Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) has evolved a great deal through the years. Back in the early days, games revolved around the major North American team sports.
Fast forward to today, and there are a whole host of different ways to play.
Games can now be played on the major individual sports as well. Golf is one of them, and it has evolved into one of the most popular options on the vast DFS menu.
In fact, it’s safe to say that the introduction of DFS Golf has created some new fans for the sport itself.
If you’re looking to get started playing fantasy golf you’ve come to the right place. We’re going to take a walk through everything you need to know.
Let’s get started by taking a look at the best DFS sites to play.
Best Fantasy Golf Sites
When it comes to DFS, two operators are well ahead of the competition. These two giants offer the largest prize pools and attract the most users. There are also other options out there for those on the hunt for something different. Here are the top places to play DFS golf online.
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Top DFS Sites Offering Daily Fantasy Golf Contests
Here is a complete rundown of the daily fantasy sports site offering golf contests and tournaments. If you need more information, use the links to read our reviews.
#1. DraftKings DFS – $5 Free with First Deposit
Boston-based DraftKings debuted in 2012. The company quickly gained traction in the DFS community for its innovative take on things such as scoring and roster requirements. Today, DraftKings is the biggest daily fantasy sports site in terms of users and prize pools.
Click here to join DraftKings!
2. FanDuel DFS – $100 bonus
FanDuel came onto the scene in 2009 and helped bring the DFS industry into the mainstream. DFS was a niche pursuit back then, but the company pushed the needle with offerings such as live final events. FanDuel is the clear number two in the industry for users and prizes.
3. Prize Picks – 25% Match Up to $1,000
This company also entered the arena in 2018. Prize Picks managed to quickly capture some attention due to a different spin on the same old thing. Prize Picks follows the same concept of prop situations as opposed to lineups and caps, and users have taken to it.
Click here to join Prize Picks!
How Long Has Daily Fantasy Golf Been Around?
A popular request in the daily fantasy community for a number of years, DFS Golf was first introduced in 2014. Part of the delay was due to the question of legality of a DFS format for golf.
DraftKings was one of the first to push the envelope and test the waters.
That proved to be a wise choice. By 2015, interest had exploded to the point that major golf tournaments became some of the signature events on the DFS calendar. Today, DFS Golf has a loyal and passionate following of users who log in and play whenever there’s a group of pros hitting the links in a tournament.
For many others, interest really picks up in the spring and summer months, a time frame which features a number of major PGA events and can be otherwise a little quiet on the DFS front.
How Does Daily Fantasy Golf Work?
Daily fantasy golf shares some similarities with classic DFS games that revolve around the major team sports such as football or baseball.
Users are tasked with putting together the best roster that they can, and there’s a salary cap that must be adhered to.
DFS Golf events revolve around tournaments which are typically played on a Thursday through Sunday schedule. On the two major operators – DraftKings and FanDuel – roster requirements call for six golfers to be selected.
Users make their selections from a pool of all of the golfers scheduled to compete in the tournament.
For a typical golf tournament, cuts will take place after the first two days of the event.
The field of golfers gets cut down to the Top 70 places or so in the tournament. Golfers who miss the cut are done for the weekend, while those who make it go on to compete over the final two days of the event.
For DFS purposes, the initial aim is to have all of your golfers make the cut. That’s easier said than done. Beyond making or missing the cut, golfers accumulate points based on how well they perform.
They’ll rack up points for things like birdies and eagles, and be penalized for bogeys.
In addition, how they fare in the event itself is a huge factor, as golfers are awarded points based on where they place when all is said and done.
Most Popular Types of Contests
Users can enter the contests of their choice at the buy-in amount they are most comfortable with. Here are the most popular types of contests you’ll find.
- GPPs: These are guaranteed prize pool tournaments in which users compete for prizes ranging from the small to the massive. For big golf events such as the Masters, tournaments will attract tens of thousands of users who compete for eye-popping prizes.
- 50/50s and DoubleUps: For these games, the goal for users is to build a lineup which scores better than up to half of the field. Those who are successful on that end win real cash prizes, while those who miss the cash line are out of luck.
- Head to Heads: This is the form of DFS which most closely resembles a traditional season-long fantasy sports experience. It’s user versus user with the highest score winning. Head to head games are offered in various denominations.
You’ll find other ways to play as well, and there are even DFS Golf games which are more condensed and revolve around just a single day of the tournament. Add it all up, and DFS Golf affords users the opportunity to have a little skin in the game as golfers tee off.
Daily Fantasy Golf Rules and Scoring
Scoring for DFS Golf revolves around how the golfers in the tournament perform. They receive points based on their accomplishments on the course, as well as for how well they place in the event itself.
As with all DFS games, scoring will vary depending on where you are playing. Let’s take a look at the scoring breakdown on the two biggest operators in the game.There are differences on the number of points awarded for specific events, and, as you’ll see below, DraftKings and FanDuel take different approaches on bonuses for strong runs of play.
| Golf Scoring |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Best site for golf contests |  |  |
| Bonus | ||
| Double Eagle or Better | ||
| Eagle | ||
| Birdie | ||
| Par | ||
| Bogey | ||
| Double Bogey | ||
| Worse than Double Bogey | ||
| Streak of 3 Birdies or Better | ||
| Bogey Free Round | ||
| All 4 Rounds Under 70 Strokes | ||
| Hole in One | ||
| Bounce Back (Hole under par after over par) | ||
| 5+ Birdies or Better | ||
| Streak (Two straight holes under par) | ||
| 1st Place | ||
| 2nd Place | ||
| 3rd through 50th Place | ||
| 4th through 30th | ||
| 31st to 40th | ||
| 41st to 50th |
The other major difference comes in places paid. DraftKings awards the Top 50 finishers in tournaments, while FanDuel cuts it off at the Top 40. As with all other DFS games, understanding the scoring differences between the two platforms is important before you dive in.
