Fantasy golf lets you act like a general manager for your own golf team. You pick real-life PGA Tour players each week, and they score points based on how well they play in an actual tournament. If you are asking, “What is fantasy golf?” the simple answer is it’s a game where you build a roster of professional golfers who earn points for you based on their real-world performance that week.
Fantasy golf has become very popular, especially with the rise of daily fantasy sports (DFS) platforms like DraftKings and FanDuel. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know to start playing and aiming for success in your league or contests.
Grasping the Basics of Fantasy Golf Formats
Before diving into picking players, you need to know the two main ways people play fantasy golf. Each format demands a different approach to fantasy golf strategy.
Season-Long Fantasy Golf Leagues
In season-long leagues, you often draft a team of golfers before the season starts, much like football or basketball. You manage this team all year long.
- Rosters: You usually have a fixed roster you manage week to week.
- Waivers and Trades: You compete with other league members to pick up free agents or trade players.
- Commitment: This format needs a lot of weekly attention throughout the entire PGA Tour schedule.
Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) Golf
DFS is the most common way to play now. It resets every week with every new tournament. This is where many people look for the best DFS golf picks.
- One-Week Entry: You build a new team for each event.
- Salary Cap: Players have a salary assigned to them. You must stay under a set budget (like \$50,000 on DraftKings).
- Scoring: Points are based only on that one tournament’s performance.
Deciphering DFS Scoring Systems
The rules for scoring points are vital for your FanDuel golf strategy or your approach on other sites. While the exact points change slightly between platforms, the core metrics remain the same.
Common Scoring Categories
| Action | Points Awarded (Example) | Impact on Play |
|---|---|---|
| Finishing Position | 30 pts for 1st, 18 for 2nd, etc. | Finishing high is the biggest point generator. |
| Birdies | 3 points | Consistent good play adds up fast. |
| Eagles | 8 points | Rare, but massive point boosters. |
| Bogies | -1 point | Avoid these! |
| Double Bogies/Worse | -3 points | These ruin a lineup quickly. |
| Rounds Under Par | Bonus points often given. | Shows sustained excellence over four days. |
For DraftKings golf lineups, finishing position points are usually the most important factor. You want players who are likely to make the cut and contend on Sunday.
Building Your First Fantasy Golf Lineup
This is where the fun—and the challenge—begins. Good PGA fantasy advice starts with a smart approach to roster construction.
The Salary Cap Challenge
In DFS, you must fit six golfers under a set salary limit. This means you cannot just pick the top five players in the world every week. You need balance.
Five Key Player Archetypes to Target
- The Elite Studs (The Top Tier): These are your Rory McIlroy or Scottie Scheffler types. They are expensive but offer the highest floor and ceiling for points. They often have the best chances to win.
- The Mid-Range Workhorses: These players are very solid. They might not win often, but they almost always make the cut and get several birdies. They are crucial for consistent winning fantasy golf.
- The Value Plays (The Salary Savers): These are cheaper golfers who might be trending up or playing well at a specific type of course. They allow you to afford the studs. Finding good fantasy golf sleepers often falls in this category.
- The Course Fits: Some golfers excel on certain courses (e.g., short, tricky courses vs. long bombers’ courses). Researching these fits is essential.
- The Trending Players: Golfers who have played very well in the last 2-3 weeks, even if they aren’t historically elite.
Step-by-Step Lineup Construction
Follow these steps when building your roster:
- Step 1: Review Course Setup: Is the course long? Is it hard to hit the greens? This dictates what stats matter most this week.
- Step 2: Identify Your Core Studs: Choose 1 or 2 top-tier players you feel confident will finish top 10.
- Step 3: Find Your Cut Lock: Pick one or two reliable players who rarely miss the cut, regardless of where they finish. They provide a safe point base.
- Step 4: Hunt for Sleepers: Allocate the remaining salary to 1 or 2 players who are priced low but have upside. These are your potential difference-makers.
