2025 Golf Draft Kit: Daily Fantasy Sports Strategy

Figuring out the start of this article is an annual challenge. On one hand, DFS golf is so entrenched in the landscape of golf fandom and golf betting, many of you have been doing it for years. On the other hand, DFS is still growing, with more people playing every year and existing gamers playing more every year.

So the challenge is starting from A in the A to Z of DFS golf, or beginning at, say, L, since so many of you already know the basics.

Not everyone does know the basics, however, so we will start with A. Hopefully, the more experienced players will stick around, because there are some tips for you too, tips that might give you a little bit of an edge.

BASIC INSTINCTS

We're are going to use DraftKings as our guide in this article, since it is the overwhelming leader in DFS golf. But virtually all of what will be discussed also pertains to other platforms.

In golf, **Daily** Fantasy Sports could be daily but is usually weekly. Most games span that week's entire tournament.

You pick six golfers who are entered in the tournament and they must fit under a $50,000 salary cap. Every golf is assigned a price set by DraftKings. Scottie Scheffler could be $11,000 or more, and Ludvig Aberg might not be far behind. The last option could be $6,000 or sometimes even $5,000. However you do it, your six have to cost $50,000 or less.

There are generally two types of games to play -- Cash and GPP (Guaranteed Prize Pool, also known as "tournament"). Cash games are for beginners or those with less risk tolerance. They can involve as few as two players. It's possible to play for free or even $1. The payouts are generally small and can be split among multiple players. GPP games could include tens of thousands of players, usually better DFS players, with entry fees in the hundreds of dollars vying for perhaps a million to the winner. We'll detail more specific types of games lower down.

So, how to decide on a lineup of six golfers? There are many variables to consider. There's the price, a player's course history, the skill set required at that course -- good iron players, good putters, etc. -- a player's recent form, weather, injuries and even the type of grass on the green. Again, we'll get into more detail as we go on.

It's important to note that DFS and sports betting are not available in every state, and each state has its own set of limitations. DFS and online betting sites track your location on your device to ensure you are eligible to play. More states keep coming on board. If your state doesn't allow fantasy or sports betting, it very well could soon. Sports betting is now legal in more than 30 states, mostly online but some only in person. In California, where I live, DFS play is legal but betting through a sportsbook is not.

DAILY FANTASY SPORTS SCORING

Golfers get points based on how they score in the actual tournament. You get points added or taken away depending on what your guys do. But whereas in real golf a birdie is just as good as a bogey is bad, it's not that way in DFS play.

For instance, birdies are worth three points, but bogeys are only minus 0.5 points. Eagles are worth 8 points but double bogeys are minus 1 point. A par is worth 0.5 points. Each of the DFS sites scores a bit differently, but the gist is the same: They all reward riskier play. A golfer who totals, say, eight birdies, three bogeys and seven pars will net you more points than five birdies, no bogeys and 13 pars. Both are 5-under-par, but the first one is better in the DFS universe.

There are bonuses for players winning the tournament or finishing high on the leaderboard or for various streaks, such as three consecutive birdies, bogey-free rounds, rounds under 70, holes-in-one, etc. Again, each site is slightly different.

TYPES OF GAMES

There are three types of cash games -- head to head, double up and 50-50.

Head to head is what the title says: You play against one other person for a certain dollar amount, and either they take your money or you take theirs, minus the "rake" for the site, which is akin to "the house," in Vegas parlance. If you each put in, say, $1, the winner gets $1.80, and the rake for the site is 20 cents. You could play against a random person or a friend. If you and a friend are learning together, this is a good way to get started.

In 50-50, half the entrants win. Let's say there's a game with 10 players and everyone puts in $1. The top-5 players — no matter who finishes first and who finishes fifth — win $1.80 each. That's a total of $9 and the site gets $1 as the rake.

In Double Up, about 40 percent of the entrants win — and double their entry fee. Let's say there's a game with 23 players and everyone puts in $3. That's $69. The top-10 players win $6 each — doesn't matter if you finish first or 10th. That's a total of $60. The "house" — the site — gets the other $9 as the rake.

