The infamous Road Hole bunker at St Andrews
The Open Championship is the oldest of golf’s four major championships and is the only major to be held outside the USA. The Open, as it is most commonly known, is played every year on the weekend of the third Friday in July and is held on one of nine links courses in Scotland or England.
The Open was first held at Prestwick Golf Club, Ayrshire in 1860 when eight professional golfers competed for the honour of the Champions Belt, it took three years to introduce a £10 prize fund for the winner. The Champions Belt gave way to the present trophy, the Claret Jug, when Young Tom Morris was allowed to keep the belt after his third successive victory in 1870.
The Old Course at St Andrews hosted its first Open Championship in 1873 and has since become recognised worldwide as the ‘home of golf’. It still remains on the The Open rota and hosts the championship more frequently than any of the other eight links courses, usually once very five years.
Nowadays, The Open is contested by 156 golfers with the top 50 ranked players qualifying and the remainder made up of leading players who have been given exemptions for previous exploits, such as previous champions, highest money earners on the previous year’s PGA and European Tours and a variety of other criteria to ensure all the world’s best golfers can compete.
The Open Championship is always played on links courses, which are situated close to the coast and notably lack protection from the coastal elements. The links courses tend to utilize natural hazards, rolling fairways can punish good shots and prevailing weather conditions play a determining factor on scoring. The nature of playing links courses, with bad lies and unreliable bounce asks as many questions of a golfer’s mental strength as his golfing skill.
The Open Championship generates a surge of interest in golf betting every year and is probably the biggest betting event in the sport. Bookmakers recognize the potential of The Open to attract new customers to their sportsbooks and online bookmakers compete vigourously by offering free bets to customers opening new accounts plus Cash Back/Money Back/Free Bet Refund incentives. With the increased interest in golf betting during the Open Championship, bookmakers respond to customer demand and price up a variety of extra golf betting markets and some will be prepared to offer golf bettors some added value with enhanced place terms for punters trying to find an each way return in the field of over 150 runners.
FREE GOLF BETS FOR THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP
Get free golf bets for The Open by registering with online bookmakers to claim the free bet offers available exclusively to new customers.
Three steps to get free Golf bets for the Open Championship
- Select your free bet offer(s); check the main terms and conditions for restrictions for qualifying for free bets and using free bets, then select the free bet offer(s) that best suit your needs. Best Free Bets has a list of free bet offers with all the main terms detailed. CLICK HERE SEE A LIST OF FREE BET OFFERS
- Sign up with an online bookmaker; Best Free Bets has reviewed the best online bookmakers who will all provide free bets to new customers, the bookmakers are recommended because they are trustworthy and reputable, just follow the links to bookmaker’s website and register your details.
- Deposit some funds and place a bet; in most instances deposit and bet as little as £5 to qualify for a free bet matching your first bet stake up to the maximum offered by the bookmaker.
Online bookmakers will normally credit the free bet to your account within 24-48 hours of meeting the qualifying requirements, which usually entails making a deposit and/or placing a bet.
REDEEMING FREE GOLF BETS FOR THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP
Normally, using your free bet for the Open Championship is simply a matter of making your selection and indicating on the bet slip that you wish to use your free bet. Some bookmakers’ methods vary slightly, however their websites will contain instructions on how to redeem your free bet.
There will be restrictions placed on the use of free bets which vary between bookmakers and is advisable to make yourself familiar with those restrictions before signing up.
The six most important facts about redeeming free Golf bets
- Free bet stakes will not be included in returns
- Minimum Odds; expect the bookmaker to insist your free bet is placed on a selection with a minimum price, typically 1/5 (1.20) to evens (2.00)
- Bet Type restrictions; you may not be allowed to use your free bet for some types of bets, however Singles are almost allowed and Accumulators are accepted by most bookmakers.
- Product restrictions; you won’t be able to invest free bets in Tote Pools and in many instances you will be confined to using the free bets in the sportsbook rather than Casino, Poker and other gaming products.
- Rollover requirements; some online bookmakers insist customers bet their deposit and/or stake a number of times before making a withdrawal.
- Free Bet Expiry; if unused, the free bets will expire after a period of time, normally 7 to 30 days.
THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP FREE BET TIPS
If you enjoy a regular flutter throughout the Open Championship or on other Golf betting events then its worth considering opening accounts with a number of online bookmakers. Free bets provide an excellent opportunity to increase your winnings or the chance to bet a winner without risking your own money. You also gain the advantage of being able to compare the different odds available for your selection allowing you to choose the best odds for your Golf bets, which will obviously help your profits over time.
Nowadays you can place a bet on your mobile phone and most online bookmakers have special mobile friendly versions of their websites or specially developed mobile phone and smartphone applications to make the website easy to browse and place a bet while you are out and about. It is worth mentioning because some online bookmakers will give you a free bet for trying out their mobile service, even if you already hold an account with them.
Our best Open Golf free bet tips
- Open accounts with a number of online bookmakers, get free bets and choose the best odds.
- Find bookmakers you can trust, be confident of the bona fides of the bookmaker before handing over important personal and financial information.
- Look for enhanced each-way terms, the most competitive bookmakers often pay down to six or more places, improving your chances of getting a profitable return from each-way bets.
- Take out insurance, look around for cashback, money back and free bet refunds if your player does not win The Open.
Best Free Bets bookmaker reviews provide details of each bookmaker’s offers and promotions. By their nature, offers and promotions can change and we advise you visit the bookmaker’s website and check the available promotions before placing your bet. CLICK HERE TO SEE OUR LIST OF BOOKMAKER REVIEWS.