- Step 5: Check Ownership Projections: If you are playing in large GPP (Guaranteed Prize Pool) tournaments, you want a few unique players. If you are playing cash games (Head-to-Head), play the safest options.
Essential Metrics for Fantasy Golf Research
Success in fantasy golf relies on deep statistical diving. Relying solely on who won last week is not a solid fantasy golf strategy. You need to look deeper into performance metrics.
Key Statistical Categories to Analyze
Strokes Gained Metrics
Strokes Gained (SG) is the gold standard in modern golf stats. It shows how much better or worse a player performs compared to the average PGA Tour player in a specific area of the game.
- SG: Total: The best overall measure. High SG: Total players are performing well.
- SG: Off-the-Tee: Crucial on long, difficult courses. Shows power and accuracy from the tee box.
- SG: Approach-the-Green: The most predictive stat for scoring well. It measures how close iron shots land to the hole.
- SG: Putting: Important on courses with fast or tricky greens.
Traditional Metrics (Still Valuable)
While SG is king, these stats help confirm a player’s recent form:
- Greens in Regulation (GIR) Percentage
- Scrambling Percentage (How often they save par after missing a green)
- Birdie or Better Percentage (BoB%)
When looking at PGA Tour fantasy projections, always cross-reference the projection source’s preferred metrics. Some heavily favor approach play; others focus more on recent putting streaks.
Leveraging Fantasy Golf Rankings and Projections
You don’t have to do all the math yourself. Many experts provide valuable data to help you finalize your DraftKings golf lineups.
Utilizing Fantasy Golf Rankings
Fantasy golf rankings organize players based on projected performance for the upcoming week. These rankings are usually heavily weighted toward Strokes Gained data from the last few months.
- Use Rankings as a Guide: Never blindly copy a top 10 ranking. Use it to create a shortlist of 20-30 players you are considering.
- Adjust for Course Fit: If a player ranks highly but historically struggles at this specific course type, consider dropping them down your personal board.
Interpreting PGA Tour Fantasy Projections
Projections often assign an expected point total for each player. These are essential for cash games, where you need players who are highly likely to hit a minimum point threshold.
- High Floor vs. High Ceiling: A player with a high floor (safe projection) is great for 50/50 contests. A player with a high ceiling (potential for a win but risk of missing the cut) is better for large GPP tournaments where you need massive scores to climb the leaderboard.
Advanced Daily Fantasy Golf Tips for DFS Golf Picks
To move beyond breaking even and start winning fantasy golf, you need advanced strategies tailored specifically for DFS formats.
Mastering Ownership Percentage
In large tournaments, how many other people pick a golfer matters a lot. This is called “ownership percentage.”
- High Ownership (Chalk): Players expected to be picked by 20% or more of the field. If they succeed, you gain no advantage. If they fail (miss the cut), you jump ahead of a huge portion of the field.
- Leverage: If you fade (don’t pick) a highly owned favorite who you think will struggle, you create “leverage.” This is a key concept in high-stakes GPPs.
Correlation: Building Winning Stacks
Unlike fantasy football where players are often independent, in golf, players on your team play in the same tournament. You want correlation.
- The Winner Stack: If you pick the tournament winner, it is highly likely that 3 or 4 other players on your roster finished well, too. You want players who play well together in the same event.
- Contrarian Stacks: You might stack a high-priced favorite with a very low-priced fantasy golf sleeper. If the favorite plays great and the sleeper shocks everyone, your lineup is extremely unique and highly rewarded.
Course History vs. Recent Form
This is an ongoing debate in daily fantasy golf tips. Which matters more?
- Course History: For veterans, history on a specific course (like Augusta National) is very important. Some players just get certain tracks.
- Recent Form: For younger players or those changing equipment, the last 4-6 tournaments are more telling. Are they hitting their irons well right now?
A good rule of thumb: Form beats history, unless the history is overwhelming and the course demands specific skills the player clearly possesses.
Tailoring Your Strategy for DraftKings vs. FanDuel
While the players are the same, the platforms reward different styles due to their scoring and salary structures.