Those are the games, here is some strategy about how to play them.

CONSTRUCTION ZONE

Okay, now you have the rules and a bit of a sense how to play. It's time to formulate a lineup.

If a guy is playing well heading into a tournament, great. If not, it's a bit risky to assume he'll find his form just when you need him to. (But DFS golf rewards risk, right?) Sometimes, course history trumps current form, but in that case, it's got to be a heckuva course history. Rarely do the better golfers continue to play courses they are terrible at unless it's a major or another big event (or the swag is too good to pass up).

Secondarily, each week when making the RotoWire/DraftKings picks, we examine the course to see what stats will be critical to success. Does it favor longer hitters? Or is accurate iron play paramount? And what about scrambling and putting? And so forth. Sometimes it seems you can never drill down far enough: Some golfers are better on, say, Pete Dye-designed courses. Some do better on bermudagrass, others on bentgrass. You don't have to be an agronomist to play DFS, but it wouldn't hurt.

THE FIRST CUT IS THE DEEPEST

And the second one hurts even more. Most of the time, if one of your six golfers misses the cut, it will wreck your chances. (DraftKings has solved that problem too, offering two-day and single-day games to keep interest and opportunities to bet on full blast.)

If a golfer gets to the weekend and blows up, it's still going to be better for you than if he didn't get there at all. And there's also the chance he can get hot. You might be able to withstand one MC in a small game, a cash game, but not a GPP with hundreds or thousands of players. Oh, you could still win some money in a GPP with only five golfers making the cut, as some games pay more than the first 100 finishers. But the payouts drop very far and very fast after the top handful.

When filling out your lineup at the bottom, and you are looking to minimize risk, find a guy who makes a lot of cuts or who has made a number in a row. He might get more pars than birdies, which isn't optimal, but it's better than a trunk-slam. If you want to play with more risk, just make sure to know what lies ahead.

THE FORK IN THE ROAD

There are two general types of lineups: stars-and-scrubs or balanced. The first option means if you pick a $10,000-$11,000 golfer, you'll likely need to fill out your lineup and stay within the salary cap by dipping into the $6,000s. In a balanced lineup, all six guys would be in the $7,000-$9,000 range. For cash games, balance is the way to go. In GPP, you'll want to anticipate golfers who are not highly owned to try to separate yourself from the masses. Of course, if you think a guy will do well or even win, going in a different direction just because you anticipate high ownership, well, that doesn't make much sense. There are sites and Twitter(X) accounts out there that track expected ownership. Follow them.

No matter whom you pick, think with your head and not your heart. Don't pick golfers because you like them personally. Conversely, don't avoid golfers you dislike if you think they otherwise would be the proper play. Of course, that's easier said than done.

RISK/REWARD

Birdie average. Birdie-or-better percentage. Birdie-to-bogey ratio. Bogey avoidance. These are stats the PGA Tour tracks. As we discussed earlier, not all 5-unders are created equally. Golfers who take more chances and get more birdies are good for your lineup (though maybe not your blood pressure). For the most part, the best golfers in the tournament will be the best golfers in DFS scoring. But there are some small differences, and that's all it takes to win or lose your game. Take a look at those stats. Some weeks, specifically on the tougher courses with lower winning scores, you may want to consider avoiding bogeys more than making birdies. Make the cut. Live to play another day – or two more days.

GIVE IT TO ME STRAIGHT

There are many other stats to consider, and they differ depending on the course. But there is one kind of golfer who never goes out of style: the kind who can get from Point A to Point B in the shortest time and the straightest line. Focus on Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee, Strokes Gained: Approach and greens in regulation. More times than not, that guy will be a solid pick. He may not be able to win because he can't putt, but he'll be around for the weekend and maybe a whole lot more. Every lineup needs good filler around the top guys.

GOLF TWITTER (X)

Golf Twitter is like a bunch of golf fans sitting around in a bar talking golf. Only there are a lot more of them (and they're all talking at once). Twitter is a great news source. You learn about injuries and other important factors. And you can get a handle on ownership levels and just an overall vibe of how to read the tournament. As mentioned, there are sites that track/predict ownership levels. And, like RotoWire, many sites have analysts making picks. Some sites are free; some are subscription-based. The weekly DFS previews on RotoWire are free to all. Also, follow the actual golfers on social media. You might get an injury tip or a schedule update or something similar.

