• Tourcast, the PGA Tour’s 3D shot tracking platform, allows you to track every shot from every golfer, for almost all PGA tournaments. Many golf fans live vicariously with their favorite golfers all weekend through Tourcast. So, how can golf bettors use their eagle eyes to gain an edge on sportsbooks?

• Live-betting, or in-play betting, has grown quickly in popularity as legal sports betting has exploded.

• Capturing favorable odds in the middle of an NFL or NBA game can be tough, as bettors need to act promptly to lock in their bet before the odds shift, which occurs rapidly. Remember, sportsbooks streams are ahead of live TV, sometimes by a play or two.

• Live-betting on golf is a totally different animal. Since there are so many golfers in any given tournament, it’s impossible for sportsbooks to constantly update each players odds as quickly as they can for other sports. Most weeks, viewers only see a select few golfers on TV, as the majority of the field plays their rounds in relative obscurity. The betting odds on a golfer will move up or down based on their position on the leaderboard.

BET BEFORE THE PUTT

• If you’re tracking a player that you’re eying to bet on Tourcast and see that they just hit their approach shot into 5 feet for an upcoming birdie, one can assume that player will convert the putt, which will vault them up the leaderboard & shorten their odds. However, as mentioned above, sportsbooks adjust odds based on player’s scores, but until that player putts the ball in, their odds will remain stable. This is a huge window of opportunity for bettors to strike (usually lasting between 2-3 mins). I’m more than willing to take the bet that a PGA Tour player will make a 5-foot putt (about an 80% chance), and by betting on them prior to the putt, I’ve captured odds that will immediately change upon the conversion of the putt.

• This opportunity doesn’t exist in any other sport. Sportsbook technology has gotten far too fast, as their stream is about 7-10 seconds ahead of what we see on TV. In golf, most of the players in the field are not shown on TV. While this can be frustrating to golf fans who want to see their favorite players on the big screen, the truth is, being hidden from the public view can offer vigilant bettors an opportunity to pounce and gain a legitimate edge on sportsbooks.

• Some sportsbooks adjust their odds quicker than others, so be ready to beat the book in a foot race. Odds-shopping certainly comes into play here. Being loyal to any one sportsbook is not helpful. Surf the odds on all the books in your state before placing any bet, but even more so when you’re live-betting on golf.