up a lot. For newbies, it is worth explaining what this is and how it works. An each-way bet in golf is a wager where you bet on both the outright win outcome and the player finishing placed highly in the final standings. This is two bets in one, so your unit stake doubles.

A $5 each-way bet on Dustin Johnson for the US Open, for example, sees you gamble $10 in total. Different golf betting sites offer different place terms. Five is the minimum standard, but some may give more. The greater the number of places covered by an each-way bet, the more chance you have of the wager making profit. Even just the place part can be an overall win.

• Welcome bonuses

  Excellent online casino welcome bonuses to give your real money gaming experience a flying start is what we like to see.

• Money back offers

  Also called cashback bonuses, golf betting sites may run these promotions. If your bet loses and meets certain conditions, then your stake is returned as a free bet.

• Enhanced odds

  Sometimes known as price boosts, these deals offer extra value on certain betting outcomes. Relating to golf odds, the favourite for a tournament may be offered at a bigger price.

• Loyalty bonuses

  Awarded to regular bettors who place wagers every week, these are also referred to as ‘free bet clubs’. Your golf bets may qualify you for this, depending on the sportsbook.

• Nassau

  A Nassau is actually three separate bets in one. You wager on the front nine, the back nine, and the full round of 18 holes. Any system of scoring in golf will work with a Nassau, but match play is the traditional method instead of stroke play. Each hole is worth a point. Golfers, either in an individual match or as teams, contest every hole and apply their handicaps as usual.The size of the wager in a Nassau can change based on pressing. If a player or team is two holes ahead in either nine-hole half of the game, then they may up the ante by starting a new bet on the remaining holes in that part of the round. This makes golf matches more exciting, as the ninth and 18th holes can become double or nothing in wagering terms.

• Wolf

  The wolf is for the fourball format of golf and helps build a player’s confidence when put under pressure. Four players take it in turns to be wolf, with who goes first determined by flipping a tee. There is a set order of play with the wolf teeing off last. Once everyone has taken their first shot, the wolf decides whether to partner up with another player or go it alone on that hole. If they choose the latter, then they are said to be the lone wolf.The advantage of playing alone is, if the wolf wins the hole, they pick up four points. Winning with a partner means you only receive two. If the wolf and partner lose a hole, the other players get three points apiece. A lone wolf losing the hole sees the three players all pick up one point.

• Skins

  With skins, an old American slang term for a dollar, everyone playing contributes the same amount before teeing off. You agree prior to play if the scoring is net (with handicap subtracted) or gross (the actual number of strokes played) and have someone to keep tabs on the scores. To make things more exciting, holes can be worth more money as the game progresses. These are then compared at the end of the round and determine the payout. The winner is the player with the lowest score, but a tie means the prize money is shared out equally.It follows that the more people playing a round of skins, then the less likely any individual is to win a hole outright. You can play the game such that the value of a tied hole rolls on to the next. Prizes for birdies and holes-in-one can be factored into the round too.

• Vegas

  Two teams of two golfers - a foursome - can play Vegas. This has a unique scoring system where a pair have their number of shots combined, rather than added, together based on their individual performances at a hole. If two players both complete a hole in five and played 10 shots in total, their score is 55. If the opposition shoots a six and a four, then their score is 64 for that hole.The pay-out per point is determined before the round starts. Vegas is clearly a riskier side bet to make on golf, particularly as your partner’s performance isn’t factored in cumulatively. If a hole goes really badly, and you end up in double figures for strokes, then the normal score placements get reversed.

• Quota

  A quota system sees each player subtract their handicap from 36. That becomes the points quota they have to make during a round. The golfer with the most points above their quota wins the pot of money wagered by the players. In the event that nobody finishes with a score that is above their quota, then a play-off hole or carrying everything over to another round can act as a tie-breaker.This is one of the simpler golf side bets and gambling games you can play out there with a partner. A quota system gives you an incentive to try and better your current handicap, but the idea of playing golf is that you improve in time with practice.

In golf, the objective is to hit the ball into the holes on the course in as few shots, or strokes, as possible. You have access to a variety of golf clubs, collectively called a set, in order to do this. There are hazards, including sandy bunkers and water features, on your way round the course that you must avoid. The player with the lowest score wins. You can play golf against one or more opponents or with partners in teams.

There are broadly two different scoring systems for the sport, match play and stroke play. Match play awards points based on each individual hole, of which there are 18 in a round. Stroke play, meanwhile, aggregates the number of shots you play in a round. A par score is set for each hole, while players have their own handicap based on the average number of strokes needed to complete a round and be over par. The table below contains 25 key golf terms and their meanings:

• Albatross

  A score of three under par for a hole

• Approach

  The shot played by a golfer on the fairway to the green

• Birdie

  A score of one under par for a hole

• Bogey

  A score of one over par for a hole

• Bunker

  A concave shaped hazard containing sand on the course

• Double Bogey

  A score of two over par for a hole

• Driver

  The golf club with the longest shaft and largest head

• Eagle

  A score of two under par for a hole

• Fairway

  The strip of maintained grass which runs between the tee box and green

• Fore

  The warning shouted when a golf ball is heading towards someone

• Green

  A smooth but grassy area at the end of the fairway where the hole is

• Handicap

  The system to determine the average strokes above par for a round of golf

• Hazard

  A trap for the golf ball designed to make it difficult to reach a hole on the course

• Hole-in-one

  When a golfer hits the ball into the hole in one shot

• Iron

  The most common type of golf club. Most sets contain 7-11 irons

• Links

  A golf course located near the coast and typically among sand dunes

• Out of bounds

  Any area marked by a white line that, if a golf ball crosses, is ruled to be out of play. A penalty stroke is applied

• Par

  The number of expected strokes needed to complete a hole

• Putt

  A stroke made from the green to the hole with the putter

• Putter

  A golf club with minimal loft for use on the green

• Round

  A full game where 18 holes are played

• Rough

  The taller grass bordering the fairway on either side

• Stroke

  Every time the ball is struck, also known as a shot

• Tee

  A small concave peg that is placed in the ground and supports a golf ball before the first shot at a hole is played

• Wedge

  A golf club with a low, angular face designed to loft the ball