Common Newbie Golf Betting Mistakes

Whether you are brand new to wagering on golf or you just are a casual golf bettor who only wagers on a few tournaments a year, there are a number of mistakes that can cost you money.  Here are a few of the most common ones.  Avoid these, and you will have a much better chance of winning your golf wagers this year.

• Taking on too many wagers at a time.  Because there are numerous golfers and many ways to bet on each of them, many golf bettors, especially novices, are tempted to take on a ton of different golf bets.  With so much opportunity out there, you may feel like that is the swiftest and surest way to make bank.  But what it actually will likely result in is major losses.  In fact, even if you win a few of your bets, your wins will probably be wiped out by your losses.  Stay focused and pick a few quality wagers you feel are really solid, and ignore the temptation to overextend yourself.

• Ignoring the weather.  While the weather will for the most part impact all golfers in more or less the same way, that is not necessarily true across the board.  Some players will struggle more than others with ground that is soft from rain.                       

• Thinking the course doesn’t matter.  A lot of golf betting novices think that the key to winning is just to wager on the best player.  But each player has strengths and weaknesses and an individual playing style.  Some styles are better suited to some courses than others.  It makes no sense to assume that the “best” player on one course is going to be the “best” on every course.  Take both the player’s performance and the golf course location into account when you wager.

• Wagering only on big-name players who have a lot of hype surrounding them.  In golf, it is tempting to bet on the celebrity players and ignore the guys who are less well-known.  Oftentimes however the best value doesn’t reside with the big names, but with the underdogs nobody knows that much about.  The odds can help you bet, but they are not always predictive of real success.  Try to see past the hype and shop for the best value, even if it means putting your money on someone no one else is talking about.  These long-shot bets are often the most profitable when they do turn into winners.

If you can avoid making these common betting mistakes, you will steer around some costly pitfalls.  There are so many different types of bets you can place on golf, but try to stick to just a few that represent a great value.  Take weather into account, don’t ignore the impact a course will have on a particular golfer, and don’t let yourself get swept up in the hype.  Stay objective, do your analysis, and don’t be afraid to occasionally take the long shot.