Daily Fantasy Golf is played over a single tournament as opposed to a full season which can make more challenging compared to full season pools. To make money playing DFS golf you need to understand some basic strategies rather than just randomly picking players blindly thinking you know enough from watching the highlights every week.
Below we have compiled some beginner Daily Fantasy Golf Tips and Strategies that most successful DFS players are using to gain a step up on their competition at sites like DraftKings.com.
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Study The Scoring System
Each daily fantasy sports site has a different scoring system for their daily fantasy golf games. Most sites have similar scoring that will reward points for birdies, pars and eagles however some will also have extra reward points for how the golfer finishes overall and or streaks the golfer may go on. Most will also deduct points for bogeys, double bogeys or missing a tournament cut, but how much they deduct can be a game changing factor. Knowing the scoring system in and out will help you in selecting a golfer that is either risky and gets a lot of bogeys, but makes up for it with wins, or a player that is pretty steady and settles for pars and a few birdies.
Pick Players In Good Current Form
Golfers can go on hot streaks just like any other athletes. When a golfer has shown good form leading up into the current tournament he may be worth riding until he cools off. Some golfers need a few events under their belt to round into form so to speak, someone like Jordan Speith when on fire can easily win 2 or 3 PGA events in a row.
Watch The Events
Sounds simple enough, right? The truth is many amateur fantasy golf players just wing it every week and don't pay attention to who plays well on what type of course or who is on fire to our above point. Nothing will improve your odds to make money playing daily fantasy golf than actually watching tournaments on a weekly basis. Now not everyone has the time to sit around for 4 rounds every weekend to study golf but at the very least check the final leaderboard. Look who missed the cut, who started off great in rounds 1 and 2 then faltered and who closed at the end. These little insights can lead to future profits. Pay attention to our fantasy golf picks posts where we re-cap what happened at the last event.
Know The Course Beforehand
Every golf course on the Tour is different. Some favour long hitters, some tailor to those who rely on a good short game, some produce players that consistently do well there and some are a nightmare even for the very best PGA golfers. Previewing the golf course and predicting how your golf picks will play on it is an important DFS strategy that is often overlooked by beginner players. Our golf course preview section is going to help you become a better, smarter DFS player so make sure you check it out weekly.
Research Course History
Past performance or course history at a particular tournament has increasingly become a popular strategy for DFS lineup building. Some golfers just love playing at certain courses and thrive at them. On the flip side, some golfers dread certain courses because of their past history there. When making your selections, check out a golfer's past history on that particular course or at that particular tournament. The U.S. Open for example, is played at a different course each year, but the setup is similar. A golfer that can play well on that type of set up should be fine at any of the courses they play the U.S. Open at.
Need Help Finding Course History? We recommend checking out Golfstats.com for the most in-depth player history online.
Check The Weather
Weather in golf is a huge factor. On a dry course, golfers who drive the ball long tend to do well because their balls will roll farther. On a wet course, short iron players tend to excel because they can stick their approach shots closer to the pin. Wind can cause havoc for most players, whereas a select few embrace it. When making your final picks, make sure to check out the projected weather and see if it makes any difference to your players. You can also choose to fade tee times in the morning or afternoon depending on when the bad weather is expected to hit or the good weather is set to arrive.
Find Consistency In Weaker Fields
The top golfers take many tournaments off and in those tournaments the lack of star power can be a big bump to a mid-range or lower ranked guy. Use the RBC Canadian Open for example. Because it falls the week after The Open Championship across the pond, many golfers skip it due to travel fatigue and overall scheduling. However a small group of consistent golfers (think of a Matt Kuchar, Jim Furyk) still show up and they are usually always hovering at the top of the leaderboard. Look for consistent players in weak fields and stack them in your lineups.
Focus On Top 10's Not Outright Winners
We all like to pick a winner, there's something about saying I knew he was going to win that makes us feel proud in a way, our research has payed off. Well, in weekly fantasy golf, although a win is a big bonus to your fantasy team making the cut and finishing top 10 is of upmost importance. Finding golfers that consistently make the cut at PGA tournaments will in the long run get you farther than trying to pick the winner every week. In other words, picking the 3 most expensive salary cap golfers and the 3 lowest salary cap golfers at DraftKings, for example, will not necessarily get you to the top of the leaderboard. Having all 6 of your fantasy picks play all four rounds and hopefully finish close to the top will ultimately make you more money and is a much stronger Fantasy Golf Strategy.
These are just a few of our basic fantasy golf strategies to get you started on your way to profitability. It's not easy but fantasy golf as easily become one of the most funnest and popular DFS games to play on weekly basis and once you start learning what it takes to build a winning lineup you are going to enjoy watching golf every week even if you never have before.
Very informative thank you