Gifts for Golfers Who Like a Flutter: Personalised Kit and Golf Betting Basics

Golf is the one sport where a small wager has always been part of the game itself. Whether it is a pound a hole with friends or an each-way bet on the Open, golfers who like a flutter make easy people to buy for, as long as you know a few basics.

Personalised golf gifts

• Golf balls: printed with initials, a name or a joke. The Rules of Golf expect players to be able to identify their ball, so a personal mark is practical as well as fun.
• Ball markers: engraved coins or magnetic markers that clip to a cap or glove.
• Pitch-mark repair tools: engraved metal tools, often combined with a ball marker.
• Towels and head covers: embroidered with initials or a club crest.
• A scorecard holder: leather, embossed with a name.
• An engraved hip flask: for the nineteenth hole (see our hip flask guide).

On-course games: the oldest bets in golf

Golfers have been playing for small stakes for as long as there has been golf. Some of the most popular games:

A personalised gift that plays along with these games is always appreciated: a set of engraved coins for marking skins won, a scorecard holder with "Nassau Champion" on the front, or a little trophy for the regular four-ball, passed round to whoever wins the money each month. For a trophy that doubles as a drinking vessel, see our tankard guide.

Golf betting basics

For the golfer who also likes a bet on the professionals, here is how golf betting works:

• Outright: backing a player to win the tournament. With fields of 150 or more, even favourites are often at long odds.
• Each-way: half the stake on the player to win, half on them to finish in the places. Bookmakers typically pay a quarter or a fifth of the odds for a place, and for big events many offer extra places.
• Top 5, 10 or 20: backing a player to finish in that bracket; lower odds, but more chance of a return.
• First-round leader: a bet settled after the first day; popular with fans who like an early result.
• Match bets, two-balls and three-balls: picking the best score from a pair or group of players over a round or the tournament.
• Dead heats: when players tie for a place, the stake is usually divided, so a "top 10" bet on a player who ties for tenth may not pay in full.

The golfing calendar

The four men's majors run from spring to summer: the Masters at Augusta in April, the PGA Championship in May, the US Open in June and The Open in July, played on a rota of famous links courses in Britain. The Ryder Cup between Europe and the United States is played every two years, and the 2027 match is scheduled for Adare Manor in Ireland. A golfer's birthday close to one of these dates is a gift opportunity: tickets to a practice day at the Open, a round at a famous links course or a framed print of a historic hole.

Gift ideas by budget

For more ideas for the men in your life, see personalised gifts for him; for the dates of the Open and other big sporting days, see our UK gifting calendar.

Written by the Ribbon & Tag editors.