Golf Betting Glossary

Golf Betting can often involve unfamiliar terms, relating to the sport itself and the wagers that bookmakers will open markets for.

  • Ace – A hole in one.
  • Accumulator – A golf accumulator is a bet that involves more than one selection.
  • Albatross – A hole completed in three under par.
  • All Square – A term used in match play to mean that both players are tied.
  • Back Nine – The last nine holes of an 18-hole golf course.
  • Birdie – A hole completed in one under par.
  • Bogey – A hole completed in one over par.
  • Bunker – A hazard, generally consisting of a sunken area filled with sand.
  • Caddie – The individual who carries golf clubs and equipment for the player. They will offer support and should have a good understanding of the course so they can provide helpful advice.
  • Chip – A short airborne shot, usually played close to the green.
  • Cut – The point, halfway through a tournament, when players in the bottom half of the leaderboard are eliminated and only the top half progress to play the final two rounds. A player is said to have either ‘made the cut’ or ‘missed the cut’, depending on whether or not they are in the top half after the second round has finished.
  • Dead Heat – When two or more players are tied on the same score. It is very common in golf and bookies will generally have a Dead Heat rule, to fairly resolve how much a punter should win.
  • Double – A golf accumulator bet consisting of two selections.
  • Double Bogey – A hole completed in two over par.
  • Double Eagle – An alternative name for an Albatross.
  • Dubai A city and one of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates.Dubai is home of the Dubai Desert Classic tournament and the season-ending DP World Tour Championship.
  • Eagle – A hole completed in two under par.
  • Front Nine – The first nine holes of an 18 hole golf course.
  • Hazard – Any part of a golf course that players will try to avoid, for example sand or water.
  • Hole In One – The act of getting the ball into the cup from the tee in a single shot.
  • Jumeirah – A coastal region of Dubai, and home of Jumeirah Golf Estates, which hosts the DP World Tour Championship.
  • Out of Bounds – An area deemed outside the official course. A player hitting a ball out of bounds receives a penalty of one stroke and must replay the shot.
  • Par – The number of strokes in which a player should be able to complete a hole.
  • Tee – The area from which players make the first stroke for a hole. The word tee also refers to a small peg used to keep the ball in place for the first stroke.
  • Three Ball – A betting market involving three players. Bettors are required to say which player of the three will have the lowest score at the end of a particular round.
  • Tournament – An event in which players compete over several stages to win. Traditional tournaments such as the Dubai Desert Classic, the Abu Dhabi Championahip and the Qatar Masters take place over four rounds of 18 holes, but there are also Match Play tournaments where players will go head to head in a knockout format.
  • Treble – An accumulator bet consisting of three selections.
  • Two Ball – Similar to a Three Ball, but this betting market involves just two players.