Fantasy golf is a fun way to follow the PGA Tour and other professional golf events, even if you’ve never picked up a golf club. You play by picking real golfers for your team, and they earn points based on how well they do in actual tournaments. Drafting fantasy golf is the process of selecting these players.
This guide will walk you through everything you need to know to start playing and even winning fantasy golf leagues. We will cover the different types of games, how scoring works, and the best ways to build a winning team.
Getting Started with Fantasy Golf
Fantasy golf lets you act as a general manager for your own team of golfers. You compete against friends or other players online. The main goal is to score the most points each week or season based on your chosen players’ real-life performance.
What Are the Main Types of Fantasy Golf Games?
There are two primary ways people play fantasy golf: season-long fantasy golf and daily fantasy golf. Each offers a unique way to engage with the sport.
Season-Long Fantasy Golf Leagues
These leagues mirror traditional fantasy sports like football or baseball. You typically hold a drafting fantasy golf event before the season starts.
- The Draft: Teams draft players, similar to picking players for a fantasy football team. Each player can only be on one roster in the league.
- Rosters: You usually have a fixed roster size (e.g., 4 starters and 2 bench players).
- Scoring: Points accumulate over the entire PGA Tour season.
- Commitment: These require a long-term commitment to manage your team week after week.
Daily Fantasy Golf (DFS)
DFS is faster and often more popular for casual players. It focuses on one tournament at a time. This type is often played on best fantasy golf platforms like DraftKings or FanDuel.
- One-and-Done: You build a new lineup for every single tournament.
- Salary Cap: Players have a salary cap. You must pick a set number of golfers whose combined salaries do not exceed the cap.
- Scoring: Points are awarded based only on that week’s performance.
- Flexibility: You can play every week or skip weeks when you are busy.
Choosing Where to Play: The Best Fantasy Golf Platforms
Where you play depends on the type of game you want.
| Game Type | Popular Platforms | Key Feature |
|---|---|---|
| Season-Long | Yahoo Fantasy Golf, Sleeper, Custom Leagues | Annual drafts and head-to-head matchups. |
| Daily Fantasy Golf (DFS) | DraftKings, FanDuel | Salary cap contests based on weekly events. |
If you are serious about DFS, you must compare the fantasy golf scoring systems used by the best fantasy golf platforms. They differ slightly in how they reward performance.
Deciphering Fantasy Golf Scoring
How do you turn birdies and bogeys into points? Fantasy golf scoring rules are central to success. While rules vary slightly by platform and league, most systems reward positive actions and penalize poor play.
Common Scoring Categories
Most systems reward the following actions heavily:
- Birdies (+ Points): This is the easiest way to rack up points.
- Eagles (+ More Points): Rare but highly valuable.
- Pars (Neutral or Low Points): Sometimes worth a small amount, sometimes zero.
- Bogies or Worse (- Points): These deductions hurt your score quickly.
Performance Metrics That Matter
Beyond just strokes, good scoring systems reward process metrics:
- Greens in Regulation (GIR): Did the player hit the green with their approach shot? This shows good iron play.
- Fairways Hit: Did the player keep the ball in the short grass off the tee?
- Putting Statistics: Some systems reward high putting averages (fewest putts per round).
- Finishing Position: A large bonus is usually given for making the cut and for high finishes (Top 10, Winner).
Example: A Simplified DFS Scoring System
In daily fantasy golf, points are often weighted like this:
- Hole-in-one: 10 points
- Eagle: 5 points
- Birdie: 3 points
- Par: 1 point
- Bogey: -1 point
- Double Bogey or worse: -3 points
- Making the Cut: 5 bonus points
If you are playing a season-long league, look closely at your commissioner’s specific rules for head-to-head matchups. Some leagues use total cumulative points, while others use weekly wins and losses against other managers.
The Art of Drafting Fantasy Golf Teams
For season-long players, the draft is crucial. A strong draft sets you up for the entire year. Drafting fantasy golf requires looking beyond current form.
Pre-Draft Preparation: Utilizing Fantasy Golf Rankings
Before your draft, you must study fantasy golf rankings. These lists estimate which players will perform best over the season.
