Golf betting is one of the fastest growing betting markets for betting sites. The growth of the sport has gone hand in hand with the popularity and expansion of betting markets. Betting opportunities range dramatically with each sportsbook, some offering slightly more obscure markets than others. One of the most popular type of betting outside of the outright winner of a tournament is head to head betting.
The concept behind head to head betting is, rather than just backing who you think may win the tournament overall, betting on a random pairing that the sportsbook has chosen. These head to head formats have little bearing on the overall outcome of the respected tournament and are all to do with the matchups and lines set by a bookmaker.
Each head to head market will have one golfer marked as the favourite with another as the underdog. You can usually choose between round match ups (example: 1st round only) or the full tournament match up. You then pick which golfer you think will have a better score at the end of the round or tournament.
You can see in the example above we have a tournament head to head match up between Jason Day and Matt Kuchar, along with a 1st round only match up. For the tournament match up Day is a -125 favorite, while Kuchar is the +105 underdog. If you bet on Kuchar and he finished the tournament -9 while Day finished -7 you would win the bet.
At 5Dimes.eu you will also be able to bet with a spread, as odds are given for Jason Day to win by 1.5 or more strokes or Kuchar to be within 1.5 strokes (or beat Day overall). That can be done by betting the -1.5 or +1.5.
It’s relatively common practice for a sportsbook to call a ‘no bet’ in the result of a tie. This means that if the pairing does tie, then you get your initial bet back.
As an extension to the head to head market, many bookmakers offer a group betting market which works in a similar way by choosing the winner of that group. Often groups of 3 are chosen (usually players who are grouped together on the course) and can offer slightly better odds then that of the increasingly popular head to head market.
So, can you give me an example?
Well, using a past US Open as an example, two players were selected as a head to head matchup in the form of Sergio Garcia and Alvaro Quiros (battle of the Spaniards). The market was running only for the first day of tournament. Garcia’s line was set at a -140 favourite whilst Quiros was at a slightly longer +130. It was in fact the favourite Garcia who finished 1 shot ahead of his fellow countryman at 2 under par, resulting in him winning this head to head.
Head To Head Golf Betting Strategy and Tips
A solid understanding of the game of golf is required when deciding which bets offer the most value from the head to head betting market. Spending time researching the following factors can provide a great insight as to who are likely to do well at each competition.
Course Conditions
Is the course more suited for long hitters or shorter hitters? Are the greens likely to make or break someone’s round? If so, which is the better putter? Is the player suited to that particular style of course? Have they prevailed on a similar (or the same) course in the past? Is one players tee time more favourable to that of his head to head opponent (taking whether into consideration)? Will this player have any advantages over his opponent (e.g. home advantage, crowd support etc.)?
Player Form
How has each player been playing in recent weeks? Do they have another incentive to do well at this tournament rather than just for winning alone (e.g. qualify for another tournament or world ranking points)? If their form is poor, have they shown (or said) anything in the build up to this tournament that makes you think they can turn it around? Will this player be taking this specific tournament seriously enough to mount a serious challenge?
We have a serious of questions there that can be used in our decision making process. They should be used for both players. Each question may take a little time to research and find the answer to, but once you have compiled this information, you should have a much clearer understanding on how each will perform.
Head to Head Golf Betting Sites
BetOnline.ag has been amongst the top head to head betting sites online since its emergence in 2004. The vast array of markets they offer are complimented perfectly by the fantastic betting offers they deploy for new users.
Closely following for head to head golf betting is that of 5Dimes.eu. 5Dimes is another reputable betting site that covers not only head to head betting, but also that of group golf betting, of which we mentioned earlier in this article.
Written By: Kevin M