How to Select / Optimize a Lineup in Fantasy Golf
When building a lineup for any DFS sport, the goal is to put together a roster which will score the most possible points, all while staying under the salary cap.
While the goal is clear, there is no one size fits all approach towards doing so. For all of the various approaches, the ultimate goal is to come up with an optimal lineup.
So what are some of the ways you can make that happen?
There are a number of different strategy components that can be employed, but we can boil down the various approaches to three main camps: doing your own research, using an optimizer or advice, or a hybrid of both.
For those who like to do their own research, here are some of the main points you can dig into each and every week.
- Form: Golfers current form. How well have they played in recent events.
- History: Golfer history at current tournament. Have they played here before? How did the do?
- Points: Average fantasy points scored by a golfer for the tour season to date.
- Odds: Current odds for the event. Who is favored to win? Which golfers are favorites to finish in the Top 10?
- Odds vs. Salary: Odds in relation to salary, which helps you spot potential value plays and those who may be overpriced.
For an even more advanced approach to optimizing a golf lineup, there are a number of stats you can dig into. If you like to keep it simple, you can do so, just know that there are a whole host of additional numbers to look at if you like going down the rabbit hole.
Another way to go about things is to use an optimizer or advice site as the basis for how you build out your lineup. There are numerous resources out there on the internet. Some of them are free, while others are of the paid variety.
This is an option worth exploring, just know that there are plenty of other users who do this as well. As such, it’s not uncommon to see a number of ‘optimal’ lineups on the leaderboard which are exactly the same.
Last but not least, you can use the hybrid approach. Find some key stats or pieces of intel which you find most important and dig into them. Complement your own research with a trusted resource or two that helps you to confirm your own suspicions or helps you to change perspective towards something you may have missed.
Finding the optimal weekly lineup isn’t easy, but that’s also a great deal of the fun and excitement of DFS Golf.
Who to Start in Daily Fantasy Golf
The answer to this question will vary each week. The tournament field is different for each event. While there are a number of golfers who play in a ton of events each year, there are others who are more selective about where they appear.
Which golfer makes for a good start will change week in and week out. Beyond the playing field, other factors to consider include the course to be played. Golfers can excel on one course and have a disastrous showing on another.
Learning how to spot this ahead of time can help save you a big headache. In this case, there are a number of research sites out there which provide full event histories on current tour stops. Be sure to take the time to review and see how the golfers you have your eye on have fared at this event in the past.
Last but not least, a great place to look for who may be the best plays of the week is at the odds for the upcoming event. Oddsmakers will post odds for the outright winner, Top 10 finishers, and so on.
While there are no guarantees that those with the best odds will be the top finishers at the end of the weekend, just remember that they are favored to do so for a reason. Based on the way the oddsmakers see it, these are the golfers who have the best chance to excel over the weekend.
Since oddsmakers aim to profit just like the rest of us, they’re crossing all of their I’s and dotting all of their T’s. In essence, it’s a free research resource from those with great data at their disposal which you can feel free to use and lean on.
Daily Fantasy Sports Guide
Daily Fantasy Golf Strategy
Building out the best possible DFS golf lineup is a task that takes plenty of practice, patience, trial and error. No matter how finely tuned a research routine may be – or how great of an advice or optimizer resource you may have discovered – there are simply no guarantees once the tournament tees off.
Golfers who were expected to excel can underperform, and those who were off your radar can go out and have the round of their life. It’s going to happen, and it’s just part of the game that you have to come to terms with.
However, that doesn’t mean you can’t narrow down the field of golfers to find a pool of the week’s potentially great plays. Some duds are always going to slip through the cracks – and some great plays can be missed – but you can still get to the point that you’re making the most educated guess possible with the research tools you have at your disposal.
We’ve touched on a number of strategy tidbits already, but here’s some additional insight on three components which can really help you step your game.
- Recent play: Golfers are human just like the rest of us. Lean towards those on good runs, and use caution when it comes to those who are mired in slumps.
- Tournament history: If a golfer has performed horribly at a specific course a number of times in the past, don’t assume a magic switch will be flipped this time around. By extension, those who crush certain courses should be on your radar.
- Odds in relation to salary: Review the odds for the tournament and compare to the weekly salaries. This can help you spot over and undervalued plays of the week. For the time crunched, there are sites out there which do the legwork on this task.
For those just starting out with DFS Golf, start with a basic research routine and go from there. This will allow you to get a handle on the basic ins and outs without getting overwhelmed with data. You can add more components as you gain more experience and tweak along the way as needed.
DFS Golf: Frequently Asked Questions
Fantasy golf coincides with the PGA Tour calendar, which typically begins in October and runs through August. There are other golf events sprinkled in here and there. DraftKings also offers DFS for the European tour.
Yes. In states in which DFS is legal to play, there are no issues when it comes to golf.
Contests can be found at buy-in points ranging from the minuscule to the high roller neighborhood.
This stands for player holes remaining. After a tournament begins, it gives you a quick snapshot of how many more holes golfers have left to play.
This stands for Official World Golf Rankings, which update weekly. It’s a good information resource to review during your research routine.