The Newest Sport For Betting? It’s Mini Golf — And Here’s How
Since PASPA was overturned in 2018, sports betting has been booming in the United States. You can place a legal in-person and/or mobile sports bet in 35 of the 50 states, with the total number of sports bets exploding annually.
But you’ve heard the stats by now. If you’re reading Action Network, chances are you’re an avid sports gamer – one of millions of people who have picked up this fun and exciting hobby over the past five years.
But maybe you are Tired of losing bets because college basketball players can’t hit their free throws. You love gambling and sports betting, but maybe you want something different.
Have you ever played mini golf?
If you feel “heard” or “seen” through the paragraphs above, Pro League Network (PLN) is the organization for you.
PLN works to bring niche sports leagues into the ever-growing sportsbook space and provides these leagues with the resources they need to get up and running.
As PLN’s Jared Barrett says, PLN “works directly with the leagues to professionalize them in every way”.
PLN fully owns, licenses, and in many cases manufactures and distributes a portfolio of high-growth professional sports such as CarJitsu, Slapfight and NXL Pro Paintball.
If you’re curious what something like CarJitsu might look like, then go for it…
These are all fascinating events, but also all niche. And this is where sports betting comes in. Gambling can help push some of these competitions to the top while also creating new revenue streams for the sport.
Enter the World Putting League: professional mini golf you can bet on.
While the US Pro Mini Golf Association (USPMGA) has hosted professional mini golf events – including sports versions of the US Open and Masters – for 27 years, the public has never been able to bet on the sport.
That is, until the league partnered with PLN to found and produce the World Putting League (WPL) – and the inaugural event of the WPL begins on Monday.
The two-day event will be the first-ever miniature golf tournament to be live streamed and licensed for wagering in the United States.
I mean it and so do the people at WPL. Minigolf is produced like an NFL or NBA game and made available to the bettors.
Professional miniature golf: when, where, who, how to watch
The event will take place on Monday, February 27th and Tuesday, February 28th, with start times of 11:00am to 3:30pm ET on Monday and 6:30pm to 9:00pm ET on Tuesday.
The tournament takes place at the Hawaiian Rumble in Myrtle Beach, SC, touted as the most competitive miniature golf course in the world. The course is reviewed by the USPMGA and approved for competition based on a checklist of alleged “professional aspects” of the course, including conditions such as the slope of each hole and the angles of the rails.
The world’s top 26 putters will compete for cash prizes in addition to being recognized as the world’s top putter. All 26 will play two rounds of stroke play on day one, and the top eight golfers by lowest total will be eliminated on day two in a traditional bracket head-to-head tournament.
How to stream
The event will be streamed live on theworldputtingleague.com.
Emmy Award-winning PGA Tour broadcaster Brian Katrek will be commentating and taking time out from his 20-year golf broadcasting career to play play-by-play minigolf.
It is worth mentioning that Katrek played mini golf himself.
Katrek will be joined by Pro League Network’s on-air presenter Kaz Brown, who will be providing on-the-fly commentary and interviews with the top putters.
How to Bet on Mini Golf: Players to Watch, Books, Markets
But let’s get to the heart of this article: how can you, the excited bettor, play in the first-ever miniature golf tournament that’s available to bet on?
Luckily for you, BetFred is offering betting lines for the event. Other state markets may go live ahead of the event, but at the time of writing, BetFred has only posted in Colorado.
What markets are available for betting on the world’s first mini golf gambling game?
First, and like most golf events, you can bet on the outright winner.
If you want to bet on the best players of the tournament, check out either Olivia Prokopova or Matt McCaslin.
Prokopova, the betting favorite to win the inaugural event of the WPL, started putting at the age of 3. Originally from the Czech Republic, she now lives in Houston.
The current Jon Rahm of pro mini golf, Prokopova has had back-to-back Masters wins and has finished in the top 10 in the last 20 tournaments she has competed in.
Meanwhile, McCaslin is the runner-up with a flair for the dramatic. He overcame an eight-shot deficit to win the 2008 Sedona-Arizona tournament and has worked his way into the USPMGA Hall of Fame.
Here are the listed outright odds for the other top golfers and the rest of the field:
overall winner
| Surname | Yes | NO |
|---|---|---|
| Olivia Prokoprova | +150 | -200 |
| Matt McCaslin | +190 | -250 |
| Gregory Newport | +500 | -750 |
| Joey Graybeal | +800 | -1400 |
| Field | +500 | -800 |
Otherwise, overall markets will likely be the best available market.
You can bet on the Over/Under Round Score for both Round 1 and Round 2 for any player you select; Most totals hover around 32 on a par 36 course.
It is worth repeating the last part again. A par 36 course indicates that all 18 holes are par 2s. Logically, an average score of 32 would mean that most golfers would average four holes-in-ones per round.
Therefore, sportsbooks offer a complicated hole-in-one prop market.
First, you are offered an over/under for the combined number of holes in ones from the entire field in the first two rounds.
Second, you will be offered an over/under for the combined number of individual player holes in the first two rounds.
Holes-in-One for all players (Rounds 1 & 2)
| Total holes in one | Over | Under |
|---|---|---|
| 168.5 | -115 | -115 |
One player I would look at in this market is John Ventura.
Do you like risk takers? Are you the kind of fan who would step in for Roy McAvoy in the US Open finals?
Then you are a fan of John Ventura.
The 71-year-old, nicknamed “Ace” Ventura, throws caution to the wind when chasing hole-in-one. Unfortunately, his risky attitude also leads to many three-putts.
Ultimately, Ventura’s style works. He has won five of the last seven Super Senior USPMGA events.
Funnily enough, BetFred offers player support on Ace since his overall hole-in-one line is fixed at 8.5 (+140/-180) for the first two rounds.
Holes-in-One per Player (Rounds 1 & 2)
| Surname | # Holes in one | Over | Under |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olivia Prokoprova | 9.5 | -150 | +120 |
| Matt McCaslin | 10.5 | +120 | -150 |
| Gregory Newport | 10.5 | -115 | -115 |
| Joey Graybeal | 10.5 | +110 | -140 |
| Tim Tally | 7.5 | -130 | +100 |
| Gary Hester | 7.5 | -115 | -115 |
| John Ventura | 8.5 | +140 | -180 |
Third, you will be offered an over/under for the combined number of holes-in-one on certain holes at the Hawaiian Rumble, including holes 1, 4, 10 and 17.
Holes-in-One for specific holes (Rounds 1 & 2)
| Hole # | Total holes in one | Over | Under |
|---|---|---|---|
| hole 1 | 25.5 | -130 | +100 |
| hole 4 | 1.5 | +120 | -150 |
| hole 10 | 7.5 | -130 | +100 |
| hole 17 | 35.5 | -130 | +100 |
There are some wild markets where you have betting options on a mini golf tournament that is broadcast live on a Monday and Tuesday during the work day. It’s different and interesting, and I wholeheartedly encourage taking advantage of the fun.
However, we are not here to encourage reckless gaming.
A fully compliant league with full integrity monitoring, the WPL has met all of the Gambling Commission legal requirements to be listed in a legal US sportsbook.
However, there is almost certainly no advantage in this market and we expect BetFred to restrict these markets appropriately.
I encourage bettors to enjoy new and alternative markets, but I would encourage responsible gaming within those boundaries.