Golf
Golf Betting Tips: Majors, Each-Way Terms and the Irish Open
Golf betting is each-way betting with a field of a hundred and more. The place terms matter as much as the player you pick, and they differ from one bookmaker to the next.
By Conor FurlongChecked 18+
18+ only. Gambling can become a problem. Set a limit before you start. Help and support
Golf betting is mostly each-way betting at long odds, because even the best player in a field of well over a hundred loses far more often than he wins. Our weekly golf selections appear in the feed below with the price and the place terms we saw; this page covers how those terms work and how to read golf odds this week or any week.
Opinions, not certainties. Prices move; 18+, bet only what you can afford to lose.
Event Start Market Selection Price Result VidantaWorld Mexico Open Outright winner Doug Ghim 20/1 VidantaWorld Mexico Open Outright winner Gordon Sargent 65/1
Golf betting starts with the place terms
An each-way bet is two equal bets, one to win and one to place. In golf the place part is paid at a fraction of the win odds, often a fifth, for a finish inside a set number of places. How many places, and at what fraction, is set by each bookmaker for each tournament. On the majors and big tour events some operators pay extra places; others do not. Two bookmakers offering the same player at the same price can be offering different bets.
Our each-way guide covers the mechanics in racing; golf works the same way with a much bigger field.
Worked examples at golf prices
Take EUR 5 each-way, EUR 10 in total, on a player at 40/1, with place terms of one fifth the odds.
- He wins. The win part returns EUR 205 (EUR 200 profit plus the fiver). The place part is settled at 8/1, a fifth of 40/1, and returns EUR 45. Total back: EUR 250.
- He places but does not win. The win part loses. The place part returns EUR 45, so EUR 35 profit on the EUR 10 outlay.
- He finishes outside the places. Both parts lose: EUR 10 gone.
The same EUR 5 each-way at 40/1 on quarter-odds terms would pay the place part at 10/1, a return of EUR 55. That is why the terms are worth comparing before the price.
Dead heats on the leaderboard
Golf produces ties all the time, and ties on the last paying place are common. Bookmakers settle them under dead-heat rules: the stake on that part of the bet is divided by the number of players sharing the place, so a place bet in a three-way tie for the last spot is paid on a third of the stake. Win bets on a playoff are settled on the playoff winner. Check the operator's golf rules for the detail; it is where most golf complaints start.
The golf calendar: majors and the Irish Open
The four men's majors set the pattern of the betting year:
| Major | Month | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| The Masters | April | Augusta National, the only fixed venue |
| PGA Championship | May | Rotates, United States |
| US Open | June | Rotates, United States |
| The Open | July | Links rotation, United Kingdom |
Masters odds attract the most money, partly because the course never changes: course form at Augusta means something, which is rarely true elsewhere. US Masters golf betting opens months before April, and early prices are ante-post, settled as losers if the player does not tee off unless the terms say otherwise.
Open Championship betting is a different exercise. The rotation of links courses and the weather off the sea make the draw for tee times a real factor, and long-range prices on a links can move a long way once the forecast is known.
The Irish Open, played as the Amgen Irish Open since 2024, is a DP World Tour event usually held in early September. It went to Trump International at Doonbeg in Co. Clare in 2026 and returns to the K Club in 2027. Home interest moves the prices on Irish players; whether that leaves value elsewhere in the field is the question to ask.
Golf betting systems and tipsters
There is no golf betting system that wins on its own. Systems sold on staking plans or statistical filters cannot remove the bookmaker's margin, and a big field produces enough random results to make any short record look clever.
A golf tipster's record should show the place terms as well as the price, since a place at a quarter the odds pays more than the same place at a fifth. Long-odds betting means long losing runs even for good judges; a record without one is not the full book.
Latest golf odds and where to bet
We do not print current golf odds; outright prices change through the week and during play. When you compare prices, compare the each-way terms as well. The bookmakers below hold a remote betting licence from the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland, which covers betting only. The card ranks them by our form figures; Paddy Power's golf markets are covered in its full review.
| No. | Runner | Form | Licence | Verdict | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Paddy PowerPPB Counterparty Services Limited | 1-1-2-2-3 | GRAI licence (betting) | NAP | Visit |
| 2 |  bet365Hillside (Europe) ENC | 1-1-2-2-3 | GRAI licence (betting) | NAP | Visit |
| 3 |  BetfairPPB Counterparty Services Limited | 1-1-4-4-4 | GRAI licence (betting) | NAP | Visit |
| 4 |  William HillWH Ireland Limited | 1-1-3-2-3 | GRAI licence (betting) | Each-way | Visit |
| 5 |  Sky BetSBG Sports Ltd | 1-2-4-4-4 | GRAI licence (betting) | Each-way | Visit |
Form reads licence, markets, payments, safer-play tools, terms; 1 is best. How we rate. 18+ only.
A golf week runs Thursday to Sunday, and in-play markets run all four days. 18+ only. Decide your stake for the tournament on Wednesday night and leave it there; help and limit tools are listed on our responsible gambling page.
Readers' questions
- What does EUR 5 each-way at 40/1 return if the player places at one fifth odds?
- EUR 45 from the place part, which is settled at 8/1. The win part loses, so the profit on the EUR 10 outlay is EUR 35.
- How many places do bookmakers pay on golf?
- It varies by bookmaker and tournament. Majors and big events often carry extra places as a promotion, so check the terms before each bet.
- What happens if my player ties for the last place?
- Dead-heat rules apply: the place stake is divided by the number of players sharing the position.
- Where is the Irish Open in 2027?
- At the K Club, after Trump International at Doonbeg hosted the 2026 event.