DraftKings Golf Strategy Focus
DraftKings traditionally awards more points for birdies and eagles and has a slightly higher salary cap, often leading to a focus on high-ceiling players who rack up pars/birdies quickly.
- Emphasis: Birdie creation. You need players who generate eagles and birdies consistently to overcome bogey deductions.
- Lineup Goal: Aim for 3-4 players who could finish top 10, and 1-2 cheap players who make the cut reliably.
FanDuel Golf Strategy Focus
FanDuel often places a much higher value on final position points than DraftKings does, and the salary cap might differ slightly depending on the contest structure.
- Emphasis: Finishing position. A player who finishes 25th but avoids bogeys is often more valuable than a player who finishes 30th but has 5 more birdies but also 3 more bogeys.
- Lineup Goal: Prioritize players who have the highest probability of finishing in the top 30 or 40, as this is where the bulk of the points come from in the final standings. This makes finding high-floor, safe players very important for your FanDuel golf strategy.
Finding Fantasy Golf Sleepers
The key to massive tournament wins is finding those hidden gems—the fantasy golf sleepers priced under \$7,000 (on a \$50k cap) who perform like \$9,000 players.
Where to Look for Sleepers
- Course Fit Specialists: Look at players who have performed well at similar courses in the past but are priced low because they missed the cut in the last two weeks.
- Statistical Regression: A player who has had terrible putting for six weeks but whose SG: Approach numbers are elite is “due” for better results. Their good iron play will eventually translate to better scores.
- Recent Ball Striking Improvement: Check the advanced stats for players whose driving and iron play have significantly improved in the last month, even if their overall finish position hasn’t caught up yet. They are gaining strokes against the field before the leaderboards reflect it.
Managing Your Bankroll and Contest Selection
Even the best fantasy golf strategy fails without sound money management.
Bankroll Management Rules
Never risk more than 5-10% of your total bankroll on any single day or week of golf contests.
- Cash Games (H2H, 50/50s): Play these with 70-80% of your weekly entry fees. These are low-risk, low-reward games. You aim to finish in the top half to double your money. This is where you deploy your safest DFS golf picks.
- GPP Tournaments (Large Fields): Use the remaining 20-30% for these. These are high-risk, high-reward contests where you need a perfect lineup to finish in the top 1%.
Contest Selection Based on Strategy
- If your lineup is “safe” (high floor): Play 50/50s or small Guaranteed Prize Pool (GPP) contests.
- If your lineup is “risky” (high ceiling with 1-2 major sleepers): Play large-field GPPs where the huge payouts are worth the risk of finishing outside the money.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About Fantasy Golf
How many golfers do I pick in a standard DraftKings golf lineup?
You pick six golfers for your roster in a standard DraftKings or FanDuel lineup.
Do I get points if my golfer misses the cut?
Generally, no. Players who miss the cut (usually the top 65 and ties after Friday’s second round) receive zero points for Saturday and Sunday. Because of this, making the cut is the most important baseline goal for every player you select.
What is a “Caddie Lock” in fantasy golf?
A Caddie Lock is a term used to describe a player you feel is so safe, or so perfectly suited for the course, that you are locking them into every single lineup you create that week. They are your foundation player.
Should I focus on Eagles or Birdies for my fantasy golf strategy?
You should focus on Birdies, but Eagles are the difference-makers. Birdies are consistent and predictable outcomes of good play. Eagles are bonuses. A player who averages 5 birdies per round is much more valuable than a player who averages 3 birdies and 1 eagle every three rounds.
How important are course history stats for daily fantasy golf tips?
Course history is moderately important. It’s vital for established veterans on specific, quirky courses (like Harbour Town). For players in poor recent form, history might give them a slight boost in projection, but recent Strokes Gained metrics usually outweigh old success.
Can I use the same DraftKings golf lineups every week?
Yes, you can, but it is highly discouraged. Successful winning fantasy golf requires adapting your roster construction based on the week’s course, field strength, and expected weather. Playing the same lineup every week ignores valuable information.