FLAVOR OF THE WEEK

At various points during the season, we see a golfer come out of nowhere to have a good week, or even a few good weeks. And Golf Twitter goes crazy. Just like the best guys go through down periods, lesser players rise from the ashes every now and then. Most often, they will return from whence they came in short order. And these guys tend to do better in weaker fields, when so many stars are taking the week off. Often, the DFS sites will overreact and you'll see that reflected in their prices. It's a sucker play. Sure, one or two guys come out of nowhere every year for the entire season. But they are few and far between. And there's a reason the guy everyone is calling The Next Big Thing was on the Korn Ferry Tour last year.

Now we'll get into some more nuanced thinking, perhaps not needed for cash games but it couldn't hurt.

LIVING ON THE EDGE

The sportsbook odds for a golfer to win a tournament will usually mirror his DFS prices. But every week there are a number of prices that don't jibe, with a golfer looking way overpriced or an incredible bargain. How do you know that? You follow golf. Sometimes it's obvious. For a second opinion, check the odds at a sportsbook or other sources. Those oddsmakers are pretty smart dudes (not saying the price-setting DFS dudes aren't smart, too). Look for the discrepancies; you might be able to take advantage of them.

AVOID THE CROWDS

Ownership levels — knowing how often a certain golfer will be in lineups — could be used in cash games but is far more important in GPP contest. But again, this type of thinking could prepare you for the next level of DFS play. It is far from an exact science, and it can be risky. Some experienced gamers can do it. You might want to fade a guy you think will do well because you think he will be highly owned. Try not to overthink things — don't double-cross yourself.

But if all the evidence points to a golfer being highly owned, and you can find a comparable player with less predicted ownership or even at a cheaper price, then steer clear of the chalk. Once again, there are sites that monitor ownership levels early in the week. They tend to be for the biggest games, but there is some thread throughout all games.

One more thing about high ownership: Most people aren't right too often. If they were, the books would be out of business. So when I see high ownership, I think that not that many people can be right. That doesn't work 100 percent of the time, but it you get the picture.

WEATHER, OR NOT

Most of the time, weather will not be a big enough factor to affect lineup construction. But sometimes a storm is forecast to move in, or the wind is expected to pick up, say, on a Thursday or Friday afternoon. If it looks like conditions will be extreme, you might be able to avoid them.

Check tee times. And don't lock your lineup until the last possible moment.

Every site, including RotoWire, gets their articles out early in the week for maximum exposure and readership. So we don't have the Wednesday weather forecast. You do.

If it looks like weather in the morning or afternoon could result in a specific advantage, or if it looks as if two rounds won't be complete by Friday evening, this should impact your thinking.

I personally like to have my guys finish on Friday instead of having to come out Saturday morning to complete their second round. The better to stay on routine. That means siding with the late/early tee times.

VARIATIONS

Everything that we've discussed so far has centered around four-day games -- full-tournament games. Those are known in the DraftKings universe as "Classic." But there are also "Weekend" games that cover Saturday and Sunday and "Showdown" games that are one-day affairs. These are great if your Classic lineup is DOA on Friday and you still want some action to stay interested.

In Showdown, golfer prices can swing wildly from what they were in Classic. The strategy also changes. It's still golf, but if you're asking someone to have only one good round, the chances he can do it are greater. It seems risk-taking would and should be rampant here. Take a flyer on a lesser golfer who could become a great golfer for one round. Another consideration: It's hard to follow up a great round with another great round. With the narrow focal point of one round, even a tee time could be an important tool.

DraftKings also has something called "Captain Mode." You still pick six golfers and have $50,000, but your team's designated "captain" accrues 1.5 points when he would ordinarily get only 1. The catch? You also have to pay 1.5 times his price to get him. You pick the captain, and it doesn't always have to be your highest-priced golfer.

It's not better, it's not worse. It's just another game that DK has created to help the gamer scratch his itch.