Golf Form

Any smart punter recognises the importance of form in informing their betting decisions, but evaluating the current performance levels of golf players is still a tricky business.

Some of the most common methods for assessing players’ form include:

• Ranking –The official world ranking of a player is a great starting point for measuring a player’s ability, and as they place an emphasis on recent results they are usually a reliable guide. However, rankings can sometimes be misleading if you are looking for current form. World rankings are based on performances over a rolling two-year period so it could be that a player is ranked highly because they enjoyed a purple patch 18 months ago, but have done very little recently. Alternatively, a player might be ranked poorly because they missed a long period due to injury and performed badly on their return, but have actually started to do very well lately.
  
  You might also want to look at a player’s position in the Race to Dubai leaderboard to better gauge their form, as everyone starts the season with the slate wiped clean and a quick look at how many points they have claimed provides an accurate reflection of their performances during the year.
  
  Tracking a player’s world ranking or position in the Race to Dubai over time is a good option, as you can then see if they are on an upward curve or starting to slide the wrong way.
• Statistics – The first set of statistics that a bettor might want to look at is how high a player has finished at their last few tournaments, which is much more relevant than how they have done over the course of their career. At a deeper level, you might also look for data on driving accuracy and distance, as well as greens hit in regulation and putting average. Depending on the course, any of these factors could turn out to be decisive.
• Market Expectation – One quick and simple way to check a player’s form is to see how they are rated by the bookmakers. The odds that a bookie sets will be determined by their own form assessment, so it provides a rough guide to each player’s chances. This doesn’t mean that you can afford to blindly follow the favourites, though, as you will need to work out who provides the best value.