Golf Futures Betting

A golf Futures bet is simply a wager on a golf event that will happen at a later date.

You can wager on a golf Futures market at anytime, but the sportsbooks will adjust the odds over the duration of the season depending on results, the course and other relevant news.

In general, an early Futures wager will offer the bettor with bigger odds, but come with greater risk (the uncertainty of how events will unfold before the wager is settled).

The four majors are the most prestigious events in men’s golf and comprise of the Masters Tournament, the US Open, the Open Championship and the PGA Championship. They are all contested on an annual basis.

The American golfer Bobby Jones won the Grand Slam in 1930, although it then comprised of the United States Amateur Championship, the Amateur Championship (British Amateur), the US Open and the Open Championship.

Tiger Woods did win all four major events consecutively over a 365 day period, but included three wins in 2000 and the Masters in 2001.

Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Woods have each won all four of golf’s majors at least once in their careers. Nicklaus and Woods have both won each of the four majors at least three times.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic led to changes in the golfing calendar in 2020, the majors are usually allocated specific dates in the schedules.

• The Masters Tournament is the first major of the year and is scheduled for the first full week in April. The Masters is always held at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia.
  
• The PGA Championship is, beginning in 2019, played in May on the weekend before Memorial Day. The Championship has been held at various venues, primarily on the eastern side of the USA.
  
• The US Open takes place in mid-June, with the final round scheduled to be played on the third Sunday. The tournament is staged at a variety of courses and is typically set up to ensure that scoring is very difficult.
  
• The Open Championship is the oldest golf tournament in the world. The tournament traditionally takes place over four days in summer, starting the day before the third Friday in July. The venue is rotated between a select group of coastal links golf courses in the United Kingdom.

Jack Nicklaus leads the way with a hugely impressive 18 major titles (6 Masters, 4 US Open, 3 Open and 5 PGA). He also recorded 19 runner-up finishes over the four majors.

• Jack Nicklaus – 18
  
• Tiger Woods – 15
  
• Walter Hagen – 11
  
• Ben Hogan – 9
  
• Gary Player – 9
  
• Tom Watson - 8

In addition to the four majors, there are plenty of other popular and important golf tournaments. The biggest golf team tournament in the world is the Ryder Cup, which invariably provides drama unmatched in any other sporting event.

The Ryder Cup is held every two years and features 12 of the best golfers from the USA and Europe competing against each other.

Other big golf tournaments include the Tour Championship, the Players Championship, Arnold Palmer Invitational, WGC-Cadillac Championship, The Memorial, WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and Wells Fargo Classic.

St. Andrews (Old Course) takes pride of place in any list of the most important golf course, as it is quite simply unsurpassed in the history of the game, with golf having been played there since the 15th century. It’s also a regular venue for The Open Championship.

The Augusta National Golf Club is another historic course and the only one used to host a major tournament every year.

There are many other great courses renowned for their history, beauty or design too, including the Royal County Down Golf Club in Northern Ireland, the Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in New York, Cypress Point Golf Club at Pebble Beach, California and the Pine Valley Golf Club in New Jersey.

The Ryder Cup is named after the English businessman Samuel Ryder, who donated the trophy.

This women's event is named after the Norwegian-American golf club manufacturer, Karsten Solheim, who was a major force in the tournament’s creation.