- Tiered Rankings: Don’t just look at a simple 1-to-200 list. Group players into tiers based on expected performance. If you miss the top tier, aim for the best player in the next tier.
- Course History: Golf is highly course-dependent. A player who always bombs drives might struggle on a tight, tree-lined course. Look at past results on similar tracks.
- Recent Form vs. Historical Strength: Balance a player who won last month against a proven star who has been slightly off lately but usually dominates major events.
Draft Strategy: Balancing Risk and Reward
When drafting fantasy golf teams, you need a plan for each round.
- Anchor Your Team Early: In the first few rounds, target elite, consistent players. These players provide a high floor (they rarely have disastrous weeks).
- Mid-Rounds for Upside: Use the middle rounds to find players who might have breakout seasons or excel on specific course types.
- Late Rounds for Value: Look for players who have a clear path to playing many tournaments or who are returning from minor injuries. Avoid players who might lose their tour card midway through the year.
Mastering Daily Fantasy Golf Strategy
Daily fantasy golf (DFS) requires a different skillset. It’s less about long-term consistency and more about optimizing for a single week. This is where detailed fantasy golf strategy comes into play.
Core DFS Principles
When setting fantasy golf lineups for DFS contests, focus on these key areas:
1. Course Fit Analysis
Every PGA Tour stop is unique. A course might favor bombers, or it might demand elite scrambling skills.
- Length vs. Accuracy: Does the course reward distance, or do players need to keep the ball on the fairway above all else?
- Green Complexes: Are the greens tricky, requiring excellent wedges and short game? Look for players who rank high in Strokes Gained: Approach to Green and Strokes Gained: Around the Green.
- Birdie Potential: On easier courses, you need players who can make many birdies because par won’t cut it.
2. Vegas Odds and Implied Probability
Vegas odds are excellent indicators of expected performance. They translate directly into how likely a player is to finish well.
- Tournament Winner Odds: A player with 10-to-1 odds is expected to win more often than a player with 80-to-1 odds.
- Top 10/20 Odds: These are crucial for DFS, as you earn points even if the player doesn’t win. Look for players whose DFS salary seems low compared to their implied probability of finishing in the money.
3. Correlation and Stacking
In some DFS formats, you can correlate players. If you are confident a certain player will win, you can “stack” them with other players who are likely to make the cut at the same event. If Player A wins, and Players B, C, and D all make the cut, your lineup explodes with points.
PGA Tour Fantasy Advice: Navigating the Schedule
The PGA Tour schedule is packed. When developing your PGA Tour fantasy advice, always check the upcoming schedule.
- Major Championships: In the four Majors (Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open, The Open Championship), variance is high. Course difficulty is extreme. You might favor consistency and elite major-event experience over raw recent scoring.
- Fall Swing/Non-WGC Events: These events often feature weaker fields. This is your prime opportunity to use high-ceiling, lesser-known players who might offer massive salary cap savings but still have a high chance of finishing near the top.
- Travel Fatigue: After long international trips or challenging Major weeks, some top players might skip smaller events or play poorly due to travel fatigue. Pay attention to player withdrawal reports.
Setting Fantasy Golf Lineups Like a Pro
Whether you are managing a season-long roster or setting fantasy golf lineups for DFS, the goal is optimization.
Season-Long Lineup Management
In season-long formats, you often have weekly starts or “bench” decisions.
- The Cut Line: In many leagues, if your player misses the cut, they earn zero points for the weekend. Always prioritize players with a high historical percentage of making cuts over players who are streaky but volatile.
- Waiver Wire Management: Be ready to pick up players who are suddenly playing well (hot streaks). If a mid-tier player suddenly has three top-25 finishes in a row, grab them before your league mates do.
Daily Fantasy Golf Lineup Construction
DFS lineups demand strict adherence to the salary cap and maximizing projected scores.
| Lineup Slot | Salary Focus | Player Type to Target | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top Tier (Max Salary) | $10,500 – $13,000 | Established Winners | High floor; near-guaranteed top finishes and major points. |
| Mid-Tier (Value) | $7,500 – $10,000 | Consistent Cut-Makers | High chance of 4 rounds played; good birdie volume. |
| Bargain Bin | Under $6,500 | Recent Strong Performers | Low salary allows you to afford three top players; high-risk, high-reward. |
Contrarian Play: In large DFS tournaments, avoid picking the most popular (highest owned) players, especially in your bargain slots. If a highly-owned player fails, you automatically leapfrog a large portion of the field. Winning fantasy golf leagues often means taking calculated risks where others play it safe.
Advanced Concepts: Statistics and Analytics
To consistently beat the field, you need to move beyond surface-level stats. You must delve into Strokes Gained (SG) metrics, which are the gold standard for modern PGA Tour fantasy advice.
Strokes Gained: The Key Metric
Strokes Gained measures a player’s performance against the field average on every shot. It breaks down performance into specific skill areas.
- Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee (SG: OTT): How good is the player driving the ball? Important on long, difficult courses.
- Strokes Gained: Approach to Green (SG: APP): How accurate are the approach shots? This often correlates most strongly with birdies.
- Strokes Gained: Around the Green (SG: ATG): How well does the player chip and pitch when they miss the green? Vital for saving par.
- Strokes Gained: Putting (SG: PUT): How many strokes better than average is the player on the greens?
When analyzing fantasy golf rankings or building DFS lineups, prioritize players who rank high in SG: OTT and SG: APP for that specific course type.
Interpreting Fantasy Golf Rankings Dynamically
Static fantasy golf rankings are fine for beginners, but pros update them weekly based on the tournament venue.
If a course demands great scrambling, you should temporarily elevate players who rank high in SG: ATG, even if their overall season ranking is slightly lower. This dynamic adjustment is a hallmark of successful fantasy golf strategy.
Maintaining and Managing Your League
For season-long fantasy golf, managing your team throughout the 40+ event schedule requires discipline.
Trading and Dropping Players
Know when to cut bait on an underperformer. If a top-tier player is injured or seems mentally checked out for three straight weeks, evaluate your bench depth.
- Waiver Priority: If you are in a competitive league, understand the waiver priority system (who gets first dibs on free agents if multiple people drop the same player). Use this to your advantage by targeting players just before they get hot.
- Trade Deadlines: Be prepared to trade for help if you are close to the playoffs. Don’t wait until the trade deadline passes if your team is struggling.
Staying Current for Daily Contests
DFS requires constant checking, especially right before lock time (when betting closes).
- Weather Watch: Wind and rain drastically affect golf scores. A forecast showing high winds can shift your strategy toward accuracy over distance. Never finalize your setting fantasy golf lineups without checking the tee time weather report.
- Late Withdrawals: Golfers sometimes pull out of tournaments due to illness or minor issues just before the first tee time. If a highly-priced player withdraws after you have submitted your lineup, you are stuck with a zero-point golfer. Always have a backup plan ready.
FAQs About Playing Fantasy Golf
Here are quick answers to common questions about getting started.
Q: Do I need to know a lot about golf to play?
A: Not really. For casual season-long fantasy golf, you can rely on general rankings. For daily fantasy golf, knowing a little about the PGA Tour schedule and basic stats helps you score better.
Q: Can I play both season-long and daily fantasy golf?
A: Yes! Many players enjoy the long-term strategy of season-long games and the weekly action of DFS. They use different skills and offer separate chances to win money or bragging rights.
Q: How important are Vegas odds in DFS?
A: Very important. Vegas odds are essentially market-based predictions of success. They are a powerful tool for identifying value when constructing your setting fantasy golf lineups.
Q: What is the easiest way to start winning fantasy golf leagues?
A: Focus on consistency first. In season-long leagues, draft players who rarely miss cuts. In DFS, favor players with high projected scores based on strong Strokes Gained metrics for that specific course setup. Ignore the very low-priced “hail mary” players until you have a solid core.
Q: What are “contrarian plays” in fantasy golf?
A: A contrarian play means picking a player who is projected to be owned by a low percentage of the field. If that player performs well, you gain an advantage over most competitors. This is a key element of advanced fantasy golf strategy.
Q: What are WGC events?
A: World Golf Championships (WGC) events feature the world’s best players, usually meaning the field is very strong. In these weeks, fantasy golf scoring tends to heavily reward the top 5 finishers, as lower finishes might not yield enough points to cover the high salaries.